ODE Dermatology

From the moment I walked into her clinic, it was evident that she was rushed and disinterested. Her demeanor was impersonal, leaving me feeling like just another item on her checklist rather than a patient in need of care.

During my appointment, she hastily gave me a prescription and performed a skin check that lasted a mere two minutes. Her rushed mannerisms made it difficult to even discern if she was addressing me or her assistant?

What truly irked me was the lack of value for the exorbitant amount of money I spent on this visit, and taking medication felt like a quick fix rather than a genuine attempt to address the root cause of my issue. Ironically, I found a more effective solution on my own by purchasing a retinal product from Medik8, which resolved my concerns without the need for medication.

Save yourself the time and money.

I visited ODE for acne concerns, and the experience was nothing short of outstanding. The clinic's atmosphere was welcoming, and the staff was incredibly professional.
Dr. Shammi provided expert, thorough care while addressing my concerns. The consultation was thorough, and I appreciated the detailed explanations provided regarding my condition and the recommended treatment plan.the prescribed treatment yielded positive results, and I'm grateful for the improvement in my skin health. Overall, I highly recommend DR. Shammi for anyone seeking top-notch dermatological care in a friendly and professional setting.

So glad I found ODE! Dr Shammi was professional, caring and thorough in her assessment of my concerns. She talked me through the whole process.
Very thankful for Dr Shammi!
As an added bonus - the clinic is stunning and so well thought out! The assistant who took me through to the room was so friendly and kind.
The manger Kirsten at the front desk went above and beyond explaining the payment aspect and booked all my future appointments. She then followed up with an email which was very appreciative.
Thank you dr Shammi! You and your team are amazing!

I wish I had read these reviews before I booked my flight interstate to be treated at this clinic, but I hope that sharing my experience will help prevent someone else from experiencing the same treatment I did. As stated in other reviews, the consultation was handled unprofessionally, with the Dr spending about 5 minutes speaking and getting to know me directly and the other 15 minutes speaking to the assistant, rattling off jargon I didn’t understand. The result was the assistant providing me a pieces of paper including a script for oral medication that I could get at any other Dr along with expensive product names and a sheet with recommendations for 2 treatments each over $1000. I came prepared, with the hope that a professional could answer my questions specific to me. However, instead, the Dr was seemingly uninterested in wanting to help me at all. After she had walked out of the room and came back twice, her answer to my remaining questions were, “if you have any more questions, please email us”. There was no contact email provided. I emailed through the website and have not yet had a response, but have now learned that it is a separate email that is monitored by the “marketing team”. That is a big red flag and sums up the practice perfectly - it is a marketing campaign. When I asked the Dr if she could provide me any sunscreen recommendations she said and I quote “use any sunscreen”. A few days later I see a blog published on social media about sunscreen recommendations from the Dr. I have called up following my appointment after concerns with the side effects of my prescribed medication as the Dr said I could expect to have more frequent periods. I asked the manager if it will disrupt my hormones and she said “it doesn’t disrupt your hormones, but one of the side effects is getting more frequent periods”. This advice, provided by someone who may or may not be medically trained to provide it is extremely conflicting. I am left in no better position than I was before I travelled far to see this Dr. Please save your time and your money and do not fall for the online marketing ploy. See a dermatologist recommended personally from your GP or friend. As your online friend, I do not recommend visiting this clinic.

I went to Ode Dermatology to help me when I was really struggling with my eczema. I went with the aim to get help that does not include steroid cream. I left the appointment after 8 minutes and with a year supply of steroid cream. Whilst this did provide preliminary relief I am now paying the price as my skin is 10 times worse. The place is beautiful however I would have preferred more care and time taken with my appointment.

I arrived 10 minutes before the appointment so I wouldn’t be late. Payed parking which is not cheap in that area. Waited for my appointment in the waiting room for 30 minutes and went to ask if it would take much longer, they said 5 minutes and moved me to a room where I waited for almost 20 minutes with no one attending or letting me know what was happening or apologise. I left. The staff was really nice but didn’t make up for all the waiting.

Love this place! I had been to a number of other providers without any success. After just one visit I have sustainable improvement and hope, they are the best in Town! Thank you Doctor Shammi

The team are wonderful. I have been seeing Dr Shammi for a few years now and her recommendations have been so helpful in improving my skin. The laser clinicians are very thorough and reception always friendly and helpful. Highly recommend

Such an amazing experience! Dr shammi is so knowledgeable and so so caring!
Amazing stuff and are every helpful! I have struggled with acne for 4 years and i have finally found an amazing dermatologist which I was referred to her by a friend. Dr Shami answered all my questions during her thorough consultation and I am beyond excited to start my acne free journey with her!

