Dr. Raul Vela III, MD

Dr. Vela is an excellent dermatologist, my husband and I have been going to him for years., we trust him. He is patient with us, allows us to ask questions and listens to our concerns.

Dr. Raul Vela III is beyond being an EXPERT within his field of expertise-Dermatology! I know that when I go to him for whatever dermatology reason--HE WILL GET ME WELL! ALWAYS HAS! How I wish that he could be with us another 20-30 years! We need him for his strong medical knowledge and his caring and professional attitude! My GRATITUDE to Dr. Raul Vela for keeping us well and healthy! He is the BEST of the TOP BEST! He listens and always answers ALL my questions! This I really appreciate!

He is an absolute legend for my family. He has helped us so much from my children, grandchildren , and numerous of friends. Ms Tamayo

We sent our 19 year old son to Dr. Vela, his first time going to the doctor without a parent with him. Our son had something on his arm Dr Vela said it was a wort that would clear up on its own. However he went ahead and removed without telling us the cost. With insurance it was $440 out of pocket. Then because he wanted verification of his own diagnosis he sent it to pathology on our dime, and they charged us another $300 out of pocket with insurance! $740 for wort removal plus whatever the insurance paid Vela! We called to get in with the other doctors but they were full. Dr. Vela had plenty of openings obviously due to his inability, lack of knowledge and takes advantage of young adults. BEWARE!!!

I have been followed by Dr. Vela for 25 years. I have great faith in his competence. He also has a wonderful nurse.

I didn't have to wait but a few minutes for him. I found him to be a very experienced and friendly doctor. It didn't take him but a few seconds to diagnose my skin issue and he took care of each spot. Dr. Vela is highly knowledgeable having been a dermatologist for decades. If I go to a dermatologist, I want that wealth of experience...and he has it! Also, the receptionists were all so nice and accommodating. This, for me, was a happy experience.

I have been a patient of Dr. Vela's for over a decade and have seen him for several skin issues, most recently for scalp psoriasis. I have never had any issues with the staff, wait times, or procedures that have been done on me. However, I will share that Dr. Vela always rushes my appointments and never gives me opportunities to ask questions about what he tells me. Most of my appointments have been 5 mins or less, and my most recent one was only 2 mins! Also, despite having a family history of skin cancer he has never done a full screening on me or any kind of regular monitoring of moles/freckles. He will only take a brief glance at any areas you want him to look at (almost as if he's too shy to look for too long), which makes me question how thorough he is being. One good thing, though, is that he has never been quick to prescribe/recommend anything risky or unnecessary, which is appreciated. Overall the knowledge is there, but if you want a great bedside manner, I'd look elsewhere.

Dr. Vela seemed to be good when I first came in, but then after he looked at one of my abnormal skin growths, he told me that they wanted to, "remove it a different way," besides freezing. Next thing I know they were numbing my foot and cutting out the growth. They ended up sending the remains out for a biopsy, and I ended up in excruciating pain and on crutches for a whole week. I ended up going back a week or so later and Dr. Vela told me that it looked to be healing perfectly and that I shouldn't have to come back. Well, sure enough the growth grew back and when I returned to the office, he only THEN told me that the biopsy specifically said that it would most likely grow back because he did not remove it completely. They then sent me to a plastic surgeon to redo the surgery. Why wasn't I sent to a plastic surgeon first? Overall, he does not inform you of everything you need to know and also rushes everything. Very unsatisfied patient.

Outstanding.

His office staff are rude and short. He will elect to shave off a mole. Instead of surgically remove it because he knows the high chances of it coming back so he can bill you/insurance twice. He will also send the sample for biopsy studies without your thoughts or input especially when it is benign so he can bill you and in the insurance. Make sure you ask for the biopsy studies to not be added on. He is quick on procedure only visits since he can't bill office visits when a procedure is planned