Redwood Empire Dermatology

My review isn’t about the physicians at this office but the staff. There is one medical assistant that never returns phone calls, is abrupt and rude. I’ll leave messages to them to be directed to the physicians and not even at all sure that they receive the messages. Eventually, I will hear from the physician. I just had an experience where I’m speaking to the medical assistant and I realize she isn’t speaking to me she’s speaking to someone in the office, never hearing anything I had said or asked. She returns to the phone and asks «are we done?» I answered «we are.» I’m completely aggravated and frustrated with this lack of professionalism.
I know, I probably should have said no we’re not but I have been playing phone tag all afternoon with this office. I feel the office staff and medical assistants need to take more time to listen to the patient. I will definitely be speaking to the physician about this experience. I will add that there is a medical assistant at this office by the name of Missy. She has always been courteous, helpful and professional.

I went to Redwood Dermatology to get a skin patch test done for skin allergies. The receptionists that I talked to were very friendly and helpful. The skin patch test involves three separate visits over the course of one week, and the receptionists helped schedule these appointments around my busy schedule (I am a teacher).
The first two visits didn’t require much, as they just comprised getting the patches on, and then taking them off. It is the last visit that you get the information concerning the results. On this last visit, I had Dr. Sugarman, who seemed incredibly rushed. I will grant him that this was a Friday afternoon, but since this entire process was over $ 1,000, I expected more from the experience. First, he knocked and abruptly began entering the room before I was undressed. Second, he rushed through the entire process of explaining things to me, talking very quickly. He literally sped out of the office in his Mercedes while I was still checking out! Third, I asked him for some information concerning one of the chemicals that I had a reaction to, and he said that he would have it sent to me in the mail. Six weeks later, I have received the bill but no information. What is the point of getting the testing done if you don’t even get the results? I called the office yesterday and the receptionist said he must have forgotten to have it sent. With the high prices of health care these, this is unacceptable.

Dr Julie, is amazing. I have gone to her a few times for skin checks and she has removed some things. Each time she is so friendly and puts you at ease. The process could be intimidating but her and her staff really do an excellent job of taking care of their patients. She’s the best!

While the staff & Dr. Philp were pleasant people, I have experienced WAY better care from other dermatologists.
I know I did not receive a thorough exam (again, compared to other dermatologists) and it was more about writing multiple (as in 5) prescriptions vs. actual care & attention. As I was asking a question, the doctor had her hand on the door appearing to be in a big hurry to move onto the next $$ exam. Disappointing to say the least. Did not receive a visit summary sheet when I left, so now I’m not so sure which prescription is for what issue as the instructions on some of the scripts were vague.
Will NOT be returning…

Dr. Philip is amazing. I come here once a year for a skin check to make sure my lack of sunscreen youth isn’t coming back to bite me in the ass. They have fantastic (although a bit pricy) skin care products that work magic. I think in the long run, you use far less of the items and the effect is so much better, I may work out to your advantage. Staff is amazing and friendly and I can’t say enough good things about them. Come here. You won’t be sorry.

I’ve had a huge cyst on my eyelid for years… i have seen a couple people and no one wanted to touch it. Unilocal saves the day again… i looked up the best Unilocal rated dermatologist and it was amazing… Dr. Philips is incredible… befor I was even finished with my paperwork, she saw me and had removed the cyst and i was out the door… wow. she did a great job and I highly recommend this place to anyone with a cyst on there eyelid ;)

Other than a 30 minute wait prior to starting the MOH surgical procedure (squamous cell carcinoma ear), things went well. Quickly done, no pain. Dr Christman explained what would be happening and follow up care, then prior to leaving the nurse went over it again.

I had an appointment with Dr Julie Philp and I was incredibly impressed with the quality of care she provided. It’s been a awhile since I had a doctor that cared to spend anything beyond the bare minimum of time and effort on a visit, but Dr. Philp was definitely an exception. She took the time to answer my questions, was very knowledgeable, and had excellent hands when performing a small procedure. She is a truly outstanding doctor.
I felt very comfortable being there and have the outmost confidence in the level of care provided. The pricing was very reasonable as well.

Saw Dr Philip again last week and had another great experience. Her recommended acne treatments have really cleared up my skin over the last few months. My skin has never looked so good!
I only waited a short time in the office before she came in. I appreciate when doctors try to stay on schedule since my time is valuable to. I was also happy to learn she also specializes in pediatrics, so I’ll be bringing my kids in to see her as well.