Update: it’s been 2 weeks post the consultation, I have been on what she recommended to me, and I have never felt any better than this!
My acne have gone flatter and I have notice this when I apply makeup you can barely see bumpy skin they are less painful. I now only have red marks and just few pimples. I was so shocked that it had been only 2 weeks! Will definitely keep updating my journey!

Without a doubt the best dermatologist and skin specialist I have come across in my 6 years of battling acne, rosacea and subsequent scarring.

Dr Shammi immediately gave me the confidence and reassurance that her suggested treatments would bring results and thus far they have exceeded far beyond what I could have expected in less than 6 months.

For anyone who feels that they are continually reinventing the wheel with different approaches to skin and ‘fad’ treatments but not seeing results, Ode is your final destination.

Couldn’t recommend more highly and so incredibly grateful to have stumbled across this practice.

This wasn't a good experience. While the place looks nice and the front-of-house staff are lovely, the actual patient care is less than sub-par, even more so when you factor in appointment wait times and very high fees (as shown in previous reviews).

I was in the appointment room for the whole 8 minutes, and I'm pretty sure the time spent with the doctor (not the assistant) was even shorter. She mostly dictated notes (sometimes, I wasn't sure who she was talking to? !) and rushed through telling me what the condition was and writing a few prescriptions. It felt extremely rushed. I didn't feel like adequate medical history was being taken nor I was appropriately talked through the long-term condition and what I should be doing. Ended up asking the assistant about the treatment after the doctor left the room.

I can't judge the treatment plan, but it felt like a money-making exercise rather trying to genuinely help someone and thoroughly explain the condition and its management. I doubt I'll be coming back to pay $350 for 8 minute, impersonal consultation (which at the point of booking is advertised as 20 minutes).

Very disappointing experience. I had a consultation for injectable’s and laser treatments. I had been happy with my previous injector but thought it would be ideal to go somewhere where I could also have my annual skin cancer check done too and I was interested in some of the other advanced lasers they were using. I’ve had issues in the past with a previous injector with Botox above my brows and my eye lids drooping with Dr Shammi saying she would only treat my 11’s, between my brows, due to this. On the day I had the Botox Dr Shammi took about 30 seconds and injected me above my brows. I was very surprised but trusted she was an experienced injector and knew what she was doing. Within 10 days I was worried my eye lids were drooping and made an appointment for her to have a look. Unfortunately they don’t take before and after images, so I had to assure her my lids are not normally so heavy. She told me because she liked me, they could try a device which would tighten the muscle again.this worked temporarily, but my lids are very heavy and I’m waiting for Botox to wear off. I understand that this can happen, but Dr Shammi told me to go back to my previous injector as I was not worth the hassle. She also told me I had looked quiet bizarre when I came to for initial consultation, I absolutely didn’t, but she was not willing to treat me as it’s not worth the hassle. So I’ve spent $650 for bad Botox that I’m waiting to wear off. Lance who was assisting her told me that sometimes they need to work out where to inject and how much, everyone is different and I was happy with this, he was fantastic. She’s offering these services but perhaps she is more interested in the medical side of things. I left her practice thinking did that just happen? Very rude and arrogant.

Dr shammi is an amazing dermatologist with so much to offer! She has helped me with conditions I thought was almost impossible to fix. She knows her stuff. Probably one of Melbournes best dermatologists. Highly recommend.

The doctor and the staff are really nice. I was satisfied with the doctor's advice to me. I would recommend visiting if going through any skin-related issues.

Dr Shammi saved my hair! Last October I noticed a patch of hair loss starting, and little did I know it was the beginning of alopecia areata! My only regret is not seeing Dr Shammi sooner! I started off with topical treatments for the first few months and noticed small changes, however not as quick as I would have liked, I was hesitant about the hair protocol treatment due to the high price point however decided to take the plunge and trust the process. I had x2 treatments of her signature hair protocol and within a few months my alopecia patch is non existent! Overall my hair feels thicker, and stronger. Like anything, it takes time and patience to see results. It is honestly the best money I have EVER spent! Everyone’s experience is different…but I assure you that Dr Shammi is there for you throughout the whole process, her aim is to work from A-Z to find the right solution to what you need. Her consultation process is quick so make sure to go prepared with any questions or concerns prior, be assured knowing she knows exactly what she is doing and will put you on the right path to recovering from your hair loss. Thank you again Dr Shammi for giving me my hair back xxx

I attended ODE earlier in the week to get some advice from the dermatologist, overall this was a very disappointing experience. Firstly I waited for 45 minutes to be seen, with no acknowledgement or apology from any staff member for the delay.

Following this, i was taken to a room where i was 'screened' for a couple of minutes by the dermatologist's assistant and asked the same questions i had already spent time completing in the patient form. The dermatologist then came into the room and spent all of 8 minutes with me, which covered introductions, discussion, diagnosis and details of the recommended treatment plan.
I wouldn't have thought this was sufficient for a new patient you are treating for the first time. I was also booked in for a mole check which was not conducted. I was told that the treatment plan that was rapidly explained in the consultation would be documented for me, this wasn't provided. I was then provided a bill for $295, for an 8 minute consultation.

