Rausch Lyle, MD

My family and myself have been going to Dr. Rauch for 30 plus years. He doesn’t nickle and dime you. Always fair, reasonable and extremely knowledgeable. I would recommend him to anyone seeking an experienced doctor that knows what he’s doing.

This review is long overdue. I have been a patient of Dr. Rausch’s for over 25 years (I started seeing him for tween acne — which continued well beyond my teen years.) In that time I’ve seen him for brown spots, growths, adult acne, scar concerns, lines and wrinkles, sun damage, changes in my skin due to pregnancy, and the list goes on). He is one of the best doctors I have ever known. He is knowledgeable. He is honest. He has integrity. He won’t charge you for something you don’t need. And, he won’t try to sell you botox injections at 24 (unless, I suppose, you really do need them). He is incredibly kind and, in my experience, extremely rare. I can not recommend him enough.

Dr. Rausch is a very good dermatologist and an even better person (if that’s at all possible). I visited him after a friend recommended him. I had seen my primary physician 4 times and two separate dermatologists with no success of finding a solution to a very bad and uncomfortable rash that I had for almost a year. At my first appointment, after learning about me and showing a genuine interest in my life, he quickly diagnosed the rash after examining it and prescribed a cream. He then took the time to ask if I had any other concerns and when I said no, (as I normally do when at the doctors) he asked if he could look closer at my arms which were partially showing. What ended up happening is he diagnosed a skin problem that I had on my arms my entire life and never held hope of ever finding a cure. I guess I had lived with the issue so long I forgot it really did bother me and make me insecure. Anyhow, it’s about 5 days after the appointment now and both skin problems are clearing up miraculously well. There are very few doctors I’ve ever seen who make me feel comfortable and who make me want to come back. Dr. Rausch is one.

«What pathology lab will my biopsy be sent to and may I have a copy of the report?» When trusting a reputable health care provider for many years, these are questions that don’t come to mind to ask. That said, consumer beware that some dermatologists still review biopsies in-​house and do not send them all out to a pathology lab for further review. Unfortunately for me, especially as a long-​time patient of Dr. Rausch with a family history of melanoma, Dr. Rausch was sure that a skin colored bump on my back that itched was a «spider bite,» that he did not send my biopsy out for further review to a pathoogy lab, not once, but twice! Needless to say, I did finally go to a different dermatologist who biopsied the then much larger bump for a third time and forwarded the tissue up to UCSF where they determined that it was a deep melanoma and very dangerous in it’s size and depth. Because Dr. Rausch was sure that he was correct in his «diagnosis» of a «spider bite,» he read the slides in-​house, I am now diagnosed as a stage 3 melanoma patient and have gone through a multitude of tests, two major surgeries as well a full lymph node removal under one of my arms. I never had a reason to doubt Dr. Rausch for a minute, but now have learned the hard way to proactively ask additional questions up front with any of my doctors. PLEASE do not go to this dermatologist.

Fantastic doctor and human being. I recommend him highly.