Patrick Bitter, Jr MD

I’ve been a patient of Dr Bitter, Jr. for 14 years & have had VERY positive experiences with my Foto-​Facial treatments. All of the redness and little veins in my cheeks which really stood out are gone. Dr Bitter is always so present when examining or treating me; whatever procedure he suggests or is performing, he keeps up an ongoing description of why and what he is doing. Quite reassuring. The equipment he uses keeps changing, and he always explains how the new machines work (well, very basically). I’m so glad I found him.

Dr Patrick Bitter Jr. has been a very astute and compassionate physician to my family
for several years now. I was the first patient to seek him out, and referred my elderly parents.
and then my husband .He has consistently treated my father and mother with sensitive caring around some office surgeries needed. I myself have seen him for several needs, from skin checks, to lesion removals, and IPL. Though I don’t pursue many cosmetic procedures, I’ve never had to feel pressured to try something new. He understands my conservative preferences, and always treats me with respect and never pushes the issue to try this or that.
He extends excellent bedside manner and always sets me at ease. His long-​time-​medical assistant, Tina, is quite knowledgeable and efficient in her profession. To those on Unilocal that complain about the wait time, any time we spent in waiting room, I always know that I will later receive answers to all my questions, and total explanation of findings and plan, when he comes in the room to see me. He’s guaranteed very thorough and detailed. In summary, wonderful person, sweet humor, gentle approach, and superior dermatologist.

Love Dr. Bitter Jr. I have seen him for photo facial treatment and fillers. He is THE BEST. True, the office has a tough time sticking to their appointment schedule. I think it’s because Dr. Bitter takes so much time with each patient. He is a perfectionist. Exactly who you would want working on your face! He’s very personable too – that as well may slow him down a bit. Book your appointment early before his day gets impacted. Tina, his assistant is kind, compassionate and helpful.

This a review for Dr. Bitter Sr and the office staff. I have been a patient there for nearly 3 – 4 years now. A few things before considering this office. The office staff are not at all reliable.
Every time I need my prescription filled or refilled, it takes me literally 2 weeks of calling the office staff to get them to follow up with the pharmacist. I wish I could say that it was just a one time thing but I find myself calling my insurance company to see if the doctor’s office has phoned in the prescription.
The only way to communicate with them is via fax machine. They don’t accept emails.
When I arrive for my appointment, there is often nobody at the front desk. I often either start shouting «hello» or use my cell phone to call them to let them know that I am there.
I wish I could say I was impressed by Dr. Bitter, but he is often tardy just like his son and in my opinion does a cursory look at my skin for issues. The first time I met with him it was more of a self diagnosis in my opinion than an actual doctor’s appointment.
The next time I need a refill on my prescription I should spend that time trying to find a new dermatologist instead of my daily follow ups with their office.

Dr Bitter is one the most intelligent doctors I have ever met. He really knows his stuff. A few friends recommended him. I believe that he is one of the top doctors in dermatology because he teaches other doctors the techniques he uses.
I know he lectures around the world on some of the techniques and many people in health care respect him a lot.
One thing is that he is very busy so sometimes it’s hard to get and appointment. That’s tells me he must be good.

Dr Bitter Jr is a phenomenal dermatologist. He is incredibly intelligent about all aspects of skin and it’s conditions, and has such a kind warmth about him that makes him stand out far beyond any other dermatologist I’ve been to, and I’ve been to many. In regards to fillers and botox he has has a keen, artistic eye so the results are always natural looking as well as enhanced. There’s no question, he is the best of the best.

Dr. Bitter jr., is great and really understands what you need for cosmetic procedures. It’s the staff that needs direction because they get all mixed up on pricing and I hear one price and then the next time I come it’s a different price for the same thing from some one else in the office. They need an executive assistant to run that office and get things up to date for the patience. Also the wait to see Dr. Bitter is way too long. They schedule me at the same time with 2 other people. I can’t be waiting that long!

I’m finally jumping on to write a review about Dr. Bitter JR. He is an amazing dermatologist and I have been seeing him for over 16 years. I have recommended him to numerous friends w/​multiple treatments, because frankly, he’s the best. From the 1^st time I stepped into his office, he showed complete compassion and then followed up w/​a solid plan. He continues to do that year, after year, after year.
I was impressed with the fact that even though he was the inventor of the Photofacial he didn’t actually recommend it for me until years after going to him and once my skin changed after having my 1^st child. All of his treatments work wonders for me and the products I’ve used (some times he only recommends a line of product and that will do the trick w/​out a procedure) have always been perfect for my skin issues.
Love the nurse that has worked for him for years and the front staff is always great to work with as well.
Will continue going to one of my favorite doctors and give a very high recommendation!

Dr Bitter and his staff are wonderful, caring,& passionate about skincare and helping those w/​acne and skin cancer. I would rather wait a few minutes extra for exceptional care. Tina is a gifted esthetician and I always leave w/​the best service.
They are busy but that is because they are that good at what they do. It is not about $$$$ for them it is 100%about helping people w/​their skin concerns. They have helped me w/​my adult acne so much.

