I've had such a positive experience with Dr. Brittany Buhalog at Luminous Dermatology. One of the first things that stood out to me was that I've been able to get in relatively quickly each time I've called, which has been a refreshing change from other offices where the wait can be months. Dr. Buhalog is incredibly kind, knowledgeable, and approachable. She takes the time to explain everything clearly and makes sure you feel comfortable and informed every step of the way. Her calm, collaborative style really puts you at ease, and you can tell she genuinely cares about her patients. I also really appreciate her expertise and attention to detail. Knowing she has such an impressive background in dermatology and Mohs surgery gives me a lot of confidence in the care I'm receiving. I'm so glad I found her and would highly recommend Dr. Buhalog to anyone looking for a skilled, thoughtful, and compassionate dermatologist. read more

I have been going to Luminous for many years and transitioned through their many doctors. Gladly, now we are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Lincoln. He clearly cares for his patients especially those who are accustomed to doctors take time, listen, and think through/ discuss options of the needed treatment plan. He is professional, caring, focused and intentional in solving YOUR routine and obscure dermatology conditions. He is so concerned and makes follow up calls checking in and verifying that you are well informed, know the care plan and assure you that he is available and how to get in touch with him after a procedure. All attributes of a "Real" doctor who are few and far between these days. PM read more

Dr. Lincoln is a wonderful dermatologist. I have been to various 'derms' over the decades for specific problems with marginal success. My first appointment with Dr. Lincoln yielded amazing results as he was able to solve all of my ailments. He is very alert, knowledgeable, and down to business. I am most grateful to Dr. Lincoln for his assistance. I know others who go to Dr. Lincoln for care, and they are also most pleased with his abilities. Luminous Dermatology is a very fine office. They are very organized and attentive. They respond to phone enquiries quickly. The facility is very clean and stylish. This is my 'go to' place for all my dermatology needs. read more

DO NOT go here. I have been a patient at Luminous Dermatology for at least 10 years now. I've had numerous procedures due to a lifetime at the beach. I have no complaints about any of the doctors (I have seen Dr. Dill, Dr. Gammon and Dr. Kamalpur, they were all wonderful) until yesterday. I was coming in for a spot on my leg and I was told they didn't have any appointments until October (it was June when I was making this appointment) and I had to fight to get in earlier. You cannot mess around with skin cancer. I was scheduled with a new doctor I have never seen, and I said ok, because I just needed to get in there. He was young and haughty. He was didactic and condescending in his tone, as if he were speaking to someone who didn't have an education or couldn't understand him. I looked him in the eye and let him know that I was unequivocally following what he was saying. It didn't matter, he continued on in his attitude. Whatever, I can handle an annoying doctor who is full of himself, what I couldn't take was how the office messed up my insurance. My insurance had changed, which happens, so when I was making the appointment, I called ahead to set it all up and make sure everything was smooth sailing. I got my referral and gave them my new info, I should have been set. The day of the appointment they text me saying that my insurance was "inactive". So I panic and get on the phone with my insurance company and try to get through. I spent TWO AND A HALF HOURS ON HOLD, stressing out, wondering if I could be seen for what was probably cancer. I never got through. By the end of it, I was in tears, because I needed this appointment with my history of skin cancer! Turns out there was no problem at ALL with my insurance, but someone on their end dropped the ball! I was furious. Then they call me and ask me to change MY schedule and come in an hour earlier so the doctor could go to a personal appointment. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, Luminous Dermatology!! Your patients should NEVER have to endure what I did yesterday. I am officially searching for a new dermatologist after years of coming here. SHAMEFULLY BAD. read more

Luminous Dermatology - Here is the amount of time I spent on the phone trying to reach my insurance BECAUSE OF LUMINOUS DERMATOLOGY! - Dermatologists Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Had an appt yesterday at 2:45. At 3:30 we asked if dr would see us soon. Was told that we were the next patient. A few minutes later we were told they could put us in a exam room but it would be yet another 30 minute wait. No apologies, no explanation. We left. This is unacceptable. When a doctor is that late the upcoming patients should be told so. No wonder they can't keep a dr at this practice. Office is poorly run. Staff at front desk spent more time chatting with each other than helping patients. And there was never an apology--a common courtesy. Had we been told of the delay at the start, we could have gone and done something else until dr could see us. We had been patients of Dr. Gammon at Luminous for years and had wonderful experiences. I would never return to this doctor. Shame on you. read more

I have gone to luminous for over 10 years The kamalapours did most of my surgeries, they and their stag back then were awesome I love Kate! But they have been "understaffed today " for at least the last year and half You name it it's bad Scheduling, prescriptions, can I talk to the Dr .... Too bad on to another clinic ‍ read more

Dr Lincoln is quite thorough, has great communication skills, and does EXCELLENT work!

