Dr. Lucia Silu Olarte, MD

This review is based on my direct in-person appointment with Dr. Olarte, as well as my email communication to her via the Kaiser patient portal. My in-person appointment with Dr. Olarte was at the Sunset Kaiser facility. The front desk staff was personable and friendly. The front office, patient room, and other areas were clean. The following are positive and negative things about my experience with Dr. Olarte: Positive: 1. She recited an explanation of the surgery, recovery, and other important information that answered most of my questions. 2. She showed me her portfolio of rhinoplasty work. Negative: 1. She was dismissive when I wanted to ask more about the end result of the look of the nose, telling me that she doesn't look at photos brought by patients and she doesn't do the rhinoplasty from what patients discuss. 2. She took over the conversation about the appearance of the nose, and made it clear that she decides what the nose will look like, the work she'll do. She kept… repeating that she makes the end result look "subtle." 3. She was dismissive when I said that I wanted to have an appointment with anesthesiologist prior to the surgey. I left the appointment feeling uncertain and dismissed. This is my face... you're making incisions and alterations to my nose. I appreciate the years of training and experience, but I don't even allow a hair stylist to work on my hair without discussing, if even briefly, what I don't want or would prefer. The other issue, is that she doesn't answer her emails. I sent her two emails via the Kaiser patient portal. The first email was answered by a nurse. I asked what the medical part of the surgery was called, what was it that I was going to have done medically. Because, I never got that info from Dr. Olarte. The nurse replied that the medical information was in the after visit summary and notes, and listed the two medical procedures that I was going to have done. The second email I sent was never answered. I received an auto reply that Dr. Olarte was on vacation until a specific date. It's now weeks later. No reply from her. Due to these concerns, I've decided to have my medical and rhinoplasty surgery with a different Kaiser surgeon. I did not have a good experience with Dr. Olarte. I would not recommend her at all.