Dr Carson has retired. I wish him well. He gave me good care these last few years. Yelp is making me wrote a longer review to fill up space. read more

I have been a patient of Kent Carson, M.D., for over 15 years as I grew up in the south and played tons of golf out in the sun years and years ago back in the day when not that much was known about skin cancer and use of proper sun screen, etc., etc. In any event, due to perhaps what were inadequate sun screening when I was younger, I have had issues with skin cancer on my legs and nose in my later years. Dr. Carson has taken great care of me with these various problems over the years and now I'm doing fine and am completely free of any current skin cancer problems or related issues due to Dr. Carson's excellent care. Highly recommended! Thanks much, Dr. Carson. read more

I haven't lived in California for years, but my family is still here. Whenever I'm back home in San Jose, I make an appointment to see Kent Carson. He is a very effective dermatologist, but also kind and has his patients' interests at heart. He is the kind of doctor you wish to find but can't anywhere -- I truly cannot recommend him more highly! read more

This is one of the best doctors that I have ever met, he has so much knowledge and lots of experience. He makes you feel comfortable and he always goes out of his way to find you a good deal for prescriptions. Dr. Carson even has given me samples to help with my issue and sometimes that's even enough to cure the issue. It's nice to see a doctor who genuinly cares about your health then about making money. He has seen my husband and my son and now myself for different reasons with skin. I 100% recommend him. I wish all Doctos could have the heart he has. read more

Dr. Carson has been my, my husbands and my family's dermatologist for many, many, many years. Each visit is greeted with a smile and genuine care and interest for the clients well being. Dr. Carson has a wealth of knowledge and experience that absolutely cannot be beat. He instantly knows the problem, the remedy, and the outcome. I have visited Dr. Carson for many varying skin related issues and they have each happily been resoled successfully. I look forward to having Dr. Carson as my dermatologist for a very long time and apprecaite his care and wisdom thoroughly. read more

I've been suffering from this chronic skin condition for years and no one was able to give me a proper diagnosis. After just five minutes with Dr. Carson, he named it for me, gave me free medication samples, and a cheap prescription. He was very kind and listened to all my concerns. He explained everything in detail and made me feel very secure about everything. Thank god it was minor. This guy is Stanford educated and really knows his stuff, plus he is really understanding to students! I am a poor student and he wanted to make sure that I got the right treatment without burning a hole in my pocket! This doctor is so AWESOME!!! read more

I wasn't impressed. * A wait time of 2.5 weeks to see a doctor seems a bit too long. And I don't think it was worth the wait. * His staff kept playing the voice mails people had left earlier. I could clearly hear every person's name, their issue etc. How about some privacy for the poor people who have left a VM thinking only your staff is going to listen to them? * He spent about 5 minutes with me, and basically told me if the issue is gone by now, I can just let it be and come back if the issue resurfaces. "Sure, like I'm gonna wait 2 weeks to see you again if it happens"! * He's telling me I could get a blood test done to rule out viral infection. So in the end I'm summarizing what we said and I ask him: "... and shall I get the blood test done now?" and his reply is: "Well yeah, you could get a blood test done. What do you think?". I'm sorry, but I've waited over 2 weeks and paying money for YOU to tell me what I need to do. I can give advice to myself for free. How do I know if I need to have a blood test done or not? * While I was talking to him, I touched my pants, and he tells me: "please don't do that. Dont get lint on the floor. I'll have to have it cleaned". I'm sorry, but that seems a bit exaggerated to me. Here I am telling you about my skin issue and you're concerned about LINT? What lint? How much lint do you think came off of my pants and landed on your floor for it to be a cleaning concern?! Even if I got lint on your floor, you wouldn't be able to see it. It's not like your office is Intel's chip making facility! read more

