WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT 

Ohhhh the Weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, and since we have places to go, I want my skin to look aglow look aglow!

Yes!  The Merriest time of year is upon us.  Family dinners, work Christmas parties, and having friends over for the evening is all part of this festive season!  The truth of the matter is, is that we want to look our absolute best at these events.  We want to have smooth skin, amazing eyes, and a body that fits perfectly into that cocktail dress.  How we look at the end of the evening is a different story!

At the Groot DermaSurgery Centre, we offer various treatments that help fine-tune and tweak the little things.  Don’t like the wrinkles around your eyes whenever you smile?  Botox Cosmetic can be used to help treat crows feet so that when you’re smiling for photos, the wrinkles around your eyes will not steal the show.  What about your skin?  You want it to be flawless in those selfies.  HydraFacial MD can help cleanse the skin and reintroduce important compounds back into the skin that have been lost due to the harsh summer weather. 

A recent study on SPF published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD, 2018; 78: 902-910) demonstrates that higher sun protection factor sunscreens really do provide additional benefit. This study evaluated skiers in a double-blind, split-face, randomized study. In this study, skiers in Vail, Colorado wore SPF 50 on one side of the face and SPF 100 on the other side of the face. They were allowed to do their normal activities and were then evaluated the next day to see if there was any evidence of sunburn erythema. The SPF 100 sunscreen side was found to be significantly more effective in protecting against sunburn.
The study supports our belief that if you are going to be out in a lot of sun, the higher the sun protection factor, the better! Another factor that may be important is that many of us apply far less sunscreen than we should, so you might think you are getting an SPF 50. However, you might be applying such a thin layer that you are only getting the equivalent of SPF 20! Consequently, make certain you apply enough sunscreen to provide adequate protection and if you decide to go to a higher sun protection factor,

Scar treatment can be challenging and requires a multi-dimensional approach in order to be successful. A scar can be the centre of attention but can also be a source of annoyance. For some individuals, scars are a part of who they are, whereas for others they are intrusive and cause insecurity. They can be caused by a variety of reasons such as acne scarring, trauma, and surgery.

Some individuals have thickened keloid scarring, where a scar becomes raised and discoloured. In order to treat the thickened aspect of the scar, many times cortisone injections will be utilized to reduce the thickness of the scar.

On the opposite end of thickened scars, people may get pitted scars where the skin sinks in various regions. These types of pitted scars can be tricky to treat; however, with improvement in technologies and techniques, pitted scars can often be improved. In some cases, Dr. Nakatsui will use an ablative laser to smooth out the skin and reduce the harsh edges that cause shadowing.

A new approach is to promote collagen re-growth in the region.  Through the use of a technology called Percutaneous Collagen Induction (PCI), many tiny needles create tiny holes in the skin. The creation of these tiny holes stimulates collagen formation to help fill in the areas of depressed scarring.

For many men and women, a nose that fits the symmetry and dimensions of their face can be an important aspect in their lives.  The nose is the most central and prominent aspect of a persons face and it is able to bring together all of the features of a person’s face like beautiful symphony.

Dermal fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane offer fantastic options to help augment portions of your cheeks, lips, nose, and chin! Dr. Nakatsui, dermatologist and Medical Director at the Groot DermaSurgery Centre, is able to use dermal filler, such as Juvederm, to augment portions of the nose.

Through careful and precise injections, Dr. Nakatsui is able to correct minute bumps, imperfections, and even enhance your nose bridge.  Dermal filler nose augmentation is a great non-surgical option for those wanting to address certain issues they have with their nose with minimal downtime.  It is also a great treatment for those who already had a previous rhinoplasty procedure and would like to correct minuscule imperfections.

If you have any questions or you would like to book a complimentary consultation with Dr. Nakatsui, please contact our clinic at (780) 482 – 1414.

May is Melanoma Awareness Month

Did you know that in 2017, approximately 7,200 Canadians were diagnosed with Melanoma?  Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer that has been on the rise in Canada and across the world.  If melanoma is diagnosed early, there is a high probability of successful treatment and curability!  Staying vigilant and examining all lesions on your body regularly can help you stay on top of our skin health.

