Call: 780-482-1414 Email: info@nakatsuiderm.com

Archive for June, 2016

 

Hope for Ugly Toenails

June 28th, 2016 | Conditions, Treatments

wedge-sandals

Are you embarrassed to wear sandals because of your ugly toe nails – toe nails that are yellow, brittle and/or scaly? If so, it is possible that you have fungus of the toe nails (onychomycosis) – a condition that can be treated.

Two options are available: medication and laser treatments. Lamisil, Soranox or Nizoral are examples of prescription anti-fungal medications that are taken by mouth for a period of 3 to 6 months. They work from the inside out (systemically) with about a 70% success rate.  A new medication to the market called Jublia  is a topical ointment that is applied directly onto the problematic nail.

Lasers work from the outside in. Two treatments and the fungus is eradicated in 70% of cases. The success rate depends on how long you have had the fungus. If it has been left untreated for over a year then a combination of medication and laser treatments is usually required.

If you are hiding your toes, call us at (780) 482-1414 to find out if one of these treatment options might work for you. Then go out and buy a pair of those cute little sandals that you have been coveting.

Fillers and Botox for cosmetic reasons: Truths and Misunderstandings

June 28th, 2016 | Treatments
Portrait of a young woman has a question is asking herself something. Question mark over her head.

As we age, certain aspects of our appearance begin to bother us when we look in the mirror.  What we see in the mirror may not reflect what we feel on the inside.  The vivaciousness and energy that we carry may not be indicative of the bags under our eyes.

As we age, certain aspects of our appearance begin to bother us when we look in the mirror.  What we see in the mirror may not reflect what we feel on the inside.  The vivaciousness and energy that we carry may not be indicative of the bags under our eyes.

Botox cosmetic and dermal fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane have been around for many years.  They each have a specific role to play when dealing with facial rejuvenation. Botox and fillers can often become mixed up in their perceived usage.  Many times when a celebrity with large lips is seen on TV, one of the common phrases is that she has too much Botox in her lips.  In all likelihood, that celebrity had a dermal filler treatment to enhance her lips.

Botox (Onabotulinumtoxin A) is a substance that blocks localized nerve activity in the muscle.  This causes a temporary cessation of muscle movement.  This sounds frightening, but when Botox is injected into specific muscles in can produce a variety of fantastic results that will help reduce wrinkles.

Botox can be used for a variety of other medical conditions.  Chronic Migraine sufferers will use Botox to help reduce tension headaches.   Botox can also be used for individuals suffering from excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis).  Onabotulinumtoxin A will temporarily block the secretion of the chemical that is responsible for turning on the body’s sweat gland.

When Botox is injected into very specific muscles in the face, it can reduce the overall wrinkling of certain portions of the face.  The area in between the eye brows (glabella) can become furrowed, therefore causing an angry look.  The lines on the forehead (frontalis) can become very wrinkly with continuous movement thus causing a face to appear much older than it actually is!  Crows feet on the side of the eyes can become wrinkled through years of smiling and laughing and many individuals like that look.  For those that do not appreciate that look, Dr. Nakatsui can help.

Dermal fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane are forms of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring sugar found in the body.  Properly placing these dermal fillers, Dr. Nakatsui is able to restore the fullness that certain portions of your face once had but lost due to the natural aging process or weight loss.

These fillers can also be used in accentuating the great features that you already have, such as the lips.  By placing filler in the lip line to emphasize your lips, you can get a very big impact without having the fish lip look.  Dr. Nakatsui’s goal is to make subtle changes to make the areas appear natural as if they have always been that way.

The objective of Dr. Nakatsui and the Nakatsui DermaSurgery Centre is to enhance the great features that you already have.  Through the use of Botox or Juvederm, the goal is not to overhaul and completely change your face, but rather take the great features you have and make them shine!  If you feel that your looks do not reflect how old you feel, there are treatments that can help.

For your convenience, Botox and filler appointments, as well as Coolsculpting, Thermitight, and HydraFacial MD appointments can be booked directly online or by calling the office directly at 780-482-1414. There is a $100.00 refundable deposit required to reserve an appointment using the online booking service (please note there is a $20.00 administrative fee deducted from this deposit). If you cannot find a convenient time using the online scheduler, please call as there may be additional appointment times available that are not visible online.

