Page 288 - Blog Posts v1

To properly kill hair germ cells, irreversibly, requires heating them correctly (or ‘cooking’ them, as I like to say). That means achieving a certain temperature for a certain time. In reality, there are an infinite number of temperature-time combinations which can achieve this – we just need to figure out which suits us best.
This means we must set up the laser/IPL device properly – the correct fluence/pulsewidth combination, wavelength, spot size and skin surface cooling. All of these are important. In addition, we must apply these treatments at the right ‘times’ – leaving the most appropriate gaps between repeat sessions, to maximise efficiency.
From what I’ve read (in training manuals and materials) it’s clear to me that many of the ‘trainers’ out there don’t appear to know very much about this subject. Consequently, they are giving out erroneous information, which leads to poor results.
Some of these materials are under the guise of the “VTCT Level 4” or “5” training – quite useless in many cases!!
The problem is obvious – many manufacturers/suppliers simply do not understand their own equipment fully. Nor do they understand how to apply them properly to various skin conditions.
This might sound arrogant, but it is true. I have seen the recommended manufacturer’s settings and many are worse than useless. Worse because they give the impression that they will achieve the desired clinical result, when they simply do not.
To matters even worse, many (if not all) of the insurance companies do not understand this either. They state that ‘manufacturer’s settings’ must be applied. And yet, many don’t work, leaving many laser/IPL users in a state.
Why would manufacturers/suppliers do this? Well, the answer is not pleasant – by keeping the fluences/energies too low, the chances of damaging clients’ skin are much reduced. This, therefore, reduces the chances of any backlash against the suppliers.
Mike’s Blog Posts 288