Bellevue Laser and Cosmetic Center

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: This company and DrC [redacted] are not taking any responsibility for recommending treatment therapy that was not in my best interest and made the appearance of my scar look worseI am not the doctor so of course I listened and trusted her professional opinionI want to know why doing an incision on my scar was never a option for me? The laser that is expensive to run made the appearance of my scar look worseWhy should I be responsible for that service that didn't work and not given different options for my own skin? This scar was obviously not going to be corrected with a laser with the size & depth of the scarMaybe for smaller scars? If the incision was offered to me that would of solved this problem from the beginningI know my body and that I have always scarred wellThe cut on my arm should of had stitches from the beginning and DrC [redacted] should have known thatNow I am out $and still have a disgusting looking scar and now burn mark on my arm from the laserSincerely, [redacted]

Ms*** was first seen at my dermatology practice on 6/23/for a cm raised red hypertrophic scar that occurred year priorIn general, I NEVER recommend re-excising scars that are raised because they often recur worse after excisionPeople who have a tendency to develop these raised
scars will always have that tendency anytime the skin is cutI always recommend cortisone injections to help flatten the scars as well as V-beam laser treatment to decrease the rednessI make it clear that the skin will never look "normal" but that we are just trying to flatten the scar and help with the colorIt usually takes a numerous laser treatments to improve the color, but every patient may respond differently-there is no money-back guaranteeAlso, these laser treatments are considered strictly cosmetic and are not covered by insuranceI charged her $per treatment which is a reasonable rate for this procedureAt the first appointment on 6/23/15, I performed one laser treatment but no cortisone injection (because she had just recently had injection done elsewhere)On her follow up visit on 8/28/15, the scar was definitely improved and less red, but still quite raisedAt that point, I injected it with cortisone and treated it again with the laserAt the following appointment on 9/25/15, the scar was significantly flatter and less red than beforeWe treated her again with cortisone and laser at that visitI last saw her on 1/8/At that visit, we noted that the scar was mostly flattened, but was still wide and red in colorMs*** was interested in excising it completely to hopefully end up with a nice thin line rather than a widened scarI informed her about the risk of excising a hypertrophic scar and that it may recur and look worseHowever, she stated that "I know my body better than anyone else" and that she has never had a scar like this with other procedures and that it was the result of not having it sutured at the time of the injuryI told her that I could excise it for her, but if it raised up again, we would have to start cortisone injections immediatelyA week later, she called my billing office, asking for a refund of the $for the laser treatmentsI left her a message, explaining what I outlined above and telling her that we performed the three treatments and there is no money back refundThe laser did improve the scarThere is significant cost associated with running the equipment and the treatment course I offered is standard protocolI am happy to have her speak to some of my other patients that I have done the same regimen for who have had 10-treatments before their raised hypertrophic and keloid scars finally went into remission If you ask any physician, these type of scars are one of the most challenging conditions to treat and I doubt anyone will guarantee outcomeI asked *** to call me, but she wanted only to speak with my billing person because she "didn't like what I had to say" I have been in practice, specializing in cosmetic dermatology, for years and I fully defend my course of action

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because: This company and Dr. C[redacted] are not taking any responsibility for recommending treatment therapy that was not in my best interest and made the appearance of my scar look worse. I am not the doctor so of course I listened and trusted her professional opinion. I want to know why doing an incision on my scar was never a option for me? The laser that is expensive to run made the appearance of my scar look worse. Why should I be responsible for that service that didn't work and not given different options for my own skin? This scar was obviously not going to be corrected with a laser with the size & depth of the scar. Maybe for smaller scars? If the incision was offered to me that would of solved this problem  from the beginning. I know my body and that I have always scarred well. The cut on my arm should of had stitches from the beginning and Dr. C[redacted] should have known that. Now I am out $600 and still have a disgusting looking scar and now burn mark on my arm from the laser. Sincerely,[redacted]