Blog For Free!
Archives
Home
2009 December
2009 November
2009 October
2009 September
2009 August
2009 July
2009 June
2009 May
2009 April
2009 March
2009 February
2009 January
2008 December
2008 November
2008 October
2008 September
2008 August
2008 July
2008 June
2008 May
2008 April
2008 March
2008 February
2008 January
2007 December
2007 November
2007 October
2007 September
2007 August
2007 July
2007 June
2007 May
2007 April
2007 March
2007 February
2007 January
2006 December
2006 November
2006 October
2006 September
2006 August
2006 July
2006 June
2006 May
2006 April
2006 March
2006 February
2006 January
2005 December
2005 November
2005 October
2005 September
2005 August
2005 July
2005 June
2005 May
2005 April
2005 March
2005 February
2005 January
2004 December
2004 November
2004 October
2004 September
2004 August
2004 July
2004 June
2004 May
2004 April
2004 March
2004 February
2004 January
2003 December
2003 November
My Links
My Photoblog
100 Things About me
My flickr stuff
Are you here?
tBlog
My Profile
Send tMail
My tFriends
My Images
Sponsored
Blog
| Never again! |
| 05.27.06 (9:54 am) [edit] |
|
Before I go on about what my title is about, I watched some Oprah yesterday since a couple of the cast members from Grey's Anatomy were on. I think I must love Isaiah Washington's acting even more now. Dr. Burke doesn't have Isaiah's accent. Anyhow, as much as I don't want to, I might skip my workout today to save my face. Yesterday, I went to my Nd-YAG scan appointment, so today, my face is more than a little irritated. Before I rant about how unprofessional this service provider is...I'll just talk about what's happened to my face. I knew it would be somewhat irritated, but I'm just really inflamed right now. It's splotchy and swollen. I'm sure I am supposed to stay out of the sun right now -- not that there is much out here today. I think the last time I had my treatment, I was recommended to not sweat?? I just don't want to risk irritating my face and making it worse than it already is. That's why I tend to want to get these treatments right before a long weekend, so it can rest. Anyway, I have been going to Richmond Laser Skin Care off and on for the last year to repair the damage to my face from acne (I still can't get over how I haven't gotten one breakout since I had my bed moved!!). THAT PLACE IS HORRIBLE. I cringe that that business is so good for the clinic owner, Dr. Phoebus Wong. He is just out there to make as much money as possible. I'm not sure he's very ethical. I heard he went into skin care when he did something bad as a medical doctor. I am not sure. I have not seen the results that he claims to be able to give...because every time I see him, he changes my treatment suggestions. When you call to make an appointment to see him for a consultation, he makes you wait a month. Apparently, he's a very busy man, BUT if you want to make an appointment for a treatment, they can almost fit you in the day you call. The first time I saw him, he prescribed some lotions and tried to sell me stuff from his skin care line. Actually, the time he spends with patients is very little. He has his staff to sell his products for him and lots of staff doing a lot of the procedures and treatments. And you always have to wait at least half an hour before anyone can see you after you get there. I HATE THAT. He did recommend some procedures for me, but I held off. Each of his treatments are typically around $200 each, and multple treatments are always required. The second time I saw him, it was pretty much the same thing. He recommended 4-6 treatments of the Nd:YAG scan and a couple sessions of Photodynamic Therapy. I eventually went for one Nd:YAG scan treatment. I did some research on the 'net afterwards. They were supposed to tell me stop using my Retin-A cream for a few days before my treatment. (The cream thins out your skin), but they told me to stop using it the night before. I just HATE how this "doctor" is so greedy. Every time he sees me, he asks me if I am a student. He wants to know if I can afford his treatments. One time he told the creams would only do so much for me and I should go his procedures. Another time he told me the creams would just take longer. But yesterday was the LAST STRAW. My appointment was at 5, and I left the office at 6:30. The procedure took about 5 minutes. So what happened? 1. I arrived at the office. The asshole was setting himself up to sell me his newest FRAXEL treatment. It's so powerful that I would only need 1 - 2 treatments. Then he told me that I was getting wasn't going to do me anything, but he didn't tell me to not do it. I'll say more about FRAXEL later. He did not answer my question of "what are my next steps?" I wanted to know how many more times I had to go back to his frickin' office and was he going to recommend me any more creams? 6. With my face no longer chilly...I got another ice pack, and the technician came. We started the procedure. The "doctor" said it would take a weekend to recover. Nope -- 7 - 10 days is what the technician told me, and it's ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS A TREATMENT. That "doctor" is an asshole. And your face turns blue for a day or two after the treatment, and for the rest of the recovery time, your face is all red. And you are required to go in two hours prior to your treatment to get numbing cream put on your face. Why the hell would anyone want to go through this? I guess the same people who want face lifts...
