For the first time in many years I revisited a Doctor whom I have to say, I really don’t like.
This Dermatologist has the bedside manner of a crab with carpal tunnel syndrome and talks in all sorts of slang that I have to continuously ask her to explain. She will explain, but in a dismissive tone that says, even though you’re helping me with my BMW lease payment I think you are an idiot. It’s not an enjoyable experience. I had to go for a followup on Thursday so I did but I cut it short when she tried to immediately usher me into a room for a chemical peel.
And that’s the problem. As a medical doctor, the visit itself is covered by OHIP but her recommended treatments are not medical enough for me. The first time I saw her she said a $100 cream would help my skin irritation. Not a prescription, mind you, a hundred bucks out of my pocket. And the stuff didn’t work. This time she said, oh maybe a combination of laser and chemical peels, to the tune of about $1300 might help but she wasn’t sure. She was ready to schedule them all though. I felt preyed upon.
Doctors who straddle the line between actual medical personnel and spa managers are troublesome to me. I just don’t trust them. It’s one thing for a physician to get a box of free samples from big pharma and give you one to try as you go to get your actual prescription. A dentist might sell you a teeth whitening kit but it’s not the cure for your toothache. So to have a specialist recommend only pricey treatments that “might” work but will definitely line her personal pockets – that’s another thing altogether.
I presented her with another issue at my appointment. It’s a small growth under the corner of my right eye that resembles a pimple but isn’t. She recommended that I see an Ocular Plastic Surgeon. The Dermatologist won’t go anywhere near my eye with a laser, chemical or sharp stick. I can understand that she doesn’t want to blind me and I appreciate that. But as it turns out she has done absolutely nothing for me but sell me a useless bottle of $100 goop.