Tattoo removal report - session 11

Well I just had session #11.

You can check my past tattoo removal reports for the backstory if you
aren't already up on it. I
post these to entertain, but also to create a resource here that I
didn't have to save other
people time/hassle/money. I also like to talk to Hans about his
treatments. Unfortunately, he
seems to have disappeared. NO posting or responding to e-mails.

Well, I decided to try a fourth opinion, and this time I think I got it
right. I did a couple
googles for "best dematologist in new york" or things of that nature. I
found someone that was
named by new yorker magazine and ny times if I recall, as the top
dermatologist in NY. I then
called those people and got recommendations. I ended up on Dr. David
Goldberg's site:
http://skinandlasers.com/ He had extremely impressive credentials. It
was almost to the point
that he created dermatology. His site(and office) were littered with
binders of him in every major
magazine you could think of, as well videos of him with celebs(like
Jessica Simpson) and him on
CNN, Foxnews, etc.

I called up and the consult was 200 dollars, which would go into
procedure If I decided to get one. I made sure that I could
see him directly and not an "underling" I figured it would be worth it,
as worst came to worst I could just get some info and a session there
and go back to
Litetouch where I still have 2 paid and 1 free session left. They
wouldn't even give me a ballpark
over the phone of what the cost could be. They told me to buy LMX4
topical anestetic and apply it
a half hour before the procedure. A tube of that - about the size of
toothpaste - costs 60 something
bucks at CVS. The thousands I have spent on tattoo removal are bad
enough, but the small fortune
I have spent on neosporin, bandages, tape, etc has got to be in the
hundreds.

The "big day" came and off I went. I applied the LMX4 in the car and
went in.

Nice office in the Hackensack Medical Center. Glass block, Lcd tv's,
etc. I was sitting in the
waiting area with my "shady" brother(see earlier story) with an old
lady adjacent to us. All of
a sudden a cell phone starts blaring with Pinks "I'm coming out so you
get this party started" song.
The old lady(we're talking 70's at least) states that she isn't going
to answer it. My brother
doesn't know anything about pop culture or music post-van halen, so he
didn't seem amused by this.
After my session, as I was waiting for them to iron out a problem with
their credit card terminal, a
middle aged woman(still too old for that ring) came out, and the older
woman told her she had a
missed call.

I go in and they take pictures of me and put me in a hospital gown.
Why, I don't know. The doctor
comes in. I tell him my past experiences and we go thru my list of
questions. He is very guarded and won't give guaranties or make broad
statements. Mentions he is a lawyer. In spite of this revelation, I
decide to keep going with it.

Some of the questions/answers/info:

He states 6 weeks is long enough to wait. The only reason anyone wants
you to wait longer, is that
the results look more extreme. This condradicts the other 3 places I
went.

He agreed that I was an ideal patient - light skin and black ink - but
he wouldn't make any
guarantees that he could completely remove. He did think we weren't as
light as we could go.

He has gone up past 20 sessions with some people.

The other lasers that were used on me were good, but not as current as
his. He also has a range
of other lasers in addition to the palomar qyag 5(The c6 was what the
last place used).

He obviously know his stuff (again, see his website)


He then left the room, and they dropped the bomb on me. 1200 for one
session. Plus NJ's 7 percent
vanity tax. I decided that I had come this far, might as well give it a
try.

He came back in and got started. He used the highest power setting.
Can't remember how he determined to start with that. It was so loud
that we couldn't comfortably talk over it. My brother later said he
could hear it outside(he could come in for the consult, not treatment).
It was so painless, I couldn;t believe it. A bit uncomfortable, but a 1
or 2 on the pain scale as opposed to the 10's and 11's of
previous sessions. The session only took 3-5 minutes as opposed to
15-20 of previous. Night and day!
It also wasn't nearly as bloody or sore. It was mostly healed in 3
days, so I stopped the post care
I usually do for the week after. Nice not to have the torture of the
treatment and then a week of
having to change dressings twice a day(more of a hassle then it
sounds).

It has been almost a month since I went, and I can't notice any real
difference, but I do see it
everyday. My brother thinks they are lighter. I will probably return
after Thanksgiving. For all
I know he will want to try a different laser. I will ask next time how
they know when to change lasers. I don't know what to do about the 7
or 8 hundred dollars that
Lite touch has of my money. I figure I would rather see how this works
out, then have to end up
coming here anyway. I don't know? I don't want this to go on another
year if possible.

As an aside, I saw Dr. Rand of tattooremovalcenter in Manhatten on CBS
morning news on Sunday. See
previous report for my visit to him.

Hey Curt, you can't say I'm not making an effort anymore:)

Hey Hans, if you are still around, please post a reply or e-mail me at
klh12578@yahoo.com

Thanks
Until next time

klh12578 wrote:
> Well I just had session #11.

[...]