She said patients usually put the cream on their own faces, but she would give me a treat. I would have much rather put the cream on my own face because I would have slathered it on all over in a thick layer!!! And she never took her gloves off the whole time we were in the room. She had been touching machinery...the FRAXEL book...everything. I don't think her hands were that clean. And she had only been doing this for THREE MONTHS. I fear for my face. It was peeling last night. Now it's just irritated, like I've been sunburned. It took a long time for me to feel recovered from last time. That's why it took me so long to go back (and the cost was a factor, too). What the Nd:YAG scan does is that the laser goes over your face and it makes your skin produce more collagen. For me, the pits left from the acne would get filled, sort of. And over my time, my skin would smooth out. And then I could have gotten another treatment to even out the skin tone. Well, forget that. I am NEVER going back to that place AGAIN. I am sure there are other places that are a little less greedy should i want to spend money on such services again. I'll just look for different skin care products. |
posted by: katz (reply)
post date: 05.27.06 (5:10 pm)
do you think that they timed it so that the machine would stop during treatment to do a plug for the fraxel line??
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 05.28.06 (7:22 pm)
Reply to: katz
Man, I could see them doing something like that! But I doubt they did.
posted by: judypatooote (reply)
post date: 05.29.06 (5:54 am)
Yes Rosie, do stay away from that Dr. he sounds like a nut job.....That certainly was a sign.....I am going to a new doctor tues. for my fam. dr. is a young (30's) girl and I loved her, but I got some signs, and the last sign was when I took my precription to get filled, they found she wrote another patients name on the precription. duh! red light.......
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 05.29.06 (8:49 am)
Reply to: LadyG
Thankfully, my face is not so irritated anymore, but it's peeling a little (like it is supposed to, I think...eek *L*). I'd heard from other people who'd gone to him who really liked their results. Lucky them!
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 05.29.06 (8:49 am)
Reply to: judypatooote
Why is it so hard to find a good doctor??
posted by: justme (reply)
post date: 01.09.07 (11:41 pm)
Let me tell ya, light scarring and whats worse, red marks left from acne, is probably one of the worst "usual" disfigurement a person can have, it can totally downright destroy one's self image. In Vancouver, there just arent enough derms out there that can really do much for us, and every single Ive been to is either in it to make money, or just give us false hope. The only docs out there that Ive experienced after Dr Ho from the VGH and doctor Carruthers on broadway, because theyre more honest about your condition and wont force you into doing stuff you dont need. Im going to see Phoebus Wong this Friday and see what he can do for my red marks (Ive had these for over a year, some have lasted over 2+ years), after my experience with many derms out there, Im sure I can tell if this guy is just another SOB or not within 5 minutes of talking to me, but Im afraid he wont even spend more than 5 minutes talking to me about my conditions. And 1k for fraxel? The TOP surgeons in the states charge those amounts, what makes Dr Wong think he's even within that range? Thats ridiculous.
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 01.10.07 (9:42 am)
Reply to: justme
I hope your visit with Phoebus works out. I think some people who didn't require a lot of "work" had good results. He will promise you anything...as long as you pay for his services. Good luck!
As for my skin, the scarring isn't so horrible, but I still have the pits. I will just live with them. I found the best thing for me that was somewhat cost-effective were the creams.
If you come back to this blog, I hope you give me an update on how your appointment went!
posted by: its me again (reply)
post date: 01.13.07 (1:40 am)
Well today I met with Dr Phoebuswong down in richmond at his clinic. First thing that striked me about that place is how much it looked like a shoe store and had that whole vibe rather than a place where a geniue doctor may work in. Well, I guess whatever works for him. I went over to the counter and saw two girls there, caked with a pound of makeup on each of their faces, for a second I thought I had entered the wrong store. At that moment I knew that this place was definetly rolling in dough, and I wasnt so sure about their results (at no time during the consultation did I see any before or after pics FROM this clinic itself, just promo pics in binders that every office already has). Right away I was asked to pay the 40 bucks, before I even saw that doc..... okay..... so all my (low) expectations were already met......
5 minutes after I was seated, I finished most of the form, the "nurse" pulled me into a private room, not a smile on her face, no humor, definetly the whole "out of touch" feeling grew deeper and deeper. I sat down, she didnt even close the door. We got a couple of snapshots of myself and she uploaded them onto the computer. Another 20 minutes passed, the doc came in. I was expecting him to get out of there asap but actually he did take some time and chatted with me.
