Gary S. Novatt, MD

I will not be returning to Dr. Novatt as I did not feel that my wellbeing was his top priority. He was over 40 minutes late, mocked and dismissed my concerns, and made comments about «brown people» not having to worry about skin cancer. I am a «brown person» and I know people with my skin tone that have had skin cancer. He also laughed and pointed at a bruise I had on my leg and said, «what, does your boyfriend hit you?» That is not the way to help someone feel comfortable disclosing domestic violence if I had needed the help. He missed an opportunity to connect with a patient and possibly help someone that is in need. I hope that he can work on how he asks about potential domestic violence to help potential victims that he encounters. Instead, he dismissed my concerns, made comments about my skin color, mocked my bruises, and recommended laser hair removal without me asking. It is clear that his focus is on cosmetic procedures and not on physical or mental health. Instead of recommending sun screen for my health, he asked «don’t you want to look beautiful when you are older?» No. I want to be healthy when I am older. Walking into his office is like walking back to the 1950s. Not for me.

Dr. Novatt is very smart, through and efficient. I had a growth on my chest that I had another dermatologist remove and it grew back bigger and more annoying than before. When I told Dr. Novatt about it, he started me on a series of monthly injections and it is almost gone and does not bother me at all. I am very impressed that he had another way to treat it rather than just cut it out again.

On my first visit to Dr. Novatt I waited close to an hour before being asked to reschedule since he suddenly needed to see someone else. On the second appt. he applied filler below both eyes but under 1 eye the filler resembled an embossed seam. He hadn’t bothered to work the injection material in so it was poorly distributed in the suborbital tissue. The kicker is that he refused to correct it unless I paid more (his words: filler ‘is expensive’).

I would like to give a positive review because Dr. Novatt was recommendied highly… Unfortunately, he seemed to decide quickly that due to my tan, I suffered from SAD (Seasonal Affect Disorder) and should get on anti-​depressants. I think he came to this epiphany based on my tan from being an avid oudoor-​person (tennis, hiking, walking, biking) and one that has had (admittedly) overexposure to the sun due to a childhood on the coast of Florida and California. Most upsetting was his lack of advice with regard to skincare, particular products or procedures, and help to ensure a healthier future. I left with no future plan of action: healthier living outside, suncare, preventive treatments, etc. Also, I felt that his «full-​body» evaluation was disrespectful to me as a woman. The two stars are for his staff, and if generous, his knowledge of skin conditions.

As a ten year patient I can’t sing the praises of Dr Novatt any higher. He is an exceptional, caring and talented dermatologist, who has the ability of a plastic surgeon. I know from numerous experiences of basil cell carcinoma and MOHs treatment on my nose and cheek.

My experience with Dr. Novatt was fine. I had a temporary condition which was unusual and required someone with more specialized experience to be in on the case. It was Dr. Novatt’s idea to reach out to someone else as a consultant. He sent me to the top clinical dermatology professor at USC and together the case was managed successfully and resolved. A less astute or less ethical doctor would have just dragged it out for his own benefit. He was always considerate and respectful.
As for waiting 45 minutes, no one likes to have to do that but I know that some of the patients of my father, who was also a physician, had to endure waiting times like that sometimes because he believed that if patients needed extra time, he was not going to shoo them out the door to stick to a rigid schedule. Dr. Novatt spent the time required to best resolve the case. If an occasional wait is intolerable to someone who thinks in terms of being a «paying customer», such a patient might do better at an HMO.

Probably the worst and least informative visit to a «doctor» that I have ever experienced. I suffer from skin issues as all or most of patients that visit a dermatologist experience, and you would think that his practice would exercise their knowledge concerning skin care properly and with understanding to their paying customers. I waited 45 min after my scheduled appointment time, 20 min of that time sitting alone in a room waiting for Gary Novatt to grace me with anything but his expertise. WHAT A JERK HE WAS. He spent max 5 min talking to me about how I couldn’t afford treatments but he made sure let me know I should come back in two months to pay his office another $ 85 for a 5 min «pep-​talk» and to take photos of my skin.
I suggested some treatments I thought might would and he quickly turned them down. He was assisted by a young female that took up space in the room and made small talk with the doctor while he stood that and did anything but address me.
I was asked zero questions about my skin issues, and left feeling HORRIBLE and hopeless.
YOU ARE A DOCTOR. Act like one.

I just had appt with Dr Novatt and he was professional and I feel very competent. His office does have lots of «revenue generating» opportunities advertised in his office, but I just stick with basic medical needs. My appt was on time and staff was friendly, and I am very comfortable with his medical skills.

I am very disappointed in the service I was given the other day. I originally had an appointment set up for later in the day but received a call to see if I could come in earlier because Dr. Novatt was going to leave early. That should have been my first clue to just reschedule my appointment, but instead I agreed to an earlier time. I got off work early and came in. The first thing he tells me is that the «thing» on my forehead was too «big» and that he cannot remove it that day. I was pretty upset for the fact that I had come in a couple months earlier to be analyzed so I could make an appointment to remove it. Instead he suggested Xrays or a Cat Scan. He then offered to go ahead and make an incision but that it had to be scheduled for another day. He kept mentioning to me to reschedule. I then told him I don’t want to reschedule because I made the commitment of coming in earlier for their benefit and that I got off work early. He replied «That’s Life!» To me I should have realized that this doctor just wanted to leave at the time he had planned which showed a great amount of unprofessionalism. I will not pay a co pay for this visit and will do everything in my power to report if such charge is billed.

wow my experience with Dr. Novatt is the best! I have followed him for over twenty years. I have very fair skin and several times I have been treated for carcinoma beginning in my thirties. Yes he is quick but thorough. Considering the number of patients he sees, these few negative reviews show that most patients are as satisfied with their visits as I am.