I wonder about Hans as well. Hopefully he's just incredibly busy or
grew tired of RAB or Usenet in general. :oS

-= snipped the interesting story of Dr. David Goldberg and the latest
session=-

> http://skinandlasers.com/

[...]

> Nice office in the Hackensack Medical Center. Glass
> block, Lcd tv's, etc. I was sitting in the waiting area with
> my "shady" brother

heh

> (see earlier story)

Don't have to. :o)

> with an old lady adjacent to us. All of a sudden a cell phone
> starts blaring with Pinks "I'm coming out so you get this party
> started" song. The old lady(we're talking 70's at least) states

Classic!

> that she isn't going to answer it. My brother doesn't know anything
> about pop culture or music post-van halen, so he didn't seem
> amused by this.

heh :o)

I'm from the Van Halen era, but know that Pink song, too. Hmm. What if
Pink had taken over for David Lee Roth...

Never mind.

[...]

> He then left the room, and they dropped the bomb on
> me. 1200 for one session. Plus NJ's 7 percent vanity tax.

You're not planning on 20 sessions at 1200 a pop, are you??? Yegad!

> It has been almost a month since I went, and I can't notice any real
> difference, but I do see it everyday. My brother thinks they are lighter.

For 1200 bucks I'd want visible (to MY eye) erasure of sorts. Of LOTS!
Dammit.

Twelve H U N D R E D!

> Hey Curt, you can't say I'm not making an effort anymore:)

True. And I apologize if I seemed harsh or insensitive.

[...]

> Hey Hans, if you are still around, please post a reply

[...]

I have his snail mail. I'll try that.

> Thanks

Thank you for sharing your news. I hope the ink starts to fade.

I wish I could remember the name of the tattoo artist from the magazine
who had his facial tattooing erased. I mean, from the pictures in the
mag anyway, his stuff looked GONE! And it was rather extensive ink,
iirc.

--
Curt
http://curtjames.com/

Curt,

If you could contact Hans, and have him email me at klh12578@yahoo.com,
it would be greatly appreciated.

He said that he had gotten up to 20 sessions total with some people,
not neccessarily that I would need that. I half already had over half
that. I don't know if it matters that they have been from different
lasers/operators.

I think I know the facial tattoo removal you were talking about. I
found an article online about it. It was in the UK and the guy was
called "spiderman" or something and had spiderwebs on his face. Does
that sound correct?

Thanks
Keith

klh12578 wrote:
> Curt,
>
> If you could contact Hans, and have him email me
> it would be greatly appreciated.

I will do that.

> He said that he had gotten up to 20 sessions total with some people,
> not neccessarily that I would need that. I half already had over half
> that. I don't know if it matters that they have been from different
> lasers/operators.
>
> I think I know the facial tattoo removal you were talking about. I
> found an article online about it. It was in the UK and the guy was
> called "spiderman" or something and had spiderwebs on his face. Does
> that sound correct?

That doesn't ring a bell. This guy was a tattoo artist and I don't
believe the tattoos removed were spiderwebs. For some reason, I'm
thinking New York, but for all I know it could be the UK and spiderman.
Again, wish I could remember.

(And, yes, I have often contributed to the Alzheimer's Foundation.)

> Thanks
> Keith

You're welcome, of course.

--
Curt
http://www.alzfdn.org/

Curt,

What did you think of Dr. Goldberg's site?

http://skinandlasers.com/bio_goldberg.htm

Keith

klh12578 wrote:
> Curt,
>
> What did you think of Dr. Goldberg's site?

It looks very professional. If I've ever heard the term aesthetician
then I must have forgotten it, though. Interesting.

I'll give it a closer look this weekend. My dermatologist was a very
important person to me growing up. I've never had a tattoo removed, but
suffered from cystic acne on my back as a teen. Still, that's not
nearly as bad as some of the drama I know others face (no pun intended)
wrt their skin.

> http://skinandlasers.com/bio_goldberg.htm
>
> Keith

--
Curt
http://curtjames.com/

On 4 Nov 2006 18:16:47 -0800, klh12578@yahoo.com wrote:

> klh12578@yahoo.com

I'm back !
--
Hans

"Forty-two!"
"Is that all you've got to show for seven and a half million years' work?"
"I checked it very thoroughly", said the computer...

