I reckon around 85% of my training clients have been previously trained elsewhere, often by their equipment suppliers/manufacturers. I always ask them why they have come to me when they have already been trained.
Their answer is always the same – “I don’t understand what I’m doing!”
One client had received her training from a very well known UK-based supplier and yet she still left her device “sitting in the corner” for over six months. She said that she was “too scared” to use it…
Then she called me. Now she is getting excellent results, all the time, with no fear.
So, why is this happening, so frequently?
Well, I think it’s because most people are applying the settings and techniques that they were taught, and obtaining poor results. Many of their hair clients were returning with new hair growth and plenty of re-growth.
Why?
The fact is, laser/IPL hair removal is actually quite tricky! We must consider the hair colour, skin colour, hair thickness and depth, growth phase etc.
In addition, we need to understand how the equipment’s light energy interacts with the hair and skin. It’s not obvious!
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.
I’m not saying that all manufacturers and suppliers are guilty of this. But some clearly are…
Another reason is that the manufacturer/supplier just doesn’t understand the thermodynamic processes which can occur when high energy light is applied to the skin. This is not surprising – I’ve been studying this for over 30 years and I’m still trying to figure it out. And I’m a physicist!
Conclusion
My experience and discussions with many users inform me that many manufacturers’ settings are simply not sufficient to achieve good, consistent clinical results.
Unfortunately, many insurance companies are either complicit in this, or just ignorant.
The only solution is to raise the standard out there – improve the training so that users obtain good results, consistently. Most of the devices I’ve checked (with my meters) are perfectly capable of delivering good results – but only if used correctly.
I am contacting UK-based insurance companies to try to talk sense into them. There’s no point offering insurance to equipment owners, if those owners cannot grow a decent business. Likewise, the manufacturers/suppliers also need to up their game and offer proper training too.
If you’re a laser/IPL user and you struggle to obtain good results, ask your supplier/trainer why. If they don’t offer a good answer, which resolves your problems, take it further. The ‘Sale of Goods Act’ is a good place to start.
Then, discuss it with your insurance company and tell them about my thoughts above.
If any manufacturer, supplier or insurance company would like to disagree with me, please let me know. I’ll happily discuss this situation with you…
Hope this helps.
Mike.
Our next MasterClass will be held in the Hilton Garden Hotel, Luton just north of London. Contact Lisa at dermalasemasterclass@gmail.com for further details. Tickets are limited so be quick!
Click here for a video…
Mike Murphy's Blog 