Here is a case example of melanoma with Dr. Nakatsui.

One of Dr. Nakatsui’s patients presented this mole to him and when presented this mole (above). Dr. Nakatsui had a strong suspicion that this oddly shaped mole could be something sinister. Through a diagnostic biopsy performed by Dr. Nakatsui at the Groot DermaSurgery Centre, the results confirmed that the mole was indeed a malignant melanoma, the most worrisome form of skin cancer.

What made Dr. Nakatsui concerned about the mole? We can look at the ABCDE’s of mole checking.

A – Asymmetry: The mole is asymmetrical in shape. If you draw a line through the middle,

This Valentine’s Day look your best that special someone.  HydraFacial MD is an effective, non-invasive, multistep treatment that combines the benefits of next-level hydradermabrasion, a chemical peel, automated painless extractions (no pinching!) and a special delivery of Antioxidants, Hyaluronic Acid, and Peptides. It does all of this in one quick treatment that delivers real results without downtime or irritation. HydraFacials are great for both men and women!

Traditional treatments for the aging face include creams, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, photofacials, and laser resurfacing. HydraFacial MD® is a welcome new treatment option as it offers more improvement than traditional treatments such as chemical peels and microdermabrasion without the downtime of laser resurfacing.

Experience Vortex Technology™

The unique spiral design of the HydroPeel® Tips used in conjunction with the HydraFacial MD® proprietary vacuum technology and serums creates a vortex effect to easily dislodge and remove impurities while simultaneously introducing hydrating skin solutions with potent antioxidants. This multi-step process includes Vortex-Exfoliation™, Vortex-Peel™, Vortex-Extraction™, Vortex-Boost™, and Vortex-Fusion®.

What Are The Benefits Of Hydrafacial MD?

Hydrafacial MD cleanses, evenly exfoliates, and extracts to remove impurities and dead skin cells while at the same time replenishing vital nutrients into the skin.

Let’s talk about it!  Mental health, let’s make it loud and clear!  Mental health is nothing to be ashamed about.  Anxiety, stress, depression, negative thoughts, and contemplation of suicide are very real and very serious issues.  Over 250,000 Canadians will suffer from some form of depression in their life time.

Depression can be silent.  Much like our shadow following us wherever we go, sometimes the shadow of depression grows larger and darker.  Please know:

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

In your darkest hours where you feel as if you are drowning and can’t keep your head above water, it is OK to ask for help.  Call for help, call 911, go to the emergency, make sure that you speak with someone right away and tell them how you feel.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

If you ever had thoughts of suicide, seek help as soon as possible.  If you know someone who has talked to you about committing suicide, seek help for them and let them know:

THEY ARE NOT ALONE

In today’s society having a full and lush beard is becoming more and more of a fashion statement for men.  While some men are born with thick facial manes, others require treatment to aid in thickening up their beards.

Not all men are lucky like actor Kristofer Hivju (photo), more popularly known as Tormund from the HBO hit show, Game of Thrones (most of the staff at the Groot DermaSurgery Centre are very big fans of Game of Thrones).

Dr. Thomas Nakatsui, a board certified Dermatologist and hair transplant specialists, has been performing hair transplants for over 18 years.  The exact reasons why men come in for a beard transplant vary.

Some men want to increase thickness, while some men have suffered some form of trauma that caused an area to scar, therefore leaving a portion of facial hair missing.

As with any hair transplant, artistry plays a major role in how the end result turns out.  Hair transplants need to look natural and undetectable in appearance.  Old forms of hair transplants, “plug transplants”, have yielded unnatural and very detectable results.

Having undetectable results is even more paramount whenever dealing with the face as it is always front and center. 

Dry skin is particularly noticeable during the winter months due to low humidity and cold temperatures. Other contributing factors include overuse of harsh skin care products especially those containing perfumes and preservatives, aging, and yes, your grandparents (genetics).

