Laser & Dermatology Institute of California

Do NOT believe the Radio and TV Ads. LDI is a absolute scam. I am a victim of this scam. Read all the Bad reviews because they are REAL. All the good reviews are FAKE. BEWARE this place is going to rip you off. BEWARE more

I am not paid by Dr. Rispler and I am not part of his staff. Dr. Rispler's lasers and acne treatments he prescribes works! I am a proud mother of two sons and a successful business woman. My oldest son at the age of 17 started to break out with cystic type acne. We tried everything and nothing worked. We did meet with the ""suit man"" but my experience was just fine. He explained all the pricing and procedures with us and he also said that Dr. Rispler will never give up until the acne was gone. It is not cheap, so I can understand why it would be a shock to hear the procedures can cost from $4500 - $8k depending on the severity of the acne. But just because you happen to feel it's too expensive does not mean it does not work. My son's program ended up costing $6,000. We were able to have a payment plan over 6 months. This included 3 different laser treatments, injections every time he had an office visit, the doctor gave us bags of free antibiotics and coupons. This was three years ago and my son's face is still clear! It was a miracle. My girlfriend's daughter had one of the worse case of acne I've ever seen. She started breaking out aTo the age of 24. To make it worse she is a spokesperson and fitness model. She was so sad and depressed that she did not want to leave her house. I referred her to Dr. Rispler. Her program cost $8,000.00. I was so nervous because she was my life long friends daughter, she spent $8k and her daughter was in an industry that demanded clear skin. I knew it worked for my son, but her daughter's acne was so much worse. All I can say is she sent me a text after her first treatment and told me how nice and professional everyone was. Then I received another text and she said "" I finished treatment #3 and it's basically all gone minus a few scars which they will attack on my forth and final treatment."". It's been 6 months and she is back to work, has her own column in a national newspaper and her mother's text reads "" thank you for referring her to Doc Rispler. She is so happy and her personality is back. It's crazy how it can affect someone. U R our little angel. Thank you so much for insisting we go for the consultation"". As you can see I've kept their texts. I'm going to see Dr. Rispler to get a laser treatment for some fine lines. I happened onto this site. The bottom line is it 100% works and yes it's expensive. more

I have been a patient at the irvine office for about a year. I have spends thousands of bucks on med spas, Botox, microdermabrasion etc to deal with my red blotchy facial complexion. I have gone thru 4 different dermatologists who scarred my face removing pre cancerous lesions, had horrible side effects from Oradea, prescribed for rosacea. It made me sick to my stomach and my complexion got even worse. I finally met dr Rispler and paid even more thousands on laser treatment. I'm an RN and had once trained for a medspa so have a pretty good idea of the concept. I'm not there to fall in love or even make friends with this guy. But he knows what he's talking about. He's been honest and my skin is improving. \r \r Some lasers work, some don't. Some have more downtime then others. He has assured me he can and will help me. His nurses do the treatments, Cindy has been treating me exclusively and she is gentle, patient and knowledgable. No question is too stupid. I've learned more about skin care since coming here then I did in school or dropping scheckles on products like Lancôme or clarins. I use nutragena ultra gentle everything including foaming cleanser, 50 SPF moisturizer and stay away from foods and activities that irritate my sensitive skin. This is serious skin care with state of the art lasers. I see a lot of clients from 12 to 70 coming nag going and the spring in their step, their confidence is improving along with their skin issues. Call me superficial but my skin made me feel very self conscious , now I feel hopeful. It's a big chunk of money but I'm not on a timeline or schedule, I go about once a month. Dr Rispler has been patient with me and I believe he and his staff want me to be happy. His creepy salesman, not so much. more

I went in for a free consultation this afternoon @ LDI in Irvine...........the ""suit"" man came into the room and promptly told me that $8,500 should take care of my face and if I wanted anything else done it would be over $12,500 ~ what a joke! I remarked that with those prices the treatments were not really meant for anyone except movie stars and people who were well off. He replied that some girl that works down the street at McDonalds had bad acne scars and paid $12,500 to have it corrected because you know they have a great financing plan ~ hmmmm.....I thought to myself, yeah right! What a freakin' slimy scam artist! Ewwww, it made my skin crawl when I left there ~ the guy is no more than a snake in a suit........like a slim shady car salesman. I won't be going back thank you very much! more

Hi my name is Anne. I have been going to laser centers to treat my skin Condition for about 10 years now. About 18 months ago I found dr.rispler recommended to me by my friend. I was refreshingly surprised that it was an actual medical practice instead of one room store that has one laser machine. Ldi actually has many for different treatments. Which is perfect for me, because I used to have to go to several different places in series of steps to help me with my skin treatments. I cannot believe how good the dr. Is here. He already has saved me a lot of money because its a one stop deal. My skin really is 90% better for the first time. It makes a huge difference to go to a medical practice that has FDA approved machine. I hope this is it, thank you dr. Rispler keep up the good work,! more