In the last month I have needed to make two visits to Luminous Dermatology where I was met and treated by Dr. Lincoln. On both occasions I received helpful assistance from their reception desk, but especially in the second instance when I needed to make an immediate visit for a benign cyst which had become painful and inflamed. When I explained my situation, the scheduler made an appointment for the next morning -- a rare and almost impossible feat here in Santa Barbara -- and Dr Lincoln provided the necessary treatment at that appointment and scheduled the minor surgery in a very timely way. His demeanor and skill were evident in his questions, concern and actions. I highly recommend this dermatologist and Luminous Dermatology overall. read more

Came here for my annual dermatology check as they were recommended by the GP. It definitely took some time and patience to get in as my first 2 appointments were canceled by the office but I finally got in to see the PA Kate and she was kind, knowledgeable and efficient. They are a busy office so they must be doing something right! read more

I have been to Luminous a few times over the years and have always had excellent experiences with the Dermatologists and Staff. Most recently the front desk worked Magic to get me in to see PA, Kate Tadlock. She was efficient, knowledgable and kind. I was comfortable and put at ease. Her assistant followed up with me and the front desk called me back to relay a question I had and was answered. excellent Go Here. read more

Excellent professional service. Friendly staff. Dr Dill the best Dermatologist I have encountered. Very thorough

I've heard good dermatologists work at Luminous but I fear I'll never have first hand experience. Trying to book an appointment is treacherous at best. The phone rings and rings nonstop. I called by the hour one Friday afternoon and had no luck until finally reaching the answering machine informing me they were closed...15 minutes earlier than closing time. When I was lucky to get through to the reception desk I was quickly put on hold while a staff person searched for my referral. Unfortunately my call was disconnected after being on hold for over 20 minutes and I never learned if my referral made it through. If one must pursue an appointment at Luminous it's best to abandon the reception desk and show up in person. read more

Kate Tadlock is Fantastic! She helped me through my horrible acne phase. You will love her read more

Luminous Dermatology - Dermatologists Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Unfortunately, I think management changed and their patient/clientele relationship has taken a quick nose dive. They lost my loyalty due to poor communication, sending incorrect billing repeatedly, and making me wait months for appointments and then canceling repeatedly due to scheduling errors. read more

The reason for the three stars is their high turnover rate of medical staff, not necessarily specific care. I'll be finding a new dermo doc because I do like consistency with my medical practitioners. A high turnover rate is a bad sign and that's just not my jam. Original docs were a husband and wife, Drs. Kamalpour and they were lovely and Dr. Shahraam was awesome. I have been to the Santa Barbara location half a dozen times and have never seen the same person twice in the exam room. In fact, my next appointment was recently cancelled because the PA has left the practice (again). The turnover here is extremely high, or it seems that way when all of my appointments have been with different people because the previous person left the practice. This is very telling of business practices and employee happiness and loyalty. On that note, I have always had decent care here. Each person I've seen and interacted with has been fine. They are just not there long enough to be able to establish any kind of patient/doctor relationship. I think the awesome Drs. Shahraam and Julia Kamalpour have left and the new owners are not in sync yet, but it would behoove them to hire a practice manager who oversees staff and act as a buffer. I can only assume the practice owners don't have a strong sense of employee relations. That's just my guess. read more

Love the Dr. She is super sweet, makes sure to answer all questions you have. As for front desk ( girl named Maddy ) she's rude. Definitely not willing to help you. I called about rescheduling my appointment, said she wouldn't be able to fit me in til October ( it's july 11th today ) I asked if she had anything sooner and with an ugly attitude says she'd have to put me on hold. I said yes and she clicks on me. I call back and a new person answers the phone who is super sweet and willing to help! She makes it clear she can definitely fit me in sooner, which she did. Maddy needs a better attitude or a new job for someone working with patients! Can't have negative attitudes working at a great place! read more

