Steven Swengel MD & Associates

I have been with Refined Dermatology for a couple of years now. All the staff has always been so helpful and knowledgeable. However recently I had a very positive experience with their Esthetician Hannah Thieu Merrel. A product line that I had used for a few years had been discontinued and my skin is extremely sensitive. I tend to have allergic reactions to products including those made for sensitive skin. Hannah
Prepared samples for me three different times and kept in contact with me via email while I tried out all the various product lines. She was friendly and positive the entire time until I finally found the combination of products that worked well for me. If you have trouble with your skin the team at Refined Dermatology will work with you as long as it takes to find a solution.

This review is maybe 3+ years coming. I’m not even in the area anymore and haven’t been for a long while. But on my to do list for the longest time has to been to not forget to write about Swengel. Now so much time and thought has passed that the pressure is too high to get into all the specifics. I’ll just say I saw him on maybe three occasions, and Swengel and his staff are all amazing. Shout out to Eric. They followed up with email consultations, took care of payment dilemmas, advice, medication, or procedures, I wish this practice could be carbon copied to whatever city I live.

On Jan 15 2016 I had the ice procedure done
I was told by Ruby care cord I would see results in 6 weeks I would experience pain and sourness …6 weeks went by NOTHING I called her back then I was told 3 months to wait NOTHING …, she scheduled appt. in the office her and the doctor suggested I repeat the procedure for free… I think I wasted my money and time
I asked for a refund and they only gave me back half my money… I paid 1500 on Jan 15^th on got back 750on ⁵⁄₅ please don’t go through this. It didn’t work and you will waste your money… this bad experience cost me 750
So disappointed !

I was referred to Dr. Swengel’s office for Cool Sculpting of my abdomen and flanks. After speaking to some people, I realized this office was the best place to go since so many people I talked to said they had their Cool Sculpting done there too. I decided to make an appointment and just do it. I had my treatment done by Eric. He is AMAZING! He made me feel so comfortable about the treatment! The treatment wasn’t painful, I was basically numb after the first 15 minutes and I got to do some work on my laptop while getting the treatment done. The staff was friendly and my entire overall experience was great. Aside from the friendly staff, my results have been amazing. It has been about 6 weeks since my treatment, and though they say it takes 90 days to see the full results, I have definitely seen a good 2 inches off my waist since the treatment. I am so happy with my results and would refer everyone to Dr. Swengel’s office!

I am waiting for my consultation right now. We set the appointment for 4pm, the lady called at 3:40 to ask if I can come in at 4:30pm which I agreed to, and I am still sitting in the front waiting room right now at 4:55pm. Hmm… this isn’t a good introduction to the place already.

I absolutely love Dr. Swengel and his team, especially Eric! I have freckles, lots of them. I used to like them, but as I get older I feel they age me. So after visiting another dermatologist in Los Gatos and not loving experience, I decided to check out Refined Dermatology. I was so lucky that Eric helped me during my first visit!
Eric started by taking pictures of my face for a skin analysis on their Visia machine. It measures your brown spots, redness, pores, texture, etc. and grades you relative to others of the same age and skin type. This helps narrow down your problem areas and shows what to focus on. It also told me the «age» of my skin, which was older than me! Then Dr. Swengel discussed all the different treatments and what he thought would work best for me.
Since I started coming in, my skin has vastly improved. I’ve done numerous treatments including BBL, Halo, Q Max and the Perfect Peel. They have all really helped with my freckles and texture. I barely have any freckles left! The only thing that hasn’t improved much are my pores. Hopefully this improves in time.
I like everything about this office. They are always prompt with appointments, they’re flexible with scheduling (they’ve even seen me on a Saturday), they aren’t pushy and don’t force products on you, and most importantly they really know their stuff!
My family and friends have noticed the improvement in my skin and have made appointments themselves. Great skin is an investment but it is so worth it! I wish I started sooner!

How does this practice have such good reviews?
I saw Dr Swengel for alopecia (hairloss)
I had been noticing my hair not feeling the same/​looking the same and coming out in my hands more and more. I’m a 30yo woman so this was extremely stressful for me.
I went to this practice because of good reviews and paid cash because I really wanted my problem to be addressed by a serious dermatologist.
The doctor spent about 2 seconds looking at my hair, diagnosed it as male pattern baldness and told me he’d prescribe me medication.
This was all done like he was making small talk.
«Male pattern baldness» I asked in shock «is it going to get worse?»
His response, «I don’t know I left my crystal ball at home.»
Did you leave your degree there too, doc?
I recently asked them to fax my test results to a new doctor and when they didn’t I called them again and the response was «we can’t just fax things left and right for you.»
What?!?
Not a good experience.

They spend more time pushing products/​procedures than addressing legitimate questions/​concerns. I’m no longer a fan, this was my last visit.

I absolutely love Doctor Swengel and his whole team. I have had pretty reactive/​sensitive skin from my teenage years into adulthood and it is finally being transformed into gorgeous skin thanks to these professionals.
I get acne facials by Hannah, she is literally the best! So gentle, knowledgable and efficient. I look forward to seeing her because I know how much my skin needs it. They also carry their own line of products formulated by the doc himself, and I could not live without the face wash and moisturizer.
You fee like you are going to a spa no matter what your appointment is for. I’ve had some intense skin issues and I always come out feeling comforted.

