Author Archives: dr crippen

Beware Bogus Kelowna BOTOX ® Injections

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It is truly unfortunate that there are many people out there who have no problem taking advantage of others. Any time a person claims to offer a product or service that he or she is neither capable of providing nor licensed to give legally, it’s truly a crime. This is especially true in the medical profession. Playing with people’s lives is no laughing matter.

Earlier this week, CBC News published a report that sadly shows that our industry is not immune to such individuals. It reveals that medical centres in the Vancouver-area have ignored Health Canada regulations by having people who are not doctors offer Botox injections. This is strictly illegal. You must be a licensed physician to administer Botox injections.

To deeply invesigate this occurrence, CBC News officials went undercover to meet directly with the non-physicians. CBC’s Natalie Clancy, met with Eddie Lee of Queen’s Park Laser Skin Care Centre in Richmond. During the course of her visit with him, he actually admitted that we wasn’t a doctor.

Nevertheless, Mr. Lee (who, by the way, showcases certificates on the walls of his clinic that misleadingly refer to him “Dr. Lee”) told Clancy that he recommended Botox injections to make her cheeks appear thinner. Oddly enough, to a hidden camera, Lee admits that what he is doing is “not legal”.

There are a number of reasons why Botox should only be administered by a trained, licensed physician – not the least of which is to maintain the patient’s health. As you will see in the video found in the post below, Botox injections that are improperly performed can lead to serious damage to the treated area.

After visiting EuroCharm Medical Spa for a brow lift, one patient experienced a collapsed eyelid, forcing her eye to be swollen shut for weeks. A trained physician ensures not only that the correct medication is being used but that the procedure is being performed accurately and safely.

The CBC News article also provides readers with important tips for those thinking of getting Botox injections. Firstly, it’s important to never attempt to either purchase or administer Botox yourself. As well, don’t be afraid to ask your doctor to see the Botox bottle to ensure that it has a hologram and serial number to prove its authenticity.

Health Canada says it best: “As described in the Botox product monograph, Botox should only be prescribed and administered by a physician. If Botox is used in any way other than that described in the product monograph, it would be considered to be a contravention of the Food and Drugs Act.”

For more information on Kelowna BOTOX ® Treatments by licensed physicians, contact DermMedica toll free at 1-866-861-3070.

BOTOX ® Makes You Smoking Hot!

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Eating right and exercising. We hear of these two things all the time being touted as natural methods of feeling and looking young. And who wouldn’t want to feel and look young, right? It’s got to feel good to be confused for someone who is ten years younger than you, doesn’t it?

Oddly enough, it seems as if some of the things that some of us do to feel good just end up just making us feel bad. Consider smoking, for example. Most of my friends who still smoke cigarettes (thankfully, there isn’t many of them anymore) claim that the act of smoking relaxes them.

And while it’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t enjoy a little relaxation, it’s pretty hard to find anything healthful about inhaling cigarette smoke. I’m pretty sure you’ve heard just about every possible ailment that can occur at the hands of cigarettes, not the least of which is lung cancer. Just in case you haven’t though, pick up any box of cigarettes and it will tell you itself!

So don’t worry, you won’t be reading your standard “quit smoking” speech in today’s blog. But you will be informed about yet another reason to put cigarettes down. Did you know they cause wrinkles? That’s right. As our main DermMedica website explains, smoking is one of a few environmental factors that can contribute to wrinkles, especially around the mouth area.

Still feel like lighting up? Needless to say, cigarettes literally take years off of your life. But they make you look as if your aging a lot quicker as well. In addition, to yellow teeth and bad breath, the effects of cigarette smoking include reduced collagen levels in your skin. This is how wrinkles are formed.

As Megan Smith of eHow.com explains it, the additives in cigaretts contain toxins that can damage your skin. With reduced collagen, your skin loses the circulation it once had and therefore becomes prone to sagging and drooping. Second-hand smoke, by the way, has a similar effect. So if you’re a non-smoker hanging out with someone while they are puffing away, you aren’t doing yourself any favours.

So here are a couple of obvious tips. 1) Quit smoking and 2) Stay away from people when they are smoking! It cannot be stressed enough how much this will improve your health and your overall ability to live a healthy and wrinkle-free life. But what about those of us who have already developed those wrinkles?

