Smoothbeam™ - Non Ablative

SMOOTHBEAM™ FOR ACNE

NATURE OF THE PROCEDURE

The Smoothbeam laser emits a beam of light that will shrink and alter the sebaceous glands underneath the skin. These are the glands that produce the oil that feeds the bacteria which cause subsequent inflammation. Instead of drying out the skin (Retin A and benzoyl peroxides) or killing the germs (oral antibiotics) or drying up the oil production on a short term basis (Accutane), the Smoothbeam laser actually alters these glands. Since oil production is decreased, there is no need to kill any bacteria or produce any further surface drying. The Smoothbeam laser emits the longest wavelength for this purpose, and thus penetrates to an exact level to selectively alter these glands. This is the first FDA-approved laser available for this purpose. A reduction in lesion count may be seen immediately after the first treatment and may continue to be seen with subsequent sessions. During initial studies, even six months after the completion of therapy, there was up to 100% decrease in lesion count in some patients. In addition, Smoothbeam has also been FDA approved for the treatment of acne scarring! It stimulates the underlying collagen to grow more and fill in the scar! No other laser treats active acne lesions while improving old scarring at the same time!

FEES

We recommend a series of four treatments one month apart.

Full face $300 per treatment session Back $400 per treatment session 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. SCHEDULING

Dr. Coverman must see all patients prior to the first treatment in order to discuss your eligibility, intended results, possible contraindications, and the concurrent use of other oral and topical medicines. There is a fee for this visit. Dr. Coverman will examine you and discuss your care, review prior and current medications, and outline a treatment program in addition to the Smoothbeam if indicated.

If you are an existing patient and have seen Dr. Coverman or our aestheticians for acne, please let our receptionist know. In some cases, you may immediately schedule your first treatment with Tammy or Christi. Once Smoothbeam sessions have been instituted, we suggest that you schedule your sessions in advance with either of our aestheticians such that follow-up appointments will be easy to get. You don't necessarily need to see Dr. Coverman during your Smoothbeam sessions. If you would like to discuss your regular ongoing acne care however, please schedule an appointment with him in addition to your Smoothbeam sessions. There will be a fee for the visit with Dr. Coverman.

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

PRETREATMENT

None usually necessary - for three days prior to the procedure, do not use any topical acne medication. It is best to come in without make-up, but you can remove your make-up here if you need to and you can reapply it right after the procedure.

We prefer that you lay off suntanning for a month prior. There is virtually no downtime, and you may go right back to work or your normal activities.

Do not take any oral antibiotics, antifungals, or NSAID's (Naprosyn, Advil, Aleve) on your treatment day.

Dr. Coverman strongly recommends that a numbing cream be applied prior to the treatment. Although this won't block all discomfort, often it can improve this by at least 50%. You may purchase some of these over the counter (Ela-Max) but we recommend Betacaine LA. This is a patented product that is compounded by Medical Center Pharmacy in Tampa, Florida. We have tried almost all other similar products on the market, and this is by far the best. By law, this must be dispensed directly to the patient, and this will be shipped directly to your home. For your convenience, we will fax the prescription for you. We will need your credit card information in order to do this but we immediately SHRED that information and do not save it anywhere.

Please apply this one hour prior to your intended procedure. It will work even better if you place saran wrap over the cream and then tape all of the edges airtight. Some patients don't want to come to the office with cream or plastic on their face, so if you bring the cream with you, we can apply it for you just prior to your treatment. Although it won't be on as long, a little bit is always better than nothing.

SAVE the numbing cream! It can be used again for this treatment, other treatments like it, or for waxing, hair removal, even insect stings and sunburns. You will always find a use for this cream. Never put it on a fresh burn, infected skin, inflamed skin, or ANY weeping, open, or oozing skin. Never apply to any undiagnosed rash. For any questions, always ask Dr. Coverman.

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.

TREATMENT DAY

You will wear protective goggles, and then the procedure will immediately begin. You will feel a series of quick, pinprick or needle prick type of sensations that are uncomfortable but tolerable. Dr. Coverman has had this done himself without the numbing cream. Almost immediately after the procedure, this sensation should disappear quickly. No other pain medicine should be necessary. Women may apply make-up immediately and go right back to work or school.

Dr. Coverman's licensed aestheticians, Tammy or Christi, will perform the procedure. They have the same training on this laser 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

Do not apply any topical acne, anti-aging, or other medicines for three days after your laser treatment. You may be a little red or inflamed, and some of these acne medicines can irritate you further. You may resume your oral medication (if any) immediately after the treatment. You may apply your make-up and go right back to work. Do not sunburn for the next week and avoid excess sun exposure for the next month.

COMPLICATIONS

The laser procedure produces a brief burst of cooling spray both before and after each laser impulse. Because the cooling spray itself could be inflammatory, and likewise the laser, complications could include temporary reddening or small blistering of the treated areas. This is rare. This should fade by the end of the day, and should easily be covered by make-up. It is generally not bright red, nor objectionable. Very rarely, there could be increased pigment (hyperpigmentation) in the treated areas. This would be more likely in darkly pigmented people or heavily tanned people. In the initial studies, all patients that had this complication had complete fading over a reasonable period of time. Bleaches can be used. Sunscreen protection after the treatment is always recommended.

FOLLOW-UP

Dr. Coverman may recommend that you continue some type of traditional acne therapy in addition to the Smoothbeam, although hopefully the frequency, intensity and duration can be decreased. This is not an end to your other acne therapies or treatments, just another method to help reduce its severity. On subsequent visits, Dr. Coverman will discuss how we may modify your acne treatments.

After three days, resume your prior acne treatments unless Dr. Coverman has specifically instructed you not to or otherwise modified your regimen. Dr. Coverman would like to see you on a regular scheduled office visit one month after your first treatment (just before the beginning of your second treatment) to adjust your acne therapy if appropriate. There will be a normal fee for this visit.

SMOOTHBEAM AND ITS COMPETITORS

You might wonder about other lasers for the treatment of acne. Some of these are advertised as "lights" or otherwise known as lasers. The intent of these other lasers is to kill the bacteria that live on your skin. Maybe they do, but bacteria grow back quickly. That is why you have to take an antibiotic pill every day...the pill is basically only good for the day you take it, and by the next day the bacteria have already grown back and you need another pill. That is why these other new lasers or lights have to be used so often - the bacteria grows back quickly. You will notice that you will need a series of 2-3 treatments per week for up to four weeks using these other lasers, and even once you are finished, you can expect quick bacterial regrowth. That is why Dr. Coverman has chosen Smoothbeam: it eliminates the source of the bacteria(their food in the sebaceous gland), and thus is a smarter and longer lasting way to improve your acne. If you remove the gland, and thus the source of bacterial food, the bacteria will dry up and won't be able to return. Also remember that the Smoothbeam laser is now fully FDA approved not only for treatment of acne, but for acne scarring as well!

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