How has PicoSure impacted your practice?

James D. McMahan, MD, FACS:I am now seeing over 90 PicoSure patients a month. I kept my YAG laser and give my patients the option of the YAG or PicoSure. 95% choose PicoSure. I can do treatments in less time and charge about twice as much.

Eric Seiger, MD:I have 8 lasers and PicoSure is my favorite. I love removing ta�oos with it. Ta�oo removal patients are the most enjoyable patients because they are really passionate about eliminating their regrets. I haven’t had one unhappy patient with the PicoSure.

Alex Kaplan, MD:I think that when patients look around they are seeing the same things. Everyone out there is doing Botox, everyone is doing laser hair removal, but when patients see that we have something

unique, it makes us stand out.

Evan Sorokin, MD:PicoSure has had a huge impact on my practice,

and it’s all positive. It’s more people coming through the practice, more word of mouth, all positive things! And other than Facebook, I’ve done no advertising for it.

What impact has PicoSure had on your practice in terms of revenue?

James D. McMahan, MD, FACS:Right away I was seeing an increased number of patients. I’m now doing fewer treatments, seeing more patients, andI’m expecting that my ta�oo removal revenue will more than double this year.

Eric Seiger, MD:My ta�oo removal business was good, but my revenue wasn’t growing – it was very consistent year over year.

In the first year my PicoSure revenue was $350,000. This year, I’m expecting my revenue to be close to $500,000.

I still offer my patients the choice between PicoSure and my old Q-Switched laser, since I charge double for the PicoSure treatments. At least 80% choose PicoSure. It hurts less and it takes half the treatments!

Alex Kaplan, MD:Prior to bringing PicoSure into our practice, sales were stagnating, going down slightly. Now that we have PicoSure, it’s increasing to the point where we’ve doubled to tripled our revenue. This has definitely had a significant impact on the practice. I’m now treating at least 100 ta�oo removal patients a month.

“when patients see that we have something

unique, it makes us stand out”

Eric Seiger, MDDermatologistSkin and Vein CenterFenton, MI

James D. McMahan, MD, FACSPlastic SurgeonAdvanced Aesthetic & Laser SurgeryColumbus, OH

Differentiate Your Practice with Proven Picosecond TechnologyAs the world’s first and only picosecond aesthetic laser, PicoSure’s proven results have been published in clinical journals and presented by industry leading experts at society meetings around the globe. This unparalleled breakthrough in laser technology delivers ultra-short pulse bursts of energy to the skin in trillionths of a second. Picosecond pulse width is 100 times shorter than nanosecond technology, enabling unmatched photomechanical impact for be�er clearance with fewer treatments and less fluence. The Focus Lens Array expands the treatment options beyond ta�oo removal enabling dramatic picosecond skin revitalization results without the typical downtime or discomfort.

Focus on PicoSure®

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Evan Sorokin, MD:I no longer offer my Q-Switched laser treatment. I don’t see any reason to subject someone to more treatments, even if it’s a lower price point. If they want 12-15 treatments, they can go somewhere else. I can’t give them an inferior treatment.

This is a be�er technology and you can sell it at a higher price point, which will offset the high cost of the new laser. You have more patients, but treating them less frequently, and charging more. And ta�oo patients refer friends with ta�oos. And it builds. And it’s amazing how many people have bad ta�oos. Right now, I’m treating 10 people a week.

I’ve had the laser for about 8 months now and have absolutely doubled my revenue.

In the past, ta�oo removal patients have been described as non-commi�al. Have you seen a change in the type of patients coming in for PicoSure treatments?

James D. McMahan, MD, FACS:I see a lot of patients that are trying to get into the military, police force, or sheriff’s department, and they all have ta�oos that they cannot show in dress uniform. They need to remove the ta�oo quickly, and with a YAG laser it’s going to take 12 to 15 treatments. They’re looking at a year and a half before they can start their training and it was nice to say, “OK, we have something that is going to get rid of your ta�oo much quicker.” And we can do it in about half the treatments or less.

Eric Seiger, MD:The patients I’m seeing for PicoSure treatments are more qualified patients. They are more passionate about removing their ta�oos, they’re more commi�ed, they’re pu�ing money down and following through.

Alex Kaplan, MD:We’re ge�ing a different subset of patients now. We’re ge�ing patients that are willing to pay more to get something be�er. Before it was more of a commodity. We were competing on price with other laser ta�oo removal centers who were doing the same exact thing. Now we’re doing something different and we’re much busier.

Evan Sorokin, MD:And you should be able to get patients that you wouldn’t get otherwise because they’re willing to drive a li�le further for a newer technology. Honestly, I have patients driving two hours for the PicoSure treatment.

Are your PicoSure patients new to your practice?

James D. McMahan, MD, FACS:The vast majority of my patients are new to my practice. And some of these patients will obviously be interested in other things. I’ve had patients who came in for a PicoSure treatment who booked breast augmentation or tummy tucks.

“In the first year my PicoSure revenue was $350,000. This year, I’m expecting my revenue to be close to $500,000.”

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Evan Sorokin, MDPlastic SurgeonDelaware Valley Plastic SurgeryCherry Hill, NJ

Before Treatment

A�er 1 PicoSure TreatmentPhoto Courtesy of Alex Kaplan, MD

Eric Seiger, MD:Almost all of my PicoSure patients are new patients to my practice. I have a significant number of patients who come in looking to have recalcitrant ta�oos finally removed with PicoSure. They’re going to choose the best technology, even if they have to travel farther and even spend more. People come from hours away to have the PicoSure laser treatment. People want to get rid of their regrets and want their ta�oos off as quickly as possible. There are at least 5-10 big practices in my area that do ta�oo removal as well, and even some who have PicoSure.

