The Center for Dermatology Care

I, too, am a Dr. Kaufman super-​fan. He is the only doctor I completely trust, and so even though I now have an HMO, I still come to him and pay in cash. It gives me peace of mind. I see him every year for Mole Max, and I need moles removed on most of those visits. The way he sutures and the post-​wound care is like no other doctor I’ve seen, and the result? Very minimal scarring. Ten years ago I came to him with a melanoma on my neck, and I thought I was just going to have a consultation for Mohs surgery. The mole had already been biopsied and was deemed in situ. He took one look at my neck, and his tone completely changed. He said, «You are not leaving with that on you,» as he called his nurses to prep for surgery. I protested and asked about scarring, and he said, «It will scar, but that thing will kill you.» He was right, as it turned out to be slightly invasive, but thankfully, he got it all, and that was that. He knows his stuff. His bedside manner is kind, professional, and very much in control and knowledgable. Would every doctor were like Dr. Kaufman. The world would be a much better place. The oncologist he recommended, Dr. Michael Masterson, was equally amazing. I agree with what the other reviewer said — professional adoration!

Debbie has completely changed my skin! Always running on time and always so sweet. Ive never been comfortable not wearing makeup and she has changed my life! The best facials you can get!

Be sure to have LOTS of time on your hands, these guys are always running very late on appointments. We rushed to get here on time, just to spend a lot of time in the waiting room.

Well folks from the years playing in the sun has caught up with me. Love the people here. The ones that really stuck out was Gail the nurse and Dr Kaufaman. Love them for being so so compassionate about my Heath and needs of surgery. Can not say enough positive words about this place.

I, unfortunately, was the recipient of news in December 2014 that I had a Malignant melanoma skin cancer on my lower right calf. I thought that it was «nothing». Mine was a T1a 0.65mm tumor that Dr. Kaufman was relatively easily able to remove.
I’m 42 year old female, of North Western European heritage so fair skin, green eyes and I work outside (in shorts) here in Southern California. I, before December 2014 was a sun worshipper. During my 20s and 30s unbeknownst to me, I was preparing myself for melanoma.
Anyway, to get to the point, my feelings about Dr. Kaufman and his staff, Tiffany on the front desk, Kim and Terry in the surgical room are nothing short of professional grade adoration.
During my surgery time I made small talk with Dr. Kaufman, Kim and Terry as I always do to «get myself through» things. Dr. Kaufman engaged my humour, Kim was nothing short of a total sweetheart and Terry did something that made me feel the most comforted ever.
Imagine the scene, I’m laid on my front having a scalpel remove a tumor from my leg, I have tears rolling down my face that are falling down onto the carpet as I can’t believe how I even got myself in this ridiculous and extremely dangerous situation having a malignant cancer and then Terry simply lays her hand on the back of my left leg throughout the entire surgery, comforting me in the most simple way possible. Her doing this was wonderful. I was beyond worked up and this stopped me in my tracks.
I’m sure most people are probably bored with this review so far but that doesn’t matter to me; what will matter is that if THEY ever have to come here for treatment because of it (and I hope to God they don’t have to), they’ll be damn glad they selected Dr. Kaufman and his team for their surgery and recovery.
This man knows what he’s doing and surrounds himself by others that know what they’re doing. This people of professionals is simply awesome.
Thank you Dr. Kaufman and team.
Lisa C.
(Did I mention Dr. Kaufman is the «Suture Master»…)?

This is a review of the office staff, NOT the doctors, as I just called to set up an initial visit over the phone and will not be going to this Dermatologist after my experience. Betsy, the woman who answered the phone, was curt and unhelpful. She had the attitude that every question I asked was stupid and a waste of her time, and was in a rush to get me off the phone. Forgive me for wanting a more accurate cost for an initial office visit and not being satisfied with her casual «well it could cost anywhere from $ 80 – 250.» That’s a pretty huge range, and to me, not knowing how much a service is going to cost until you go into the appointment is unacceptable.
I’m sure the doctors here are great and I would have been happy to pay more for their expertise, but they should offer a free initial consultation for customers like me who don’t know what they’d like to have done. Why should I pay $ 250 to talk to a doctor for fifteen minutes if I then decide to get nothing done?
Overall disappointed with my experience trying to book an appointment with the Thousand Oaks office. Some advice to the doctors– get some better staff working at your front desk so their bad bedside banner doesn’t turn potential patients away.

I noticed a growth on my arm that, when compared to internet pictures, looked like a skin cancer. I looked over Unilocal reviews and called several offices — this being one of them. Most offices could not get me in for over a month. The office staff worker here (I believe Haley was her name) was very compassionate and sensitive to how scared I was. My mom has extensive skin cancer. Despite, all the doctors being booked up, she squeezed me in to see Dr. Cole. Dr. Cole biopsied the growth and called me within several days. It was not cancer, and I was so relieved. I am going back for a full body check in the new year. I am very grateful.

Thanks to Laticia for advocating in my behalf.