Dr. Carson is the greatest skin doctor or dermatologist in the world. Really. Trust me on this one because I check out all my doctors before hand, I don't know why but I guess I'm diploma prejudiced... just follow along. Here is his resume; Mayo Clinic trained, now he is on the clinical faculty at Stanford University along with bringing in interns from Stanford to train them personally. What else can you ask for in San Jose? Usually, this quality of physician is found in Florida, N.Y., L.A., S.F. Now about his bedside manner. The great thing about him is that he is all business too. You come in, tell him what's wrong and he goes to work on it just like that. No hesitation, no dilly-dallying. It's BOOM! Right to the point. He looks. Makes a diagnosis. Gives you his opinion. Lets you make the decision. Now some people want a doctor who will spend a half an hour joking around then complain when they have to wait for an hour and a half in the waiting room. You can't have it both ways. Personally, I like to get to the office, wait 10 minutes, go into the waiting room, sit for five minutes and have the doctor come in and get to it. Not hold my hand for 2 days. He is not that way but what he is is the the best skin analyst in the Bay Area. That makes me feel strangely comforted because I know that has seen it all over his 30 years. Now he is not rude at all, just completely focused on his profession. In the office next to me, there was a cute little Asian boy with a rash on his face, apparently he was allergic to rice and Dr. Carson was prescribing him a special medication and he knew just how to make that little guy comfortable and relaxed. It was nice to see. The man cares. I see him every year because I was born in Arizona, got sunburned over and over when I was a kid, then spent all day, everyday, in the sun in high school and in college at the beach, pool or golf course so my chances of skin cancer might be pretty high... I like being tan but I like living more... so I'm not taking any chances and it takes him about 5 minutes to check me out then send me on my way. Being a sun freak has good and bad points I guess, I mean being an ex-sun freak. You would not believe how tan I used to be able to get just being in the sun for a short while, it was amazing with blond hair and blue eyes. Never really got a burn when I got older which is wierd cause all indications would have led to it happening a lot more. And he always gives me a ton of stuff to take home for free like sunblock, the expensive kind too. And he's cheap for you cheapskates like me. Go see him, you won't be sorry that you did. Be safe with your skin and get yourself checked every year. His number is 408-281-9606. read more

I chose to see Dr. Carson purely based on his positive Yelp reviews. Efforts in making the appointment: It took me 3 days of constantly calling to make an appointment as there would either be no answer (even during business hours) or the phone would ring for dayssss. Finally, I got a hold of a receptionist and was able to make an appointment two weeks from that day. The highly-anticipated but somewhat-disappointing appointment: Dr. Carson spent about 15 minutes with me. He told me to tell him about my skin and why I was there. He asked a few basic questions and looked at my face closely for about 1 minute (which in my opinion, is not enough whatsoever). He prescribed Epiduo (a retinoid and benzyl peroxide crème) and told me when to put it on and how much of it to put on. That's about as much direction as he gave me- he didn't tell me what the major ingredients were and what it'll do for my skin nor what I had to be careful of (i.e. THE SUN!). He was not specific or thorough enough with his prescription and direction (lacking the rundown) - it was done hastily and easily. The product dried out my skin extremely. (+ 2 Stars) He provided sufficient samples of the product and said that if I needed more, to just call him. Otherwise, as with most dermatologists I suppose, it was quick fix in a very quick appointment. Overall: He seems like a nice man but I would not recommend him. Lesson learned: THOROUGHLY RESEARCH THE PRODUCTS THAT YOU USE- no matter who recommends them an how many fabulous reviews they have on Yelp ;)... read more

I like Dr. Carson a lot, he was very sweet, mild mannered and patient with my kids when I've brought them in. Both of my daughters have eczema and one has acne, so we give him a fair amount of business. I will wholeheartedly say he's got a nice bedside manner. I've decided to ask my pediatrician to refer me to a different MD, only because despite that he's a great Dr and his staff is really nice, I cannot get these people to answer the freakin' phone. Getting in for an appt is painless enough once you get them on the line. Having prescriptions called in is also problematic, as I placed 3 calls clarifying what it was my daughter needed only to find that they were never even relayed to my pharmacy. I'm over it. Sorry, Doc. read more

