This is an interesting post! In it I will introduce one of my oldest customers – Marlon, from SkinteX Clinic in Glasgow. His is an unusual route into this industry. He has been an IT consultant, a driving instructor and a circus lion-tamer.
About 9 years ago he decided that a life in the beauty industry was what he really wanted all the time!! So, he contacted me for some training. After around 18 months he finally opened his clinic, in the Southside of Glasgow.
Since then, he has won various awards and has grown his business substantially. He has treated around 1000 hair clients in those years and has achieved between 95 and 97% success rate. He typically requires between 6 and 7 sessions, in total, so, clearly knows what he’s doing.
I interviewed him in September 2022 to find out more. I split the video into a series of 6 short videos:
No. 1 – “Hello”
Marlon says ‘hi’
No. 2 – Choice of equipment
Here, Marlon explains why he bought an IPL device.
No. 3 – Fluences, pulsewidths and skin cooling
In this video, he explains his choice of fluences and pulsewidths – which go way higher than the values I trained him originally. This explains why he gets such good results consistently! He also talks about the critical importance of skin cooling.
No. 4 – Protocols for hair removal
Here, Marlon describes his typical protocols for hair removal with his IPL unit.
No. 5 – Complications
In this clip, he discusses possible complications following treatments.
No. 6 – Advice for newbies
Finally, Marlon offers some advice for new, and experienced, users. This is good whether you use IPL or lasers for hair removal.
Conclusions
Marlon has ‘exceeded’ my original training significantly whilst achieving an exceptionally high level of success. By ‘pushing’ the boundaries he has found he can obtain good, consistent results with very few problems or complications.
In summary, his settings are (on his IPL device):
Fluence range – 32 to 46 J/cm2
Pulsewidth range – 35 to 40 ms
Pain level – 7 to 8
Test patch fluence – 25 to 36 J/cm2
Cooling is “critical”
Frozen cloths for 3 to 4 minutes after treatment
Darker skins – reduce fluence by 1 to 2 J/cm2
I love his mantra – “the redder, the better!!” It works!
He has clearly shown that we can use higher fluences with correspondingly better success rates, as long as proper cooling is also applied. This is the core message of my training!! Marlon has proved this beyond doubt – and this applies to ALL technologies, IPL and lasers.
Hope this helps,
Mike.
PS I was only kidding about the ‘lion-tamer’ bit…
PPS Our new book chapter on Laser/IPL Hair Removal will be released soon, in print and eBook formats! A hardback book will be available soon. Watch this space…
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