To avoid dry skin try these options:

• Choose gentle cleansers that remove the superficial dirt and excess oil from your skin without stripping away all your natural oils.
• Gently exfoliate the skin with a gritty cleanser or for tougher jobs micro-dermabrasions.
• Apply a moisturizer which contains ingredients that draw moisture to the epidermis such as glycerine, urea and hyaluronic acid. Moisturizers are most effective when applied to the skin while it is damp.
• Apply a sunscreen daily with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 45 or more. Even though the winter sun seems harmless it’s UVA and UVB rays can still damage the skin as well as tending to exacerbate dry skin.

Caution: Applying too much moisturizer to dry skin without proper cleansing may contribute to the development of seborrhoeic dermatitis, an inflammatory condition of the skin resulting in scaly,

Pumpkin spice everything, leaves falling, and sweaters everyday can only mean one thing:  Fall is here!  This beautiful and romantic time of year can also mean changes in weather and temperature which can affect your skin.  Everyday events that we take for granted, such as stronger winds, can strip away moisture from the skin.  When this moisture is stripped or there are irritants in the air, your skin can become itchy or even a rash can appear!  Here are some basic tips to help your skin retain moisture.  The following are only tips and does not replace seeing a qualified dermatologist.

1. Shorten the time spent in showers and baths.

Not only is it good for the environment to decrease the amount of water used, limiting the time spent in the shower will prevent your skin from losing its moisture barrier.

Closing the bathroom door to keep moisture in the bathroom is a great way to keep your skin moist.

Hot water can irritate the skin.  Try dropping the temperature to a warm setting.

Use unscented soap products on your skin.

We’ve heard it all before: a woman falls deeply in love with her boyfriend, Kevin, and decides to have his name tattooed across her arm only to become heartbroken the following week.  She is now stuck with this unwanted tattoo across her arm.

Years ago, she only had a few options: live with the regret and have his name forever inked on her skin, or try to cover it up with a second tattoo on top of her current tattoo.  Various creams have been suggested; however, many of them were either ineffective or, worse yet, caused scarring due to the strong nature of the creams.

The newest and most advanced technique for removing unwanted tattoos is with laser therapy.  At the Groot DermaSurgery Centre, we use the Q-switch Alexandrite laser.  Various lasers are used for various conditions such as excessive hair, mole removal, or unwanted blood vessels.  Each one of these conditions will require a different wavelength light.

Specific to tattoos, the laser penetrates the skin at a specific wavelength with the goal of breaking pigmented particles.  Your body’s immune system then removes these pigmented particles over time.  After a few treatments, the tattoo can potentially be completely erased from a person’s skin.

When it comes to Fillers and Botox®, it is important that you know what the product is and who is doing the treatment and to be wary of discount botox or discount filler injections as the long term results can be more costly. Dr. Nakatsui has been asked to consult on many patients who have had problems with their fillers and Botox.

Having an approved physician that has been properly trained in the use of Botox or dermal fillers is very important. Not only is the cosmetic end result important, but also having the knowledge and training should there be any complications.  As with any elective procedure, it is important to know who will be doing the procedure and what types of products they will be using.

As we age, our natural fat pads and bone density decrease.  Excessive motion in the face can cause wrinkling around the eyes, forehead, and mouth.  Through the use of Botox® Cosmetic and Dermal Fillers such as Restylane and JUVÉDERM®, patients can achieve amazing and wonderful results that can help reduce fine lines, smooth out sunken areas of the face such as the cheeks and nasolabial folds,

Telogen Effluvium

(Scalp Hair Thinning Due to a Shift in the Hair Cycle)

The sudden loss of exaggerated amounts of scalp hair is quite a common complaint, particularly in women.  This shift in the hair cycle, creating a hair loss pattern called “telogen effluvium”, usually occurs suddenly.  This is not associated with isolated bald patches of the scalp, or with excessive crusting or infections of the hair follicles.  It may “unmask” male/female pattern hair loss, revealing thinning on the top of the scalp.  In these cases, treatment is required for both problems.

NORMAL HAIR CYCLE

When a scalp hair begins to grow in each individual hair follicle, it remains in the “growth phase” (anagen phase) for approximately three years.  This average growth phase for the scalp hair creates hair that will grow to approximately mid-back level.  Some people have a longer growth phase and can grow their hair until they can almost stand on it, while others with a shorter cycle, can grow their hair no longer than shoulder length.  This is an individual genetic variation.