Absolutely horrible front reception staff , I spoke with her name was Mady she was being absolutely rude to my elderly father kept interrupting him and hung up the phone. I called office back don't know who I spoke to but they were able to help right away. Zero stars I will be transferring my father out. read more

Love this office and both doctors! I had been diagnosed with a type of basal cell skin cancer that had "legs" under the surface, so the actual skin cancer was much larger than what appeared on the surface. It was recommended that I have Mohs surgery since that will remove the least amount of skin in an area that doesn't have a lot (forehead). That doc didn't take my insurance, and it would have been an expensive procedure out-of-pocket, so I looked for a doc that was a woman, did Mohs surgery, was anywhere from Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo, and took my insurance. I found Luminous online and LOVE them. One of the reviews said the front desk people were not helpful, though my experience could not have been more different. On my first phone call, I talked with Jen, who scheduled my introductory appointment and my surgery (different days). It was very helpful to have the surgery scheduled ahead of time as my travel schedule was extensive at that particular time. Also, they have an online system so I could complete all the paperwork online before getting to the office; that was really convenient. I ended up being treated by both Dr. Gammon (DG) and Dr. Kamalpour (DK). Both are good human beings and great dermatologists. They have offices in SB and Santa Maria, so I went to the one in Santa Maria. DK did my Mohs surgery, which turned out extremely well. It was a difficult cancer to turn into a seamless scar; it was octopus or star shaped, and she had to turn it into a straight line that would blend into the "fine" lines in my forehead without bunching up the skin. As you can see from the attached pictures, it was a stupendous job. She has small hands, maybe the reason why she could do the tiniest of sutures for a scar hasn't ever had suture marks. A physician friend said the closure was extremely well done; and after only two months, the scare has almost blended into non-existence. I'm confident it will eventually disappear into the existing lines on my forehead. [It ended up giving me just the tiniest of eyelid lifts, so I joke that maybe she could find something to remove over the other eye ;-)] DG has taken care of my other skin cancers that didn't require Mohs on several occasions. He also took time to answer questions about skin care and related product choices during one appointment. Both are really kind people, take the time to answer questions, and have built a technically advanced office staffed with competent and kind people -- and they take my insurance. I cannot speak highly enough of them. read more

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Really happy with Luminous Dermatology. Been there for me time after time for going on nearly 5 years now. Friendly to me and much cheaper than other places I have gone to over there years. Clean facility and take all the modern COV 19 precautions. read more

front desk not helpful, won't let you finish a sentence to ask questions. clearly they have patients to spare and don't need your business and will treat you that way. she literally hung up on me while I was asking a question about how scheduling works for cosmetic procedures vs cancer screening - apparently you should wait 4 months to ask a procedural (non-medical) question - i.e., at the earliest appointment. very rude. btw, I was an existing patient. but because the dr. I last saw had left apparently I am not considered a returning client. they were also rude the first time, but I'd rather drive to LA for skincare than deal with their attitude. read more

My review is based on the ongoing comfort and attention of Dr. Liu, and his medical staff, having provided on the going services during his time at Luminous Dermatology. His ongoing positive and engaged demeanor, along with his professionalism provides a consistent solutions, confidence, and direction. read more

Great staff, love both Dr. Gammon and Dr. Kamalpour. Both doctors take the time to answer any and all questions, great bedside manners and excellent skills. Had to remove skin cancer in two spots. Had initial consultation with Dr. Gammon who was very patient, sensitive to my needs/concerns, and has great sense of humor. Dr. Kamalpour, who is equally patient, sensitive to my needs/concerns, is also a great cosmetic surgeon. The worst spot on my scalp right at my hairline was a concern of mine and she did an excellent job. The staff is superb... in between skin grafts and waiting for results, a staff new member would come in to check on me every few minutes or so. Such a friendly and warm team. Thank you Luminous! read more