Dr. Philp and staff are first class!
They are always very nice and very genuine about it. They’ve taken the time to explain things, shared a laugh, made my family and I feel comfortable and are very skilled at what they do.
Shortly after my daughter was born we discovered that she had a hemangioma or better know as a strawberry on her shoulder. Newborns don’t have much for a neck so the hemangioma became ulcerated and this worried me. I took my daughter in to see Dr. Philp because I trusted her after seeing her myself and later came to find out that she is actually a certified child dermatologist. She is very good with kids, being a mom herself, and even put on a little «magic trick» for my older son while we were there.

After going here the first time I walked out with mixed feelings, I had a written prescription for my adult acne which I was really looking forward to attacking but I felt empty, used, taken advantage of. The appointment I had been really looking forward to lasted all of two minutes. I had questions that I felt I couldn’t ask because Dr Julie was far to busy for the likes of me. I was issued some antibiotics with no explanation of what they were, how to take them or even how long I would need to be on them… And I still don’t know!
After taking them for about a month I had a skin rash and made another appointment to make sure it wasn’t anything serious. I went in and Julie tells me I have hives, it happens sometimes and no one knows why she says. She gives me another prescription for the hives and I ask if I should stop taking the other medication for the acne and she says: if you want. If you want!!! You’re the doc here, lady. At this point she’s clearly in a hurry to get to her next $ (I mean patient) and says on her way out: you poor little thing, good luck. I am not a poor little thing, I’m a 29 year old woman and you’re a b.
When I filled my script at cvs I got WAY more info from the pharmacist there, and ended up needing ¼ the amount of pills she prescribed therefore only having to pay ¼ of the price. Obviously my budget is not on Dr. Julie’s mind nor my well being. Lady at cvs, why can’t you just write my prescription? Your clearly more knowledgeable.
I will never go back to this place. If you want advice, if you want a doctor who cares at all, go somewhere else.

Dr. Westrom is one the best Dermatologist in Sonoma County. He’s fast, efficient, very professional, and pleasant with everyone. He is always willing to help you and squeeze you in for an emergency. He is very thorough with his skin cancer screenings but makes you feel very comfortable while checking for suspicious moles or spots. The office is always clean and pleasant. A great find in Sonoma County for all things skin related.

This was my first visit to Dr Julie Philp and I was very much pleased. I have visited Kaiser as outpatient and it is very frustrating not to have access to the doctors outside of an appointment even for a quote on services. Dr Philp actually read the long medical history I provided before seeing me. The visit was conducted in a friendly and professional manner and she did not waste my time. She also immediately suggested a treatment that she could do right then and there and did it at my request. She explained everything, answered my questions, and still got everything done quickly. I will definitely go back. I did however find the office staff somewhat disorganized in that it took a lot of work on my part just to get the estimated cost of my visit… even after a couple of days.

I have very fair skin, and my family has a history of skin cancer, so I’m very diligent about getting my skin checked regularly.
The first experience I had with RED was when I had a horrible sunburn and was directed to their drop-​in clinic, which is on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 – 5. They fill up incredibly fast in the drop in clinic, so make sure you get there a little before 4 if you want to be seen quickly. Dr. Westrom was professional and gave me the impression that he was very competent. His medical course of action gave me immediate relief, and I felt confident when I left that I had my needs met, and my concerns were heard.
My follow up consultation was with Cristen the NP, who was also very informative and friendly. She gave me a full body check which could have been awkward, but it was quick and thorough. She also gave saved me a trip to my general doctor by running an allergy blood panel for me, which was so incredibly wonderful. I also had some questions about cosmetic products, and she forwarded me to their About Face representative who had pricing, brochures, and before/​after photos.
The staff here is very prompt with returning calls, the doctors are top-​notch, and the interior of the building is peaceful and aesthetically pleasing. The only downside is that you can miss the turn-​in off Sonoma, and I do it almost every time I come here, they could really use some better signage!

I was concerned about my aging spots and was given an appointment withing two weeks, being a new patient. I saw Christen, NP and was pleased with the results. She was very pleasant and froze the spots indicated. The appointment took about 15 minutes from waiting to finished. They also have an office in Healdsburg on certain days and an urgent care access also.

Dr. Ashley Smith At Redwood Empire Dermatology is the BEST!!!
I originally went there to see a different doctor but he couldn’t get me in so I saw her instead. I had a «suspicious mole» that turned out to be a skin cancer on my shoulder that needed to be removed.
Kinda scary for me since it was my first one !
I am now starting to feel the effects of being a sun worshiper!
She was so fast and easy going about the whole thing. I really felt like she knew her stuff! It did not hurt a bit! I didn’t feel a thing! She also took the time to do a special stitch to minimize scaring. Dr Smith was funny and very friendly I would recommend her to anyone especially young girls and women. PS Talk to her about cosmetic surgery!