About Spa Touch by Radiancy again I.m afraid…Can anyone tell me what is this based n IPL or Photoepilation. With Spa touch a large 2 x 5cms area is treated at a time. A small amount of light plus heat is used, they say only small amount of light is used as the Spatouch does not have a crystal quartz, which reduces the intesity in IPl. if anyone know of this system please let me know what you think in terms of effectiveness. Radiancy claims taht they are approved by FDA.
SpaTouch often calls itself a “Photoepilation System.” This is unfortunate, because there is a device still sold called a photoepilator. It was invented in the 1970’s and has not been proven permanent. Radiancy’s decision to use the same term is confusing for consumers and probably bad for their business.
SpaTouch is a flashlamp sold mainly to salon owners instead of doctors. I’d recommend a laser over the SpaTouch.
</font><blockquote><font size=“1” face=“Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif”>quote:</font><hr /><font size=“2” face=“Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif”>Originally posted by Andrea:
SpaTouch is a flashlamp sold mainly to salon owners instead of doctors. I’d recommend a laser over the SpaTouch.[/QB]</font><hr /></blockquote><font size=“2” face=“Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif”>Why would you reccomend laser over IPL? I happen to know a little but about light - laser and otherwise. Laser light, besides for being coherent, is simply a very narrow frequency of IPL. In fact, solid state lasers (ruby/metal crystal not diode) use a flaslamp for the unit’s initiating pulse.
Personally, I feel that a wider dispersion of energy frequencies results in a more effective destruction of follicular tissue due to varying colors of the tissue and kerotin.
BTW, commercial IPL epilators do have included filters to limit the frequency spread to within the infrared and near-infrared bands. Some of the bare flashtubes emit energy in the ultraviolet bands would cause skin damage without a filter.
Having said all of that, I have no information regarding the SpaTouch unit, but if it is a true IPL, then I think it would be more effective than a laser.
Update:
Ok, I just looked at Radiancy’s site, and a few distributor’s sites. The SpaTouch is certainly not an ordinary IPL, and given the company hype, I’m not convinced that it’s effective. The marketing blurbs do not give any real information, except for spot size and enregy output.
The most incongruous part of their specs is that the energy output is only 5 joules (watt-seconds) per square centimeter maximum. It it news to me that this low level of energy can effect the tissues enough to cause any kind permanent or temporary follicle destruction. Also, I find it difficult to understand how this can even effect any kind of hair removal at all (unless an ancillary method like waxing is used as well).
Also, they say that the application of external heat is what makes the light energy able to effect the follicle - I also find this one hard to understand. The amount of external heat that can be applied is very small, without burning the skin. The heating effect on the follicle would be be the combination of the external heat and the heat generated at the root by the light - still not enough, as far as I can tell.
The research that I’ve done on IPL units and technology, including reviewing the patents, leads me to believe that at least 30 joules/cm2 of energy is needed, and up to 60 is called for in fair-skinned/fair-haired individuals. The puny external heat of the SpaTouch would not make up the difference. Maybe if a blow-torch were used instead…
[ February 06, 2003, 01:58 AM: Message edited by: MikeF ]
SpaTouch’s take on IPL does indeed seem too low in energy to cause a permanent results, and their claims about additions of other energy have yet to be borne out in long-term published clinical data.
As far as IPL in general, the lack of specificity in wavelength appears to lead to less selective photothermolysis, meaning it heats up stuff besides the hair and leads to higher rates of side effects. It also appears to be less effective for permanent results than laser, which would explain in part why prominent IPL chains like Vanishing Point went out of business, taking consumers’ prepaid treatment money with them.
[ February 20, 2003, 09:32 AM: Message edited by: Andrea ]
I have started to use the SpaTouch treatment and have had 3 sessions so far. I have heard from some people that is effective but I have seen no results so far. I have spoken to someone about Ellipse Relax Light 1000 but they said that you need to wait 3 months between treatments and I can’t wait that long. At the moment most of my hairs on my chin are blonde and soft but grow to a length that is too visible and I do have a dark corse patch of hair undedr my chin which I trim everyday. Do you recommend electrolysis for me how long do you think it would take?
Any informtion would be helpful as I am very confused.
I was first in the country to use Photoepilation.
It is not Permanent Hair Removal. Go to the Site: ElectrolysisInformation.com for further information.