The one star is only for Dr. Sharam Kamalpour and not the facility. This is the first time I've been to a dermatologist and having worked in a medical practice for over a decade I expected better care. I felt extremely rushed in the visit and Dr. K acted and talked as though he was on multiple stimulants. I asked him to slow down because I couldn't remember the onslaught of information he was throwing at me and unfortunately that didn't register for him. Fortunately the medical assistant was in the visit and stayed in the room after he walked out to review the information with me and answer my questions. If you make an appointment here I do not recommend him at all and suggest one of the other physicians in their practice that will take their time to help you. read more

Dan Parker * Samarkand I highly recommend Dr. Sarah Dill at Luminous. Grew up here. I know her and her family. Stellar education, great personality and a consummate professional. She's as good as it gets. read more

This was a horrible experience. Kate Tadlock (provider-PA) was the provider I was scheduled with. After driving an hour and a half, freeway closure due to a fatality and I called 30min before my appointment to let them know that the freeway was closed and then when I arrived they wouldn't see me. I had waited two months and took half a day off and was treated like this. If this is how she cares for her patients then no thank you. I have a history of cancer in my family and a very suspicious molè and now I'm back to square one. I have worked in doctors offices my whole life and no matter what office I was in we would have never treated a patient like this. After I expressed my frustration one of the front office staff said I could come back in three hours. After all of that I'm supposed to take another half day off and waste gas for three hours or sit and wait? What a joke. read more

Dr. Liu and his staff exceeded my expectations! Before, during and after my procedure I felt confident in his treatment plan and after care. All of my concerns were address clearly, which significantly helped with my post-op recovery. Thank you Dr. Liu for being knowledgeable, efficient and compassionate. You are a bright spot in Santa Barbara's health care system. read more

As a freshman from UCSB, I was nervous about finding my own doctor and being taken seriously by staff. After my first visit, all of my worries went away. It was easy to make an appointment, it worked with my insurance and they even found set me up with a pharmacy that provided all my treatments with a 0$ co-pay. Furthermore, the staff and especially Dr. Gammon are so patient and willing to ask questions. He is the first doctor I've had who doesn't make appointment feel rushed, which was so helpful because in a world hat constantly spewing acne advice at me, its nice to have a professional who took the time to figure out what worked for me. The medical assistants are also worth noting, taking thorough pre-exam notes and then ensuring that you have all the medication you need. Also, they tend to give samples which is really plug. Most importantly, after years of acne, which got pretty severe at the end, Dr. Gammon finally found a combination of treatments that work for me. After going once a month for 4 months, we agreed that I could stop seeing him unless I got a flare up, how exciting! read more

The office staff is awful! I have been a patient for about 5 years, really like Kate. Made my appt in 2022 for my annual checkup which was supposed to be 8/22/23. On 8/18/23 I get a text from them that says due to 'unexpected circumstances" my appointment needs to be rescheduled. I called and left 4 voice mail messages to reschedule, sent one email. I got no response so today I went to the office. I asked the receptionist where Kate was, she told me that Kate had been on vacation for about 2 weeks and she thought that Kate would be back on Monday. So a vacation was 'unexpected'? Really?? I asked why no one got back to me, the receptionist said "you aren't on my list as having left any voice mail messages (is she calling me a liar?), and we don't answer any emails (they why do they have one?)". Wow. I asked when I could be rescheduled and she said October. Funny that other reviews also say that they could be scheduled for October. Sounds like a pat answer to me. The receptionist was absolutely no help at all, in fact she cost the office a patient. But I guess they don't care. I would give the office (not Kate) no stars if I could. read more