I’ve had skin issues since the end of middle school (I am now in college) and I was referred to this office In the high hopes that my skin would finally calm down. For 6 years, this office treated my skin as if it was oily, acne skin when all awhile I had sensitive/​Rosacea skin. This infuriates me because they made my problem worse. Gave terrible products that made my skin beat red, itchy, peely, and bumpy. They make you wait for literally an hour passed your actual appointment time (which is super rude and unprofessional) and they offer no helpful advise except his phony laser treatment for a whopping 3,000 bucks. I recently was been by Sandra Odenheimer at the palo alto medical group in mountain view. She prescribed me two simple products and my skin is amazingly clear and calm. She was understanding, helpful, attentive, and professional. More than what I can say for this horrible office. I’ve wasted so much emotional energy being upset over my skin and having this doctors office not only make it worse but push other useless treatments on me to milk my insurance and wallet. My new Derm has done wonders with only two products. She saw my skin and instantly knew what to do…6 years and this office couldn’t even see something as simple as sensitive skin. Totally incompetent. Never going back here again.

I’ve been going to Dr. Patrick Bitter for PhotoFacials since my early forties and this review is long overdue. I don’t talk about my PhotoFacials much in person, because I want to keep my beauty secrets secret, but I’m telling you online because in my opinion, he should not have any bad reviews here. Granted, my visits are mostly for improving the appearance of my skin and keeping my age a secret, but in one case Dr. Bitter helped me defeat a chronic eczema condition on my scalp that LOTS of other GPs and Dermatologists had not been able to help me with. Finding a treatment for the eczema has improved the quality of my life, because the eczema was chronically itchy and caused very bad skin flaking.
I am over 50 now (*sigh*) and I look like I’m in my 30’s largely due to Dr. Bitter’s Photo Facials a regular skin care that include some of Dr. Bitter’s products and some not too fancy skin cleansers. I also exercise regularly, drink lots of water, wear a good sunscreen on my face that doesn’t make my skin break out. I also don’t overdo it in the sun and I keep away from alcohol, which will destroy your skin.
When I go for a procedure I don’t wait very long in the waiting room, but I typically wait in the procedure room while the numbing cream has time to work. It’s a doctor’s office, not a spa, so be prepared for crinkly paper and hospital gowns, not fluffy bathrobes squishy chairs and cucumber water. I bring something to read or use my laptop or phone with the free wireless. It’s my understanding that the numbing cream works best if you leave it on for some time. I asked the nurse once and she told be, I’m pretty sure it was around a half hour, but I don’t remember exactly. I’ve never had to wait beyond the time it takes for the numbing cream to work.
I’ve had aqua facials there too which are really nice and laser hair removal which is really affordable and nice too. Lots of people do Photo Facials now and I’ve heard a wide variety of stories from other people, but I trust Dr. Bitter and his staff. Their prices are not out of this world either, when you take into consideration Dr. Bitter is the best qualified person on the planet to do the procedure, then I think it’s worth an added premium (slightly ironic here). The advice they have given me for skin care over the years has been great. One warning though, be prepared for people to be jealous of your ageless beauty if you choose to get regular Photo Facials and follow Dr. Bitter’s skin care advice (absolutely no irony here).

Been a patient of Dr. Bitter and Bitter Jr. for over 10 years for various skin issues. They are both phenomenal doctors and have helped my family and I quickly recover from anything we went to him for. Now that aside, yes, the staff there, although all very nice, are highly disorganized. Waiting way past your appointment time can be routine during busy seasons. I give them 5 stars because I only care about what matters most, and that’s the doctors and their ability to help my family and I heal or deal with medical issues. I don’t mind waiting (most of the time anyway) and having been there so long I have learned work-​arounds to their staffing issues.
I would say though that if you are in a tight schedule, I’d probably schedule a different day.

Dr. Bitter Jr. is the man! I wrestled back in high school and had some horrible cases of staph and ring worm from dirty wrestling mats. I went to several doctors and none of them could help me like Dr. Bitter did. Yes, you may expect a wait, but that’s because he’s a popular doctor.

Dr. Bitter Jr. was a good doctor several years ago. I was happy with results with him in the 90’s so I decided to go back to him for photo facial, as he is supposed to be the expert. He is also a very nice man.
He proceded to take my $ 3000 and I got NO results to alleviate the redness in my face. He suggested that I purchase more treatments. I declined.
A year later, I went to a dermatologist in San Mateo (isn’t Dr. Bitter a dermatologist???) and was diagnosed with cutaneous lupus, not rosacea. Dr. Bitter should have actually diagnosed me BEFORE taking my money. That would have been nice. It would have saved me time, travel, and $ 3000. Also, I must say the woman I see walking out of his office make me think that there is a platypus convention going on. Lighten up on the lip injections and stop making these woman look RIDICULOUS. And may I suggest putting on a clean coat once in a while?

