Cosmetic and Laser Questions, Call: 416-285-8346

Toronto Botox & Cosmetic Laser & Vein Clinic

Toronto Cosmetic & Vein Clinic Testimonials

April 4, 2007 Consumer’s Choice Award
Dr. Shia Wolgelernter receives Consumer’s Choice Award
Canoe.ca, July 27, 2006 Erasing a birth mark by IVANA TAVERNESE
Hi Ivana,I have a question about removing birth marks. My sister has this really dark birthmark on her face, but she has always been so shy to talk about it. I read somewhere that these dark marks can be removed, can you give me some more information about this?Thanks, BrigitteHi Brigitte,According to Dr. Shia Wolgelernter, these marks can definitely be lightened if not permanently removed.”The unfortunate part about birthmarks is that they are made up of muscle and if not treated can enlarge,” explains Dr. Wolgelernter.In particular, port-wine birthmarks can deepen in colour and increase in size and depth with age. They can even become raised, increasing their susceptibility to abrasion, ulceration, chronic infections and circulatory problems. Therefore, port-wine birthmarks are best treated as early as possible.According to Dr. Wolgelernter, depending on where the port-wine birth mark is located, the laser treatment to remove the mark may be covered by OHIP. For brown birth marks, the fee depends on the extent of the treatment, but begin at approximately $350 and up.According to Dr. Roy Geronemus, on birthmarks.com, there are some areas that are more difficult to treat than others. Typically, the central portion of the face and the lower arms, hands, lower legs and feet are much more resistant to therapy that other anatomical sites.Consult with your doctor to discuss what your expectations are and what you hope to achieve. Often the birthmark may only be lightened, while at other times, the mark seems to just disappear. There are options out there, and with the new laser advancements, effective treatments are available.
Canoe.ca, July 27, 2006 The vein truth by IVANA TAVERNESE
Most of the time, we really appreciate our veins. They are a vital part to keeping our bodies functioning properly and we could not survive without them. All that said, we still don’t want to see them. According to Dr. Shia Wolgelernter, about 70% of all women will experience varicose or spider veins in their lifetime and many will try to hide them with clothing. “Vericose veins are very common in women. It is usually a hereditary disposition, and I do think it is somewhat related to estrogen because we don’t see a lot of it in men,” explains Dr. Wolgelernter. Vericose veins occur when the valves in the veins do not work properly. If you gain a lot of weight, there is a tendency to damage the valve. This is one of the reasons pregnant women encounter varicose veins. “Pregnancy, or being overweight aggravates the problem, or hormone supplements or birth control may add to it as well. I can’t pinpoint it, because I’ve seen patients who have none of these things and have varicose veins. I even see weight lifters and runners who are susceptible. Those who are on their feet a lot, we advise them to use support stockings. It is more difficult to explain the cause of small spider veins. Some can be caused from sun damage, and others from the skin condition rosacea, yet, others still cannot be linked to any of these conditions. “I’ve seen women as young as 12 and 13 years old coming in for spider vein treatment.” However, Dr. Wolgelernter does say that the two vein conditions are not related. One can have spider veins and never develop varicose veins and vice versa.
The Toronto Sun, Monday, July 12, 1999 Needle and the damage done by STEVE PAYNE
Ugly is skin deep when it comes to unwanted tattoos. Just ask Richard, 29, of Toronto.He got drunk in New York a few weeks ago, lurched into a tattoo studio and scrawled a design on paper.When his stupor wore off, he had a black, three-legged symbol on his right leg. As soon as I saw it I had a panic attack,” he says.”I felt dirty. If I’d been anywhere near traffic I probably would have wandered out into it. Only two friends know about it.I keep my legs covered.”Richard was in the Avenue Rd. office of Dr. Shia Wolgelernter asking if a laser would remove the tattoo.In his case yes, but the price will be far higher than the $50 U.S. his boozy bungle cost.Kerri Anderson, 27, of Scarborough, is another reluctant tattoo host. She works in an office and the black “tribal pattern” on her wrist is making her uncomfortable.”It’s not so much embarrassment,” she says, “I’ve just out – grown it. I never thought I would work in an office.”
