This rating applies to Dr. Wilske. I have seen her three times. She usually was running very late and the appointments were extremely rushed.
I had reservations about her diagnoses because of her rushed exams and several of her recommendations. I went to another dermatologist for a second opinion and learned that Dr. Wilske's diagnoses were incorrect, and two especially could have had serious consequences for me.
She gave me a sample of a spray-on steroid to treat some small bumps on my scalp, telling me it might not work but it would make my hair feel soft. When I expressed concern about using steroids unnecessarily, she told me that skin doesn't absorb the steroids or anything else so there was no reason for concern. And she recommended using tar shampoo or Head and Shoulders for ongoing treatment to keep the bumps from getting worse. I learned from the second dermatologist that the bumps were actinic keratoses and the proper treatment is to freeze them using liquid nitrogen. They are a precancerous growth caused by sun exposure.
Dr. Wilske gave me samples for what she said could be a fungal infection when I showed her a mark on my toenail. The second dermatologist asked if something had fallen on my toe as it was apparent that it was an injury caused by a trauma to my toenail, and not a fungus.
Dr. Wilske strongly recommended a topical antibiotic for my face, saying that I might have rosacea, despite the fact that I have no symptoms and that I told her that I didn't want to treatment for something that wasn't a problem. She told me that a relative had tried this approach and that the problem went away. I repeated that I didn't feel it was a problem and she encouraged treatment anyway. The second dermatologist told me that I do not have rosacea and explained the reasons that my complexion is a little more rosy than most, including the fact that I run warmer than most people, and encouraged me to use cool water and stay out of hot environments (which I do, because I'm always warm and seek out cooler situations.)
Dr. Wilske did what was supposed to be a full-body skin exam that took all of maybe 2 minutes, at most, super rushed and all the while talking about other subjects. The second dermatologist took well over 5 minutes, approaching it fully focused and asking pertinent questions, using a magnifier several times to check areas sometimes two to three times, and carefully checked my feet, both top and bottom, which Dr. Wilske did not do. There was no comparison between the two exams.
I asked Dr. Wilske about some discoloration of my skin along my calves. She told me what it was (I don't remember what the condition is called) and said that nothing can be done about it and that it would get worse over time. The other dermatologist told me that it was caused by poor circulation as the result of varicose veins and there were several things I could do to slow the onset, including moving my feet to help the circulation, and keep my feet up whenever I am able to do so.
Dr. Wilske easily provides samples, which would be great if they were the proper treatment. although her instructions on their use are incomplete and seemingly an afterthought as she was leaving the room. And during followup appointments, she contradicted what she had told me to do (2 weeks on, 2 weeks off, then repeat until next visit eight weeks later. Then when I came in for my followup, she told me that I should have stopped using the product if the spot went away.)
In addition, a friend's mother went to this clinic for many years, and recently, over the course of several months had repeated visits to check a suspicious spot on her face. Her doctor at Westside Dermatology recommended just continuing to watch it. After more than six months of appointments, she went to a different dermatologist, who diagnosed it as advanced skin cancer that required immediate surgery by a plastic surgeon. It turned out to be a very serious and scary situation for her, that should have been caught much earlier by Westside Dermatology. That doctor recently left Westside Dermatology but because of the rushed examinations and inaccurate diagnoses by Dr. Wilske, I wanted to include it in this review. read more