After the growth phase, the individual hair follicles, independent of each other,

Giving back to the community is so important to the members of the Groot DermaSurgery Centre! Dr. Thomas and Melanie Nakatsui support many initiatives, including the Royal Alexandra Hospital, the Edmonton Opera, McDougall House, and many others. Recently, Dr. Thomas and Melanie Nakatsui and the Groot DermaSurgery Centre were proud to have been one of the principal sponsors for Crescendo, a fantastic night of entertainment presented by the fabulous John Cameron Entertainment! It was a night in support of The Mental Health Foundation and the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation. Almost everyone’s lives have been touched by depression and mental health issues in some way and supporting Crescendo is one way each of us can help. If you were there, thank you, and we’re pretty sure you’ll agree with us that it was an amazing, outstanding event! For more information on the event and the important initiatives it supports, click on the links above.

On a final note, as one of the speakers said, if you’re suffering from a mental health issue, “it’s okay to reach out for help…”

You’re working out, eating well, and simply doing all of the right things.  You look in the mirror and see your abs toning up; your biceps getting bigger.  Things are going great… except, your just not satisfied with your chest because it still has some fatty deposits that make it appear like breasts.  Fatty deposits on the chest can affect many males and can be difficult to treat on your own no matter how strict you are with diet and exercise.

In comes CoolSculpting, a non-invasive technology that freezes away stubborn fat.  An applicator is placed on the problem area, in this case the chest, and gently targets and cools unwanted fat cells in the selected area.  Millions of CoolSculpting Procedures have been performed worldwide with great success!  The Groot DermaSurgery Centre was one of the first clinics to offer CoolSculpting in the city!

CoolSculpting can be effective in reducing the fat in the chest region of a man.  However, not all man breasts are simply fatty tissue.  A condition known as gynecomastia is when there is an excess of male breast tissue.  In this situation, CoolSculpting may not be an ideal treatment. 

Do you feel like you look sad, tired, or angry even when you’re not? If so, you are not alone. Some of the most common concerns patients have when they come into the Groot DermaSurgery Centre are that they look fatigued, upset, or depressed, even though they feel well rested, energetic, and happy. For many people, how they feel on the inside is not reflected on the outside. At the Groot DermaSurgery Centre, Dr. Nakatsui can help you understand the cause of your concerns, discuss those concerns, and help determine a game plan to revitalise your appearance.

As we age, skin elasticity is lost and the skin becomes less firm. Years of expression cause wrinkling to form around the eyes and forehead. Excess sun exposure causes changes in skin texture. The natural fat pads beneath the skin that give the face shape begin to shrink and shift, resulting in loss of fullness. Even our bone density diminishes around the cheeks, chin, and temples, resulting in a hollowed appearance. Weight loss causes areas of the face to become sunken and appear less full and youthful. All of these factors affect how we look.

Understanding these anatomical changes is important as it allows Dr.

Dr. Nakatsui is one of a small number of solo physician injectors to have received Diamond and Double Diamond status from Allergan, the makers of Botox and Juvederm.

We are proud of having received this recognition but it is not essential to go to a Double Diamond provider to be certain you have an injector with expertise. When considering an injector, look for a practice that uses Botox and fillers every day. Ask about experience and training with Botox and fillers. Find out who your injector is–injectors are usually physicians, but can be nurses or pharmacists. At the Groot DermaSurgery Centre, Dr. Nakatsui personally performs all Botox and filler injections.

Be aware that Double Diamond status can be achieved by multi-physician groups and multi-location practices where Botox is distributed to multiple physicians and injectors. Therefore, not all Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Double Diamond providers actually use the same amount of Botox or fillers.

I, along with my associates, Dr. Linda L. Smith, Dr. Bruce Ramsey, and our staff, are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Don Groot, the founder of the Groot DermaSurgery Centre.  It gives us all great comfort to know that he passed away peacefully and surrounded by family.

He was a mentor, a colleague, a friend, and someone who knew no bounds. His warmth, spirit, and dedication to dermatology will remain with each and every one of us.

Please feel free to visit his obituary.

Dr. Thomas Nakatsui
Medical Director, Groot DermaSurgery Centre