The most positive thing from today was that he used this magnifying google/helmet thing and looked deeply into my scars/red marks. He tells me that the redness will go away with either vbeam or fraxel, but fraxel would be better cuz it will take care of the shallow (he calls them very early stage) boxcar scars. He says my scarring is quite minimal, its just the redness that sticks out, so I would benifit greatly from 3 or 4 fraxels. And of course, he told me about their 4xfraxel promotion which would come out as 2800 (regular price @ 3800, offer only lasts until end of jan.). He gave me I guess a more honest outlook on everything, maybe more than I expected. At the same time I know quite a lot about these types of lasers, and general skin care products, he was actually somewhat surprised, which was good, as I sort of let him know not to jerk me around as Im not some random guy he can take advantage of.
Right now the problem is the price. He said I will probably get good results from only 3 to 4 treatments, but he also warns me about how 10-20 percent of his patients may experience dark pigmentation for weeks/months after these treatments (temporary). I cant really afford the down time, otherwise how can i finance these treatments? He wants to pretreat me with hydroquione, which Dr jang from skinworks (a horrible "derm") sold me in the form of obagi (which is never met to treat acne scarring/redness in the first place). I dont work well with HQ creams, and if i do get darker skin afterwards, Im going to have a tough time lightening everything up. Do I want to speak 3k on treatments that I know MAY benifit me, but at the same time, may lead to MORE problems? Or do I wait, and maybe try arbutus laser?
I left that place feeling slightly more relieved, as I felt that fraxel may actually be quite hopeful..... but on the same token, I know these lasers were never really made with asian skin in mind, but then again fraxel is as good as it gets right now..... I think before the month ends I must make a choice, whether I go to dr wong or maybe arbutus laser..... either way I will give fraxel a shot. Ive read good stories AND bad ones about it (redness/pain/NEW scars from fraxel, little to 10% results from multiple treatments).
All in all, I think Dr wong isnt a bad doctor, hes quite capable of doing good work. He even jokingly said "I really hate it when people are not happy with me", when he basically promised me that my results will be significant and shouldnt have any side effects.... but when the treatments are gonna go down, he aint gonna be the guy doing it, it will be one of those robotic "nurses", whom I dont know if I can really trust. I guess we'll just have to see.
posted by: oh and one more thing (reply)
post date: 01.13.07 (1:50 am)
Both he and the nurse tells me that I should get my whole face treated rather than just my cheeks were the scars are..... now is it wise? He says that my cheeks will stand out for a long time (im guessing hes warning me about the hypopigmentation) so its better if my whole face got darker than just parts of it..... maybe Im reading too deeply into this but doesnt that mean its going to hurt me more by doing fraxel to parts of my face that dont really need it?
posted by: oops? (reply)
post date: 01.13.07 (1:48 pm)
haha you should delete some of my posts..... my computer keeps screwing up.... sry about that
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 01.17.07 (9:10 am)
Reply to: ??
Thanks for giving me the update! I'm glad your experience with Dr. Wong was somewhat pleasant. I had high hopes with my first consultation too. What do you think you'll do?
I'm surprised you mentioned Fraxel wasn't meant for Asian skin. I think almost all of Dr. Wong's clients are Asian. I also don't see the point of getting your whole face done if the other parts are fine. And Fraxel seems really painful!! OOOUCH!
posted by: yes (reply)
post date: 01.18.07 (12:10 am)
I didnt see any reasons as to do my whole face as most of red marks/scars are on my cheeks. He said if i only get my cheeks done, the pigments will really stand out. RIght now i think its best if i dont rush into fraxel yet. Its expensive and theres no guarantee of anything. Ill look around and see if theres anything else that can get rid of my red marks first. I might try a couple sessions of vbeam or the new genesis laser, since theyre both much cheaper. If those dont work, i might do fraxel later on, discount or no discount.
The worst part about going to dr wong is i doubt he'll do the treatments himself. I really want to say, unless it is HE who does my face, and unless he can guarantee me results, i really dont want to be going to him. But then again, hes the only asian doctor around that has experience with fraxel on asian skin. So right now im really at a loss.
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 01.18.07 (9:14 am)
Reply to: yes
I read about some other new procedure that does that same sort of thing in this month's Elle magazine. I can't remember what it's called, but I should look it up for you!
Yeah, I highly doubt Dr. Wong will do it. I'm not sure if he does any procedures at all although I think the last girl who lasered my face said that Dr. Wong dealt with really difficult cases. I still don't trust his practices!
posted by: ha (reply)
post date: 01.29.07 (8:19 pm)
i went to v.ho from vgh today, when i spoke to him about dr wong, this guy just shooke his head, "you know hes not even a derm right? hes only a GP"..... so much for dr wong, not gonna go back to him again.
