Photo Rejuvenation - FotoFacial™IPL Quantum SR

Photorejuvenation refers to the flash of an intense pulsed light on targeted skin. This is a light, not laser. There is no radiation. Lasers typically only one have specific wavelength to treat just one color. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) has many wavelengths that are emitted simultaneously. This allows us to treat several different colors "at the speed of light." We can simultaneously treat anything red: rosacea, broken blood vessels, capillaries, diffuse redness of the face, or "red neck" as well as anything brown (melasma, age spots, sun spots, freckles, general pigmentation). There is virtually no down time and the procedure is extremely safe. It is performed while you are wide awake in the office. No anesthesia is necessary. An added benefit is the stimulation of collagen to grow. This will improve wrinkling and help your pores to shrink. With one treatment, your skin is refreshed: less blotchy pigment, fewer wrinkles, smaller pores!

FEES (per session)

Shoulders - $300-$450
Full face - $350
Chest - $300
Neck - $200
Hands - $200
Nose - $150
Neck added to the full face - $100
Hands added to the full face - $100
Small spot (red or brown) - $100

All fees are subject to change. The fee is always what is current at the time of your actual treatment. Old fee schedules, handouts, or web site fees do not apply. Any quoted fees must be in writing and are only good for six months. No "verbal" quotes are accepted. We generally recommend a series of 3-5 treatment sessions. Each session "works." Each session helps and will make a difference. The completion of all 5 sessions gives the most complete and satisfying results. All fees are PER SESSION.

SPECIAL PRICING

We do offer "packages" of five prepaid treatments. The fee per treatment is reduced, so the overall price is less. This depends on the area treated. This is the most economical way to get the best results. Please ask our aestheticians or staff.

If you do not complete the full number of prepaid sessions for any reason, there will be a refund. Each of those used sessions will be deducted from that refund, but only at the full, normal, "single session" price.

If you have purchased a "package," the package must be started within three months and then finished within six months of starting. After that, any future or uncompleted sessions are always at the then current single session price.

SCHEDULING

In most cases, Dr. Coverman would prefer to see you to discuss your problem. Unlike many "salons" who just hire someone to push the button, Dr. Coverman brings his skills in Board Certified Dermatology to the exam room with you. He will discuss the cause of your problem, alternative therapies, the nature of FotoFacial and what to expect, and of course discuss risks, benefits, and costs. It would be foolish to keep treating an ongoing recurring problem when it wasn't identified and corrected at its source. Even if you elect FotoFacial Dr. Coverman may give you additional therapies that could be using in conjunction at home. If you have seen Dr. Coverman previously about this problem, or have seen Christi or Tammy, our licensed aestheticians about similar problems, you may make your appointment directly with them and just begin your therapy. At that time, they will discuss all the above with you, and they too are qualified and capable of discussing alternative therapies or other therapies to augment your treatment.

There will be the normal fee for your consultation visit with Dr. Coverman.

If you have had your consultation with Dr. Coverman, call our office when you are ready to begin your photorejuvenation treatments and tell our staff that you have had the visit with Dr. Coverman and you are ready to go. Please tell them what areas you want treated, and whether you want a single treatment session or the full prepaid package.

There is a $150 non-refundable fee for missed appointments without a 24 hour notice.

PRETREATMENT

Usually none is necessary - we do prefer that you would not come in with any kind of a sunburn or particularly suntan. This treatment works best on paler skin and if you are very tanned, the tan will pick up the light waves instead of the abnormal pigment or blood vessels that we want to treat. If you are very tanned, we ask you to try to stop tanning at least one month prior to your treatment sessions, and Dr. Coverman or his aestheticians can give you some bleaching treatments to begin a month ahead of time. Please stay away from suntan parlors, and do not apply any "self-tanning" creams for one week prior. You may use these afterwards. Please do not take any "photo" sensitive medicines for one week prior including the following:

A. Tetracycline, Minocin, Dynacin, Monodox or Doryx B. Diuretics C. Antifungals D. NSAIDs, Motrin, Aleve, Advil E. St. John's Wort

If you have ever had herpes or think you may have (cold sores or fever blisters), inform Dr. Coverman or our staff prior to scheduling your appointment. We will give you a series of anti-herpes pills to take the day before the treatment, the day of, and the day after. This should help or suppress or prevent herpes from flaring, but there are no guarantees. A herpes flare could cause pain, pigment, infection, and scarring. Our usual numbing creams cannot be used with this laser because they may overly blanch the red color that the laser needs to "see."

TREATMENT DAY

A cool numbing gel can be applied to your face prior to the procedure. This should cut down the discomfort about 50%. You will wear protective goggles. You will feel a series of light quick pinprick type of sensations that is totally tolerable. The minute the procedure is finished, this sensation goes away. Dr. Coverman has done himself without the numbing cream. No other pain medicines should be necessary. Women may apply makeup immediately and go right back to work or school.

Dr. Coverman's licensed aestheticians, Tammy or Christi will perform the procedure. They have attended the same training courses that Dr. Coverman has, and they have been additionally trained by Dr. Coverman on all lasers currently in use at his practice. They will consult with him freely and often regarding any questions about your care.

POST TREATMENT

There is virtually no down time, and you may go right back to work. Do not sunburn for the next week, and avoid any excess sun exposure for the next month. You may resume any acne or topical aging medications the following night.