I find it funny that people constantly write reviews for my Dermatologist when they have never ever been a patient here. I see complaints about a man in the suit and complain about price. I don't ever see such a man or talk to such a man. Maybe he is the guy that handles those free consultations to screen all those scary people. I have no idea. I usually just schedule my appointments with the Doctor's office directly and pay the appointment fee which is like $150. I have been and will always be a patient of Dr. Rispler. All I know is that you get what you pay for. I had tattoo removal and acne treatment here and both treatment programs were successful. More than my expectations. Results are what matter to me. Also, the Doctor is very friendly, knowledgible, and cultured. I always have a great conversation with him because he is frank and honest. I would rather get the right treatments and in this day and age, you won't find Doctors like him anymore. He won't sell me anything that does not work and doesn't try to maximize his profits like others. His pricing is fair because he delivers results. Nothing less and does not do more than what you need so he can bill your insurance either. more

I had a very similar negative experience that others have shared on this board. I booked a consultation to have my skin looked at as I was considering getting laser treatment. They told me when I booked the appointment that I would have the opportunity to have a physician look at my skin. When I arrived, they put me in small room where they asked me a couple of questions and said a man would be coming in to explain some potential treatments. I asked if I would be able to be seen by a doctor and she told me to ask the man Jetson when he came in. When Jetson came in, I asked him that after we spoke, if I could have a doctor briefly look at my skin. He seemed very offended and told me if I wanted to be seen by a doctor, I would have to book an appointment and pay the doctor. After this brief discussion, he looked at my skin for a couple of seconds and told me that I had sever scarring and acne. ( i do not have severe scarring and acne. I have minor acne and some sun spots). He had a clipboard and wrote on it that I would need four treatments and it would cost $8,000. I asked him if he could explain the laser treatment. He said that I would not understand the lasers and that all I needed to know was that the lasers are ""machines"". I was very insulted with this response. If am going to spend this kind of money, I want to know what is being done! I asked him if there were more affordable treatments for acne and he said no, that all they use are the lasers. I asked him at one point if he was a doctor and he told me no, but he said that he has worked for this doctor at the laser center for over 16 years, and has his authority to act on his behalf! I have never been treated so poorly and had such a terrible experience. I am married to a physician and he was appalled at my story when I told him. This is not only a terrible experience, but this center is taking advantage of uneducated and insecure people. I would make an argument that this clinic is a fraudulent practice with definitely negligent approach. I am an executive with a real estate company in orange county and if we ran our business this way, we would be out of business. I do not know how this practice has remained in good standing with the California medical board. I would urge any one who reads this to take action and write a review. I will personally be reporting this medical malpractice to the state board and the better business bureau. more

Don't usually write reviews, but there is defnitley a notable mention in the dermatology world. I have been going to 3 different dermatology clincs in my local area. I don't understand why, but there was no improvement for the past three years! I almost given up hope. I spent loads of money, and I still couldn't look at myself in the mirror. I was truley going to give up. I want people to know that it's not about that, it's about finding the right and most experienced dermatologist. It makes a world of a difference. I have first hand experience. I found Dr. Rispler my man, at the LDI clinic, who has been doing this for more than 30 years. I actually went there starting from November 2011, after listening to their radio commercial, I thought, why not, it is a free consultation! immediatley, what the Doc was telling me was so different from the other dermatologists! He was telling me, don't use this shampoo and that hairspray, just basic everyday simple changes to begin with, and none of the other Docs told me that, I guess cause they wanted me to keep coming back! Anyway to keep a long story short, every day simple changes, a load of laser and proper treatment from the right doc, will fix your face. I have no, and I mean no more acne scars, even my wrinkles went away at the sides of my eyes. It's really amazing. The lasers he has are top notch, huge machines, and the other docs didn't even have anything close to it, just little tiny machines you can find at the spas!  I will upload pics soon! Thank you for hearing me out! more

Hi! My name is Deanna, and I wanted to write a review because I need to tell everyone that if you are desperate there is a way to help your acne. I hit my lowest just 6 months ago, I was really rock bottom. I was so depressed because of my acne so I missed school so much I actually got expelled. I spoke with my guidance councellor and she was kind enough to let me know that her son had this same issue. She really understood!  She said that dr. Rispler at Laser Dermatology Insititute of california, in just 3 months, got rid of her son's acne and even all his scars. I want everyone to know that you must do laser in order for your scars to go away, there is nothng else that works. I even tried microdermabrasion, glycolic acid peels, nothing worked! Just made it worse and more red. It was really like my whole face was a sore. Yeah it was a sore for eyes!  I just finished my fourth treatment, and I am so happy to say I HAVE NO MORE ACNE! all my scars are gone! Just all of them is all gone! My face is not even red!  It's like I am 10 years old again! woo hoo! can you believe it! I also bought my guidance councellor a gift for leading me to the right place. I didn't even know they had all the FDA approved lasers. Anyway, I thought i'd share my story, and lead everyone to the right place. Don't suffer anymore! Thank you LDI! Love always, Deanna more