The Saturday Sun, January 4, 1992 Self – image gets boost by JERRY GLADMAN
The ugly, reddish-purple skin patch covering most of the side of Lisa Vella’s neck caused her countless painful moments during her young years, but there is one she’ll never forget. A teenage Vella, now 21 and soon to be married, was out of date. As usual,she was slightly paranoid that the dreadful port-wine stain she’d carriedfrom birth would ultimately turn off the guy.” I was always worried they’d be embarrassed to be with me,” says Vella, a computer system operator at a company that makes crystal and china.”I had my share of dates , but I guess I was always paranoid. Anyway, this guy said to me, ‘If I kiss you there, will I get that too’?”The remark was obviously fostered by ignorance, which Vella knew, but it didn’t make her day any brighter. And it was just one more agonizing reminder that somehow she would have to shed her unsightly burden.Vella, whose father had a smaller, similar stain on his forehead, went from doctor to doctor seeking help. She tried early laser treatments – which resulted in scarring – steroid injections and even surgery. The stain remained. Enter Shia Wolgelernter and his magic wand. Wolgelernter is a physician who also operates – the Vein Laser Medical Centre where, recently, he began using a laser designed specifically for port-wine stains and other disfiguring skin lesions. From the very first treatment, Vella was delighted with the results. The deep-red color turned a fading pink and, although she’s only had five sessions, she expects the end results will be well worth the wait.”Because it’s such a large area it will take some time. And now it won’t be exactly the same as the other side. I’ll no longer have to wear cover-up makeup or turtlenecks to hide it. I’ll even be able to wear my hair in a pony tail. I expect people will hardly notice it.”Wolgelernter, who initially expanded his practice almost three years ago to include sclerotherapy (injection treatment of varicose and spider veins), says he’s had tremendous success with the new laser on PWS – a benign condition composed of an excess number of detailed blood vessels.”While it depends on the kind of PWS, we strive for 70-80% improvement. In some cases, the treated areas return to complete normal – appearing skin. We believe almost all vascular skin lesions can be significantly lightened and removed using laser.”Prior to the development of this laser – argon lasers (blue – green light) were used on PWS and other skin problems.”The argon laser got rid of the blood vessels, but because it was absorbed by surrounding tissues, it resulted in significant scarring, especially in children,” said Wolgelernter. The yellow light is more selectively absorbed by the pigment in blood vessels rather than the pigment in the skin.”Known as photocoagulation, it takes the heat and transmits to the walls of the blood vessels, causing them to stick together. At the same time, it dries up the blood in the vessels. The process leads to fading of the lesions.
The Toronto Sun, April 10, 1993 Vanishing act by LINDA BARNARD
The pink stain spreads across Jeremy Okulski’s face looks like the reddish remains of a slap. For this shy 12 year – old in the Pittsburgh Penguins jersey, the painful sting of taunts from classmates in his native Poland it is finally fading, the port wine stain birthmark on his face, thanks to a machine called a pulse dye laser. “The kids in Warsaw laughed at him,” says Jeremy’s mother, Anya. “One day he had to go to the bathroom but was too embarrassed to ask them where it was because they teased him.” Jeremy and his family came to Toronto just over three years ago. While doctors in Poland had said there was nothing to be done for the hand-sized stain across Jeremy’s left cheek, there was hope here. Dr. Shia Wolgelernter runs a busy practice on Avenue Rd. He has three different lasers that either blast away stains and tattoo dyes, or coagulate blood vessels and make them disappear. The Q-switched ruby laser obliterates tattoos, liver spots, anything that isn’t blood-based color. The two dye lasers he uses, the tunable and the pulse, work on vascular or blood-based pigments, such as birthmarks. “The theory with lasers is called selective photothermolysis,” explains Wolgelernter. “That means you are selectively attacking the specific pigment in the blood vessel, the hemoglobin, without damaging surrounding tissues.” Imagine a red balloon inflated inside a yellow balloon. When a laser is fired, the red balloon pops, but the yellow doesn’t. On the skin, the laser works the same way. It’s absorbed by the pigmented area, while sparing the surrounding tissue. Laser, an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, is based on theories Albert Einstein came up with in 1917. Lasers first were used in the ’60s, mostly in eye operations. Early lasers were crude. They often burned patients or left scars. Today, lasers neither harm the skin, nor are they painful.
The Toronto Sun, Friday, August 4, 1989 In a serious vein by LEE LESTER
The spidery network of tiny scarlet-hued veins stretched tightly just under the skin of the woman’s calf. Then within 30 seconds, four of the broken capillaries began to fade and then just vanished. The seeming miracle, performed by Dr. Shia Wolgelernter in his Eglinton Ave. E. office, occurred as he injected a solution into one of the main, nourishing veins of the network. Not only did the solution push out the blood in the vein but it also pushed it out of several of its branches. More injections are needed to treat the rest of the network. But Wolgelernter’s patient knows she can look forward to a rapidly-spreading technique helping to rid her of an unsightly affliction which could develop into a health menace. Four out of every 10 women suffer from varicose veins. So do eight out of 100 men. Overweight workers, particularly store clerks, who have to stand for long periods are most likely to develop varicose veins. So are pregnant women. Sunlovers and boozers are also targets. Aging, too, is a cause with the majority of sufferers between 30 and 50. But it is heredity that mainly determines who is likely to have them. For 50 years, European doctors have used sclerotherapy to tackle varicose veins. They inject solutions into the veins which causes them to become blocked. The treatment not only shuts off the veins from the main venous system, which can carry the additional blood supply without any difficulty, it also causes the discolored vein to fade away. Only, in the most severe cases, do surgeons strip out large varicose veins.
