Gergana Gallacher, MD: Board-Certified Dermatologist
Dr. Gergana Gallacher, Board Certified Skin Doctor
Dr. Gergana Gallacher is a board-certified dermatologist in Danville, California, certified since 2003, with fellowship training in laser and non-invasive cosmetic dermatology (2003 to 2004). Her background includes dermatology residency training at UC Davis, postdoctoral fellowship work at UCSF, and faculty posts as a Clinical Instructor at Stanford (2004 to 2006) and an Assistant Professor at UC Davis (2004 to 2010). She is a Staff Dermatologist at John Muir Medical Center, and she has served as a medico-legal expert in a number of laser injury cases. Her practice combines medical dermatology, dermatologic surgery, laser medicine, injectables and other non-surgical cosmetic treatments.
Dr. Gergana Gallacher is a skin doctor in Danville, California. She has been board certified since 2003, which means she passed the national exams in skin medicine, and she then did a further year of specialist training in lasers and non-invasive cosmetic work, from 2003 to 2004. She trained as a skin doctor at UC Davis, did research work at UCSF, and taught as a Clinical Instructor at Stanford from 2004 to 2006 and as an Assistant Professor at UC Davis from 2004 to 2010. She is also a Staff Dermatologist at John Muir Medical Center, and she has been called on as an expert in a number of legal cases about laser injuries. Her work covers medical skin problems, skin surgery, lasers, injections and other cosmetic treatments that do not involve an operation.
About Dr. Gergana Gallacher: the essentials
The short version
Dermatology, with a practice focus spanning medical, surgical, laser and cosmetic dermatology.
Skin medicine: treating skin problems, doing skin surgery, laser work and cosmetic treatments.
Board-certified in dermatology since 2003.
Board certified in skin medicine since 2003, meaning she passed the national specialist exams.
Dermatology residency at the University of California, Davis.
She trained as a skin doctor at the University of California, Davis.
One-year fellowship in laser and cosmetic dermatology.
A further year of specialist training in lasers and cosmetic skin work.
Clinical Instructor, Stanford University (2004 to 2006). Assistant Professor, UC Davis (2004 to 2010).
She taught at Stanford as a Clinical Instructor from 2004 to 2006, and at UC Davis as an Assistant Professor from 2004 to 2010.
Staff Dermatologist, John Muir Medical Center.
She is a Staff Dermatologist at John Muir Medical Center.
Has served as a medico-legal expert in a number of laser injury cases.
She has been called on as an expert in a number of legal cases about laser injuries.
Dermatology and Laser Centre, Danville, California.
Dermatology and Laser Centre, Danville, California.
What is Dr. Gallacher’s approach to dermatology and cosmetic care?
How does she approach treatment?
A doctor leads the plan, the diagnosis comes first, and the aesthetic planning is conservative: the treatment is chosen only after the concern, the anatomy, the medical history and a realistic goal have been established. The emphasis is on natural-looking results and careful use of technology, rather than treatment chosen by device name.
A doctor decides the plan, and works out what is actually going on before choosing any treatment. That means looking at your concern, your anatomy, your medical history, and what result would genuinely be worth having. The aim is a natural result and careful use of the machines, rather than picking a treatment because of its brand name.
- Medical diagnosis and patient safety come before cosmetic treatment choice.
- Laser and device selection should match the condition and skin type rather than marketing trends.
- Cosmetic plans should aim for balanced, natural-looking change rather than an overtreated appearance.
- Expected benefits, limitations, downtime, risks and alternatives should be discussed before treatment.
- Working out what is going on, and keeping you safe, comes before choosing any cosmetic treatment.
- The machine is chosen to suit your problem and your skin, not because it is fashionable.
- A cosmetic plan should aim for a balanced, natural change, not an overdone look.
- What it can and cannot do, the recovery, the risks and the alternatives are all discussed before anything is done.
What training supports her work with lasers and cosmetic dermatology?
What training lies behind her laser and cosmetic work?
Dermatology residency training at UC Davis, followed by a dedicated one-year fellowship in laser and cosmetic dermatology covering cosmetic procedures, multiple laser technologies and patient-based research. Before that, a two-year postdoctoral dermatology fellowship at UCSF researching contact and occupational dermatitis.
She trained as a skin doctor at UC Davis. After that she spent a full year training specifically in lasers and cosmetic skin work, covering cosmetic procedures, several different laser machines, and research with patients. She also spent two years at UCSF doing research into skin reactions caused by things people touch, including at work.
Who is treating you
Who will treat you
Dr. Gergana Gallacher is a board certified dermatologist, fellowship trained, and has held faculty appointments at Stanford University and the University of California, Davis. Only a small number of dermatologists in the United States hold all three.
She chooses the technology to suit the diagnosis rather than treating every concern with the same device, and she carries out every laser treatment herself.