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 01.30.07 (12:10 am)
Reply to: ha
At least you found out! Who is this v.ho?? And what is your next step going to be?
posted by: hey (reply)
post date: 01.30.07 (3:01 am)
just email me: christpunchers(at)gmail-dot-com for you next response.
dr vincent ho is from the vgh skincare centre. you can either get a referral from your GP for a free consult, otherwise it will cost you 68.50 but that can count towards the treatment, and if you DO get a treatment, the consult fee will take care of you for the next 6 months (you can basically drop by at any time for free, but only if you first sign up for one treatment though).
i visited him last july, back then i was still a "novice" in all things lasers, i was doing ipls just because my other derm only had that machine and he was just milking my money for what its worth; ipls dont really help with red marks healing from acne, it can even make it worse. since my last ipl ive been doing a lot of research on basically all types of lasers.
posted by: (reply)
post date: 01.30.07 (3:02 am)
vincent ho is a very honest doc, complete opposite of dr jang, more honest than dr. carruthers (who did my ipls), and DEFINETLY not like dr wong. today, 6 months after i saw him, i went to his office again, 6 months ago, he gave me 4 advice 1) do not do any more ipls, they are totally useless (lol too late), 2) peels (gycolic, whatever else) will do nothing for me 3) do not go with erbium lasers, or co2 lasers, i dont need it, they are too invasive 4) either do a vbeam type laser or leave my red marks.
posted by: (reply)
post date: 01.30.07 (3:02 am)
i told him about how ive research all the different types of lasers out there, vbeam, nd:yag, fraxel, co2, etc etc, and about how doctor wong recommanded me to do fraxel instead of vbeam. i told him that dr wong was very very pushy. he told me about how dr wong isnt even a god damn derm, and that my skin will benefit more from a vbeam type of laser, infact, had i gone with the fraxels, my shallow scarring may or may not have improved (a gamble), but my red marks may have even more prolonged redness! i then said "yeah, they were just trying to sell me stuff.... which i guess were going to be quite useless in the long run", he then said "the doctors at VGH will never sell you anything that will not help you or tell you to do something that wont help you but lie to your face just to make some money, thats not how i do things, its not useless as youve said.... what dr wong and these other derms do out there are quite FRAUDULANT." thank god i saw vincent ho today, i crossed off dr wong off my list. i TRULY feel that vincent ho is probably one of the VERY VERY FEW honest derms out there that can give you the 100% truth and not 1% lie, because hes not driven by money at all.
posted by: (reply)
post date: 01.30.07 (3:02 am)
my plans now? vincent ho can do a laser which is known as the gemini, from laserscope. he says i have a 50/50 chance of improving my red marks, plus he says this is safer and better than vbeam, as theyve had the vbeam machines at the hospital but the gemini lasers replaced them. with the gemini machine there is zero downtime, i told him i had blistering from ipl and he tells me with this machine i wont have any problem, it is very safe, and full results will be shown after 6 weeks after one treatment. one gemini treatment is only 250/session, cheaper than what i paid for the ipls, so ive got nothing to lose. also he says if one gemini treatment does not produce my improvement he would not bother performing another session on me (if there is improvement i can do choose to do more over time, like with the vbeam).... hows that for honest?
posted by: (reply)
post date: 01.30.07 (3:03 am)
btw the hospital will soon be getting fraxel soon (he said within 6 months time). right now theyve having a trial to see if the machine is even worth purchasing. if i ever plan to do fraxel i will surely do it with vincent ho rather than most of the other derms out there.
posted by: (reply)
post date: 01.30.07 (3:03 am)
next week i plan on getting a referral from my GP to arbutuslaser(dot)com. they seem to have all the lasers out there, and they do peels too. i wanna see what dr boey can do for me. this place should be better than dr jang, dr wong, dr carruthers, combined, because you cant even get in without a doctor's referral. he has the latest vbeam machines, the gemini, laser genesis, and even fraxel, so i guess he must have seen it all. i wanna know if his opinion differs much from v.ho, but probably he will recommand vbeam for redness with a combination of gemini yag or genesis yag laser for the scarring.
posted by: (reply)
post date: 01.30.07 (3:04 am)
if everything goes well, i will either do the gemini with dr v.ho (he says he available generally within 2 weeks). if not then i will do whatever dr boey suggests, but trust me, if i were you, i wouldnt hesitate going to dr v.ho at all. just call this number, 604-875-4682, i guarantee you wont have a bad experience with this guy.
PS sorry about having to post stuff seperately, this blogsite wont let me post anything with dot-com in it and also i cant type for very long before it denies each of my posts.
posted by: and your right (reply)
post date: 01.30.07 (3:07 am)
his clinic is a joke..... all those skanks running that place. i cant believe there was a time when i held any interest in doing treatments with him... i mean just look at his nurses, theyve got 5 layers of makeup on their faces, tight blouses that push their chests upwards, thats not a derm's office, its more like A/X than anything. what a f**king joke.
posted by: Matt (reply)
post date: 09.07.08 (10:52 pm)
I went to Dr. Phoebus one day a few years back... I had a serious case of acne. His creams helped control it completely.... for about 2-3 years. Afterwards my skin started to adapt and I guess my hormones were changing more and more... so I eventually did accutane; which worked great.