My brother is 6 years older than me. Of course bc of genes I naturally followed in his footsteps. When he saw a Dermatologist back then he was prescribed accutane. Until this day he suffers from severe depression and stomach problems.our family became very aware of this. When I got older and starting to suffer severely from acne, it was like facing doomsday. Of course I'd rathe sufferer through acne than depression and stomach problems. The was no way I was taking accutane. I heard about ldi in radio commercials for the free consultations. I wanted to see if there was anything that could be done. When I met dr. Rispler, I asked him right out if I should take accutane. He looked at me like I was crazy. He said no way, and strongly advised against it because of here side effects. Right then i knew I came to the right place. I signed on for 5 treatments and something called ziana. It is topical. But let me tel you, his method really works, even after the first week I noticed visible improvement. Really when I look in the mirror today, I can't believe that between me and my brother it's such a vital fact to go see the right dr. And the right combination of treatments that dont have side effects. What a world of a difference! I still feel bad for my brother that he still has to suffer in silence like this, so I want to tell the world about my story so you ar aware of potential harmful side effects. Aid have finished my fifth treatment two days ago, and I have this new face! It's like I was just born! Thank you dr. Rispler for doing the right thing, and thinking of the potential harmful side effects, I will let everyone know my story!!!! more

He is a fake and a phony who doesn’t even perform his own procedures. He also talks to his nurses and assistants like they are trash. I’ve noticed that now on Kiss FM they don’t even mention his name when they advertise his “laser institute”. I ended up going on accutane and thank god all my acne is gone. Oh btw, he said accutane wouldn’t work. Basically, please save your time and money. He and his “free consultations” aren’t worth anything. The only good reviews he has on every website are the ones his staff writes or the people he pays to write them. BELIEVE ME. more

I went to my screen shot tests, they denied me bc of the acne pits. Even though I tried to use the best foundation on the market. Fed up, came here and my face is completely clear! What a life changing decision! more

just amazing!! I finished my last treatment today! I feel like a million bucks! I don't have even a single brown spot! I am truly never ever wearing any makeup!!! Love you ldi! more

I don't understand who complains about the price! I went to 6 laser dermatologists, and they turn out to be all roughly same cost. They all have their own ways. A different dr. Told me I need 10 treatments and each treatment was cheaper. But I found that dr.rippler said 3 treatments and I'll be good as new. So it ended up costing much less for half the time with better FDA approved lasers. So I am having an awesome experience! more

Def the lasers are here I've been looking for. The skill of the dr. Is excellent. Just after two treatments, it has already improved significantly. I will be posting on blog soon! Thanks! more

I can't believe my dream day is fast approaching and I actually have rid of my acne scars! I can't believe it! I could say this 1000x ! I can't believe it! I am thankful I didn't wait, but I hate myself for not going earlier. I am not going to wear any makeup! Dr. Rispler is a guru! He literally took control of the wheel in my acne journey, and within 6 weeks. I can't believe it... It is a dream come true. It was worth the money. I would've just wasted thousands of dollars on Products that don't work. Just ... thank you so much. You have changed my life. It's an honor. Thank you. more

I have never regretted anything more than i did regret ever going to this place in my life! I am now in debt because i was caught up in the moment and i didnt know how to say no. I had minuscule scars on my nose and now i have the same nose... after 4000$ bucks -_- i really feel humiliated that i spent my hard earned money on this place and i hope those who are thinking of going to this place to reconsider, look for other places, cause this place is really just utterly superficial, besides their horrible customer service, their services are incompetent and the guy in the suit is there for your money all he sees in you is a big $$ sign and i trully dont think that ANY employees there are out to work for your benefit. If i was a doctor, i would want to see my customer happily satisified because this would bring satisfaction to myself and of course better reputation and all that good stuff, Dr. Rispler has the fakest smile in world. Dr. rispler did NOT perform the laser treatments it was a nurse with one year experience, dr. rispler just came in the room with the nurse saw my nose and said "" imma treat you right"" walked out with his nurse seemed like they were talking in the hallway and i never saw him again. im tired of even typing about such a horrible experience. good luck to all more