Alex Kaplan, MD:The majority of my ta�oo removal patients are new patients. They realize, “hey this is a great place, I could have other treatments done here.” I’ve had a patient come in for PicoSure and end up booking a fat transfer procedure and her husband booked a blepharoplasty. I’ve also had patients who converted from ta�oo removal to liposuction and from liposuction to ta�oo removal.

Evan Sorokin, MD:The majority of my PicoSure patients are new patients and I’ve several of them turn into Botox patients. One patient even turned into a breast augmentation consult during her PicoSure treatment!

Do you have any competition in your area and how has this affected your ta�oo removal business?

James D. McMahan, MD, FACS:There are other plastic surgeons in town who are using other lasers and sending patients to me when they cannot fully clear a ta�oo, because they know I have the PicoSure! It’s surprising more plastic surgeons aren’t doing ta�oo removal. In Columbus alone there’s probably 40-50 ta�oo parlors. If they’re all doing 10 ta�oos a day that’s 500 ta�oos total per day, and that’s going to become regret for the vast majority. And there’s only a handful of us taking them off!

Eric Seiger, MD:There are a lot people removing ta�oos in my area using Q-Switched lasers and there’s probably only two of us with PicoSure lasers. I think it’s the PicoSure name and word of mouth referrals that are differentiating our practice.

Alex Kaplan, MD:My practice is in Los Angeles and it seems that every other MedSpa in the area offers laser ta�oo removal, so there’s a lot of competition. But we consider ourselves state of the art in ta�oo removal. The ink that cannot be removed - we now have the technology to remove it. It’s nice to have something that is so much more effective.

Evan Sorokin, MD:There is another PicoSure laser 15 minutes from me and another one a half hour from me. The only marketing I’ve done is through Facebook, a “worst ta�oo contest” yet I’m still seeing an increasing number of patients and some of them driving over two hours for the PicoSure treatment.

“The patients I’m seeing for PicoSure treatments are more qualified patients. They are more passionate about removing their ta�oos, they’re more commi�ed, they’re pu�ing money downand following through.”

Alex Kaplan, MDEmergency MedicineCelebrity Laser Spa and Surgery CenterLos Angeles, CA

Before Treatment

A�er 1 PicoSure TreatmentPhoto Courtesy of Eric Seiger, MD

Post 3 Q-Switched Treatments

Photo Courtesy of Alex Kaplan, MD

Post 3 PicoSure Treatments

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What was the impetus for adopting picosecond technology into your practice?

Alex Kaplan, MD:I had heard rumors of a picosecond laser in the past. It was described as the “holy grail” of lasers. When I heard that Cynosure was actually launching one, I knew this was something that could be a huge advantage for us, something significantly be�er than existing technology that no one else had.

James D. McMahan, MD, FACS:The thing that really piqued my interest in PicoSure was the new technology, and allowing faster removal of the black ta�oos, which are the vast majority of the ones that we see.

I do a lot of ta�oo removals, and at the time that I was considering purchasing PicoSure, I was averaging almost 90 treatments a month. I thought I had cornered the market. I already had this large population of patients coming in, but because they required so many treatments, I couldn’t increase my price very much or they simply couldn’t afford it in the long run.

Eric Seiger, MD:When I first heard about PicoSure I was skeptical, and when I saw the price tag I didn’t think I was going to buy it. However, I thought there was a chance this could make a big difference in my practice and I just had to try. I wanted PicoSure so I could get ta�oos off quicker and so I could make my patients happy, and when they’re happy, I’m happier. It’s very accurate that the ta�oos are coming off in at least half the number of visits as with the Q-Switched. I would say my average patient is now 8 months rather than 2 years.

Evan Sorokin, MD:What first piqued my interested in PicoSure was really the entire premise behind photomechanical versus photothermal destructionof ink, which has been traditionally a somewhat tedious and long process to do. Much fewer treatments with less complications was absolutely appealing to me.

I already had a ta�oo removal laser, one that was considered the gold standard up until the launch of PicoSure. But, people would come in 12 to 15 times to have ta�oos removed. I wanted to be able to provide quicker ta�oo removal for my patients. To get rid of a mistake they made, people want ta�oos off in a couple of months, not a couple of years!

Do patients come into your practice asking for PicoSure by name?

James D. McMahan, MD, FACS:The internet has had the biggest impact in driving patients to my practice. At least 40% of my patients come into my practice and ask for PicoSure by name, which is unusual because I’ve never had patients coming in asking for a ta�oo removal laser by name – it’s very unique.

Eric Seiger, MD:People know about PicoSure, and people are looking for it. 60% of my ta�oo removal patients come in asking for PicoSure by name. They read the reviews on Real Self and right now it’s 98% satisfaction.

Alex Kaplan, MD:It’s hard to tell exactly how many patients ask for PicoSure by name, but it’s definitely the majority. When given the choice between our Q-Switched laser and PicoSure at least 75% choose PicoSure.

Evan Sorokin, MD:It’s hard to know for sure since my patients have a consult by the time they see me. However I do know that my patients are travelling long distances for the PicoSure treatment. And these patients refer friends with ta�oos, and it builds.

“There are other plastic surgeons in town who are using other lasers and sending patients to me when they cannot fully clear a ta�oo, because

they know I have the PicoSure!”

“60% of my ta�oo removalpatients come in asking for

PicoSure by name.”

© 2014 Cynosure Inc. Cynosure and PicoSure are registered trademarks of Cynosure, Inc. 921-0504-000 r1 08/14

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