He is, as the other reviews state, to the point, quick and professional. His office is run quite efficiently. I waited about 20-25 minutes to see him. I like that he has many years experience as what I really needed was a competent diagnosis. Turned out I had a Basal cell carcinoma(benign), all of which he told me within 3 minutes of seeing him. It was a little too large for him to remove in his office so he sent me down the hall to a Doctor Gulessarian who did a great job on it. Both offices were very reasonable in their charges for services once I informed them I had high deductible insurance and would be paying at the time of visit(I used my HSA). Dr. Carson also gave me some free medication for some minor skin issues. read more

I had most of my face burned from a Fotofacial procedure done by Dr. Le at the Vienna Skin Clinic. Dr. Le couldn't resolve my problems so I went looking for a dermatologist because I was worried that I would be scared for life and my face hurt. I called Dr. Kent on Sunday morning and he called me back later on that afternoon! Talk about customer service. He suggested a product I could buy from the store that would help my burn heal while I waited for an appointment. He was able to squeeze me in Monday afternoon and was really sympathetic to my problem. He is soft spoken, comforting, and professional. He looked at my face, gave me sample products to help the healing, took pictures of my burns ("just in case"), and recommended dermatologists that might be able to help my rosacea. He told me his thoughts on Fotofacials and the pros and cons of what I was considering. I felt understood and taken care of. He encouraged me to come back if I wanted more samples and to let him know if I experienced any complications with my healing. He's wonderful to work with and I will be going back to see him. read more

Dr. Carson is the third dermatologist I saw for a debilitating skin problem. I saw two derms at Stanford Dermatology and another SJ doctor. Everyone was stumped by my problem but not Dr. Carson. He took one look and told me what it was. After nearly 2 months of pain and immobility, I was finally helped. He answered my questions patiently. I asked a lot because I was so stunned and was almost skeptical--like it was too good to be true. He seemed to understand. The amount of time he spent with me was fine. I didn't feel rushed. He was actually quite personable and kind I needed an injection and he saw I was nervous. "How about an icy?" he asked. Thinking he meant an ICEE (frozen drink), I was confused. Then understood when he came back into the room with a cube of ice to numb the skin. I called Monday and got an appointment for later the same week. I recommend leaving a message if you get the machine. I did and got a response within an hour. His availability is a little limited (three days a week at this writing, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday I think). read more

Dr. Carson is great very knowledgeable about psoriasis he gave us a few samples and tried to get us a better deal with getting the medication that my friend needed. I highly recommend his services he's awesome. Thank you Dr. Carson. Nancy & Ron read more

I've been going to Dr Carson almost the last two years for my acne-prone skin. He is professional, very approachable and provides options to his patients. He never says, 'this is the only way' but instead explains to you the pros and cons and offers his own recommendations. In the end, he'll usually say, 'it's up to you what you want to do." He is soft-spoken, very articulate and really gets down to business. That's not to say he won't conversate with you - but you'll have to take the initiative as he has a fairly busy schedule. Which is another thing I really like...he's ALWAYS ON TIME. My appointment has never been more than 5-10 minutes wait time before seeing him. I can't say the same for other doctors where I'm waiting 30-45 minutes...what's the point of an appt then!?!? And finally, his lovely staff is very friendly and cordial. Making you very comfortable in a doctor office..which is a big plus for anyone - particularly if is your first time to a new doctor. Even when I call to ask for favors like last minute appt changes or dealing with my local pharmacy they usually take care of it within a few hours of the request. read more

Love his service! My son had a rash on his arm. Took him several times to his pediatric and it only got worse with the creams she had prescribed. As soon as Dr. Carson saw the rash he diagnosed it gave him a cream and lotion and a week later it was gone! read more

