My dermatologist uses the Soprano Laser Hair Removal system. I’ve had Alexandrite before, and it worked ok. I will only go to a physician now, because I got burned before by one of the chains. I am not very familiar with this laser, though, and wanted to see if I could get any feedback.
You should read my post “apogee elite”. I just had a test patch done on my armpit with the Soprano. And i have heard people having great results within four treatments. I will update in about three weeks about how my armpit looks. I have previously done five treatments with the lightsheer diode. And only had 20% reduction.
Make sure it is the Soprano XL and not just Soprano. The XL is newer and it has features which the old Soprano does not.
I personally thinks that it is better to go to a place which whoever uses the machine does it all day long, the more experience they have the better your chances not to get burned.
Also, you think a doctor won’t burn you? Probably more likely because USUALLY they don’t do the treatments themselves and if they do they don’t have as much experience as a full time laser technician.
Also, with the Soprano XL it’s very hard to burn someone, maybe if they have no idea what they’re doing then it’s possible.
I agree with odi on the fact that looking for a doctor to do treatments is not going to prevent you from burns. In fact, most doctors have the LEAST experience when it comes to operating a laser because they have other things they do on a regular basis. You need someone who does it all day long, every day. From what I remember, you likely got burned due to a machine malfunction, which can happen with any machine or clinic. I believe you got good treatments without any issues as well, so it’s likely not someone’s experience level that was at fault.
Soprano is a new diode. There isn’t a lot of feedback on it still since it’s relatively new, so it’s hard to compare it to other diodes which have been on the market for a while. I completely disagree with Odi on the statement that it’s very hard to burn someone with this machine. Anyone can be burned on any machine - it’s all a matter of the settings and of course that the machine is functioning properly.
Zala - your lack of results on LightSheer isn’t due to the machine. It’s due to the person who treated you. LightSheer is a solid diode laser that gets good results in good hands.
WerNotAfraid - I would recommend you find a clinic with an alexandrite if you want the best possible results. GentleLASE is still best on the market for light skin.
The actual laser at the place I am looking at is done by a registered nurse, not the doctor himself. He oversees it, and it’s in the same office where he does both medical and cosmetic dematology. He’s been my dermatologist for years and I am very happy with him. I do not trust “clinics” with non-medical “laser techs” who often have little to no training. I do trust my doctor, who’s training and experience I can verify from the Texas Board of Medical Examiners.
I am sure burns can happen, but at least a physician or nurse can (or should) be able to tell when something is wrong, and they have the ability to react appropriately when things don’t go as planned. When I got burned before, I said repeatedly to the “tech” that “things don’t feel right, something is wrong” but was told “oh, no, everything’s fine, it just the laser.” When it became clear I was injured, I was told “maybe you could put some ice on it” and sent on my way. I called back later as asked to speak to the nurse (whom I thought was always in hand) but was told that someone would get back to me. I ended up having to go to my own physician, who prescribed burn ointment.
Had I been treated in a large area I would have been very severely injured. The “techs” had no idea what to do, and couldn’t recognize a burn or a faulty laser. I’m sure my dermatologist doesn’t do laser skin resurfacing all day, every day…but I also bet he both knows how to do it well, AND has the training to realize a complication. Likewise, I’d much rather put my skin in the hands of trained medical professionals with which I already have a good relationship, than to risk it again to some laser chain with God knows who working there.
I see your point, though you must understand that the laser training done by every manufacturer is very limited to say the least. It usually ends up in a matter of a few hours. You’re right about people who have no idea what they’re doing, but on the other hand I’ve seen many doctors that i cannot understand how anyone would let them treat you.
I would compromise by saying that the best would be to pick a place where someone recommended to about.
One of my clinic’s biggest competitors has a doctor that does many of the cosmetic procedures there, guess what, a person died under her care while doing liposuction.
You’re talking about two different things: training on noticing when there is a problem and training on dealing with the results of the problem. The first one is really all about the experience actually treating patients, not necessarily just education on it. The second is about medical education where a doctor comes in handy. I assume that the first one is more important to you since you can always go to a physician to get the problem resolved since it’s dealt with as any other burn/damage to the skin. Of course, it’s more convenient if the doctor is on site, but I’m sure he’s not always there anyway as it’s often the case. However, if it were me, my priority would be to go to someone who wouldn’t burn me in the first place, which doesn’t depend on whether there is a doctor on site. Just because someone has a good education on other aspects of dematology and is great at that doesn’t mean they know enough about hair removal. It’s a whole different beast. Btw, there are many places between chain clinics and doctor’s offices. There are many non-chain clinics specifically dedicated and doing hair removal for years.