Excellent doctor. Very knowledgeable and patient. He recently diagnosed and treated a problem I had suffered with for years (which had been incorrectly diagnosed/​treated by other doctors).
An occasional wait is common with most doctors who give you their undivided attention.
I highly recommend him without reservation.

Yes, expect to wait… it happens at a doctor’s office… let alone a GOOD doctor. It’s the same as complaining about a wait at the best restaurant in town :-)
That said, there’s a wait because once you go in with Dr. Bitter, you have his complete, undivided attention. He is amazing at listening to all of your concerns, and taking the time to do the magic that he is so well-​known for! I never plan to be in and out of there, but in return am never rushed when I am being seen by him. He is incredibly thoughtful in his work, in which he takes a lot of pride, and makes sure to send you out 100% happy.
If you prefer to going into one of the many turnstile type businesses that are a dime a dozen, then yes, expect to be seen right away, but also expect cookie cutter work.
Oh, and by the way, I wait for Dr. Bitter to come down to the L.A. office once every other month because he is the only person I trust, because he also happens to be very honest about what you DON’T need, which, again, good luck finding anywhere else.

I have been a patient of Dr. Bitter for over one year. In that year EVERY SINGLE APPT i have had to wait at least 40 minutes past my appt time. The last time I was 3 HOURS. Clearly this is routine and clearly he doesn’t care about me, my health or value my time.
I am now going to SOMEONE who CARES.

Once you get to see him he is great, helped with my cold sores and cancer screenings, plus he is a triathlete like me so I enjoy chatting with him. But I have waited about an hour past my appointment to be seen the last two visits, judging from other reviews this is the norm. Too bad since he seems to be a great doctor.

I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience with Dr. Bitter Jr and his staff. Recently I finished the HCG Weigtloss Program and lost 35lbs in 40 days. His nurse, Irene, took a genuine interest in making sure I was successful and not just wasting my money.
It’s nice that a dermatologist would not just be focused on giving me laser procedure and botox, but he was sincerely interested in my overall health. I’m now on their hormone program they offer and feeling better than I have since I can remember. I strongly would recommend Dr. Bitter Jr. as well as either or both of these programs to my family and friends.
I did have one appointment where I waited an extra 30 minutes passed my scheduled time, but when I was with him I had his full attention and never felt rushed. You can only assume that maybe his staff schedules too many people and don’t take in to account that he is deliberate and detailed with his patients and they should take that in to account when setting his calendar.
Again, I have and will continue to refer friends and family to Dr. Bitter and look forward to my follow-​up next month!

In the past few years I have ended up with two doctors whose sons have basically taken over their practices. In the case of my dentist; the son is actually even better than his dad, so my trepidations about that quickly vanished. In the case of Dr. Bitter Sr. and Jr. that is definitely not the case!
I had been going to Dr. Bitter, Sr. for over 25 years and even remember when his son (Bitter, Jr.) who is my same age in fact, came to work with his dad. For awhile I went to his dermatology clinic for treatment of adult acne while the insurance company paid for facials. I recall the staff always kind of being behind and while I only saw the doctor a few times for minor surgical procedures (like mole removal), they never seemed to be on time for appointments and that bothered me.
Fast forward a dozen or so years and Dr. Bitter, Jr. has now pretty much taken over the practice. They have moved locations once again but unfortunately not much has changed. What has changed is that things are actually worse than they ever were.
Dr. Bitter, Jr. cannot be on time ever, even for his first appointment of the day and I won’t put up with that kind of arrogance. The staff books so many appointments (at 15 minute intervals) for the day that there is no way for them to possibly fit that many people in. So, they are always late, always apologizing, always offering free procedures to make up for your wait. But, nevertheless no matter what time you go, you wait, and wait, and WAIT!
When I finally did get seen by the doctor, he failed to even do a halfway decent job. Oh yes, he is extremely personable, easy to talk to, calm and reassuring. And always, always late and never, never cares. Basically he loves to talk about the PhotoFacial which he invented. It’s probably a wonderful thing. It has obviously made him even more rich and famous than his dad. But, that matters not to me.
I had so many frustrations with this place I can’t even go into them all but let’s see. Came back for my «free» procedure (first appointment of the morning) only to show up early, find the door locked, and still locked 20 minutes after my arrival time. Showed up for one appointment that they never had on their books for some reason. No, I didn’t wait to be fit in for that so had to come back. In all, I think I went there 4 or 5 times to take care of 2 procedures!
And when the nurse asked me if I wanted her to call the doctor at home since he just lives a few minutes away, and let him know I am there waiting and he’ll be here in just 10 minutes; I knew that I would never be happy going here. Really? Call him? He isn’t just expected to be in the office for his first appointment? No, apparently he enjoys knowing all of these people are just waiting for his presence to arrive.
Sorry, not me!
Written in my travelogue: There are so many other choices when it comes to things like this. Highly NOT recommended!