As for the person wondering if they actually get any results in the form of before and after photos... yes, you should see mine! They just don't display them in the front desk. It would be unprofessional.
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 09.08.08 (10:00 am)
Reply to: Matt
I'm glad your experience with Phoebus worked out for you. Does he offer any long term solutions? It was scarring that I was going to see him for, but I found his clinic to be so unprofessional and so unsanitary that I could not go back. Are you still on Accutane? That is powerful stuff. My cousin used to take it and he is still suffering long-term side effects (one of them being shingles). I think he is part of a lawsuit right now.
posted by: Wong Fraud (reply)
post date: 09.14.08 (4:00 pm)
DO NOT go to Dr.Phoebus Wong aka Richmond Laser Skin Care, this guy is a total medical fraud.
One of my friend went to see him last year for skin resurfacing to remove sun spots and dr wong had recommended twosession of laser treatment which he charged couple hundred dollars in total. My friend later received BC medicare collection letters from the government and questioned her what kind of procedure she did in Dr.wong's office. Apparently this guy has been claiming money from B.C medicare by using her name; which we all know BC care card does not cover any cosmetic sugery,procedure or consulting fees.
My friends told me that Phoebus wong had asked for cash or personal checks only and his staff also took BC cardcard number, she had paid couple hundred dollars in total on top of that 40 dollars cash for initial skin consultation fees, nothing was coverd by BC medicare yet this guy also claimed money from the government.
Dr.Phoebus wong is a total medical fraud, he's charging money from his patient and at the same time possibly writing false medical reports to steal money from the Canadian government, our tax money.
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 09.15.08 (10:43 am)
Reply to: Wong fraud
OMG...That is insane! But so believable. Dr. Phoebus Wong still treats medical patients, but I hear he opened up the laser clinic in order to stay in the "medical" field but not be a medical doctor because of malpractice accusations!
I am always weary of places that accept cash or cheque only. Ugh, he is a dirty crook. After my experience with him years ago, I vowed to never spend any more money on services.
The only good thing is the sun bock he carries. I can't seem to find any other Canadian retailers that sell it!
posted by: summer (reply)
post date: 10.03.08 (6:39 pm)
I've just had an extremely bad experience with dr. jang. Has anyone out there had past problems with this women?
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 10.04.08 (9:20 am)
Reply to: summer
Nope, never even heard of Dr. Jang. Where is she?
posted by: dinn (reply)
post date: 10.19.08 (4:17 pm)
About 5 months ago, I went to visit Dr. Wong because of my acne. Then, he wrote me a prescription to get two different creams from the pharmacy. My face improved a lot as a result of those creams. I finished those creams, (since he charges money for visiting) I asked my family doctor to prescript those creams for me. What my family doctor said is that those creams will make my skin "thinner" so I better stop using them. I was scared, so I went back to dr. Wong and asked about the long term effect of those creams. He laughed and said dont trust the rumours from the laypeople, these creams have no negative effect. I am not sure if I should keep using the cream ==
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 10.19.08 (11:51 pm)
Reply to: dinn
I had Dr. Wong prescribe me creams at one point, and they did help. But it is true that they make your skin thinner, and depending on the cream, some of them are pretty strong. Long-term use is not good for your skin. And of course Phoebus Wong will tell you not to trust the "laypeople"! He wants you to keep using his services! If you want to have your acne problems solved, go to a real dermatologist and not some guy running a laser clinic who only wants your money!
posted by: j (reply)
post date: 01.02.09 (12:45 am)
i think you guys are over exaggerating, the fact that he has so many patients goes to say that he isnt as phony as you say he is. ive been there myself for a few different minor things live v-beam, and i have had great results. all i can say is that i wouldnt go for the lazer hair removal, i had it done three times out of the reccommended 4, but i still have the same amount of hair under my arms. all the other treatments went well though, but they are a bit pricey
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 01.05.09 (9:54 am)
Reply to: j
He has a lot of patients because they don't do their research, and they're entranced by the looks of his clinic. Most people commenting here have been going to get help for their skin problems...
posted by: hey its me again (reply)
post date: 02.11.09 (2:56 pm)
It's been a long time since I've posted here but let me give you some "insights" on the whole "skin care" profession in Vancouver.
Dr Wong is a "fun guy" to talk to but its very obvious that he's just a salesman. I wouldn't doubt for even a second that he is involved in a lot of bad *hit, since he is the ONLY clinic in town that does not accept credit cards, only checks and cash. Having read the post about him claiming money from the government, it doesn't surprise me one bit.