As you may have guessed BOTOX ® Cosmetic is one of the most popular treatments that eliminates wrinkles. For more information about Kelowna BOTOX ® Treatments and how this exciting procedure can help you look and feel younger, contact DermMedica toll free at 1-866-861-3070. A lifetime of smoking doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t look smoking yourself!

BOTOX ® Helps Win The War On Sun Damage

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“Don’t go outside without your hat on!” I can still hear it now. Just as I’m sure you can recall your mother screaming at you as you headed out the door to partake in a snowball fight or snowman-building contest as a child. I’m not sure what it is that always made us neglect that all-important head covering as a kid, but it’s a good thing our moms didn’t.

Obviously, it’s important to keep your head warm during the winter. But don’t be surprised if the moms of today (and of the future) utter the same advice to kids going out to play during the summer time as well. As per usual, our blogs champion the practice of proper skin care all year round. And part of that is protecting it from the sun at all costs.

It should go without saying that sunscreen should be a regular part of everyone’s day – during all four seasons of the year. In addition, wearing a hat to protect your head and face from the sun’s harmful UV rays should be just as important as putting one on to stay warm during the cold winter months.

In last week’s blog, I discussed how BOTOX ® Cosmetic can aid with a type of sun damage known as actinic keratosis. But the “crusty skin” affect is not the only type of impact the sun has on us all. Seborrheic keratosis is another type of sun damage that we should all try to avoid.

This type refers to non-cancerous (thankfully!), wart-like growths on the skin’s surface. It often occurs in people north of 40 years of age. However, that doesn’t mean us youngsters should avoid the shade. In fact, research shows that the condition tends to run in families.

Sometimes seborrheic keratosis may be confused for birthmarks. But if you detect any spots on your skin that you haven’t noticed before, it would be advisable for you to contact a skin care professional. Commonly, evidence of seborrheic keratosis is found on the face, chest, shoulders and back but may appear in other areas.

Generally, they are painless but they may become irritable and begin to cause some itching. Usually, the warts are brown in colour and have raised flat surfaces. Some are a bit rougher or rounder appearance. In many cases, warts will appear in isolated spots but they may also grow in concentrated areas.

On the main DermMedica site, there is further information on how BOTOX ® Cosmetic can assist patients who are suffering from sun damage, including seborrheic keratosis. If you have any concerns or questions about this condition or Kelowna BOTOX ® Treatments, help is just a phone call away. You can contact DermMedica toll free at 1-866-861-3070.

BOTOX ® Smoothens Sun Damaged Skin

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Botox Cosmetic in Kelowna at DermMedicaSince the beginning of the new year, I have been posting a number of blogs, on the official DermMedica website, that discuss the various things that we can all do to take care of our skin. Proper skin care, amongst most people, I have found, is something that is all-too-often neglected.

“It’s winter, why do I need sunscreen?” is a common response from my friends who I speak to about the subject. Knowing that we are in the dead of winter, I still choose to ask them if they have applied any for the day. I realize that they haven’t but choose to make the point that skin care is not a seasonal activity. In fact, when there is snow on the ground, the sun uses it as an accomplice to send its UV rays to your skin.

Last week, I discussed how BOTOX ® Cosmetic can aid in the treatment of hyperhidrosis, which is a condition that produces excessive sweating. But, of course, this popular treatment’s benefits don’t stop there. With so many of us forgetting that the sun is actually an enemy to our skin if not properly protected, sun damage has become a common problem. Thankfully, BOTOX ® Cosmetic can provide a solution.

The most common form of sun damage is actinic keratosis. According to ActinicKeratosis.ca, this uncomfortable ailment occurs on parts of the body that have been overexposed to the sun. It creates a scaly or crusty texture and can sometimes mark the onset of skin cancer.

This condition, tells the website, is most prevalent in those with fairer skin. The risk of getting actinic keratosis increases with age as well. Thankfully, this skin condition is generally painless although it’s no fun to either look at or touch. In fact, one of the main long-lasting effects of this ailment is wrinkling of the skin.

This is where BOTOX ® Cosmetic comes in. As our main DermMedica website explains, BOTOX ® Cosmetic blocks nerve impulses to injected muscles reducing their activity that causes wrinkles to form. The resting of these muscles allows for a smoother and younger appearance of one’s skin.