Dr. Gallacher is a board certified skin doctor. She did extra specialist training after her main training, and she has taught at Stanford University and UC Davis. Very few skin doctors in the United States have done all three.
She picks the right machine for your problem instead of using one machine for everything. She does every laser treatment herself.
What kinds of care does Dr. Gallacher provide?
What sorts of care does she provide?
Each treatment page explains what that treatment is for and who it suits, so the sections below are a map rather than a catalogue.
Each treatment page explains what that treatment is for and who it suits. The list below is just a map of where to look.
| Medical dermatology | Acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, hair loss, skin growths | Medical |
|---|---|---|
| Surgical dermatology | Mole removal, excisions, scar revision and selected repairs | Surgical |
| Laser & energy | VBeam, Fraxel FTX, CO2/Erbium resurfacing, Pico, GentleMax Pro, RF/skin tightening technologies | Lasers |
| Cosmetic dermatology | Neuromodulators, fillers, facial contouring, PRP and skin-quality treatments | Cosmetic |
| Medical skin care | Acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, hair loss, skin growths | Medical→ |
|---|---|---|
| Skin surgery | Mole removal, cutting growths out, scar revision, and some repairs | Surgical→ |
| Laser and energy | VBeam, Fraxel FTX, CO2 and Erbium resurfacing, Pico, GentleMax Pro, and radiofrequency skin tightening | Lasers→ |
| Treatments to change how skin looks | Wrinkle-relaxing injections, fillers, shaping the face, PRP, and treatments for skin quality | Cosmetic→ |
What should patients expect from a consultation?
What should I expect from a consultation?
A useful consultation establishes the diagnosis or the cosmetic concern, previous treatment, current medicines, skin type, priorities, how much recovery time is acceptable, and what would count as a worthwhile result.
A good consultation should sort out what is actually wrong, or what is bothering you about your appearance, what you have had done before, what medicines you take, what your skin is like, what matters most to you, how much time off you can take, and what result would actually be worth having.
- Bring a current medication and allergy list for medically relevant visits.
- Describe previous procedures, reactions and results.
- For cosmetic care, discuss priorities and downtime tolerance rather than requesting a device solely by brand.
- Ask what alternatives exist, including doing nothing or delaying treatment.
- Bring an up to date list of your medicines and allergies to any medical visit.
- Say what you have had done before, how you reacted, and how it turned out.
- For cosmetic care, talk about what matters to you and how much recovery time you can take, rather than asking for a machine by name.
- Ask what the alternatives are, including doing nothing, or waiting.
Questions patients ask
Is Dr. Gallacher board-certified in dermatology?
Is Dr. Gallacher board certified?
Yes. Dr. Gallacher has been board-certified in dermatology since 2003.
Yes. She has passed the national specialist exams in skin medicine.
Does Dr. Gallacher specialize in lasers?
Does she specialise in lasers?
Yes. She completed a dedicated fellowship in laser and cosmetic dermatology and uses laser technology extensively. Each device page describes what that particular laser is used for.
Yes. She did a full year of training specifically in lasers and cosmetic skin work, and uses lasers a great deal. Each machine has its own page explaining what it is actually used for.
Does she treat medical skin conditions as well as cosmetic concerns?
Does she treat medical skin problems too, or only cosmetic ones?
Yes. The practice structure includes medical dermatology, surgical dermatology, laser treatments and cosmetic dermatology.
Both. The practice covers medical skin problems, skin surgery, laser treatments and cosmetic work.
Where did Dr. Gallacher complete dermatology training?
Where did she train?
She completed her dermatology residency at UC Davis, and postdoctoral fellowship work at UCSF.
She trained as a skin doctor at UC Davis, and did research work afterwards at UCSF.
Does Dr. Gallacher still teach at UC Davis or Stanford?
Does she still teach at UC Davis or Stanford?
She was a Clinical Instructor at Stanford from 2004 to 2006 and an Assistant Professor at UC Davis from 2004 to 2010. We do not claim a current academic appointment.
She taught at Stanford from 2004 to 2006 and at UC Davis from 2004 to 2010. We are not saying she holds a teaching post there now.
Can I request a specific cosmetic treatment at consultation?
Can I ask for a particular cosmetic treatment?
You can discuss any treatment you are interested in, but candidacy should be based on examination, goals, medical history, anatomy and realistic alternatives.
You can raise anything you are interested in. Whether it suits you depends on an examination, on what you want, on your medical history, on your anatomy, and on what else could be done instead.
Talk it through with a physician first.
Every plan starts with an assessment of your skin, your anatomy and what you actually want to change.
This page is general health information, not medical advice. It cannot tell you whether a treatment is right for you. Approved uses, risks and results differ from person to person, and product labelling changes. Ask us at Dermatology and Laser Centre about your own situation, or make an appointment, and seek urgent care for any serious symptom.