Second, he's not even GOOD at what he does. ANYONE can prescribe creams and lotions but when it comes to actually doing his treatments he RARELY does them himself, he's just the guy who over-watches the clinic and make sure people are coming in to pay for his lasers. He almost never recommend any non-laser treatments because those are usually cheaper and require less treatments so as a result he would lose out on money.
posted by: (reply)
post date: 02.11.09 (3:16 pm)
Third, it is true that you will get SOME results from Dr. Wong. But just so you know, this sleeze WILL prescribe you strong creams and strong lasers so you will have TEMPORARY results.
To the guy who asked if his cream will thin your skin. YES THEY WILL. He prescribed them to me as well. For acne he wants to have an antibiotic part mixed with an anti-inflammatory part which is a usually, hydrocortisone. This "cortisone" is actually a STERIOD used to temporary boost your body immune system thus toning down redness from pimples. It is the same stuff that doctors use to inject cystic acne and other large growth under the skin. What happens is that usually the injected material will shrink and "dissolve" itself overtime.
Hydrocortisone is NOT recommended to use on the face due to the nature of shrinking. If used once on a full moon then its okay but for daily use it is very dangerous. Over time, its use will thin your face, and the results are permanent. So your other doctor WASN'T lying, do NOT use Dr Wong's creams if you want long term results. Hydrocortisone is only useful extreme cases where inflammation MUST be toned down but then such cases are usually cystic acne, which in that case, an injection would be more useful. So as you can see, Dr. Wong is a firm believer in "quick-fixes" but in the long runs you will have more problems doing things his way.
When I saw him he really tried his best to get people onto his Fraxel program.
Sure you get some results but there has been many recent reports from people doing Fraxel a year or more ago that are now experiencing facial fat losses due to the severity of the treatment (you can google this up, this is why Fraxel's hype has died down so much). Like all lasers, the first week or two after the treatment your face, including all scars and defects like that would look better, simply due to your face swelling up. After the swelling goes down, the results disappears. Once again, Dr Wong's advocacy of "fast results" probably landed quite a few patients with problems that are going to appear down the road.
posted by: Betty (reply)
post date: 02.11.09 (5:20 pm)
I,myself, have been hit with serious case of darkening of the skin from Dr Wong's Fraxel.Instead of claiming me down, he suggested I tried another round of Fraxel to remove my scars and pigments.Only recently, I have talked to few who also had Fraxel done at his office, and they all had the same problem with darkening of the skin ( hyperpigmentation if I am not wrong).He should tell all his patient before selling his Fraxel program to anyone.
posted by: $$$$Wong (reply)
post date: 02.13.09 (1:06 am)
Amazing how busy he is despite all the comments on the net for easy search. When I found out about the no credit card or debit policy, I looked him up and stayed away. Why would a doctor asked for cash only? Surprised that he is still in business despite all the issues. Surprised that no one has sued his ass off. Too bad I am not a lawyer otherwise I would make a Sload of money off suing him for so many victims out there. Why wouldn't the government shut him down for tax evasion and medical fraud? Anyone in media should do a piece on him and how the government is not really protecting the public. Where is the licensing board or good old Revenue Canada.
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 02.16.09 (10:16 am)
Reply to: hey its me again
I do have to hand it to him for prescribing me creams at one point because there was one time that he didn't try to sell me anything. But as for the creams, there is only ONE pharmacy he recommends because they have some special machine. Whatever! I haven't gone back to his clinic for a really long time. But I do go back to buy sunblock. If I could get that sunblock somewhere else in Canada, I totally would!
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 02.16.09 (10:18 am)
Reply to:
I used his creams over the short-term, and they did help me. My thing was acne scarring. Actually his treatments didn't help me with my acne. Feng shui did. But my scarring has pretty much gone away over time. I am really glad I didn't get his treatments. He did say I would have to come back every year for touchups.
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 02.16.09 (10:20 am)
Reply to: Betty
Unfortunately, Phoebus isn't into giving his clients all the information out there so they can choose for themselves. He only wants to point out the good things about his services and how they will help. It's good to seek out different clinics for this kind of stuff.
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 02.16.09 (10:21 am)
Reply to: $$$$Wong
I really don't know how he stays in business. I guess there are people out there who like going to him because he is Chinese (I am sure most of his clinics are Asian). And there are people who want quick results no matter who is providing the service.
posted by: hey its me, again (reply)
post date: 02.17.09 (4:57 pm)
I'm the same guy who typed to this blog back in 2007.