To better discover how BOTOX ® Cosmetic may assist you with sun damage-caused wrinkles, contact DermMedica toll free at 1-866-861-3070. And, in the meantime, stay out of the sun unless you plan on using sunscreen. And yes, I know it’s the winter time, but remember that there is no good time of year to neglect your skin!

How BOTOX ® Can Battle B.O. in Kelowna

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I remember hearing stories about Paul when I was a kid and they used to make me laugh. It wasn’t that my mother was telling me these stories to give me a chuckle either. In fact, she wasn’t telling me the stories at all. I simply overheard them whenever she would reminisce about her childhood with her sister. I’m not even sure if she knew I was eavesdropping.

Paul, you see, was forced to live with an odor that he apparently had no way of eliminating. “He would literally use an entire bar of soap to bathe,” my mom would recall, “And he would still have B.O.” My mom and her sister were friends with Paul and often came to his defense when the other kids made fun of him. “He had a condition,” she insisted, “It wasn’t right to tease.”

When I started researching various skin conditions and the procedures that treat them for my blogs, I took a special interest in BOTOX ® Cosmetic. This was mainly due to the fact that my Aunt Candy once underwent a quick procedure to rid herself of what she referred to as “unbearable frown lines”. And my Aunt Candy has never been a person known for frowning.

And while BOTOX ® Cosmetic is certainly an ideal treatment for facial wrinkles, I learned that it is also impeccable in the treatment of Hyperhidrosis. Some of you may be thinking the same thing that I was when I first heard of this peculiar condition. Hyperhiwhat? Hyperhidrosis, or HH, is pretty much a fancy way to describe excessive sweating.

I couldn’t help but think of my mother’s stories of Paul when I learned about HH. “He couldn’t seem to stop sweating,” she remembers of him, “He often walked with a rag or handkerchief in his pocket because of it.” Could Paul have been suffering from Hyperhidrosis? And if so, how could a treatment that fixes wrinkles have helped him?

On the main DermMedica website, there is a fascinating explanation of how BOTOX ® Cosmetic can assist patients who are experiencing excessive sweating. It’s known as BOTOX ® Therapeutic and is a procedure by which prescription medicine is injected into the skin to temporarily block the sweat glands from producing excess sweat.

Now, I know first hand how excellent the results of BOTOX ® Cosmetic can be. My Aunt Candy couldn’t be happier with the smoother, younger and “less agitated” appearance of her skin. But to discover how much BOTOX ® Therapeutic may be able to assist you, be sure to contact DermMedica toll free regarding Kelowna BOTOX ® Treatments at 1-866-861-3070.

If only we knew how to contact Paul to fill him in about BOTOX ® Therapeutic. Perhaps, he has already discovered it. And then again, we don’t know the exact cause of his excessive sweating and resulting body odor. But I certainly know a couple of people who wish him the best and hope that he is living the “sweet life”!

Medical uses for Botox in Kelowna

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Although Botox is a naturally occurring substance, it can be used as an effective and powerful medication. At our Botox clinic in Kelowna, we use it primarily for cosmetic purposes but a few medical ones as well.

Researchers discovered in the 1950s that injecting overactive muscles with minute quantities of Botox would result in decreased muscle activity by blocking the release of acetylcholine from the neuron by preventing the vesicle where the acetylcholine is stored from binding to the membrane where the neurotransmitter can be released. This will effectively weaken the muscle for a period of three to four months.

In cosmetic applications, a Botox injection, consisting of a small dose of botulinum toxin, can be used to prevent development of wrinkles by paralyzing facial muscles. As of 2007, it is the most common cosmetic operation, with 4.6 million procedures in the United States, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Qualifications for Botox injectors vary by county, state and country. Botox cosmetic providers include dermatologists, plastic surgeons, aesthetic spa physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, nurses and physician assistants. The wrinkle preventing effect of Botox lasts for approximately three to four months, up to six months.

In addition to its cosmetic applications, Botox is currently used in the treatment of spasms and dystonias, by weakening involved muscles, for the 60-70 day effective period of the drug. The main conditions treated with botulinum toxin are:

Cervical dystonia (spasmodic torticollis) (a neuromuscular disorder involving the head and neck)
Blepharospasm (excessive blinking)
Severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating)
Strabismus (Squints)
Achalasia (failure of the lower oesophageal sphincter to relax)
Local intradermal injection of BTX-A is helpful in chronic focal neuropathies. The analgesic effects are not dependent on changes in muscle tone.
Migraine and other headache disorders, although the evidence is conflicting in this indication.
Excessive sweating is a condition for the treatment of which FDA has approved the use of Botox.