Avoid this greedy unprofessional clinic, unless you like to pay a lot of money for a poor treatment. I had a moles exam, it was done by the practitioner, not even by the doctor himself. It lasted exactly 2 minutes, and the only thing she had done was looking at the moles with a flash light. They filed it to my insurance as a super complex exam and I was charged
*** $ 150 **** for having the practitioner turning on her flashlight. All my requests to the office to file it as a regular, simple preventive care, were refused. They are still thinking that it was an exclusive, special treatment. Of course, they have never explained to me before the treatment that this is going to be the cost of this simple procedure. Will never come back again, and non of my family or friends would ever visit in this awful clinic.

Sad how quickly a practice can change for the worse. Sometimes bigger is Not better.
I especially dislike being ignored by the staff
& not taken seriously when something bothers me. Never underestimate my kindness or smile.
First time — I overlook.
Second time– I call attention to the issue.
Third time — l spend my money elsewhere
Won’t be going there anymore !

Dr. Swengel is kind and caring. He takes his time, explains things quite clearly. He’s not pushy, he’s very very honest, and tries to keep my costs down. I was really impressed in that treatments were far more comfortable than I imagined. I’ll definitely return to him and have already recommended him to my friends.

So far I have been to Dr. Swengel’s practice just once for acne. I think my acne started clearing up the moment I walked through the door. Full disclosure though –I haven’t met Dr. Swengel yet– I saw one of his specialists. The doctor offers a full range of skin and beauty services. I can tell by the office, environment, and staff that practices are state-​of-​the-​art (like a little slice of Beverly Hills in Los Gatos). I seriously can’t wait to come back and blow some of my paychecks here! I have grown up and worked in the beauty industry almost my entire life, and I love finding individuals who practice gentle, scientific approaches to skincare and beauty.

Very impressed with Dr. Swengel and his staff. They all were extremely courteous and friendly — it felt like they really enjoyed working there. Dr. Swengel treated a burst blood vessel on my nose (under the skin) and was very thorough in making sure it was good as gone by the time I walked out of there (just ten minutes later!). I only wish I had thought of seeing him sooner as I’ve been frustrated by this red mark on my nose for over a year!
After assessing my lesion, he also made sure I knew that he would retreat me at no cost if for some reason one treatment didn’t take it away for good (since my little mark was small enough that he was confident it could be treated in one go). I appreciated that he was confident enough in his work (and equipment) to commit to this. His excellent bedside manner put me at ease throughout the treatment and I would definitely see him again for future skin improvements.

Been to the office a few times now, and have had 100% positive experiences with everyone I have worked with. The NP, Jaeny was awesome and very confident in her knowledge. I did a full skin check with her, and she also did a BBL treatment on me.
I also had an Silk Peel with Hannah and she was AMAZING! She was warm, friendly and took time to explain to me what she was doing and how she felt my skin would benefit from specific procedures.
Both women were professional, nice, and budget conscious which I find very welcoming. Most places are there to sell services and products, but at this office you can tell they are focused on skin care.
Great Office and Great Services!

No Doubt Dr. Swengel is an Artist’ with a syringe,
I have recommended Dr. Swengel to my family and friends because I trust him to always have a beautiful result.
The entire staff are outstanding professionals who are very courteous, knowledgeable, & caring. They really look after your best interest.

Dr. Steven Swengel probably a good doctor regarding other reviews. Having skin issues I called Dr. Steven Swengel office to make appointment with dermatologist doctor. However, my appointment was scheduled to a nurse practitioner. That I found few hours prior my appointment. No, thanks. I would rather go to my family doctor.

I have no other means but to post my reply post here. I visited your office several times, so let this be my second review.
First, I don’t need generalized statements about Obagi and Retin-​A. In fact, I like both Obagi and Retin-​A in general. My first claim is based solely on the fact that I was not an eligible patient for Obagi NU-​DERM line (with 4% Hydroquinone) to begin with and your office kept selling it to me throughout 9 months without ever checking my skin after the initial visit.
In your reply post, you stated that it is allowed to only use 2 small tubes with this concentration. Counting ONLY tubes with 4% Hydroquinone — you sold me 5 of such tubes. «Small» is left for broad interpretation. Not sure what you mean by «small.» These tubes are 2OZ (57g) each.
Second, Tretinoin made and sold by your office had absolutely zero effect on me. Absolute waste of money. Whereas Tretinoin by Obagi (also purchased at your office) did wonders. Again, please do not state the obvious, but rather focus on specific claims made.
Regarding return, an EXCHANGE that was made within 15 minutes of leaving your office is considered by you as a return because you probably process it as one. 1% Tretinoin (UNOPENED) was EXCHANGED for a BIGGER tube within 15 mins of the original purchase.
You keep stating numerous customers are happy about Tretinoin made by your office. You have 50 reviews and none of them gives any positive feedback on your product line.

Overall, Dr. Swengel and his staff were very professional and I completely trust them.
I had a dark acne mark on my cheek removed. The BBL did not work so I asked for a spot treatment of TCL. Voila! It’s gone and has not returned!

After waiting some time to allow my skin to adjust to the products and treatment Dr. Swengel has recommended, my skin has honestly never looked this amazing (and I have acne-​rosacea).
This office truly cares about the patients that walk in to address their skin’s needs and for some reason, that seems to be in short supply at other derm offices in the bay area.
I finally don’t have to hide behind thick foundations and can throw on a light coverage tinted moisturizer and some mascara and lip gloss and look/​feel super confident and beautiful in my new skin!
If you are frustrated with your skin and have not been able to find a dermatologist that really listens/​answers all of your questions and concerns along with provides education for how to better care for your skin, go to this gem of a practice.
Keep up the good work Doc! You and your staff are AMAZING!!!