Anyhow, more about Phoebus Wong. He is a scam. He is not a dermatologist yet he advertises himself to be some sort skin expert. And yes, his entire business depends on Chinese people coming in without any experience dealing with skincare clinics. There's been a new AD on the Chinese TV channels in Vancouver with some 25 year old Chinese girl who obviously never had a single pimple in her life yet they use her as an example of how great Dr Wong's treatments are. What a shame, he's not the godly doctor he advertises himself to be at all, he's just a salesman. Don't people even wonder why his nurses never make much chit-chat? It's because they know all the bad stuff this guy gets himself into, they're reluctant to get too friendly with the patients.
His treatments would usually range from very average to very useless. Plus he prescribes people to extreme treatments (Fraxel) when they don't even need it.
posted by: (reply)
post date: 02.17.09 (4:59 pm)
His creams are dangerous. Hydroquinone is one of the most dangerous skincare substance to be used, ESPECIALLY on asian skin. He gets everyone that goes his treatment to buy his $90 tube of this stuff to pre-bleach their skin. Then he gets them to do Fraxel, and as some of you may already know, Fraxel isn't best suited for Asian skin either because they tend to hyperpigmentate very easily when expose to high heat (from lasers, from sunlight, etc). After you're done with the Fraxel, I think Dr Wong wants the person to CONSTANTLY use hydroquinone, this is NOT a safe way to treat any problems at all, it's in-fact extremely dangerous. I'm not surprised at all that a lot of his patients are now experiencing skin darkening among other stuff due to the harsh creams Dr Wong gets people on.
posted by: (reply)
post date: 02.17.09 (5:08 pm)
You guys definitely have to look up his reviews on ratemds-dot-com, there are a lot of honest comments about him and other doctors in Vancouver as well. He treats his patients like a game and will not give the average girl the treatment she deserves. Unless you're a well known person in the community with a lot of money and influence he will not help you to his fullest extent because he doesn't have anything to gain in the long run. He's looking rich people that can promote his clinic, those to him are the patients, everyone else is just a BC Carecard that he'll scam off from. He's the only "doctor" that I know who wears turtle necks with no doctor's coat and expensive shiny jeans while driving a 80 grand car to work.
posted by: (reply)
post date: 02.17.09 (5:18 pm)
I mean where else do you see a "doctor" that doesn't wear a white coverall? It's just ridiculous. He always look like he's tired, too much drinking and what not from the night before and dresses up like he's going to a fashion show. And don't get started on his whole "radio" set that he wears, it's a JOKE. Nurses radio'ing him and each other back and forth? It's more like a shopping mall there than a doctor's office, you can't take this guy seriously at all.
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 02.17.09 (5:52 pm)
*L* To the person who originally replied two years ago, thanks :) I totally forgot about that doctor rating Web site even though I know I had it bookmarked at some point. I should go rate Phoebus there. He's definitely a salesman and not a doctor even though he does work out of a drop in medical clinic in Richmond.
posted by: To Rosie (reply)
post date: 02.17.09 (6:01 pm)
If you look at the very last review of him at ratemds:
Dr.Wong really cares about the skin and all the new technologies and advances in Laser medicine. He would know more about the everchanging stuff in lasers than any of the "dermatologist", if they say otherwise go google ASLMS then you will see everyone else are just haters
Haha. "haters"? I'm sorry but this guy deserves every ounce of hate because there isn't enough to go around for this guy. Seriously ASLMS is just a stupid "society" for doctors like him to buy himself into, nothing more than that. Does people's skin change year after year as lasers advance? NO! Of course not. It doesn't work that way. Being "in touch" with new technologies in lasers don't mean CRAP. There are new methods to treat different skin problems that does no involve buying into the latest hype in the most expensive treatments (Fraxel was one of them). If lasers are so great then WHY are we getting new ones every year that does not do anymore than the lasers from 7 or 8 years ago? Why does lasers need to be "ever changing"?
posted by: Janice (reply)
post date: 07.29.09 (4:26 am)
I accidentally clicked into this page while I tried to search for Dr.Wong's clinic number. I was shocked when I read all those -ive comments about Dr.Wong. To me, he's a very responsible doctor! If you did ask him directly about what kind of cream he's prescribed, he'd go into details!! For his no.2 cream, Retin-A helps "thicken" the skin instead of "thinning" the skin. Only the epidermal layers (where the dead skin cells accumulated) would be thinner! And the Retin-A would help to thicken the dermis, thus, boosting collagen production and minimizing wrinkles. This ingredient has been FDA approved and alot of clinical studies are available. Just search online and you would see. And I'm also sure if Dr.Wong's prescribing some "addictive" cosmetic "drugs", the pharmacy wouldnt even accept his px. We should trust our health system. And of course I agreed Dr.Wong did promote his machinary/treatments during consultation. But he never showed me faces if I told him I just rather used prescriptions. He's totally cool with it. So it's our own consumer choices rather to receive treatments or not.
