Meet Dr. Alison Gruen, M.D.

Experience

Alison Gruen, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in New York City with over 18 years of experience.

A clinician at heart, Dr. Gruen became a dermatologist because she’d rather spend time with patients than computers. While many clinicians have to analyze lab results to diagnose a patient’s condition, Dr. Gruen prefers to work her way to a conclusion like a sleuth, observing patients and asking question after question until she eventually reaches the source of an issue.

She also admits to loving gross things. “I like horror movies. I like the grotesque,” she admits. So she’s more than happy to get up close and personal with the rashes, bumps and sores that plague patients—especially if it brings them relief.

Dr. Gruen credits her appreciation for in-person diagnosis and treatment with a competition she entered during her first year of residency. Where her competitors presented dry, in-depth scientific research topics, Dr. Gruen teased out her case findings—a rare circumstance where Accutane can cause respiratory distress syndrome—like clues in a detective mystery. “It was a really fun moment where I had the whole audience so invested in this case,” she remembers. “I won because, at the end of the day, people want to be entertained.”

The experience shaped how she works today.

For Dr. Gruen, supporting the patient journey means connecting medically and socially—and relaying vital information in lay terms. “If you don’t connect with your patients, they’ll never trust you. And if they don’t trust you, they won’t come back or take the medication you’ve prescribed,” she says. “They’re not going to feel heard, and they’re not going to get better.”

Dr. Gruen helps the Dr. B team offer patients the same level of care online as they’d receive in her office. Under her advisement, our clinical team has created a user-friendly consultation flow that guides patients to the most accurate dermatology diagnosis possible. We can then offer the most current and effective medications available—and we know how and why they work. Dr. Gruen also reviews every dermatology article we publish, so you can trust that our guidance is legit.

Current Motivation

“Right now, there are a bunch of new therapies for eczema and psoriasis after years of being unable to offer anything new or different. So there’s a huge change for those two diseases.

“I recently had a new (to me) patient come in—super funny, Italian, in her sixties, sounds like Fran Drescher. She had thick, red plaques that looked like oyster shells covering her shins. She'd seen a bunch of physician assistants, everyone had treated her for eczema, and she was so frustrated. Now, I was not entirely sure what it was—but I knew it wasn’t eczema. So I gave her this new cream. I saw her two weeks later, and her legs were clear! She’d had the problem for ten years, and nobody had been able to fix it. So it’s fun that new things are out that can help—and so satisfying to fix!”

Words of Wisdom

“Don’t feel bad about the choices you’ve made, like spending time in the sun. Wherever you’re at is totally okay. The best drug will not work if you feel defeated or like you’ve failed if you do anything shy of the perfection that most doctors will ask of you. I always say, ‘Humor me. Why don't you just try it for the next three days and see how you're doing?’

“It’s okay to fail. But trying a little is better than nothing. And you’ll probably feel better if you at least try”’

HEALTH IS EVERYONE’S JOURNEY

“I have very low bone density and a family history of osteoporosis. So that is my battle right now. And as I age, it's getting worse. So now, I take giant calcium pills literally twice a day. I take vitamin D every day. I've been making myself work out and doing weights. This bone density thing is really motivating.”

GIVING CARE = CENTERING SELF-CARE

“My favorite form of self-care is taking a hot bath, which I try to do pretty often. And watching Netflix. And going to the gym. I found this Saturday class that I love—it totally takes pounds off me every week and then I put them back on, like Sisyphus! It's easier to do now because my kids are a little older. When your kids are little, it’s emotionally overwhelming, and there is no self-care. Now, my kids are teens, so I’m much better at doing these things.”