North York residents Benjamin Barankin and Anatoli Freiman stayed close to home when they opened their clinic, Toronto Dermatology Centre, in December 2010. Both dermatologists, the business partners opened their facility at 4256 Bathurst Street because they have young families and wanted to work close to home.
It could be that familial focus that accounts for the business partners’ inclusive approach. They love the variety of dermatology, says Barankin, and will treat kids, different ethnicities, older people and so on.
“We want to be a hospitable environment for everybody,” he says.
Offering a range of surgical, medical and cosmetic treatments and services, some of which are OHIP-covered and others which aren’t, the clinic incorporates the good parts of their respective experiences and leaves the bad behind, Barankin says.
With two skylights, a waterfall when you walk in, lots of windows and plants, Barankin says the place is almost like an oasis — a far cry from some of the tiny waiting rooms he’s seen in the past.
“It’s not this small dingy little place.”
Having both practised in other clinics across the GTA for five years, Barankin says he and Freiman had a lot of ideas for their own clinic.
“We said to ourselves, ‘We’re going to do this right and we’re going to do it big.’”
Between the two of them, he says they’ve written hundreds of articles published in medical journals and six books. They’re big on education and have uploaded content on various conditions and treatments on their website which Barankin says took months to write.
Dermatologists are medical doctors who are also certified through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. It’s an industry that’s well regulated, Barankin says, whereas some clinics offering cosmetic procedures don’t always have qualified people doing the procedures.
“Unfortunately, the cosmetic industry on the whole is poorly regulated in Canada such that untrained or poorly trained people can inject (Botox and fillers),” he says.
It’s beneficial having a trained dermatologist treat you, Barankin suggests, as someone who knows the skin can tell when there are more serious issues happening.
Barankin remembers one man who he was treating for age spots: “He had a big melanoma on his back,” he says. “He couldn’t see it.”
They have just hired a plastic surgeon and will be hiring an allergist soon, Barankin says, adding that they’ll hire more dermatologists as they grow.
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New faces in North York – Town Crier story |
