I know this has been covered before in various topic but I was hoping to get a discussion about the pros and cons (if any) of using a grid during laser treatment?
White pencil vs red vs Stamps? overlap issues? Etc. I want to convince my clinic to incorporate the use of a grid to avoid patchy results.
Edokid, I’m lookin at you!
Thanks!
Hahaha I was replying already then noticed the bottom part of your message 
I’ve had it with the white pencil before but my current place uses the red stamps. Either works, but the pencil still doesn’t really ensure that places will be missed, it just makes it easier for them to tell where they’ve treated, and they can focus on a smaller area. I prefer the red stamps personally but it also depends on the laser type you’re using. Soprano, or LightSheer for example use in motion technology, so a stamp grid isn’t as beneficial, but I think a grid should always be used.
Never had the red stamps, but the white pencil made a HUGE difference. After ages of my tech saying he was being very thorough (I disagreed), I drew a grid with the squares just barely smaller than the head piece to prove to him how much he was missing. My previous treatments with him was recorded as taking something around 200 pulses total (I forget now), but the day I made him use a grid the SAME area took well over 700 pulses according to the log.
It was insane how much of a difference it made. For the first time ever, I had 99% shedding (I was previously getting 40-60% shedding). I really regret wasting so much money on treatments before giving the grid a shot.
EDIT: Aside from the little bit of extra time it takes to apply your grid (which doesn’t take that long at all), there are no cons to my knowledge at all. Although be prepared for your laser tech to be offended and start arguing with you about how it’s not necessary because they are already perfectly thorough. Some of them might have an ego about it.
Great info!! Thanks for replying so quickly. Couple more questions,
Does Gentlelase Alexandrite or YAG work better with red/white grids?
Where do you buy the grid stamps?
Thanks again!
Both Candela machines have similar handpieces. So not sure I understand your question. Laser doesn’t “see” either red or white. You use those colors so that laser won’t be attracted to that area. If you use black or anything with dark pigment, laser will be attracted to that line and may burn it too.
Those should both work with red or white grids. I don’t know how IPL would handle red grids in particular, because those machines are often used to destroy/remove red pigment and scars in the skin in addition to hair removal. Out of curiosity, does anyone here know if IPL can be set to ignore red pigment? There’s probably a way, but I literally know next to nothing about it, so…
I’m def not an expert but from watching videos on the Lumenis website (so lame I know), it shows with IPL that it basically comes with a bunch of “filters” I guess they’re called. You use a different filter for each skin treatment, there’s at least 7 or so. So for hair removal for example, it filters out anything that wouldn’t be used for hair removal and so on. So I know for sure that IPL for skin treatments vs IPL for hair removal and so on is all different.
There’s a great chart here that compares them all:
That’s what I figured since they can use the same machine for so many different things. I have had IPL treatments before that didn’t target the red pigment in my face, so I knew there had to be a way, but I wasn’t sure how.
That’s the only IPL I’ve been treated with and I have nothing against it, just posted results in another thread.