Age Spots, Freckles - Yag Medlite IV/Laser

MEDLITE IV YAG™ LASER FOR AGE SPOTS, FRECKLES, PIGMENT, AND "LIVER SPOTS"

NATURE OF THE PROCEDURE

The laser is a beam of light that will selectively target certain tissues based on the wavelength chosen. We know from experience that brown color selectively absorbs a wavelength of 532 nanometers (billionths of a meter).

When that happens, the light turns into heat and the heat selectively destroys just that targeted tissue. The skin both above and below is spared. Rather than burning, or more typically freezing, which kills everything in its path, the laser only treats the unwanted pigment that we choose. The laser gives us precise control of the wavelength, pulse width, duration of treatment time, and targeted tissue.

FEES

The fee is based strictly on the size and number of lesions that you have. This is based on how much time it is going to take. The minimum fee for any treatment session is $450. Other fees are listed below:

Face $450
Both hands $450
Forearms only $450
Below the knees $450
Forearms and hands $500
Upper chest $500
Thighs and knees $550

ALL FEES ARE PER 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 you prior to scheduling your treatment to determine the extent of lesions to be treated and your fees. In addition, he will discuss alternatives including bleaching, peels, cryotherapy, microdermabrasion, and so forth. In fact, even if you decide to have the laser treatments, he may want you to begin these treatment sessions anyway as an adjunct to your therapy. There is a fee for this visit with Dr. Coverman. Dr. Coverman does not offer free consultations.

There is a $200 non-refundable fee for missed appointments without a 24 hour notice.

PRETREATMENT

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 be wide awake and just wearing goggles. You will feel a series of light pinprick sensations as the laser beam begins to work, and this is generally tolerable by everyone. This sensation is over with almost as soon as the laser stops, and you may just feel very mild tingling for a few minutes after that.

POST TREATMENT

Special wound care instructions will be given to you, and generally we ask you to keep the treatment sites moist at all times with an antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin. Do not use if you are allergic to Neomycin. There will be a purplish bruised appearance which will be visible to others. There is no way to avoid this, and you must plan your school, work, travel, and social calendar accordingly. It is not necessarily bloody or oozing although sometimes the lesions may be moist particularly with application of the ointment. Do not sunburn while you are healing. This reaction generally fades in 7-14 days. It will be visible to others.

FOLLOW-UP

Usually none is necessary. We cannot guarantee what percentage of improvement there will be per lesion per treatment session or overall. Some of the lesions will fade 100% with just one session, most will fade very visibly and often to your complete satisfaction. Because we cannot predict how your body will handle any residual pigmented tissue, and because we don't want to overtreat and create any excess burn or scarring, we realize that it is always better to undertreat rather than overtreat. There will be full charges for any repeat treatment sessions.

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