My girlfriend and I have both received services from Dr. Rispler at the Laser and Dermatology Institute of California back in 2009. I recently came across these reviews and found them to be unjust and untrue of the actual professional care that we have received. By far, the negative comments are outlandish and are not a true reflection of the proper services offered by this group. I am here today to tell you that we have been genuine patients of Dr. Rispler. As a patient, I have had nothing but professional treatment. Both my girlfriend and I had been long time sufferers of acne. We both had just a lot of small acne all over our faces and when we had enough money, we decided to go get laser treatments for our acne because nothing else seemed to work. So you can imagine, we were very concerned about where our money was going. The treatments were no hassle and not obvious. No one could tell I was getting treatments except for the very last laser treatment we did which was for the scars. Great laser and great results. I was so embarrassed to go out. Thank God we made sure we scheduled that treatment on a Friday afternoon. Let's just say, we both did not want to go out the entire weekend with our red faces. Till this day, I am totally satisfied with my clear skin. Once every 3-4 months, I get a pimple still and my girlfriend still gets a small pimple each month because of hormones. Still, she is so happy with her clear face. I was so afraid that I would never be able to get my acne under control. I think that the lasers just killed the acne breakout and made it very manageable for us. It seems that we got a second chance once our acne was under control thanks to Dr. Rispler and his incredible staff. Just one conversation with an experienced Dermatologist like Dr. Rispler is all we needed for the best advice and how we should take care of our skin. He gave us so much beneficial advice for our skin that has saved us time, money, and headache. I would give them 10 stars if I could because finally here is a place that wants to help people and not steal money from you. They do an honest job for honest pay. That basically sums up the whole deal here. more

One star is too many for this awful place. I took my 11 year old daughter here for acne in August 2011. She's got acne and we've tried a few derms & nothing has helped so after hearing an ad on the radio, we went for a ""free"" consultation. I should have known when they sent in their salesperson first and not the doctor that this was not a place that actually cares about anything other than money. After assuring me that this would work great for my daughter, wouldn't hurt and it's totally safe, 'they use it on newborns with port wine stains' is what I was told, Dr. Rispler came into the room for about 15 minutes and told me she had severe acne. (It's bad but it's not that severe.) He seemed nice enough but when I tried to ask a few questions, he kept saying 'that will all be explained' by so and so. Should have been a red flag. Why wouldn't he answer? He's the doctor. So then I agreed to one treatment because I was not going to sign up for $7500 in treatments for my 11 year old, one at $2500 was plenty. I was astonished at the price but my daughter has had acne for 2 years and nothing has worked for her. So then they had me pay up front (should have been another red flag, what doctor has you pay up front) and they put us in a room for treament and to read over all the disclosures. As I was reading the disclosure about how she could get blisters and scarring (which they NEVER mentioned in the consultation) and when the nurse said it might hurt a bit, I just got a bad feeling and decided that I didn't feel comfortable having my daughter do it that day. My daughter and I left and went to the front desk. I told the nurse we weren't going to to the treatment that day (The nurse and front office staff were the only nice things about this place). They then asked me to go back into the treatment room so now I thought ""oh they are going to give me the really hard sell"". So Dr. Rispler comes in and I told him I didn't feel comfortable doing the treatment on my daughter because she's so young and I need to think about it more. And what happened next astonished me: he started to verbally berate me. He said and not in a nice, caring doctor way: ""what changed your mind from your consultation to now!!!? You are wasting my time and all our time and we've spent so much time on you!!! (maybe the nurse spent 30 minutes with us) Why wont' you do it now!!!!!? What changed your mind that you read? You have totally wasted my time!!!!"" I was flabbergasted that a doctor could act so unprofessional and rude. I tried to explain without yelling that I just wasn't comfortable but I didn't want to scream because I wanted to get my money back. He then stormed out of the room and told the front desk lady to give me a refund. I was stunned and I could tell the nurse was too because she was patting my back as we walked out. If Dr. Rispler really cared about anything other than money, he would have said ""I understand that you are having some concerns, how can I help you or come back next week when you've have more time to think about it"". Not trying to scare me into having my daughter do the treatment. Please avoid this place and email me if you have questions!!!! more

I went to this place about 3 years ago. After a total con-artist sales man made me feel even more horrible about myself, they convinced me to go for those good for nothing laser treatments. I got stuck with an $8,000 loan and my acne got worse!!! I have now seen a REAL Dr. and it turns out I have an illness called POS, had these retards considered my honest to good medical history they could've been honest to say that no amount of lasers were ever gonna solve my problem! Bottom line, GO TO A REAL DR. THAT CARES ABOUT YOU AND NOT YOUR MONEY!!! DON'T WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY WITH THESE CONS!!! more