Joshua Zeichner, MD

I had an experience similar to the first reviewer. The doc seemed to be in a huge hurry and was a lot more interested in pushing a product to me than in explaining the reason behind the problem or the triggering factors. He really needs to pay more importance to each patient. I am never visiting him again.

Dr Zeichner is glib and seems interested and fun. But what he is really interested in is upselling products, making quick fixes, and he doesn’t delve deeply into any skin problem. He wants to take the next patient.
Example? If it looks like you have a wart, he will give you treatment for a wart. Wait, he didn’t take enough time to properly diagnose your problem, and its not actually a wart but a cyst? Oh, too bad — well, you can come back. So he wastes your time with his inaccuracy.
Overall I would not see this doctor. And certinaly not if I had a serious skin problem.

Prior to yesterday I did have 2 good experiences with Dr. Zeichner, but he’s lost a patient now. I had been trying to find time over the past year to see him after he partially removed a mole last year and said I have to get the rest removed, but he only does this procedure from 3pm-​5pm on Wednesdays, and being that he’s on the Upper East side and I work in Midtown West, it’s a 40 minute commute when train runs smoothly.
I finally was able to leave my work at 3:45 yesterday for a 4:30 appointment, and of course the train got delayed and by the time I got out, I was only a few blocks away but it was 4:37 at that point. I immediately jumped in a cab and called their office to tell them I’m en route but will be only 10 – 15 late total, I was greeted by one of those receptionists who sounded like she couldn’t wait to get out of the office for the day and couldn’t care less that it took me all this time to get this appointment, leave work early, and get all the way up town.
She informed me that she can’t hold my spot and I’ll have to reschedule. I implored her to reconsider and explained how hard it was for me to get another appointment because of work and travel time, and she didn’t care. She claimed she went to ask Dr. Zeichner if I can come at 4:45 (15 minutes late, that’s all!) and said that he said no. So either he just doesn’t care or she doesn’t, or both. They’re more concerned with getting out of their at exactly 5pm. I tried one last time to let me come and that I need to get this thing removed and don’t want to wait any longer and cannot leave work again on a late Wednesday afternoon, but I could clearly hear the lack of giving a shit in her voice.
I was so upset I told her that I will not reschedule and this dr. has now lost a patient. Dr. (and his rude secretary), I suggest that in the future if a past patient is running a few minutes late because of things out of their reach, that you try to accommodate them a bit more.
Good day.

Dr. Zeichner rocks, sees you on time, speaks to you frankly, answers any questions and removes a funky mole all in 15 minutes. Schedule a full body scan — and no, that’s not a machine.

I went to «Dr.» Zeichner for the first time today because my acne flared up recently. Suffice to say that it was a very disappointing experience. As a one time researcher in the field of genomics, it really depresses me to see what «doctors» peddle in the name of science and medicine these days. You might as well call them pill dispensers or pharmaceutical vending machines. They truly besmirch the name of a fine and noble discipline.
Anyway, I first waited about 20 minutes to see the «doc». When he walked in, he sat about 5 feet away from me. Not once did he come up close and examine the affected area. As I was describing my medical history (I’ve suffered from acne intermittently over the years), he looked annoyed and told me to skip over everything that had occurred more than 3 months ago. Bad sign. Then, instead of looking at my face and diagnosing what kind of acne I had, he asked me instead! Um, hello! This must be why you spent 4 years in med school and why my insurance company pays you hundreds of dollars an hour.
The nurse had already told him what medication I was currently on and it was quite apparent that he’d already made up his mind what he’d prescribe me. He started rattling off the prescription and how I should use the cream and when and that was that. Nothing on the pathophysiology of the disease, how I could alleviate the symptoms through lifestyle change, why it might have flared up recently, etc. It was clear he wanted to get out of the room as fast as possible. Having read a lot of the medical literature myself beforehand, I tried to engage with him but he brushed me off — «I can’t really go into that». All put together, he was in and out in 5 minutes and I didn’t know anything more after visiting him than I did before. I did have coupons though to go buy the drugs he prescribed. Yippee! Oh, and coincidentally, the drugs he happened to prescribe are sold by a company that has paid him to speak in the past. His Mt. Sinai profile page (
) doesn’t mention the association but if you Google Zeichner and Allergan, you’ll find it. I guess it’s hard to find doctors these days that are not in Big Pharma’s pocket.
To be fair, I was skeptical of going to see Zeichner in the first place, but as a new New Yorker, I figured it was Mt. Sinai, famed hospital, etc. I was wrong. Why was I skeptical? Just go look at Zeichner’s «magazine» page on his website:
His website also proudly proclaims that he was cited in the May issue of cosmopolitan «on how minimize
the appearance of cellulite». A doctor who is quoted in all these magazines is clearly not making the best use of his time. I’d much rather he kept up with clinical research instead of getting quoted in every woman’s magazine on the face of the Earth.
All that said, I’m sure ‘Dr.” Zeichner will make a great living peddling Botox and other cosmetic treatments to the trophy wives of the UES.
Edited to add: Seems like some astroturfing going on after my initial negative review.