In Ontario, patients who have abdominal skin that hangs over the groin crease and have a history of bad skin infections or other complications can ask their surgeon to apply for insurance (OHIP) coverage of a panniculectomy (removal of a skin apron). Depending on the severity of the pannus, this can be a life-saving operation, and at minimum will dramatically improve your quality of life. The operation is not intended as a cosmetic procedure, and we are careful to demonstrate at our consultations the limits of a panniculectomy and the benefits of adding an abdominoplasty (cosmetic) to the procedure. An abdominoplasty is much less expensive if a panniculectomy is already…

We don’t advertise our proficiency in treating skin lesions, and that is probably unfair to the many people who are troubled by ‘minor’ problems and don’t know who to see for advice and treatment. One of the commonest questions we are asked is “do you use a laser?”. Lasers are useful when there is a lesion under the skin surface that is coloured differently than the surrounding skin. Purple or red vascular lesions are best treated by laser, and we will refer patients to colleagues with expertise in this approach. Aside from this indication, most skin lesions are best treated by meticulous surgical technique under magnificiation, followed by expert wound…