QUANTUM SR™ FOTOFACIAL
(IPL - PHOTOREJUVENATION )

NATURE OF THE PROCEDURE

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 have only one 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 appear smaller. With one treatment, your skin is refreshed: less blotchy pigment, fewer wrinkles, smaller pores!

FEES

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. We do this because our costs of consumables rises after six months.

SCHEDULING

In most cases, Dr. Coverman or Allison would prefer to see you prior to any treatments to discuss your concerns. 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 or Allison may give you additional therapies that could be used in conjunction at home. If you have seen Dr. Coverman or Allison 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. 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 or Allison.

If you have had your consultation with Dr. Coverman or Allison, 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 or Allison 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. If you need to cancel, please record the date, time, and name of the person you spoke with.

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.

You should not have any laser or any light based therapy if you have any photosensitive diseases such as lupus erythematosus, porphyria, or albinism. You must stop any photosensitive medicines at least two days before your treatment unless your prescribing doctor told you not to. Always check! These include:

Anti-arthritis drugs such as gold or methotrexate
Any antibiotic from the tetracycline group including Tetracycline, Minocycline, Doxycycline,Vibramycin, Doryx, Solodyn, and Monodox
Acne medicines including Accutane, Cipro, or any of the “quinolone medications”
Oral antifungals including Griseofulvin
Anti-arrhythmia drugs including Chlorpromazine
NSAIDs including Naprosyn, Advil
St. John’s Wort
Diuretics

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.”

DO NOT USE ANY NUMBING CREAMS IF WE ARE TREATING ANYTHING RED!

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 tolerable. This sensation clears quickly. 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 that they use at his practice. They will consult with him freely 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 after a few nights - use common sense!

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.

IPL - Intense Pulsed Light - all of these machines work basically on that principle.
Photo rejuvenation - This is actually just a generic term implying that the skin may be rejuvenated using light (photo).
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.
Photo facial - This is also a generic marketing term that implies no special training or machine.
FotoFacialTM - 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. and Dr. Stephen Mulholland. Only with the true correctly spelled FotoFacialTM 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 FotoFacialTM 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™

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