Lucky for me I was able to get an appointment the day of a UYE event due to a cancellation-:) I had a zit emergency. Just why do zits have to pop up at the worst times? Anyways, Dr. Kent Carson is a miracle worker and the best dermatologist I've ever been to! I know I posted reviews about him before but with each new review I write, it tends to get harder to get in at times. Coincidence or not? hhmm..... The other day I had two nasty ones on my forehead and one below my chin. He gave me a cortisone shot that shrinks even large zits in mere hours. It just leaves a red mark that is easily covered with makeup-:) Since he only specializes in skin care and not surgery, it's easier to get in at the last minute. Well, not so much anymore as I think my reviews have made him more popular, lol! Be prepared to wait as he is really busy most of the time. There were four or five people in the waiting room at the time I came. I'm so glad that he was able to get me in! He's a lifesaver! read more

This is the first time I have visited Dr. Kent and my appointment took about 15 minutes. I had a cyst growing behind my ear that was obnoxious and beginning to hurt, so he took a look, injected it with some stuff and I went on my way. He has a very gentle approach and looks to be about ~60 years old. The patient room wall was filled with degrees from Stanford and other extra-curricular certificates. His office just happened to have an appointment right when I had some free time the same day I called and squeezed me in - the next appointment was apparently 3 weeks from then so he must be popular. I will definitely return to his office if anything else comes up, I had an excellent experience. I also agree with other reviews that talk about the multiple treatment options he gives his patients - he gave me the name of a dermatological surgeon if this first treatment wasn't effective and didn't exert any pressure toward either option. Very cool. read more

I began having a groin irritation in March of 2017 which progressively got worse then better. I saw a local dermatologist and received "tests" and "treatment" for over one year and several months. It progressively got worse every time I had an outbreak. After going on vacation only to have it ruined due to the pain of the current outbreak I was referred to Doctor Carson. One minute into an exam, a few questions and it was diagnosed, correctly and I was prescribed medicine and a treatment that all but cleared it up within a week. I am so grateful for the knowledge and the help received by Doctor Carson. read more

Short and to the point. Dr Carson is the best! Both of my children and myself have seen him for many years for various skin conditions. Knows his stuff and his staff is always friendly. read more

My son's diaper rash had been misdiagnosed (treatment didn't work) from our regular doctor, so he referred us here. Dr Carson took one look and was very sure what it was. I grilled him some as I didn't believe it could be so easy since we'd been struggling with it for 3 months, but it is responding very well to the ointment he prescribed. Great dr - confident and friendly. Was only a few days before I could get an appointment, and I didn't wait at all in the office besides doing the paperwork. First time I called no-one picked up, but I tried again in an hour and the receptionist was very nice. read more

I've been seeing Dr Carson for years. He has been successfully treating my psoriasis and always gives me a thorough check on skin lesions. He takes a preventative approach without getting you alarmed. The guy knows his stuff but also has a great rapport with patients. I just moved from the area and hope I find someone as good. read more

Both my boys suffer from eczema and have done for years. We have been to other doctors and been given creams and it helps but not much. Dr Carson cleared up my boys with his combo of medicines and treatments and the ongoing meds help keep it in check when it starts to flare up again. read more

I wasn't able to make an appointment with Dr. Kent so I had to see his assistant, Ms. Wheeler. It was a horrific experience because of the wrong prescription. I got a very bad reaction due to her prescribed acne medication. My face was red and swollen and the skin was peeled off. I called Ms. Wheeler about the bad treatment but she regarded my condition as uncritical. I felt disappointed and unimportant of a patient was to her. My facial skin was so bad that I couldn't go outside for days. In the end, I had to find a different doctor. Lesion learnt - Stay away from Ms. Wheeler!!! read more