We have been patients for several years, with Dr. Brian Gammon. We do not know when, but he sold the practice without notifying his patients and left abruptly. Both my husband and I had appointments scheduled. When we arrived, we were told that our appt was not with Dr. Gammon, but with his Brother-in-law. We thought we were continuing with him, (cannot remember his name), however when we called for another appt, we were told that he moved to Georgia. So we were then handed off to Dr. Dill. We have had numerous calls stating that our appts. had to be cancelled due to her not being available. The appts where then moved to two months later due to her schedule. We were offered Dr. Liu. I had an appt with him on September 19th, 2022. During that appt., I had a conversation with him aboout my Daughter who had a very unpleasant situation at the Santa Maria office. She took off work, went to the appt., was told that the person she was to see was no longer there and that she then had to wait until February, 2023 for an appt. as there was no other appts. available. Dr. Liu told me that this was unacceptable that she should call back and tell them, she had to get an appt. and that they were to "double book" him if necessary and that she would obviously need to wait. During this appt., when Dr Liu came into room, asked why was I there, showed him my leg, he immediately said it was skin cancer and he would need to do a biopsy. I did not care for his assistant as she was very quick with her answers and appeared as if she would rather be anywhere else. My Daughter attempted to call the Santa Maria office and the phone rang several times, with no answer so she asked me to help her. On October 11, 2022, I called the Santa Maria office, the phone rang 30 times with no answer. I then called the Santa Barbara office for assistance. I detailed the conversation I had with Dr. Lui on September 19,2022. She had to call me back. She called back stating that she had the Santa Maria office as well as Dr. Liu on the phone and he said that never told me that, and that my Daughter was not a patient in Santa Maria. I, of course used language that I normally would not, I called him a "Liar". I asked to get him on the phone and was told he was with a patient. I asked for him to call me and was insistent about that. He never called back and has still not. On October 12, 2022 someone from the Santa Maria office called my Daughter and gave two numbers to return the call about supposedly about a question she had. She called both numbers and no one answered. WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO DO BUSINESS WITH SUCH AN UNPROFESSIONAL MEDICAL PRACTICE? THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU CALL THEM FOR AN APPOINTMENT. Janice Blake read more

I can't tell you how refreshing it was to go into Luminous Dermatology and see Dr. Gammon. He was great. I have a squamous cell skin cancer on my scalp that was diagnosed through a biopsy with Sansum. They wanted to do a surgical procedure but I knew I could treat it topically. Sansum called me 3 times and also sent a certified letter after I told them I was not gong to do the surgical procedure. Dr. Gammon explained to me that the type on my head wouldn't spread so he wasn't worried about my trying the topical cream (Curaderm) that I was using. He gave me a plan to wait to months, biopsy it again to make sure it was gone and if it wasn't, he had a prescription cream that would do it. Samsun people never explained what type of squamous cell it was and make me nervous about it. I go out of my way NOT to get in the middle of the Sansum clinic system and today's visit with Luminous was great! I left confident and cared for and LISTENED TO! Thank you. read more

I just called to reschedule an appointment because I'm going to be out of town. I was told that the doctor I have an appointment with is the only general dermatologist and he is only in the office on Tuesday. Therefore, to reschedule, I couldn't get an appointment until after the new year (today is August 3). Six months? Seriously? I'll find a more responsive doctor. read more

absolutely fantastic would highly recommend to anyone with acne! When i phoned i got an appointment with Dr. Gammon the next morning to see him about my acne and acne scarring. The reception staff and nurses couldn't be friendlier and more helpful and Dr. Gammon was incredibly welcoming and i'm so happy i went to see him. He talked me through my skin care regime, what to use and what not to use, he was extremely informative and clearly very good at what he does. He then talked me through all the prescriptions i should use and gave me two months worth of free samples so i could try them out and see if they work before buying them. He also gave me free samples of different brands of moisturisers, sun screen and facial washes to find one that works for my skin. Overall a really lovely, knowledgable doctor who clearly cares about you and your progress with the treatments, in a friendly surgery with truly welcoming nurses and staff. As i said before i would thoroughly recommend Luminous dermatology to anyone with skin problems, completely worth it. read more