You should do what you think is best, but if I were you, I would have consultations at 4-5 different clinics before committing to any one. Just the fact that this clinic is using this machine shows me to that they’re not the most educated on the hair removal subject.
I did a Google search for “laser hair removal burns” and one thing came up again, and again, and again…“laser techs.” I found one story that involved treatment by a doctor, and I am sure it does happen, but the vast majority of complications seemed to be from non-medical personnel doing procedures they were not educated enough to be performing. From what I can see, there is NO official training to be a “laser tech” and I’ve found ads offering “one week workshops” for 4,000 dollars. One week is nowhere near long enough to be able to train you in the use of a machine that can and sometimes does leave irreversible third degree burns and scarring. In contrast, I just graduated from cosmetology school (which includes the ability to do hair, skin, nails, and hair removal of a basic variety.) It took me 1500 classroom hours over the space of a year to get this degree, and I had to do literally thousands of different procedures on live clients under the direct supervision of an experienced instructor. We also had to learn in-depth about skin structures, disease, and how to recognize complications before, during, and after various treatments. I still have a long way to go before I will feel like I am fully competent, so you can imagine how I view the safety of a procedure done by someone with a weekend course in laser.
The advantage to going to my doctor is that I trust his office, their training, AND the fact that the same nurse does the procedure each and every time (at the clinic I saw a different person at each treatment, some better than the others.) If something does happen, the nurse and the doctor are right there, literally yards away; at the clinic, when I asked to talk to the nurse/doctor, there was never one present and I had to wait weeks until the doctor was supposed to examine me. It’s a good thing I had health insurance and was able to see my own physician so quickly. I wish I had kept the pics of my burns (which did end up healing with no scarring that I can see) but it wasn’t pretty.
I wrote this post originally to ask about the Soprano Laser, so I’d like to get the info on that. I think I’ve made my point about what I want to be treated in a medical setting.
I really like the Soprano XL, and think that it is an amazing machine. Some people here will claim that there aren’t any facts that it works yet.
I would recommend it hands down.
As i said before, just make sure it IS the Soprano XL and not Soprano.
In May, the Texas legislation did pass a laser hair removal bill. Doctors and anyone working in their office will not have to be trained or certified, imagine that, but those working outside a physician’s office will have required training and certification.
And if you speak to the malpractice insurance companies, those techs that are burning people, are untrained and working in physician’s offices.
Best bet, find a seasoned electrologist who has trained in laser.
Good good. I know it’s pretty new, but I have heard good things about it. I am going to have a small area done the first time to make sure everything goes well. I will be sure to ask if it’s the XL one. I really only need my underarms and bikini line done.
My point was that you should compare to other clinics, including those with doctors and those where the same educated nurse does the procedure every time BUT with some of the best machines on the market.
Odi has only been using the machine since December and treats at 6 weeks. So unfortunately, they can’t tell yet whether it produces any permanent results.
It’s been almost three weeks since I did a test patch on my left armpit with the Soprano XL laser. I have stopped shaving at this point…and have been seeing some shedding in the shower when I’m using a loofah. It’s not a lot of hairs that come off though. most of the hairs are still firmly rooted…but when I pull on some of them, they come off without resistance…and some come off on the loofah when i rub the area. But the regrowth from shaving is pretty sparse and slow on the treated armpit than my right armpit. I can’t really say much right now, but will give it a couple of more weeks and see how it looks.
at full 3 weeks, all the hairs should come out easily and none should grow as usual. don’t judge things at 6 weeks. by that point, you’ll be seeing NEW hair.
OK…it’s been exactly three weeks now since my test patch on my left armpit…I haven’t shaved for over a week…and there is absolutely no hairs to be seen at this point…I think the Soprano works!!!I am going to schedule a treatment for other areas.
I’m glad to hear that you are happy, and as I’ve said before all of our clients sounds the same as you are now.
But truth is, as some said before, you can’t know for sure that it works only 6 months or more after the end of the treatments.
But you’ve been working with this laser for about six months or so, haven’t you? What is your opinion about this laser and the clients you treated six months ago?
Most people seems to either disappear after about 4 treatments or they call to start a new area. We haven’t had any complaint yet.
I am also interested in this new laser. Being a white male, with large areas to be covered, this would alleviate much pain from other lasers. However I am somewhat worried about investing into something that may not work.
On a side note, Odi, I am looking for a new clinic in the Toronto area that offers this laser. I will be checking your clinic out soon!! 
Cheesecake, I went to Odi’s clinic last week. And I had a great experience with Liliana (the laser technician). Their prices are very reasonable too compared to other places. And she is very professional and thorough with the treatment. I can’t wait for my next treatment :P. Thanks Odi. I was hoping I could say hi, but I didn’t see you :(. Maybe next time.