The Toronto Star, Thursday, December 21, 1989 Therapy can fade varicose veins by STASIA EVASUK
No surgery is required to handle ’embarrassing’ problem As women age, one of the distressing problems they face is varicose and spider veins. They feel embarrassed by the unsightly bluish-red veins.And so it was with Riva Kirsh, 53, a Forest Hill mother of four and grandmother of three.”I got varicose and spider veins after the birth of my first two children,” she says.”The appearance was atrocious. I couldn’t wear a bathing suit or shorts. I used to model fashions, so was embarrassed by my appearance.”Then I learned about sclerotherapy, getting rid of varicose and spider veins, at a seminar where I met two young women who had it done. They raved about it, so I thought I’d go for it.”Now specialists can all but erase varicose and spider veins.”Sclerotherapy is a non-surgical procedure,” explains Dr. Shia Wolgelernter of the Vein Treatment Centre.”A sclerosing solution made up of salt water, sugar and phenyl alcohol is injected with a very fine needle directly into the blood vessel. The solution irritates the lining of the vein wall, causing it to swell and, later, to stick together. Over a period of a few weeks, the vein starts to fade and eventually becomes barely visible.”Kirsh had an appraisal done by Wolgelernter.”I was told that I’d need four or five sessions because my veins were very bad. I’ve had two sessions so far, about 15 minutes each, and have noticed a remarkable improvement in my legs. I’ve got lily white legs, and the thought of wearing a swimsuit and shorts again thrills me.” ‘Feel better’ Rose Bucella, 56, an Oakville secretary, had varicose veins stripped out in her left leg in 1972.’That leg didn’t come around as it should have. The spider veins increased. And I had this large spider vein on the knee of my right leg. These things happen to you gradually. I decided to have them removed.”My left leg always felt heavy and tender to the touch. Since the injections, the heaviness has disappeared and I look and feel better. I’ve had two sessions and I’ll be having more. It depends on how much of a perfectionist I am.”Anke Wallert, 46, a Scarborough secretary- ookkeeper, started getting spider veins at age 25.”They started slowly and got progressively worse over the years, two or more every year,” she says. I had them on my thighs and the back of my knees. I’ve had three sessions of sclerotherapy and the bluish-purple veins are no longer visible.”It makes me feel a lot less self-conscious. I’m going to Florida in January and looking forward to wearing a bathing suit.”The hormone estrogen is suspected of playing a role in their development because puberty, birth control pills, pregnancy and estrogen supplements seem to bring them on.They may also occur as a result of tight-fitting clothes, trauma, overweight, and prolonged sitting or standing. Aging, too, is a cause, with most of the sufferers between 30 and 50.”However, the main reason seems to be hereditary,” Wolgelernter says.”Spider veins also occur commonly on the face and chest region, as well as the legs.” In the past, doctors did not tackle varicose veins unless they were severe – and then patients got their large varicose veins striped out. With today’s emphasis on good looks, Wilgelernter says more people are seeking earlier treatment. Sclerotherapy is considered to be both cosmetic and, for some, therapeutic.
To: Dr. W. & Nancy, Aug –96.This is a note to express my feelings about you two and your profession. “I think you guys are fantastic”. Because of you two and your profession of work, you have charged my look, attitude and confidence level. You have really made a difference in my life by removing my part wine stain. Thank you so much for your great work. I have always worn my hair long to cover my neck, I have recently cut it very short. My neck is exposed and I feel great about it. Thanks again, and I wish you the best of luck for your lives.(Carmelisa)-Lisa (Vella) Pontieri.
Dr. Shia B. Wolgelernter, M.D. -September 7, 199399 Avenue Road,Suite 502,Toronto, OntarioM5R 2G5 Dear Dr. Wolgelernter: I would like to express my opinion of a Laser treatment that is making a definite difference in a patient’s life. Through the years I have lived with and watched the effect of a Port Wine birthmark on the side of my sister’s face. She never wanted to be involved in any outings or parties. From remarks verbally made to her there was a time she didn’t even want to eat in a restaurant. She would insist we go through the drive through. I have been with her when people have stared and whispered about her. I watched how this hurt her. I could see the anger and stress this created in her and could do nothing about it. I believe only the surface of feelings can be seen by others, so imagine her deep feelings. The Laser treatments to remove this birthmark is also removing her introvertedness. Now she is ready to go when we ask. The difference in her life is definitely noticeable. Norma doesn’t know, but family and friends have mentioned to me of the change in her. Mental stress and depression from hurt feelings are every bit as devastating as pain from surgery or aches and pains from diseases. Norma has lived a good part of her life with stress and depression from something she had no control over. The Laser treatment has given her a better feeling about her life. It is good to know that there is a treatment such as the Laser treatment available for people to get help. I, for one, am very thankful for this Laser treatment. Sincerely, Sandra Sweet
*Arnie Shulman, D.D.S.Family Dentistry* 2160 Weston Road. Weston, ON M9N 1X6 . (416)247-8673 Dear Dr. Wolgelernter and Nancy,Just a note to thank both of you for your care and help over the past years. Because of your expertise, we are able to wear our shorts in the summer, as well as exercise without worry all year long. We appreciate that you made this possible. Thanks again. Ellie and Arnie Shulman**