I had a bad experience there. The Doc did not even spend 5 mins for consultation. More focus on selling their Rationale Products. Very expensive with zero result. Not recommending at all.

I have been seeing Dr Gunatheesan for almost 6 years now due to my alopecia. When I first started seeing her I had no hair at all - no eyebrows or eyelashes.nothing! Within the first year of seeing her I had almost full coverage on my head. Over the years we have changed medications and treatments due to cheaper options becoming available/newer medications coming onto the market, and now in 2022 my hair has never been better. I have so much gratitude for Dr Gunatheesan - without her I would likely still have no hair at all. Thank you for all you do for me!

While I found the Concierge and Assistant Nurse very friendly, I felt that I had a negative experience overall.

With only 5 minutes with the Dr, she rushed through her solution to my problems, not really listening to me or asking me any questions. I didn’t feel like I had time or space to convey my concerns or ask her questions within the time she was in the room. Some examples:

The Dr prescribed me a medication I had already been on and I mentioned that I didn’t want to go on that particular medication again, but insisted and even provided a script for it.

The Dr told me I should try a gluten free diet for a few weeks, cut out sugar and diary - if she had read my guest patient registration form I submitted before the appointment or asked me a simple question about my diet, I could have informed her I have already been gluten free for 2 years, I don’t eat cows dairy or sugar, and I restrict goats dairy and sheeps dairy as much as possible.

The Dr also prescribed Rationale beauty without even asking what my current routine is or the products I use - it's clear the Dr was receiving kickbacks from Rationale when people buy their products and the recommendation didn’t really feel genuine.

I originally sought out Dr Gunatheesan because of her incredible reviews from her time at the Fairfield dermatologist, with a lot of people saying she was the first Derm who’d actually listened and took her time to understand people’s skin problems. If I had known it was going to be a 5 minute dismissive consult ending in prescriptions I didn’t want and a $350 bill, I wouldn’t have booked an appointment.

The whole experience honestly felt like I had been called to the principals office at school and was getting in trouble for something another kid did - I've never been made to feel like that as an adult.

I don't usually like to leave poor reviews for small business but I’m really disappointed in my experience, and if I'd taken the time to read other negative reviews (very similar to my own) I would have gone elsewhere.

I have left two stars as the concierge (receptionist) called me straight away and offered a "longer follow up appointment with the Dr" - however, I felt uncomfortable going back and wanted to find another derm that was more my style. The conceirge asked if they and the Dr could call me for a follow up chat to go through the feedback so that they could learn from the experience, which I agreed to. When the Dr and I spoke, it felt like she was trying to justify the consult, even offering a suggestion for a cheaper skincare routine - totally missing the mark that it wasn't the cost of Rationale that was the problem, it was the fact that she didn't even bother to ask what my current routine was in the first place.

The end of the conversation with the Dr summed it up completely with her commenting "my style isn't for everyone" and I agree, it wasn't for me. A lot of other reviewers obviously feel differently to me so please do your own research as to whether the Dr is the right match for you or not.

I requested a refund for what I perceived as a lack of service that made me feel so uncomfortable, but was denied.

I have alopecia areata resulting from my autoimmune ailments. I will separate my review into 2 categories:
1. Quality of the Service: It can best be described as exceptional hence the 5 stars. Every staff member was patient, engaging, empathetic and friendly. There was no questions left unanswered and the level of comfort relative to my situation was second to none. In regard to Dr G, she was attentive, responsive and expressed herself in lay persons terminology (omitting the technical jargon) which assisted in my understanding of the protocol. Big shout out to Kirsten and Lexus - the both of you are legends.
2. Treatment Protocol: Dr G determined that the best resolution for my issue is direct scalp injections which comprised a cocktail mix of a. Growth Factors b. Steroids c. Botox. Given that i only just commenced the first round on 25/2/2022 (the 2nd round is due on 6/4/22), i cannot comment on the effectiveness of the treatment but will certainly update this review once done. Do be cautious though as this treatment option does not come cheap. $3,000 for both sessions. I am of the belief that if i do not attempt it, i will never know however it is understandable that not everyone is willing to take that risk. Having said that, i remain hopeful and fingers crossed that this works. Hoping that my review will assist others with alopecia.

Update: 12/7/2022 - Whilst others may have had success with the treatment, i unfortunately have not hence the update. There is no hair growth whatsoever however this may potentially be attributed to my autoimmune ailments. I certainly would not discourage you to attempt the treatment if you so wish. I believe that the next course of action on my end would be Jak Inhibitors. In addition i have found FB groups not only encouraging but a source of knowledge as well. Good luck in your journey.