I went in for the first time to see the nurse practioner, Clair Wisewall. She was no– nonsense and gave me what I wanted without pushing other products on me. I had come in for cystic acne as a result of a change of birth control pills. I wanted just a ketalog injection and she gave me just that. Additionally, she said she will squeeze me in if this situation happens again. She was great!

Just had my sutchers removed, 16 of them, and it is beautiful. Once again, Dr. Novatt was above and beyond. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. Thank you, Novatt… I’m without words.

I’m so surprised by all the 1 star ratings… I love Dr. Novatt. I’ve been in to see him for both cancer screening & cosmetic purposes. So far he is the Doctor where I have had Botox that actually worked. I’ve been to 3 other places in SB, all reputable and yet none worked on me. I have always found him both professional and personable. Easy going, confident and didn’t make a big fuss over everything. I like that confidence in a Dr. as I tend to get a bit anxious. I had a mole looked at that he thought was suspicious and it turned out to be cancer. He called me personally — explained what it was and how we were going to get rid of it. Easy, confindent no hassle, straight to the point. I will always go to Dr. Novatt and I trust him 100%.

He is the worst skin Dr I’ve ever been to. I’m a golfer, so I go every six months and he took over Dr Balter’s practice. His exam was so hasty. He quickly zapped something and scraped something saying this is going to hurt, no warning and no explanation. He said hows that? I said your exam was very inadequate compared to Dr Balter who is very thorough. He said what did he do and I explained how careful he was and I said well Dr Lewellen and Balter were much better. This is life and death here and He told me he had much more money than those guys. I was horrified and will never go back.

I was hesitant to go to Dr. Novatt after reading the reviews but my friend insisted I see him. He was fantastic! I cannot believe others had a bad experience. He explained everything thoroughly (I was getting Juvaderm and Botox), and was very professional. His costs were the same as others offering these services. I think I look much better and will definitely be going back. He has a funny sense of humor which I also enjoyed. He is really up to date on the latest lasers and treatments and gave me many options for my aging skin.

I went in to see Dr. Novatt and his staff for treatment of my eczema. I had such a disappointing experience; my eczema had gotten really bad and began to leave cuts on my face. Dr. Novatt and his team insisted that everything going on was my own fault for not taking care of my skin. I have been on a strict skin regiment for many years and tried out Dr. Novatt after moving to the city, but all he did was criticize me for my condition. I have never felt so hurt and disrespected by a doctor. I will never go to this office again.

I went yesterday for an emergency visit made by the emergency room. He and his fellow doctor were friendly, accommodating, knowledgeable and extremely helpful in my time of pain and distress. For over a week I had been dealing with very aggressively spreading blisters on both feet and hands. They knew what the rare condition was, and after 3 ER visits, 3 different daily antibiotics, IV antibiotics, I got a set of creams that has helped. So… for the other 2 comments that they can’t imagine an emergency-​I was one of them and it was literally a lifesaver. I was seen for a decent amount of time with an in-​office skin scrapping looking at so they can help me. Had I not gotten the help, I would be back in the ER. And to find out, I had a serious fungal infection that the antibiotics were only making worse. I have spoken with people who have had similar grave issues and have been helped. I will recommend him and his office and will be going back. Dr. Novatt has been a true blessing!

My family has been going to Dr Novatt for annual skin check-​ups for over five years. At each check-​up, Dr Novatt photographs each an every skin blemish. Each year these photos are checked against the results of the current examination to detect any major changes. On my eldest daughter’s last visit, Dr. Novatt noticed a significant change to a mole on my daughter’s shoulder and sent a specimen to the lab for a Biopsy. The Biopsy revealed a pre-​cancer (I will never remember the medical term!!) Dr. Novatt recommended surgery to remove the affected mole, but only after sharing the results and checking his conclusions with two separate peer group reviews. The surgery was no big deal, but I was most reassured by Dr. Novatt’s commitment to preventative care, and his commitment to checking findings with other doctors to make sure that care is derived from the very best practice available. FYI — my daughter is doing fine and is as healthy as can be.

Dr Novatt is awesome. I’ve never waited more than 10 mins and found his staff friendly. Dr Novatt knew by looking at my small mole that it was cancerous. He didn’t say that it was but I could tell that he knew. Sure enough when we got the results back, it was. I’m thankful that he was able to find it. It was a barely noticeable blemish on my back that ended up being basal cell carcinoma. Basal cells grow in and out so even if you have a small freckle-​like mole it could be big underneath the skin. I had the MOHs surgery here and everything went great. Not all dermatologist offer MOHs since its newer technology. Glad that this place does.
If you live in California and tan or have blonde hair you should have your moles checked out once a year. I’m in my early thirties & never thought I’d have skin cancer, but I’m grateful to have a good dermatologist who knows what they are doing. Also, he removed another mole on my back for preventive care and left no scar at all. I mean, really I can’t even tell where he removed it.

Ignore the other reviews, they clearly have other issues. I’ve seen Dr. Novatt twice and both times I’ve waited about 5 minutes. I just saw him today and he recommended I use a cheap over-​the-​counter solution instead of a procedure where he’d make money. He also has the best sense of humor I’ve seen in a doc — not the funniest profession.
In any case, Santa Barbara is a very small community and Dr. Novatt is well liked and respected.
These reviews demonstrate the problems with Unilocal.Anybody can post anything behind a made-​up name. Are they competitors, disgruntled employees, owners, dogs, psychos or legitimate clients?