[color:#FF0000]This is from Dr. Harvey H. Jay’s website (http://www.mdlaserderm.com/faq.html#whyepi). Just thought someone might be interested. A lot of before/after picture (inspiring). I haven’t been to his clinic ever, but the doctor promises good results with his IPL treatments…[/color]
Q. Why do you prefer pulsed light Epilight for hair removal over Softlight™, Ruby, Nd: Yag (Neodinium Yag), Alexandrite, and Diode lasers?
A. Epilight and Photoderm both deliver hundreds of pulses of light from 515 to 1200 nanometers wavelengths. These bursts of light can be divided into varying lengths of light and varying intervals between the bursts of light. The flexibility of the combinations of these possible settings is what makes this technology superior to the single color (or wavelength) of light delivered by each laser. The ability to vary these many aspects of the light enable the experienced physician user to customize the settings to the characteristics of the hair, blood vessels, or pigment being treated. These thousands of settings are also not obtainable with lasers.
The primary difference between Photoderm and Epilight is the particular combinations of these parameters that each machine offers the physicians using the machine. Epilight can deliver 2 to 5 pulses each of which has the same duration and interval between pulses. Photoderm can deliver 1 to 3 pulses with the duration of each pulse and the interval between pulses - all independently adjustable.
Hair removal was originally recognized with Photoderm. When I treated blood vessels with photoderm about 8 years ago, I noticed that the hair on the treatment site did not regrow. I began using Epilight in July 1996. Epilight was designed specifically for hair removal. The newer version of Epilight, which I now use, is 12 TIMES FASTER than the current version of Photoderm. The surface area that Epilight treats is twice that of Photoderm and the rapidity of pulses is 6 times that of Photoderm. As a result, Epilight is much faster in treating patients than Photoderm.
In addition, there is considerably more experience in using Epilight for hair removal than Photoderm. I own both machines. I find that I constantly use Epilight for hair removal and Photoderm for treatment of blood vessels such as rosacea, leg veins, hemangiomas, port wine stains, brown spots, elevated scars, and stretch marks. However, in rare instances, I will switch machines when a particularly desirable setting is obtainable on one and not the other. In general, however, I need both machines to deliver all of the most customizable settings to treat each patient. I purchase my equipment. I purchased Epilight for hair removal and I find that I am obtaining excellent long term hair removal safely, in all 6 skin types - from white to black skin color and in black, brown, red and blond hair. No laser can give me these results. No laser allows me to treat all of my patients as safely and as flexibly. I am getting an average of 45% long term hair removal lasting at least 6 to 13 months in type 1,2,3,4,5,skin (white to dark brown skin), and in black, brown, red, and blond hairs. In a clinical study of 150 treatment sites, my patients had no adverse side effects! What more could any one machine offer my patients? I personally treat each patient. The results are excellent.
I performed a later study to evaluate the safety of my work. You can read my article published in the Cornell Medical School Edition of Cosmetic Dermatology Journal in December '02 which demonstrates the Safety of Intense Pulsed Light Hair Removal in 250 Consecutive New Patients when using my Ultimate Light™ method. These patients included all skin types. In fact 77% were darker skinned patients (skin types 4,5,6)
Ruby and Alexandrite and the longer wavelength hair Diode lasers are all similar. They have difficulty with darker skin types and leave much more side effects than I am seeing in my patients. Softlight™ use of a tar solution and a YAG laser after waxing was shown to have complete regrowth in 6 months, and had no better results than waxing alone. Their new modifications are still being evaluated.
Why should I purchase another machine when none have not yet been shown to be as good as the one I already own? The main problem reported with Epilight is the expertise required to operate it. I have more experience using Epilight than anyone in the world. As a physician, I am one of the few physician - dermatologists - operating Epilight myself - and treating each patient. I don’t need a simplistic solution to the many complicated patient needs that my hair removal patients require. I am still improving my knowledge and techniques of hair removal (as well as treatment of blood vessels and brown spots). My photographs of my own results attest to these results. They are not retouched or altered in any way.