Smoothbeam™ - Non Ablative

SMOOTHBEAM™ FOR ACNE AND SCARS

NATURE OF THE PROCEDURE

The Smoothbeam laser emits a beam of light that will stimulate your collagen to grow. The actual treatment is preceded and followed by a gentle cooling spray which will reduce any discomfort. Once this collagen grows, it will help fill in wrinkles at the treated sites, and may help fill in acne scars as well for the very same reason.

This treatment is non-ablative, and there is virtually no risk or downtime. You may immediately return to work, school, or other social activities. The Smoothbeam differs from other lasers for this purpose because it currently has the longest wavelength currently available for the deepest penetration into the skin. The N-Lite laser only has a wavelength of 585 nanometers, and the CoolTouch II only has 1320 nanometers. Only the Smoothbeam laser has the longest wavelength of 1450 nanometers which will give the deepest penetration into the collagen.

No test dose is necessary, the treatment is virtually in apparent, and the collagen regrowth will occur slowly and in a gentle yet effective fashion.

FEES

We recommend a series of three to five treatments one month apart. We do ask that you plan on completing at least three sessions as a minimum.

Multiple areas $300 per treatment session Partial face $200 per treatment session per area.

"Multiple areas" mean the wrinkles on the full face, not necessarily every bit of your skin on the full face.

"Partial" areas are: around the mouth; around both eyes; forehead; both cheeks.

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 new 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 a current patient at our office, and have been seeing Dr. Coverman or our aestheticians for any kind of aging skin program, please let our receptionist know. In some cases, you may immediately schedule a treatment with Tammy or Christi without needing to see Dr. Coverman.

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 care with him however, please schedule and 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 or wrinkle 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.

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 to suppress or prevent herpes from flaring, but there are no guarantees. A herpes flare could cause pain, pigment, infection, and scarring.

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.

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 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 medications for three days after your laser treatment. This would be any medication such as for acne, or any of your wrinkle medications including Retin A, Vitamin C treatments, alpha-hydroxy acids, glycolic acids and so forth. You may be a little red or inflamed, and some of these medicines can irritate you further. 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 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.

If you have ever had herpes or think you may have had herpes (cold sores, fever blisters) in the treated areas, this treatment could flare that. Please inform our staff prior to your treatment date and we can prescribe a series of anti-herpes pills that usually should prevent this. Nonetheless, rarely the herpes could break through and you could have another attack. If you have never had herpes, this cannot cause herpes. Other potential complications and alternatives will be discussed at the time of your visit and on the consent form.

FOLLOW-UP

Discontinue your skin care regimen for three days after your treatment. On subsequent visits, Dr. Coverman will discuss with you how we may modify your current skin care program if necessary.

After three days, you may resume your prior skin care regimen 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 Smoothbeam treatment (just before the beginning of your second treatment) to adjust your skin care regimen if appropriate. There will be a normal fee for this visit.

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