Anyways, I have been relocated to HK, just want to share with you all that there are more business-minded dermatologists here! And there are a few renowned dermatologists here actually prescribed similar cream (as Dr.Wong's) at over CAD250. And it took 2 mths to book for consultation and each time had to wait for over an hour!! And the dermatologists mentioned about treatments during consultation too. But they used a better selling techniques, where the dr. wouldnt talk about prices, i.e. it's the nurses' job to talk about $$$$. eg. Fraxel here in HK is over CAD2000/session with dermatologist.
Anyways, I m sure it's worse in HK than in Vancouver. Since I'll be visiting yvr soon, i'll definitely go visit Dr.Wong again. And many of my friends (who used to be in yvr), also asked me to help them to get the cream! O well, i guess sometimes business is hard to please all.
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 07.29.09 (8:36 am)
Reply to: Janice
Not sure what kind of services you went to Phoebus Wong for, but I only got the impression that he will try to milk you for whatever he can. Responsible doctors don`t try to make fake claims and there should be no reason why he takes only cash or cheque. The guy is fishy, and his staff need more non sales training. Nurses should be nurses and not sales people. And yeah, he`s not going to try to persuade you to change your mind if you say no to what he has to offer because he knows he other suckers that will pay him money. There is absolutely no information on his training or background at his website...(so what if he is on a bunch of societies?
I`m glad you had a good experience with him, though.
posted by: sunspots over face (reply)
post date: 08.30.09 (11:13 pm)
Hi, I have done IPL 2x at Reviva in Richmond by Dr. Henry Ngai. Has anyone gone to this doctor before or heard about him? the consultations are free (he charges from your MSP)...I wanted to do laser after the first IPL cause the result wasn't as pronounced as I had hope (the sunspots lightened..but it was still there..the shadow is obvious). He told me it is a gradual treatment, and I did the 2nd one. This time, I didn't get ANY scabs on my face and I don't like that because I find that the sunspots will fade much more nicely if it first formed a scab. Can you share your experience about Dr. Ngai? He is also a family medical doctor and I read on those rate your doctor websites that he is a nice and honest doctor...but I'm not sure if I want to try IPL again because I do want to do laser since the final result is supposed to be better.
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 08.31.09 (10:08 am)
Reply to: sunspots over face
Sorry, never heard of Dr. Ngai. That is strange that MSP would cover consultations for something cosmetic. Are you sure scabs are a good thing. They sound kind of harsh for removing sunspots. IPL and laser are different, so if you want to try laser, why not get a consultation from a laser centre?
posted by: ExZits (reply)
post date: 09.15.09 (10:03 pm)
Wow!! I looked up this guy because my girlfriend wants to go see him. Thanks everyone for blogging. Does anyone think Janice is probably Dr. Wong's family or staff? The way she talks, it sounds like one of his "sales" ladies. Most people I know that went to him have been ripped off. Cash only? Come on people. What kind of doctor would charge cash only??? This Henry Ngai guy is a joke. Probably already in trouble already with the government because he charges the public insurance for cosmetic reasons. Right away a scam artist. Few years ago I was treated by a guy in Vancouver and he fixed me up pretty good without charging an arm and a leg. Can't remember his name.....sorry. It was either Granville or Oak St. something like that.
posted by: rosietulips (reply)
post date: 09.16.09 (10:53 am)
Reply to: ExZits
Make sure your girlfriend stays away from this guy! There is a laser clinic around Oak that is reputable.
posted by: (reply)
post date: 10.26.09 (4:25 pm)
Reply to: sunspots over face
Hi, I went to Dr Ngai last year for 3 treatments of IPL (he charged me $1000)...the results were good. My face cleared up (and yes i formed sutble "scabs" more like little raised darkened spots where my sunspots were and after about a week they fell off and my sunspot faded), my pores got smaller, and red blotches went away. overall my skin texture was smooth, soft, and became more even in tone. I started to see results after the 2nd treatment...Now a year later, my skin has NOT returned to what it looked like before IPL, but I cant say that the results I enjoyed are still there...my sunspots have gotten a bit darker (after summer even tho i used sun block) and my pores have come back ...dr. ngai is nice and honest (when i asked to do more treatments he said i would not see any more results)....but now that it has been about a year and 2 months i may go back for a touch up----
posted by: Macy (reply)
post date: 10.29.09 (12:34 pm)
The worst doctor I have ever seen. I went in for some moles and freckles removal. Used my MSP carecard plus consultation fees, but why MSP? After three visits, I was left with serious redness and 3 scars on my face and it has been over 15 months now. Went back to see what can be done, but was pressured to do fraxel and vbeam to remove my redness on my face that they made. I was really upset, and I would never go back to see him again.
www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from RosieTulips. Make your own badge here.