Laser Hair Removal

GENTLE™ LASER OR COOLGLIDE™ LASER FOR LASER HAIR REMOVAL

NATURE OF THE PROCEDURE

The GentleLASE Alexandrite Long Pulse or CoolGlide YAG hair removal laser remits a beam of light that is selectively absorbed by the pigment in the base or bulb of the hair. When the specific wavelength finds the pigment it is looking for, it is selectively absorbed into the target tissue, and then the light turns to heat. The heat then destroys just that tissue and none others nearby. Laser hair removal is so much better than traditional electrolysis because with the electrolysis the procedure is "blind." One passes the needle through the skin in the direction parallel to the hairs hoping that you will hit the root or the bulb, but you don't know that and you can't see it. If the hair curls away under the skin, then you have missed. The burn is directed into just plain skin. With the laser, the beam of light "floods" all of the surrounding skin depending on the spot size. Any hair bulbs, whether they are twisted or curved will be targeted and destroyed no matter where they are. No guessing is necessary and coverage is 100%. This selective destruction spares the skin above, around, and below the intended target.

DR. COVERMAN'S BACKGROUND

Dr. Coverman trained at the University of Washington, one of the top 10 hospital programs in the United States. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Dermatology.

Dr. Coverman has been recognized by the Austin Business Journal as Austin's Top Cosmetic Surgeon. He has trained many other local physicians including family practice doctors on how to perform sclerotherapy, Collagen injections, Botox treatments, and laser therapy. Dr. Coverman has served as laser instructor for Medical Alliance, and has taught plastic surgeons and dermatologists how to perform laser surgery on the skin.

In 1981, Dr. Coverman opened the first physician-supervised skin care clinic and spa in Austin, and in 1983, he was the first doctor in Austin to begin using lasers for the skin. Since then, he has usually been the first doctor in Austin to offer new procedures, new lasers, and new cosmetic therapies.

In 1999, Dr. Coverman was the first doctor to purchase and use the new Candela GentleLASE for the permanent hair reduction. Again, in 1999 was also the first doctor to use the new Altus CoolGlide laser for permanent hair reduction.

The GentleLASE has the largest spot size for the most rapid and complete removal of hair in broad areas such as the back on men or legs on the women. The CoolGlide remains a true breakthough because this can be used to treat hair on skin of any color including Black and Hispanic.

FEES (per session)

Thighs - $500
Back - $400
Chest - $400
Legs - $350 (below the knee)
Arms - $300
Full face - $250
Bikini - $150
Underarms - $150
Hands - $100
Side of face - $100
Upper lip - $75
Chin - $75

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

You may schedule immediately either with Tammy or Christi, our licensed aestheticians. They have attended all the laser courses that Dr. Coverman has, and they have been specifically trained by Dr. Coverman on these two lasers, both at those courses, and they have received laser and physiology instruction from Dr. Coverman.

There is a $150 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

Please wear comfortable clothing you can remove if necessary for the treatment sessions. All sessions will be done in privacy and confidentiality will be maintained.

It is best to come in not tanned at all - we do want to have the laser target the pigmented hairs deeper under your skin and not have the laser energy wasted on tanned skin up above. This is critical. Please avoid tanning for at least one month prior to your treatments, and we can give you some bleaching creams to help with this if necessary. You will feel a series of "pinpricks" as the laser energy is delivered. Some people describe this as a snapped rubberband. It is tolerable and disappears quickly upon completion of your treatment session.

Do not plan any sun exposure for the next week after your treatment and certainly don't schedule this type of treatment before any trips to the beach or periods of excess sun exposure. For the bikini area certainly don't plan any heavy exercise or jogging immediately after your treatment.

You may go right back to work or normal activities however.

POST TREATMENT

Aloe gel will be applied after your treatment and this should soothe the skin and make you comfortable. If there is further discomfort, you may use an ice pack to reduce inflammation. Topicals can also be given after your treatment if needed.

COMPLICATIONS

In certain tanned or darker individuals there is still some risk of excess inflammation on the surface of the skin. This could cause inflammation, increased pigmentation, infection and remotely scarring. This would be rare and your eligibility would be discussed with you prior to the treatment sessions. If we are treating around the mouth where you may have herpes, there could be a flare and this could cause further pigment or scarring.

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