Our state of the art Laser Clinic and supervised practitioners offer the most in-demand laser procedures, tailored to the client’s individual needs and unique energy

Dr. Laree Hooker is SWINA’s Medical Director. She teaches our Laser Certification Program in addition to overseeing public treatments in our Student Laser Clinic.

Dr. Hooker was voted one of 2009’s Best Doctors by Phoenix Magazine!

Biography

Dr. Hooker completed her undergraduate degree at SUNY New Paltz in New York then went on to receive her doctorate from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Arizona. Being well trained in conventional and holistic medicine has given her a well rounded view point and an added advantage allowing her to become an expert in anti-aging medicine.

With over 6 years in the aesthetic industry, her vast knowledge encompassing laser treatments, botox, dermal fillers, hormone balancing, HCG weight loss, and nutritional counseling has allowed her to treat hundreds of patients.

Dr. Hooker’s passion for knowledge and education is what motivates her to constantly seek out new information and treatments to continually improve her skills while providing the best care for her patients. It is this same eagerness for education that drives her desire to teach others. Many have often heard her say "Knowledge is not meant to be kept to yourself, if you know something that another can benefit from it’s your responsibility to share the wealth!" Referring to herself as a "true educator at heart" she has always taken the time and effort to share her knowledge with her patients in addition to teaching various classes.

Earlier on in her career, Dr. Hooker taught basic science classes at Phoenix Therapeutic Massage College. More recently, she has begun teaching doctors/nurses the art of botox and dermal fillers at a local Laser Institute, in addition to teaching our Laser Certification program and overseeing our Laser Clinic as Medical Director here at SWINA.

Q&A

Educate yourself on the facts, practices, and benefits of today’s most in-demand Laser treatments by reading an in-depth Q&A with Dr. Hooker below.

What services does the SWINA Laser Clinic offer?

"We offer a variety of wonderful services to help eliminate discoloration, texture irregularities, and address collagen loss; all of which makes your skin look older, tired, and worn. Photofacial is a technology called Intense Pulsed Light. It is like a large flashbulb of light that is drawn to red and brown pigment. It evens out your skin color irregularities and reduces the tiny broken blood vessels. Pixel Skin Resurfacing stimulates collagen, softens fine lines and reduces pore size to improve your skins’ overall tone and texture. Skin Tightening with our Near Infra-red creates a deep heating that helps to firm up loose skin by stimulating your own collagen production. Lastly, we have Laser Hair Removal and who doesn’t want that, especially living in Arizona with our high temperatures and little clothing!"

Watch the very same Photofacial Laser treatment we provide here at SWINA in action on “The Doctors”

What type of lasers are you using?

"We have brand new equipment that is just absolutely fabulous. I have worked on a lot of lasers throughout my career in Aesthetics and these are top notch, especially for a school! I have found that many schools generally utilize older equipment to teach with. Our lasers are produced by a company called Alma and we have two different platforms that run different hand pieces for different treatments. Our Harmony platform runs our Pixel Skin Resurfacing and Photofacial hand pieces. The Soprano platform runs our Skin Tightening (Near Infra-red) and my favorite, the “In-Motion” Laser Hair Removal hand piece. I get excited about the “In-Motion” hair removal platform because this innovative technology makes hair removal virtually painless. Anyone who has had hair removal in the past with a traditional system finds this to be an absolute dream!"

I understand these services are performed by students. Are these treatments safe?

"Yes, all of the treatments we offer are safe and non-invasive. In fact, they have far less risks than any surgical procedure. Here at SWINA, certification for our educational laser program  requires far more hours than other facility in that valley. This grants our students with more hands-on experience, leading to a greater understanding of the technology along with a higher level of confidence in their performance. Not to mention, throughout each treatment performed, myself or another certified laser instructor is present at all times. We do this in order to ensure that each treatment is not just safe but also as effective as possible."

How many treatments do you recommend?

"That really depends on the individual’s skin and what they are trying to accomplish. Most treatments are performed in a series and sometimes in combination with another treatment to achieve optimal results. For example; let’s say your main concern is facial redness with small red vessels on the nose and cheeks along with concerns of fine lines and other texture problems. I would recommend a series of Photofacials to even out the skin tone along with a series of Pixel Skin Resurfacing treatments to address the texture and fine lines of the skin."

How are our services priced?

"In a traditional laser clinic setting, services are usually bundled into pre-paid packages. By purchasing the package up front, this allows you those services at a decreased price. As you research Laser treatment prices, you will find ours extremely low in comparison. This is due to the fact that we are a training center and the services are provided by students under the direct supervision of a physician. Just to give you an idea of our extraordinary pricing, our Pixel Skin Resurfacing costs $175 for full face. In the valley, this same procedure with the same laser would run $600-$900 depending on the facility. The affordability of our services applies to all Laser treatments we provide: Photofacial, Skin Tightening and Laser Hair Removal. Our fee for performing each of these services is $100 or less. These would easily run $250-$350 elsewhere!"

Are you only performing treatments on the face?

"Oh no, we treat body parts too! It is very common that someone will come in and get a Photofacial on their face, neck, and chest. If they have a lot of sun damage, usually they come back after these areas are treated and tell us 'Now I want to get my arms and shoulders done so I can bring them into the same decade as my face, neck and chest!' People love these treatments because the results are immediately visible. Pixel is also very common for addressing sun damaged skin and treating texture on the face, neck and chest. With Pixel, we can also smooth out stretch marks and scars."

Are Pixel and Photofacial the only treatments you can perform on the body?

"All laser treatments can be used on body parts. Skin Tightening is wonderful for stimulating collagen that gives us the fullness to our skin. Some great examples of body treatments we perform are on the stomach of post-baby-bellies, back of the arms, front of the legs, and back of the legs with the buttocks. As far as Laser Hair Removal, of course we treat it all! Most people would just rather not have to shave!"

If someone has more questions about what kind of treatments they may need, how can they get this information?

"They can call SWINA and ask about our services or if they would rather come in, we offer complimentary consultations with a skin analysis to all of our clients.  It’s a good way for them to meet us, see our facility, and get all of their questions answered.  Educating our clients so that they are well informed and comfortable is something we pride ourselves on here at SWINA."

480.393.1415 or 888.504.1906

1460 E. Southern Ave, Tempe, AZ 85282
Call today to schedule your complimentary skin analysis consultation and book a laser appointment in our luxurious and tranquil public clinic.