I first went to Dr. Carson for acne two years ago. At that time, he made a point of asking me about my acne and seemed to show compassion for what I was going through. That meant a lot to me after a bad experience with another dermatologist who didn't ask as many questions or take the time to pretend to care. Anyways, I was happy: Dr. Carson gave me lots of free samples, an acne regimen, and plenty of time explaining how to use the prescribed items. After 2 years, my acne came back in a fierce way. I decided to go back to Dr. Carson since he had been so great in the past. However, somethings have changed since my last visit.... This time, when I call the office, either no one picks up the phone, it's busy, or I'm put on hold. When I finally was able to get a hold of someone to schedule my appointment, the appointment was 3 weeks out. I figured, he must be THAT good, so I'll suffer through the 3 weeks of painful cystic acne. When I finally made it to the office, Dr. Carson was on time, but was very rushed. He spent all of 2 minutes with me. Basically, he came into the room, barely looked at me, asked me what changed and what I wanted to do, filled a bag with free samples, and was leaving the room while answering my questions. I had more questions, but seeing as he was already out the door, I just kept my mouth shut... It felt like he had only 2 minutes to give me, so whatever questions I had, or explanations he could give me, or prescriptions he could write me, he could only do it if it fit into the time slot. The final straw that led me to yelp about it was my attempt to pick up my prescription at Walgreens: $240.00 for my Rx. Sure, I know that's my responsibility to check if a medication is covered by my insurance-- but I have never encountered this before with another doctor. All my past doctors have checked FOR me to make sure what they're prescribing is covered. I am still having major acne problems, but will be finding another Dermatologist to help me. read more

I am SO livid. My best friend has a huge skin emergency and already had to wait over a week to be seen. She has bumps all over her entire body from her face to her toes, literally everywhere. And is completely itchy, miserable, and in pain. They scheduled her for an appointment and then at short notice cancelled her appointment and rescheduled for another week later! They need to have a better system for skin emergencies like these. My friend has already seen multiple other doctors and was told to see a dermatologist. I would never ever come to California Skin Institute if I had a skin concern. What a horrible business. read more

I have been a patient of the California Skin Institute over 10 years. Dr. Carson is a practicing physician for this Company and I saw him this past week. The location of this practice on the 2nd floor of a dreary grey building, nor the waiting room is impressive. Get over it.... His skills as a dermatologist are excellent so bear with the unattractive and sometime crowded conditions to receive his attentions. I'll be back 6 months later. Remember, our skin is the largest organ and those of us with skin "conditions" need to be seen regularly by those specialists that can visually recognize and treat quickly. read more

I was looking for Dr Carson's phone number and found these reviews and thought I would chime in. He is the best dermatologist I have ever met, and I have had several in the past 25 years. He treated me for plantar warts, Rosacea, Seborrhea, and mild skin cancer and I can say I would never consider another doctor. Highest recommendation. read more

I read the reviews, and they surprised me. My husband had an appointment for a severe itching, rashy thing on his body. Dr. Kent Carson, was cold and very uncaring. It's like he wanted us to just get out of there. We were very rudely treated. I am not sure what kind of Dr. he is, but as a person I have no respect. He didn't even tell us much, he jsut said that the biopsys would be one week and one month on the other. One month? What's with that. Needless to say, we willnot return. read more

Dr. Carson seems super knowledgeable, but his staff isn't on top of things in my experience. I was prescribed medicine that isn't covered by my insurance. After 1 month of phone calls, the staff still hasn't been able to find an alternative that is covered. They haven't been proactive about calling me back to keep me informed about their dealings with the pharmacy and the insurance, so I've had to call them multiple times a week to keep things moving along. I don't think I'll go back there again. read more

Fast and accurate diagnosis. It took me 3 weeks to get this appointment. Anyway Dr Carson was really a nice and patience doctor. Highly recommend if you have skin problem. read more

Dr. Carson knows his stuff! He was fast, efficient and really knowledgeable. At the same time he was very thorough, kind, and I felt listened to. Problem solved in just one painless visit. I'm so glad I found Dr. Carson! read more