For all other services, please call to schedule an appointment.

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Please note that you WILL receive a confirmatory email upon successful completion of this online request. If you do not receive a confirmatory email, please contact our office by telephone to ensure that your request was successfully completed.

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Golf, Ticks and Lyme Disease

June 8th, 2016 | General Info

tickThe beauty of many of our Alberta golf courses is the tree lined fairways. I can attest to the fact that I have had up close and personal encounters with some of these trees while tromping through the underbrush in an attempt to find my ball. Having read an article written by Michelle Gagnon in the Rocky Mountain Outlook about Ticks and the risk of the Lyme disease I am more inclined to take the penalty strokes and leave the ball where it lies.

 

Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. The bacterium is spread from small animals to humans by little biting arachnids called ticks. Ticks are like vampires – they attach to you and suck away, quite possibly and inadvertently leaving behind the bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. The name of the bacterium is not as important as the damage it can do if a person is unfortunate enough to be exposed to it.

One of the first signs of Lyme disease is a bulls-eye rash around the site of the tick bite. Not all people get this rash so early detection may be missed. Other symptoms in the early stages are: fatigue; chills; headaches; joint and muscle pain and/or swollen lymph nodes. If you experience these flu- like symptoms after you have been in or near tree and shrub bed areas it may be prudent to visit your family doctor.

tick bite

If untreated the consequences may become more severe – possibly involving the central and peripheral nervous systems; the joints; and the heart. Afflicted individuals often experience extreme fatigue and general weakness.

Specialized tests are necessary to confirm the diagnosis of Lyme disease. Treatment depends on the symptoms and where in the body the bacterium has settled.

As with many medical conditions awareness and prevention is the best approach. After you, your family members and your pets have been romping in the woods do a self check to insure that one of these little critters has not attached itself to your skin. If a tick has decided to tag along for the ride home remove it with caution. Using tweezers grasp the tick’s head and mouth parts as close to the skin as possible and pull gently. Do not traumatize the tick by squeezing or twisting it – this can cause the tick to regurgitate its stomach contents into your blood. Yuck!  As much as you may wish to destroy it – resist the urge. Place it in a zip lock bag as it may provide important information if you develop symptoms.

For more information, go to the Public Health Agency of Canada website http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/id-mi/lyme-fs-eng.php.

What is involved in a Hair Transplant Surgery?

June 7th, 2016 | Hair Transplant

Hair Transplant Grafts

Hair transplant surgeries have been around for many decades.  Through technological advancement and improved techniques, hair transplant results have become both very natural and undetectable.  Historically, hair transplant surgeries have been associated with the word “plugs” or “doll hair” and those terms are not far from the truth.  Early iterations of the hair transplant surgery yielded unnatural results that were easily detected.  Large clumps of hair that looked like “plugs” were inserted into the scalp and had very large spacing in-between each graft.  The end result looked very much like a dolls head of hair.

Repair

 

Dr. Thomas Nakatsui, a board certified dermatologist, trained extensively with Dr. Jerry Wong under the most advanced technique of Hair Restoration surgery.  Dr. Nakatsui has been performing Hair Transplant surgeries for more than 18 years and his technique involves taking the very basic units of hair called grafts (seen in the photo above).  Each graft contains 1, 2, or 3 hairs.  The older plug technique typically had 5, 8, sometimes 10 hairs in a single graft.  Because Dr. Nakatsui uses the very basic units of hair, the grafts are incredible small, between 0.6-1.0mm in size.

The above photo shows a group of grafts placed in a saline filled sterile Petri dish placed on top of an ice pack wrapped in sterile tin foil.  Each graft is incredibly small as you can see.  Hair transplant surgeries require patience as they are typically a lengthy day for Dr. Nakatsui, his team, and the patient.  However, the only way to achieve amazing results is to perform this tedious process.   Our job is not difficult, we’re splitting hairs! For more information regarding hair loss/hair transplant surgery, please visit DrNakatsui.com.

Hair Transplant Before and After