On 4 Nov 2006 18:16:47 -0800, klh12578@yahoo.com wrote:

> Well I just had session #11.
>
> You can check my past tattoo removal reports for the backstory if you
> aren't already up on it. I
> post these to entertain, but also to create a resource here that I
> didn't have to save other
> people time/hassle/money. I also like to talk to Hans about his
> treatments. Unfortunately, he
> seems to have disappeared. NO posting or responding to e-mails.
>
> Well, I decided to try a fourth opinion, and this time I think I got it
> right. I did a couple
> googles for "best dematologist in new york" or things of that nature. I
> found someone that was
> named by new yorker magazine and ny times if I recall, as the top
> dermatologist in NY. I then
> called those people and got recommendations. I ended up on Dr. David
> Goldberg's site:
> http://skinandlasers.com/ He had extremely impressive credentials. It
> was almost to the point
> that he created dermatology. His site(and office) were littered with
> binders of him in every major
> magazine you could think of, as well videos of him with celebs(like
> Jessica Simpson) and him on
> CNN, Foxnews, etc.
>
> I called up and the consult was 200 dollars, which would go into
> procedure If I decided to get one. I made sure that I could
> see him directly and not an "underling" I figured it would be worth it,
> as worst came to worst I could just get some info and a session there
> and go back to
> Litetouch where I still have 2 paid and 1 free session left. They
> wouldn't even give me a ballpark
> over the phone of what the cost could be. They told me to buy LMX4
> topical anestetic and apply it
> a half hour before the procedure. A tube of that - about the size of
> toothpaste - costs 60 something
> bucks at CVS. The thousands I have spent on tattoo removal are bad
> enough, but the small fortune
> I have spent on neosporin, bandages, tape, etc has got to be in the
> hundreds.
>
> The "big day" came and off I went. I applied the LMX4 in the car and
> went in.
>
> Nice office in the Hackensack Medical Center. Glass block, Lcd tv's,
> etc. I was sitting in the
> waiting area with my "shady" brother(see earlier story) with an old
> lady adjacent to us. All of
> a sudden a cell phone starts blaring with Pinks "I'm coming out so you
> get this party started" song.
> The old lady(we're talking 70's at least) states that she isn't going
> to answer it. My brother
> doesn't know anything about pop culture or music post-van halen, so he
> didn't seem amused by this.
> After my session, as I was waiting for them to iron out a problem with
> their credit card terminal, a
> middle aged woman(still too old for that ring) came out, and the older
> woman told her she had a
> missed call.
>
> I go in and they take pictures of me and put me in a hospital gown.
> Why, I don't know. The doctor
> comes in. I tell him my past experiences and we go thru my list of
> questions. He is very guarded and won't give guaranties or make broad
> statements. Mentions he is a lawyer. In spite of this revelation, I
> decide to keep going with it.
>
> Some of the questions/answers/info:
>
> He states 6 weeks is long enough to wait. The only reason anyone wants
> you to wait longer, is that
> the results look more extreme. This condradicts the other 3 places I
> went.
>
> He agreed that I was an ideal patient - light skin and black ink - but
> he wouldn't make any
> guarantees that he could completely remove. He did think we weren't as
> light as we could go.
>
> He has gone up past 20 sessions with some people.
>
> The other lasers that were used on me were good, but not as current as
> his. He also has a range
> of other lasers in addition to the palomar qyag 5(The c6 was what the
> last place used).
>
> He obviously know his stuff (again, see his website)
>
> He then left the room, and they dropped the bomb on me. 1200 for one
> session. Plus NJ's 7 percent
> vanity tax. I decided that I had come this far, might as well give it a
> try.
>
> He came back in and got started. He used the highest power setting.
> Can't remember how he determined to start with that. It was so loud
> that we couldn't comfortably talk over it. My brother later said he
> could hear it outside(he could come in for the consult, not treatment).
> It was so painless, I couldn;t believe it. A bit uncomfortable, but a 1
> or 2 on the pain scale as opposed to the 10's and 11's of
> previous sessions. The session only took 3-5 minutes as opposed to
> 15-20 of previous. Night and day!
> It also wasn't nearly as bloody or sore. It was mostly healed in 3
> days, so I stopped the post care
> I usually do for the week after. Nice not to have the torture of the
> treatment and then a week of
> having to change dressings twice a day(more of a hassle then it
> sounds).
>
> It has been almost a month since I went, and I can't notice any real
> difference, but I do see it
> everyday. My brother thinks they are lighter. I will probably return
> after Thanksgiving. For all
> I know he will want to try a different laser. I will ask next time how
> they know when to change lasers. I don't know what to do about the 7
> or 8 hundred dollars that
> Lite touch has of my money. I figure I would rather see how this works
> out, then have to end up
> coming here anyway. I don't know? I don't want this to go on another
> year if possible.
>
> As an aside, I saw Dr. Rand of tattooremovalcenter in Manhatten on CBS
> morning news on Sunday. See
> previous report for my visit to him.
>
> Hey Curt, you can't say I'm not making an effort anymore:)
>
> Hey Hans, if you are still around, please post a reply or e-mail me at
> klh12578@yahoo.com
>
> Thanks
> Until next time

I've got my next appointment on dec. 6th.
I'll post all the specifics of the laser, the power settings, my results,
the works.
Man...1200 dollars...after my fifth session, I'm down to a cool 175 dollars
a pop !
You'd better spend that kind of money on a ticket to Holland every 10 weeks
or so and STILL have a laser session done !
--
Hans

"Forty-two!"
"Is that all you've got to show for seven and a half million years' work?"
"I checked it very thoroughly", said the computer...