Terri Dunn, MD (Berkeley, CA)
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Feb 2006
I see Dr. Terry Dunn about once a year for a skin check. I have had one questionable spot removed by her as an inpatient set- up. All in all, she is fine and probably typical for a local dermatologist and I intend to continue to see her. Her main office manager is a bit brusque, but efficient and professional. One bit of advice: If you do set up an appointment for a procedure, make sure you get them to tell you when they will want to see you for the follow-up. Being new to such procedures, i did not know a follow-up was needed until after the procedure was done (or I would have scheduled the procedure accordingly). The Office Mgr. seemed to not understand that the Dr.'s patients might have tight schedules, too, and might need to schedule appointments far in advance. Other than that relatively minor annoyance, Dr. Dunn's office is fine. She is located in Berkeley on Telegraph Ave between Parker and Ashby. Her phone # is (510)848-8404.
Another Busy Parent
June 2005
I looked on the archives but I didn't see any positive or negative reviews about Terri Dunn. I need to see a dermatologist for ongoing review of moles. So my concerns for her services are medical -- not cosmetic. Finding the right dermatologist is important to me so any reviews of her thoroughness in this area would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. a redhead
My husband, a fair, freckly type, has been going to Dr. Dunn for several years now, 2x a year, as he'd been diagnosed with a couple of basal cell cancers. I think he likes her very much. Wendy
I went to Dr Teri Dunn to have some moles checked out and removed (growth of moles is apparently an occasional side effect of pregnancy). I did not find her to be particularly thorough: in fact, I had to point out to her where I had moles that she hadn't bothered to look for and had not seen, even though I was there for a full body check. This made me very nervous, and I don't think I'd go to her if I was even more concerned about cancerous or pre cancerous moles. Also, she routinely ran very, very late on her appointments, and no explanation or apology was ever given. And the worst thing to me: she would only remove 6 moles per visit. Not that it took very long to remove them. That was just her policy. So you would have to go through the appointment/wait (and copay) thing many times if you have more than 6 to remove. I was guessing that it was a way to make the most of insurance payments. I couldn't deal with that kind of time sink-removal of a mole takes a few moments, but it would have taken hours of my time in waiting, and many more copays. Oh, and one further thing was that I had to ask her for the results of my biopsy, and she had to look it up (rather than simply telling me proactively). anon
I see Terri Dunn for mole evaluation at least once a year. I am fair-skinned and had a melanoma removed about 10 years ago. Since I have been covered by two different HMO's in the years since my cancer, and doctors come and go, I have seen a number of dermatologists over the years. Dr. Dunn is one of my favorites. She is great; her staff is exemplary. Melanoma survivor
I went to see Dr. Dunn last summer about a couple of suspicious looking dark spots on my body. She was very confident and seemingly competent. I would recommend her for what you need - no cosmetic surgery, just basic dermatological services. Not to mention, she is very nice - an added plus. also a redhead
I highly recommend Dr. Terri Dunn for dermatology medical issues. She has successfully treated my teen daughter for benign skin growths. She is personable and thorough. My daughter likes her because she does not talk down to her, and listens to her concerns.She will give you treatment options, her opinion and then respects your opinion on how you want to be treated. Diane
I just had to write in to second the person who had a difficult time with Dr. Dunn. I went to see her in early May for adult acne and had a very similar, and disappointing, experience. She was over 45 minutes late - (and they have a sign saying YOU will be charged if YOU are late) no apologies, no mention of the time. She was very inattentive, didn't touch my skin or ask any, what seem to me, basic, questions i.e. I had to prompt her about medications I'm on, and my history of skin problems. SHe actually didn't even look at me much during the visit - mainly spoke to her assistant who took all the notes and wrote out the prescriptions, which she then signed. Later when I had problems with the medication, I was never able to speak with her directly, her assistants always returned my calls - (once days after I left a message) and honestly they didn't seem that knowledable. (They prescribed a different medication, which I cannot take, without telling me - I found out about it when I got a call from the pharmacy.) There are many fabulous dermatologists in the area - I'd put your time, money, energy, and health in someone else's hands. not a happy camper
I want to second the negative review I read recently of Terri Dunn, a Berkeley dermatologist. A year ago, I took my 2 kids to her on the advice of our pediatrician. Although he gave us another recommendation, we went to Dr. Dunn because it was close to our house in Berkeley. My kids had a recurring rash which was diagnosed as scabies and had been treated twice before with the prescription cream. After waiting for more than 40 minutes to see Dr. Dunn, she finally came in with 2 assistants. When I tried to explain the problem to her, I felt she really wasn't interested. She remained at the door to the examining room, and she never examined my kids or even touched them. Her male assistant looked at my son's arm and began to tell him a somewhat lengthy anecdote. At the end of the appointment, Dr. Dunn told us to get some Skin so Soft cream for the itching. We finally went to Dr. Kristin Walker in Orinda, who resolved our problem. Karen
I went to see Terry Dunn her regarding a low- level, but persistent, acne problem and some bumps on my skin (I didn't know what they were). First of all, she barely asked any questions about either one, and I felt like she barely even looked at my skin. I felt a little degraded by how little attention she actually paid to me during the appointment.
She immediately prescribed Retin-A for the acne, which I found out later was completely inappropriate since I was trying to get pregnant. Plus, Retin-A causes extreme sun sensitivity and I was just about to leave for several weeks on a vacation to South America! Second, she recommended removing the bumps with a laser. After several hundred dollars, a painful laser session, and weeks of healing, those bumps came right back again with the added problem of slight scaring around the area. I don't think she ever looked at the bumps to find out what they were before she lasered them off.
In the end, I didn't even go back for the follow-up appointments because I felt that not only would it be pointless, but it would probably have been confrontational and I didn't need/want the aggravation. Unsatisfied Client