COMPLICATIONS

Any ablative or such treatment can cause some temporary reddening of the skin, this should fade quickly without any particular treatment and make-up should cover it immediately. If you have any brown spots, they may get just a bit browner and darker for three or four days but they will remain dry and they just gently peel off. There is no oozing, weeping, or any other such inflammation. If there has been any increased pigmentary changes from this procedure, it should fade quickly or with simple bleaching.

FOLLOW-UP

After three days you may resume any prior skin care regimen including anti-acne treatment, bleaching treatments or anti-aging treatments such as Retin A and so forth unless Dr. Coverman has specifically instructed you not to or has otherwise modified your regimen.

WHAT IS FOTOFACIAL?

Please do not get confused by the many gimmicky names out there. The machine does produce an intense pulse of light. Below I have defined the terms for you.

1. IPL - Intense Pulsed Light - all of these machines work basically on that principle.

2. Photo rejuvenation - This is actually just a generic term implying that the skin may be rejuvenated using light (photo).

3. Photoderm - This is just a generic marketing term and means nothing that hasn't already been described above. No special training needed or given. This could be any machine by any manufacturer.

4. Photo facial - This is also a generic marketing term that implies no special training or machine.

5. FotoFacial™ - This is the only trademarked term that may be used to describe the actual treatment as invented and taught by the originator of this treatment - Dr. Patrick Bitter, Jr. Only with the true correctly spelled FotoFacial™ can you be assured that the doctor and his staff that are treating you have the proper machine, and have actually attended the official intense FotoFacial™ training session. Anything less than this implies nothing - just that someone bought any machine and didn't necessarily receive this specific, intense, hands-on training. When you want IPL, make sure it says FotoFacial™.

CHOOSING YOUR DOCTOR

WHO SHOULD TREAT YOUR SKIN?

Is the doctor treating your skin a skin doctor? Is he or she "Board Certified?" Which Board?

If you are not sure...ASK!

You have probably noticed a huge proliferation of "skin care clinics," "spas," and so forth. Many such clinics are owned and run by absent businessmen. There may be no physicians ever on site...just "technicians." Others use "figurehead" doctors who just lend their name or come in occasionally to review charts. Some clinics advertise that they have "board certified physicians," but the training and board certification of these physicians attempting to treat your skin might have been in gynecology, ophthalmology, family practice, emergency medicine, or worse yet - dentistry! Dentists now advertise facial treatments and microdermabrasion. "Did you want a microdermabrasion with that extraction ma'am?" You may see advertisements that don't even mention the name of a doctor at all! Shouldn't you wonder why? Do physicians rotate through there so quickly that they can never keep the same name on their letterhead or website? You should be very suspicious of a salon that doesn't even mention the name of any physician - who they are, where they came from, where they were trained, or how long they expect that physician to be there. Dr. Coverman is Board Certified in Dermatology and has been practicing at the same location for 25 years.

Suddenly, we see doctors proclaiming that they "do dermatology." They label themselves as dermatologists. They may have had no post graduate training at all in dermatology. They have reinvented themselves.

The danger is that if there is a complication with any of these treatments, who is going to treat it? Who is going to pay for it? In addition, there is a severe danger of misdiagnosis. While a doctor has been using FotoFacial to treat a freckle, or perhaps one of the lasers, did they miss an early lentigo maligna (malignant melanoma in situ)? This is a cancer which can kill you. Did they wonder why you kept blistering after your light treatments? Did they recognize the disease porphyria or underlying lupus which can be light sensitive? Are they familiar with all the latest drugs that can cause photosensitivity? Was adenoma sebaceum (associated with brain tumors) misdiagnosed as acne? Microdermabrasion won't help that! It has been documented that non-dermatologists do not approach the accuracy of dermatologists in diagnosing the 20 most common skin diseases!

The laser companies will unabashedly sell a laser to anyone who has the cash or financing. Often you don't even meet the doctor or get treated by the doctor. Even worse, some of the people who greet you and talk to you at these spas may be "closers." They are there only to make the sale, and get paid a commission. Is it really in their best interest to turn you down if you are not an appropriate candidate?

Dr. Coverman trained at one of the top 10 hospitals in the United States. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Board Certified in Dermatology.

Board Certification in Dermatology requires three years of additional training in the structure and function of the skin. It involves studies in dermatopathology, skin surgery, lasers, and additional training in diseases of the skin, hair and nails. After completing the extra three years of residency, a physician is then qualified to take the board examination. Dr. Coverman was tested over two and a half days to obtain his certification by the American Board of Dermatology.

If your doctor advertises many years in practice, was that exclusively for skin? If he advertises many years of laser experience, were those lasers for use on the skin, or lasers for some other purpose?

Dr. Coverman has practiced only Dermatology for 27 years, and has used lasers FOR THE SKIN for 20 years.

Dr. Coverman is an active member of the American Academy of Dermatology, and regularly attends its meetings. He is certified in Continuing Medical Education with the American Academy of Dermatology. He also maintains similar accreditation with the American Medical Association Physician's Recognition Award.

Dr. Coverman is a 25 year member of the Travis County Medical Society, the Texas Dermatological Society, and the Texas Medical Association.

Large color advertisements, flashy and excited announcements of new lasers or untested procedures, self proclaimed expertise in dermatology, and lots of radio commercials are not the same as proper training in an accredited program with Board Certification in Dermatology.

If you want a "spa experience," go to a spa and get a massage. If you want expert care and treatment of your skin, see a Board Certified Dermatologist.

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