Raleigh Dermatology Associates

Reviews 4

K.

K. Concepcion

I have wanted to go to a dermatologist from a very young age but was not able due to financial reasons and lack of insurance. I have always had skin problems: eczema, acne, rashes, dry skin, hyper-pigmentation etc., so you can imagine how sensitive I am about the topic and how painful it has been and still is due to all the scarring. Now that things are better this was my opportunity to see a specialist. Check-in was okay, as the front desk clerk was not nice but she wasnt rude either and I completed my paperwork at home, prior to the visit. The nurse who called me butchered my name--no problem happens all the time, I let her know how to correctly pronounce my name and she didnt even apologize, she didnt repeat it back, in fact, I was just another number on the list, she could care less. She was arrogant, rude and when she took me to the room and read my paperwork she did so as if she was grading an essay. She made snarky comments and assumptions and even laughed. For example, there is a portion where it asks of any problems that have happened currently, and as always I try to be clear and detailed for the doctor, I had made a quick comment about how I had had a yeast breakout on my skin but she misread and thought I meant vaginal and laughed and said,condescendingly, "there is no need for that!" Another example, the paperwork asks for "Cancer History" I understood it to mean history of cancer in my family because of course that is important, but in this case apparently it is not, again she was snarky and said that it was MY cancer history. By the time she left I was shaken up and upset and just wanted to leave but figured they would charge me $75 for canceling so I stayed. Doctor showed up and he ended up being just as insensitive and vapid as the nurse. Unfortunately, I broke down crying because I was already upset about the nurse and I felt exposed and talking about my skin problems is hard for me. They both looked at me like I was crazy and had issues. He gave me a weak diagnosis and the same rude nurse was in there and I was uncomfortable with her in there. He barely touched my skin and told me there was nothing I could do cosmetically and that I could only use creams. I hate doctors in general but I had some hope for a dermatologist but again was disappointed. Im planning on seeing a Naturopathic doctor and looking into Traditional Chinese Medicine as I believe my issues are internal. He prescribed a bunch of crap, literally, crap and was clueless and even talked about antibiotics. Dont waste your time with these people, they are full of themselves for no reason.

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A

A Private User

This is one of the most well decorated and flashy offices Ive been in. The places is decked with large flat screens and loads of comfortable seats. When I walked in for my first appointment I was sure they were going to treat me well. After waiting for 20 minutes I was escorted to a room where a nurse asked me several questions; much like most medical visits. I then began to ask her questions about my skins and over all dermatological health. After 3-5 minutes she interrupted me and informed me we had a time limit. She then proceeded to ask me if I had any more "serious" questions. I finished my list quickly, and Micheal Keen entered the room. Though more friendly and professional, I still felt EXTREMELY rushed. He also informed me that I had a time limit. The result of the visit was that I had acne and I needed to have a potentially dangerous mole removed. He gave me a list of the prescription treatments he suggested and a brief description of how they should be applied. No one discussed with me the long term treatment of the acne, times of day to apply medications, or what we were gonna do to treat the issue beyond right now. They also never explained to me why we needed to have the mole removed or what the mole removal process was like. I scheduled the appointments to follow up with the acne and have the mole removed. I have returned for both appointments and both times have been very disappointed. When I got the mole removed I met with the owner of the facility and the physician who would be removing my mole Dr. Puente. Dr. Puente had no bedside manner, acted as if I was the 30th patient he had seen at 11:00 am and had no interest in meeting me retaining my business. The mole removal was my last visit, I am looking for a new dermatologist and if you are considering becoming a patient, I would suggest; from my experiences, you seek someone who really cares about the future of your skin!

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SU

Susan Susan

My experience goes back several years, but Im posting now because a non-related reaction prompted me to describe for other professionals what happened with Dr. Puente. This may help him or someone else. I had persistent spots near my cheekbones--not raised, dry or broken out, just dark red. He was sympathetic and gentle during a biopsy which was returned as "contact dermatitis of unknown origin"; he told me to eliminate, then systematically restore all facial products. So far, so good. But the spots persisted and he had no idea what to do next, prescribing a very expensive, heavy cream--at that point, I had no insurance and paid everything out-of-pocket. When the cream didnt help, Dr. Puente suggested I be tested for serious disease. That seemed ridiculous, given the biopsy results and symptoms. I stopped going there and later an older friend insisted I apply vinegar to the spots. They disappeared in an hour, after lingering for many months and costing nearly $1000. Later, I called the doctors skin center when a special was advertised, but the woman who answered was so rude that I never made an appointment. Again, this was several years ago. However, my husband has had several good-sized skin cancers removed by Dr. Puente, all with very good results, so I try to look at this fairly. The problem with my treatment was that he didnt persist and dig deeper in helping me figure out the problem--the circles should have been a clue; they were at the touch points for my make-up. Obviously, the vinegar restored my pH. It cost pennies, didnt require a degree or license, and I later learned its a well-known folk remedy.

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RA

Rachel Kirkpatrick

To be honest, I saw the reviews here and was a bit discouraged coming into my first appointment but similar practices had similar reviews. When scheduling my appointment they quickly sent me all paperwork over email and I was able to fill it out ahead of time - so much easier. I arrived for my appointment and waited only 10-15 minutes (I had arrived early). The nurse walked through some of the questions I was asked to fill out - honestly I had some trouble remembering how I was treated previously because I hadnt seen a dermatologist since childhood. She was kind and didnt make me feel bad for not knowing. I only waited another short 5 minutes for Ginger Atkinson to come see me. She was friendly but straight to the point. I honestly appreciate the get in - get out mentality. She was very straightforward - telling me exactly what she recommended and why. I knew coming in that I could easily spend a good amount of money so I was a bit uneasy about that. Before I could even ask, she asked what insurance I had and tried to find the cheapest solution for me. At the end of the day, I walked away spending $50 for what could have been hundreds. Im very thankful my experience wasnt like any of the negative 1 star reviews below. To my knowledge, theyre a great staff who care about not only treating their patients but making it as affordable as possible.

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