I haven’t been to a dermatologist before so I wasn’t sure what to expect and how much it would cost since I wouldn’t be using insurance. I was really pleased with my visit and the cost was very reasonable and less than what I had expected. Dr. Cole was really nice, patient and very knowledgeable. She took the time to explain and answer my many questions. I didn’t feel rushed in any way. Their aesthetician Debbie was also really kind and I’m glad she offered products without harsh chemicals. I am glad that I wasn’t recommended anything unnecessary or something I would not be satisfied with. I’m really glad I made the appointment and I feel so much more informed now.

My family has been coming to Center for Dermatology Care for several years but there have been changes in the office that are causing us to look elsewhere.
My husband scheduled an appointment with Dr. Speaker only to have the office call a few days later to say she wasn’t going to be in the office and he would have to reschedule. He made another appointment and we got a call at 7am the day of the appointment saying Dr. Speaker had a family emergency and wouldn’t be available for his appointment at 9am.
He rescheduled again and when he went in for his appointment they handed him New Patient paperwork. When he told them he’d been seen there many times they went looking for his chart and came back 15 minutes later with our son’s chart. They finally found the right chart and then told him that he didn’t have an appointment and that Dr. Speaker wasn’t in the office that day.
Time to find a new dermatology office.

I have seen both Dr. Ngo and Jaime, the esthetician, at CFDC. I can’t say enough great things about either of them. They made me feel very comfortable and cared for right from the start. Their level of knowledge about what they do and the patient care that they give is exactly what a person wants when they walk into any doctor’s office. I highly recommended Jaime for any facials, waxing or other esthetician based services. Dr. Ngo will definitely be the dermatologist that I continue to see and who I recommend to family and friends. Overall, my experience at the CFDC was excellent!

I was referred to this office by a different dermatologist who was on vacation at the time I wanted to make an appt. I was scheduled same day with Dr. Speaker and let me tell you she was AWESOME! She was SO friendly and made me feel very comfortable. I came in for a scalp issue (but like every other person trying to get the most out of their doc visit without having to make another appointment and pay more money =) I began asking her if certain moles I had were «suspicious». She was very gracious and checked real quick for me. She told me I had one we had to remove and to make an appt to have it done as soon as possible. When I mentioned to her it was the last day I had insurance, she asked if I had ten minutes and to wait there while she finished up with another patient and then would go ahead and help me out. I know she didn’t need to take the extra 15 minutes to do the little procedure, but she did. She was super nice about it and I was very thankful. The staff here as well were very nice! VERY VERY important at a doc’s office. Highly recommend Dr. Speaker!

This review is specifically for the esthetician, Jaime, who works at the CFDC. I will admit, as a man, I was a bit apprehensive about getting a facial at all, but let me tell you Jaime is incredible. She is so sweet and genuine and is exceptional at her craft. If you or anyone you know needs a great facial, look no further than Jaime at the CDFC. Highly recommended.

I have been a patient of Dr. Kaufman for many years. I have had many surgical cancers removed by many other physicians and there is no doubt that Dr. K is the
master of them all. He did a Mohs procedure on my face that took 23 sutures. Today you cannot find any signs of a scar from the procedure. I feel so fortunate to have Dr. Kaufman as my physician. I also think his office staff is excellent, highly skilled and
very accommodating. Norman R

Sagar P. your comments do not even make sense. I have never heard Dr. Kaufman yell at anyone. By the way Dr. Kaufman does not come out and call his patients, the nurses do. Dr. Kaufman does excellent work and as for his bedside manner he is extremely professional. Thank you for not returning it will leave space for the patients who appreciate him.

To each their own, Unilocal is about sharing experiences, if you do not agree with mine, then don’t worry about it and post your own.
Want to let others know that I went here but had an appoint with Dr. Kaufman — I heard him yelling at his staff and then walk out to the waiting room and yell out asking where his next patient was (with «f» expletive). Totally disappointed — I tried to book Dr. Curcio for my next visit in May but I was told she will no longer be at the practice. Hopefully she is near by. Dr. Kaufman did a fine job on the work I had done, but his bedside manner and lack of care will not have me returning here.

Doctor Ngo is amazing, absolutely best demonologist I’ve ever been too. She was so knowledgeable and helpful in treating my condition. She is very sweet along with all the other staff members that work for her. I would recommend her to anyone looking for a doctor. She doesn’t give up on your condition and will keep seeking out different methods of treatments!

The service by the actual doctors is good, I have only two complaints. The first is that they have you fill out a receipt with a «tip» line when you pay by debit/​credit card. I have gone to more upscale medical centers than this, and it doesn’t seem to be a common practice. It seems very tacky to me that they ask for a tip. Second is that they were not very good with my insurance information. Two appointments in a row, I was told that I was supposed to have brought my insurance cards because they require updated information once they have had your info. on file for a year. Each time I explained to them that I had just given my insurance information within a few weeks. They insisted that this was incorrect. So, I gave them my card after letting them know that it was the exact same card that I had given them the last time around as I have had the same insurance for 6 years now.

What to say, what to say? Well, it’s very clean. The staff running the front desk are very nice and knowledgeable. The doctors are top notch and make you feel comfortable and at ease.
They partner with various doctors at research hospitals (such as UCLA and USC), which makes for cutting edge care with very knowledgeable doctors. I recently saw a visiting doctor from the UCLA medical center, but their regular doctors are also great!

Dr Ngo is the best Doctor. She takes her time with me and always addresses all of my concerns. Top notch!