Benign Lesions

Dr vanVliet has a strong interest in all things skin and is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.

Earlobe Repair

Earlobes can become elongated and thin with attenuated pierce sites as a normal process of aging. We can accelerate this process if we wear heavy earrings or have deliberately stretched our earlobes with plugs. Occasional pierce sites tear and the torn earlobe develops a cleft deformity. These are all amenable to surgical repair, under local anesthesia, with minimal scar and with excellent restoration of earlobe shape. Surgery does mean you temporarily lose your pierce site but you will be able to re-pierce the ear within 3 to 6 months of your surgery. Recovery time is minimal and sutures are usually in for 10-14 days. Dr vanVliet also manages ear keloidal scars with a combination of treatments.

Moles

Moles, also referred to as nevi are generally harmless and can be raised, flat and a variety of colours ranging from brown, pink, tan and even blue. Moles rarely degenerate into cancer but they do change over our lifetime. Hormonal fluctuations, like during pregnancy or puberty, can incite growth of moles. Often as we age our moles become paler but more prominent – so that mole that was our ‘beauty mark’ in our 20s may become the prominent mole we get removed in our 50s. Dr vanVliet is adept at keeping incisions minimal and well aligned to minimize the appearance of scarring after mole removal. Commonly, stitches will be required. Occasionally, shave removal with a radio-frequency instrument will be utilized.

Sebaceous cysts

A sebaceous cyst is a benign growth that occurs when a sebaceous (oil) gland, in the deep skin layer, becomes plugged. Oil accumulates in the small gland or sac and as it does so it grows and becomes more prominent. Although they rarely cause symptoms or cause problems they can occasionally get tender. They can occur on any skin surface but most commonly on the face, scalp and upper back. Surgical excision removes the entire cyst and sutures will be required. Dr vanVliet keeps her surgical scar as small as possible so that you will have minimal scar. Recurrence rates after surgical excision are less than 1%.

Lipomas

Often referred to as the ‘carbuncles of Life’ these raised, waxy and warty lesions are common. They are benign and not contagious. There seems to be some familial predilection for developing them as we age, so likely there is some genetic basis for them. They often are numerous and may become irritated given their superficial ‘pasted on the skin’ appearance. They most commonly arise on the face, neck and trunk. These are amenable to local excision with sutures or with a shave removal of them – Dr vanVliet will determine the best approach for you based on their location and size.

Seborrheic Keratoses (SK)

Often referred to as the ‘carbuncles of Life’ these raised, waxy and warty lesions are common. They are benign and not contagious. There seems to be some familial predilection for developing them as we age, so likely there is some genetic basis for them. They often are numerous and may become irritated given their superficial ‘pasted on the skin’ appearance. They most commonly arise on the face, neck and trunk. These are amenable to local excision with sutures or with a shave removal of them – Dr vanVliet will determine the best approach for you based on their location and size.

Scar Revision: Scar Wars

Prominent scars commonly arise following trauma, burns, surgery or even from small inciting events such as acne flares or ear piercings. How a scar heals after an initial inciting injury has a lot to do with:
• Mechanism of injury: Surgical incisions are made with the least amount of trauma and their orientation can be carefully planned to reduce the risk of thick scar formation. Traumatic injuries such as dog bites, or burns tend to create thicker scars.
• Orientation of the injury
• Anatomical location: The central chest, earlobes, and joint lines (knees, shoulders) are more predisposed to prominent, thick scars.
• Gene stock: Certain ethnicities are more predisposed to thick scars and potentially keloidal scarring. In general, the darker the skin – the higher the risk of thick scar formation.
• Wound care: How you care for your injury in the acute setting really is incredibly impactful on how well you heal. Friction, desiccation and lack of appropriate protection following an injury or surgery can complicate early wound healing and contribute to poor scar formation.

As a Board Certified Plastic surgeon, Dr vanVliet is an expert in creating minimal scars during elective surgical procedures. She understands wound healing and how to create optimal conditions for uneventful healing with minimal scars – both intra- operatively and in the post-operative period.
Often Dr vanVliet is asked to manage patients with established problem scars. The management of these scars is multifaceted and will require full assessment by her in order to design an optimal treatment plan. Treatment options may include topical silicone, compression garments, steroid injections, light and laser therapy, or surgical revision. If you have scars of concern; whether they be acne scars, earlobe keloids or surgical scars – Dr vanVliet can help!

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COVID-19 Procedures

We are Open!

Spring Skin COVID Protocol:

 

Welcome to Spring Skin. As COVID restrictions lift, know that we will continue to work diligently behind the scenes, implementing our safety protocols to safe guard you as well as our team and our community.

We continue to work closely with local as well as governing medical authorities so that we can continue to offer our personalized services in the safest way possible. We are following the guidance of the BC Ministry of Health closely.

Along with our usual universal precautions practices, we will continue to implement the following safety precautions:

  • All appointments will continue to be by appointment only so we can honour social distancing in our clinic. Please ensure you are on time in order to help with patient flow and social distancing.
  • For all medical appointments, including your visit at Spring Skin you will be required to wear a protective mask. If you don’t have one we will provide one for you.
  • Medical grade hand sanitizer is available at the front desk and we will ask that you sanitize your hands upon entry into the clinic.
  • We ask you to limit your visit with us to just yourself or one care-giver if required
  • We would ask you to limit the amount of personal items you bring in to the clinic and to refrain from bringing in food or drink containers
  • All of our staff are double vaccinated against COVID and they are trained and equipped with their PPE to ensure every one’s safety.
    • We wash our hands between each individual patient and each procedure.
    • All clinic surfaces, and equipment are disinfected before and after every patient visit

If you are scheduled for an appointment with us please call if you have:

  • Any cold or flu-like symptoms, specifically fever, cough or shortness of breath?
  • Have had contact with anyone who has these symptoms or who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or the flu?
  • Recently travelled internationally without being doubly vaccinated?

If yes to any of the above questions we ask you to defer your appointment with us at least 14 days.  We appreciate your cooperation and will be happy to assist you with any rescheduling required.

If you would like to schedule an appointment or have questions please contact us by phone: 250-931-3110 or Email us: info@springskin.ca

Sincerely,
Dr Deborah vanVliet

HA Boost your skin this summer!

With Micro-Infusion Gold Intensive Skin Nourishment and Hydration

Our favourite summer time offering at Spring Skin for HA skin boosting.

This bio-regenerative treatment combines the benefits of an advanced, micro-injection technique and customized HA based, therapeutic skin cocktails, tailored to your unique skin needs.

Our July special:

For the ultimate glow: Bundle of 3 facial Micro-Infusion Gold sessions for $1795 and receive a complimentary HydraFacial treatment – Savings of $500

Not sure, want to give it a try? Purchase one Micro-Infusion Gold for your face for $695 and add your neck and chest, on the house! (savings of $200)

Valid until July 31, 2023
Book now or call us at: 250-931-3110

Book An Appointment

At Spring Skin, we offer a wide array of Surgical and Aesthetic Procedures.

Aesthetic Consultations and those MedSpa services that fall within our Spring Skin Express Menu (PDF) can be booked directly online.

Procedures requiring prior consultation

Many of our Procedures require prior consultation with Dr vanVliet and subsequent coordination and scheduling of treatments by contacting the office.

Skin Renewal Procedures

  • BBL HERO
  • Skin Boosters
  • Plasma Pen Eye treatments
  • Photo-dynamic therapy (PDT)
  • Plasma Rich Plasma (PRP)
  • Micro-needling

Facial Contour Procedures

  • Silhouette InstaLift threads
  • Injectables: Toxins, HA Fillers, Sculptra