Huge opportunity missed to show the masses that physicians and the medical industry aren't just out for themselves and really do care about the bottom line of the normal American. The facilities are quite nice. The staff generally seems friendly. The complaint comes because I only needed to get a prescription refill. This happens once a year unfortunately and it's their "policy" that you come back in for a follow up. This medication is not life or death and I've been on it for years with no side effects. I've always found it quite unnerving that you have to come into the office and pay a copay ($20-40, depending on your insurance) to have a conversation that takes five seconds that can be done over the phone. So strike one for trying to get money from the patients pockets. Here's where the issue occurred: my insurance changed recently in the last week and upon arrival I was told the visit wouldn't be covered. Which is completely understandable. That's the insurance game. No complaints there. They said I could still be seen if I wanted to pay outright for the appointment and they could check pricing for me. So I agreed and they told me $50. $50 for what will take 5 seconds and which is more than the already ridiculous previous copay for the 5 second visit. I brought this up and they said "She normally charges $150." Ok, thank you for seeing our side of it. Being that the prescription needed refilled bc the pharmacy had already called requesting the doctors submit the refill, I hesitantly agreed, because the hassle of finding and getting an appointment at a new office under my insurance would take longer. I was taken into the exam room immediately, physician came in immediately, five seconds later...pay up: $50. I understand that there may be medical reasoning behind their policy, but there are exceptions and common sense and the office and doctor used neither in this case. This was a huge opportunity for a physician and their office to show that "care" is their first priority and to buck the ever so looming trend and picture that insurance and medical practitioners are an evil giant. The office and doctor could have easily said "Oh, this will take 5 seconds and we've been refilling this for three years now, go ahead and just charge him $20-30, what his copay would have been", at the most. Instead, they up-charged a patient who was in need of simple service. The shinning office and outwardly friendly demeanor don't really mean much when you're confronted with fact that it was more important to them to charge $50 for five seconds, rather than show patient care. You try to have faith in simple things such as this, and it's disappointing to be let down when the authority in charge had a choice to make, and they make one like this. It's a shame. This review won't change anything or even phase them, and they'll go on collecting, to help fund the high end Mercedes's in their doctor parking lot. read more

I came to see Dr. Kamalpour at Luminous Dermatology for a consultation regarding some stretch marks that I had, that bothered me tremendously! I had previously been to two different dermatologists before this. One of them basically told me she can try some treatments but it wont really work, and the other one told me should could help, but her prices were outrageous! So when I saw Dr. Kamalpour I was already feeling very discouraged. But she quickly changed my mind set! Not only was she so kind, but she was the only dermatologist who gave me some hope! She recommended we use the ResurFX laser for treatment. She explained to me how it works, all of the benefits of using it, and even showed me before and after pictures of results on other patience. The best part of it all was that she also gave me a price for the treatment that was realistic for me! Dr. Kamalpour recommended 3-4 treatments and said I will start to see the best results about 6 months after the last treatment. I have already done 3 treatments and in a couple of weeks I will get my 4th. I can already see drastic improvements now, so I cant wait for what's to come! I am so thankful for her and her wonderful staff, especially Kate. They are all very kind and professional! I highly recommend you pay this place a visit for any and all of your dermatology needs. You'll be happy you did! read more

So awesome! I see Dr. Gammon and I was always super skeptical about going to the dermatologist because of prior bad experiences, but my acne was getting so bad I really needed help. There are a lot of dermatologists in the Santa Barbara area, but I chose to see Dr. Gammon at Luminous Dermatology and the first time I met him, he looked at my face, told me exactly what was going on, laid out my options very clearly, and got me on a regimen. My acne has since COMPLETELY cleared up and my experience has been so great, I don't know what I'm going to do when I graduate and go back to LA!!! Also, when I'm not going in for follow-ups ore regular appointments, I can always call and talk to staff about my prescription, etc., and I have had great experiences each time. read more

This place is absolutely Horrible !! They Cant seem to keep there dermatologist for much longer than a year, because of this I have had to change dermatologist several times and the dermatologist have been great. I keep having to rescheduling appointments with them because they keep cancelling the day of or a day before on me. Meanwhile If you cancel the day of your appointment with them they will charge you $30 bucks. I have asked to speak with a manager and was told one would get in contact with me and I have heard nothing. Luminous isn't very cheap so you naturally would expect a higher level of service. I wish this company valued its patients and cared about customer service. I have hung around for long enough to see that this is not just a moment. Unfortunately I have to find someone new. My suggestion to the folks our there searching for a dermatologist is to keep looking, don't waste your time with this place ! read more

I went in to have Dr. Dill look at a spot on my face that was not healing. After trying to push cosmetic procedures/products that I did not ask about and were not covered by my PPO insurance, she froze the spot. The entire procedure/sales pitch took less than 15 minutes. The charge? $392! This is not my first visit to a dermatologist but it will be my last to Luminous Dermatology. read more

