| Because every patient is different and no two persons will respond identically to treatment and some cases may require multiple treatments, medical fees can vary. It is important to assess a patient in consultation to evaluate his condition adequately before giving a fee estimate just as a mechanic has to examine your car before giving an estimate on repairs. The section on medical fees may give you some idea of costs involved for some of the most common problems. |
| Do you treat warts with laser? |
| Laser treatment of warts caused by HPV virus emits toxic smoke that is carcinogenic and may carry infectious viral particle in the air we breathe. Much safer methods exist. We do not treat warts with laser. |
| But we do treat many non-viral benign tumours with laser. |
| Do you treat people from other countries? |
| I devote my practice to Canadian citizens. I will accept on a case by case basis patients with medical conditions who are nonresidents, but not patients with cosmetic problems, because of liability and insurance coverage issues. |
| How do you treat acne scars? |
| Red scars may be treated with vascular pulsed dye laser and/or photodynamic therapy, individual scars may be surgically removed, skin surface irregularities may be resurfaced with Erbium laser, areas of atrophy may be treated with injectable fillers. Those treatments are discussed on this site. |
| Do you treat black patients? |
| Yes, but some treatments such as laser hair removal and chemical peels may be too risky for them and they have a higher surgical risk of bad scarring. |
| What was that new treatment for acne on the TV "extreme makeover" show? |
| Photodynamic therapy is now available at my clinic. |
| Does the consultation fee include surgery or laser fees? |
| No. Consultation includes providing a diagnosis and treatment plan and discussing risks and benefits of available options. It is separate from fees for performing specific procedures |
| What are the conditions you treat most often? |
| Rosacea and facial erythema, acne, mole check and removal, removal of various skin lesions, actinic keratosis (pre-cancerous skin lesions caused by the sun). |
| Will insurance pay your fees? |
| Insurance companies are not allowed to cover private medical care in this country for complex political reasons. Some patients are covered for some varicose vein injections and ultrasound, some patients with hyperhidrosis have Botox covered. Medical prescriptions are usually covered. Medical receipts may allow some income tax deductions. |
| Is there an age limit for some treatments? |
| Even elderly patients may benefit from the procedures described on this web site if they are in good health and do not have medical contra indications to dermatologic surgery. |
| Can you give me information on psoriasis treatment? |
| This is a complex subject that requires an office visit. Briefly, treatments aim to reduce excessive epidermal proliferation with cortisone, tar, vitamin D derivatives , vitamin A derivatives, anthralin, UV light, or oral medications that may have side effects. |
| My dermatologist is prescribing product "x" for my skin condition, are there other alternatives? |
| I do not want to second guess your personal dermatologist, but you are entitled to a second opinion and we welcome patient consultations to reevaluate previously diagnosed conditions. Some colleagues are unfamiliar with the most recent dermatologic surgery and laser techniques and other treatment options may be available for some specific conditions. |
| Can you remove a beauty mark, or mole without leaving a scar? |
| Yes. In the majority of cases, laser surgery can do this, however no guarantee of treatment results can be given because the practice of medicine and surgery is not an exact science and results may vary from person to person. |
| Can you remove a beauty mark for cosmetic reasons only? |
| Yes. |
| Is laser hair removal permanent? |
| Probably. There is no evidence of regeneration of destroyed hair roots. We have been doing this procedure for more than 5 years and we have not seen regrowth in successfully treated patients nor have I seen medical reports of hair regeneration in the medical literature. With proper medical technique, laser hair removal is very effective. I have no idea what goes on in "beauty salons". |
| Can you do hair removal on genital regions? |
| Yes. |
| Can you treat stretch marks? |
| Only recent red stretch marks will improve. We use the vascular pulsed dye laser. Old white marks will not change. |
| Do you treat cellulite? |
| No. |
| I had treatment for facial redness/spider veins with another type of laser with satisfactory results. Can Pulsed Dye Laser help? |
| Yes. We have seen many patients respond to PDL after unsuccessful treatment with other laser systems or IPL. (Intense Pulsed Light) |
| I have been treated for acne for several years and tried every topical cream and pills. Either they don't work or they have unbearable side effects. Are there any alternatives? |
| Yes: Pulsed dye laser, Blue light, photodynamic therapy |
| Do you know any good dermatologist in my city/province/country who do the same treatments as you? |
| Ask your general practitioner or contact the local medical associations |
| Do you offer training to other physicians or health professionals? |
| No |
| Is the treatment dangerous? |
| We often hear this question. Every treatment discussed on this site is very safe, but every medical treatment has possible side effects that occur in a low percentage of cases and some patients may have medical contra indications. I refuse to treat patients when I feel there is a high risk of complications. |
| Do you do microdermabrasion? |
| No. Similar results may be achieved with fruit acid peels or light laser peels which I do. |
| Do you also treat common dermatologic problems not discussed on this web site and skin cancer? |
| Yes. I treat a wide range of dermatologic conditions. They are to numerous to list on this site. |
| Does laser cause cancer or premature skin aging? |
| No |
| Do you work for lawyers as a medical expert? |
| No. I am too busy with my practice. |
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