Kelowna BOTOX ® Treatments

Dr. Craig Crippen MD ABPh DPD

Kelowna Botox – The use of “bad Botox” with Dr. Oz recently

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showed us that all Botox cosmetic and skin care providers are not created equal. It is simple for someone to purchase black market Botox and then inject this into someone. The problem with “black market Botox” is that there is no way to know what is in the bottle. It could be harmless and useless saline or it could be the actual bacteria itself which is lethal to humans in large enough doses.

There is only one company on the planet that makes and uses the name “Botox”, and that is Allergan, a very large multinational corporation that is committed to safety and rigorous testing of the product that ensures high quality control.

The number one way to tell you may not be getting real Botox is the price, if it is too good to be true, then you should steer clear of that establishment or individual. Only licensed, reputable skin care clinics should be providing this service, and additionally you should be having your treatment performed by a real Physician who has graduated from an accredited Medical School. I think health is the most important thing to cherish, why risk it to save a few extra dollars.

You can read more about Botox and how it works here on our site
Botox in Kelowna with Dr. Crippen

Kelowna Botox – What to expect with a Botox treatment in Kelowna with Dr. Crippen

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I thought that it would be good to walk you through the entire process so that you know exactly what to expect when getting a kelowna Botox treatment.

Firstly, call and book an appointment.

We try to make your visit from when you arrive to when you leave as warming and comforting as possible.

Upon arriving at the office, you will need to check in and then from there you will be brought in to meet with one of our consultants.

During the consulting session, we will sit down and answer any questions or concerns.  During the meeting feel free to let them know what are interested in getting done or information you would like.  Remember, we are here for you, so the more questions you ask, then the more answers we can give to ease your comfort.  From what you are looking at doing, we will then give some recommendations about some of the botox treatments and then talk you through what the process is and how it works and what to expect.

The next step is to meet with myself.  Here, I will review the notes of the consultant and then answer any additional questions or concerns you may have.  Please don’t hesitate to ask questions, as silly as you may feel they are, as I want to make sure that you are as comfortable about the process and procedure as possible.  Once again, I will walk you through the procedure, as I am the one that will be administering it and to let you know what to expect before and after the treatment.

Next is the Botox treatment itself.  There is very little discomfort in the treatment itself and the entire process is pretty quick.  It will be over before you know it.

Once completed, you will be given information on your kelowna Botox treatment that you can take home and read, and then we will book with you a follow up appointment in 2 weeks.

Dr. Crippen
DermMedica – Kelowna Vein and Skin Solutions. Since 1994.

Kelowna Botox – When Choosing someone for a kelowna botox treatment

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It seems like everyone is advertising the ability to do kelowna botox these days.  A Botox Treatment is non-invasive, can be quickly performed, and in my opinion one of the safest drugs.  However, the biggest problems come when you are getting treatments by someone who does not know what they are doing.

So, Tip number one is to choose a company that has a licensed physician doing the procedures.  Choosing a licensed doctor will mean that you are choosing not someone who has gone through a quick course to be allowed to use the product, but someone that has spent years of schooling and practical experience to gain the understanding of not just giving an injection, but understands the entire body and how it works and functions and know where and where not to do botox injections correctly.

Remember this is your body.  You have to live with the effects of the treatment with whomever you choose.  So, choosing someone not qualified because it is a good deal, sometimes is not the best choice.

I have literally treated thousands of patients and have met with some prospective patients who have made poor choices and the results that it creates.  The side effects alone of letting someone unskilled should be enough to help you in choosing a licensed physician.

Tip 2.  Do some research.  Set up an appointment with the clinic and when you visit, ask for a tour.  What does the place look like?  Is it clean?  Do they have licensed staff or nurses to help?  Do you feel comfortable there?  Were they helpful, kind and did you feel like they really cared about you?  Ask lots of questions.  Here are some helpful hints:

  • Who actually performs the treatment?
  • How does botox work?
  • How does kelowna differ in Botox treatment?
  • Is Botox Safe?
  • What are the advantages of Botox or Filler Injections?
  • What should I expect to happen?

Dr. Crippen
DermMedica – Kelowna Vein and Skin Solutions. Since 1994.