Assembly line operation with little regard for customer desires and time Assembly Line Operation- At the recommendation of Dr. Gammon, I was scheduled for Mohs surgery with his wife/business partner Dr. Kamalpour. (Mohs is a common procedure consisting of surgical excision of the skin and microscopic examination of the surgical margins to ensure that all skin cancer cells have been removed). I was expecting this to be performed in a single visit as is the standard for my many friends who have had the procedure performed by other dermatologists. However, much to my surprise, at the end of the appointment, I was directed to return the next day to complete the surgery. I saw nothing unusual about my case; this appeared to be Dr. Kamalpour's standard procedure. Yet I was not previously informed when the appointment was made that I would need to return the next day to complete the process. (Heaven forbid that a customer would have other commitments which would have to be broken to return for the unexpected second day.) I do not believe that my experience with Dr. Kamalpour was unique. She seems to operate in an "assembly line" fashion. She schedules many customers for the Mohs process in a single day and repeatedly shuttles each customer back and forth from the waiting room between the microscopic examinations of the excisions. Although this may be an efficient means for her to generate significant revenue in a short period of time, it is not the type of service that I expected. Furthermore, she does not complete the surgery in a single day. She schedules the next day for patients to return to have the wound opened up and properly stitched. Doing the stitching on the first day would apparently disrupt her efficiency; thus for her convenience, Assembly Line Operation- At the recommendation of Dr. Gammon, I was scheduled for Mohs surgery with his wife/business partner Dr. Kamalpour. (Mohs is a common procedure consisting of surgical excision of the skin and microscopic examination of the surgical margins to ensure that all skin cancer cells have been removed). I was expecting this to be performed in a single visit as is the standard for my many friends who have had the procedure performed by other dermatologists. However, much to my surprise, at the end of the appointment, I was directed to return the next day to complete the surgery. I saw nothing unusual about my case; this appeared to be Dr. Kamalpour's standard procedure. Yet I was not previously informed when the appointment was made that I would need to return the next day to complete the process. (Heaven forbid that a customer would have other commitments which would have to be broken to return for the unexpected second day.) I do not believe that my experience with Dr. Kamalpour was unique. She seems to operate in an "assembly line" fashion. She schedules many customers for the Mohs process in a single day and repeatedly shuttles each customer back and forth from the waiting room between the microscopic examinations of the excisions. Although this may be an efficient means for her to generate significant revenue in a short period of time, it is not the type of service that I expected. Furthermore, she does not complete the surgery in a single day. She schedules the next day for patients to return to have the wound opened up and properly stitched. Doing the stitching on the first day would apparently disrupt her efficiency; thus for her convenience, a second day of surgery is imposed. Disregard for customer desires, expectations, and valuable time- As follow-up to an appointment with Dr. Gammon, the office called to set up an appointment. When the office noted that I would be seeing one of Dr. Gammon's assistants, I explicitly stated that I wanted an appointment with Dr. Gammon. In response to this request, the appointment was delayed to a later time when Dr. Gammon would supposedly be available. As I waited in the service room, a stranger entered in a white coat. When I inquired about Dr. Gammon, I was told that he was not available since this day every week he is practicing in Santa Maria! At that point I terminated the session and was told that I had not made a reservation with Dr. Gammon. This was an absolute lie and was clearly an attempt by the office to increase business by shifting me to an assistant, despite my explicit request not to do so. I had to return at a later time in which Dr. Gammon said that he would put an "alert" in my file that I was only to be seen by him. (There is no need for such an "alert" since I will never enter this office again.) This incident, and the prior one described above, leaves me with the impression that this office has the attitude that the customers' time and desires are of little consequence. The office guidelines appear to be structured so as to maximize the doctor's convenience/ profits with no regard to the value of the customer's time or explicitly stated desires. read more

This is a review for Dr. Shaahram Kamalpour. Dr. Kamalpour treated a skin cancer on my face with Mohs surgery and it healed with a faint barely visible scar! I was amazed with his skills and my result. He was attentive to my needs, professional and had excellent bedside manner. I would definitely refer my friends to him in the future. Thank you Dr. Kamalpour! read more

I'm about to get real. I was a patient at Luminous Dermatology for over a year when I figured enough is enough and found me a new dermatologist elsewhere. I don't have a lot to say about the doctors; they seemed fine. My main displeasure is with the office staff. Every time I called, they made me feel like I was an inconvenience to them and didn't display any friendliness. I often felt like I was being spoken down to and cut short. There were a few instances where I left voicemails and never received a call back. This poor customer service turned me off and drove me away. read more