
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 15, 1991                   TAG: 9103150381
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Charles Hite
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

LEWIS-GALE BUYS LASER TO REMOVE SKIN BLEMISHES

A laser that removes port-wine stains, spider veins, birthmarks and other skin blemishes has been purchased by Lewis-Gale Clinic.

"Lasers have already revolutionized the fields of neurosurgery, ophthalmology and gynecology, making once painful and lengthy operations easier on the patient," said Dr. Gary Gross, a Lewis-Gale dermatologist who announced the purchase of the laser Thursday.

"Now, with laser surgery entering the fields of dermatology and plastic surgery, we can treat patients suffering from disfiguring skin blemishes."

The clinic's $135,000 copper-vapor laser emits yellow and green light. The yellow light is used to destroy unsightly blood vessels just below the surface of the skin while the green light treats brown pigments, allowing the removal of birthmarks, age spots and freckles.

The clinic said its laser unit is one of only 80 in the United State and the first in Western Virginia.

The laser treatment sometimes can be done in a single session, but usually two or more sessions are necessary, depending on the severity of the blemish.

Cost of treatment starts at $300. Some health-care insurers cover the procedure.

Lewis-Gale Clinic is a group medical practice made up of more than 100 physicians in eight facilities.

by CNB