Waited forever to get an appt to see him. (I know this is not his fault). He walks in the room, says hi and sits in a chair across from me. He was rude and acted like I was putting him out. I went there because I have psoriasis ALL OVER MY BODY. My back, stomach, arms, legs, scalp, etc. HE DIDN'T GET OUT OF THE CHAIR TO EXAMINE ME. He prescribes me 2 oz of a spray that cost $320.00. If he had bothered to actually EXAMINE me and see how severe I have it, he would have known (I would think) that 2 oz of some spray is not going to last even a week for treatment. I also told him that I have it under my fingernails. How do you spray a spray under your fingernails? The spray can't get under my nails where it's still attached to my nail bed. My scalp is also covered with it and I told him that. He said that I could use this spray on my scalp in a rude tone (like, duh). How can a 2 oz bottle of spray, used twice a day, help me get rid of the amount of psoriasis that I have?? Total waste of my time and money seeing him. Actually a joke. Staff was nice though. read more

I have been seeing Dr. Carson for six years, and I'm one of those folks with many moles and a need to see the dermatologist regularly. My visits would be embarassing if he weren't so great with putting patients at ease, as I have to have an all over check each visit to make sure I'm okay. I have referred my clients to him (I'm a psychotherapist) and my friends, and in two of these cases, chronic conditions for which they had consulted other dermatologists were correctly diagnosed and cleared up. For me, he makes a difficult visit, comfortable, is thorough, great communicator, and treats me as painlessly as possible. The office staff is friendly, and the office runs on time. He is fairly fast, as some reviewers indicate, however he is quick to offer follow up visits, without much hassle, which can be more thorough. I feel he does this to keep all his appointments on time rather than to put me off. read more

Best dermatologist! He is a highly intelligent person who chose dermatology as his profession. How lucky were we that he was not only passionate about helping his patients, but he was passionate about sharing his knowledge in the classroom with students of dermatology. He helped my children when they all suffered from cystic acne. He educated me about it & he determined a treatment plan. He closely monitored their progress as their skin became beautiful again and their self esteem rose. I know they are forever grateful & now live without permanent scaring! Sadly, they have friends & cousins with horrific acne scaring. It's such a tragic skin issue for a lot of teenagers & without a good dermatologist the results not only leave a scare on the outside but it leaves a scare on their self esteem. I also sent a friend who was suffering from disfiguring hives all over her face. She had Kaiser & they told her it would need to work it's way out of her system. When I saw her she had already been suffering for 4 mths. I told her to immediately go to Dr Carson; he will know what is causing it & help you. She did go & paid out of pocket. He was so kind & knew exactly what was going on & immediately helped her. I saw her a month later & she looked amazing! I just can't say enough good things about him! I wish him all the best in retirement, but I'm lost at WHO do we go to now :( HE WAS SOOOO the best & where can we find another Dr Carson? read more

I love Dr Carson! I've been going to him on and off for 10 years. He is always so nice, helpful and makes me feel at ease at every visit. I also love that when he recommends a skin care product, he provides a few samples; totally saves me money! I just called, got right through to the receptionist, and now I have an appointment for next week! read more

Dr. Kent is patient and very knowledgeable. I went there two times and always got superior service. He will prescribe drugs , creams, and give you a couple of samples so that you can get going. Appointments are on time and the staff is kind. read more

Dr Kent is everything the others have said. Professional, polite, answers questions and didn't rush me through my list of them. Got me to a surgeon who happened to be upstairs. read more

Awesome doc. Listens to my issues and knew exactly what will work for me. Gave me some free samples to try, a discount coupon for an expensive medicine and promptly gave prescription for a generic medicine too. read more

My wife went to a different dermatologist due to difficulty in reaching his office staff: phone would just keep ringing. After a few days of this, she gave up. The good news is: If it was a problem, it isn't now. Office staff is quite nice and thorough. I had no trouble reaching them. Also, they called the day of my appointment to remind me. Dr Carson's practice seems to be thriving, so getting an appointment may take weeks. As others have mentioned, he is all business and very quick. read more