Medical Laser Blog - Fotona Straight Talk for the Physician

Fotona Lasers are the Bentley of Lasers

The other day I was talking to a physician who was thinking about starting an aesthetic practice.  He was really concerned because he hadn’t seen a lot of glossy ads for Fotona Lasers in the medical media.  I asked him, “How many Ford commercials have you seen on television?”  He responded, “Oh – well they’re on all the time!”  He’s right.  "And how many Chevrolet commercials do you see on TV?"  Again, he said, “Oh wow, all the time.”  Finally I asked him about luxury brands like Mercedes Benz and he acknowledged that he doesn’t see them as often as Ford or Chevrolet. Then we talked about a Bentley.  When was the last time someone saw an ad for Bentley on television?  After considering this he said “Well, come to think of it, I’ve never seen a Bentley commercial on TV – same with Ferrari.”

Commodities are what we see on television.  Commodities are a Ford, a Chevrolet or even, in this day and age, a Mercedes Benz.  A value product is the top of the top of the line.  That’s a Ferrari or a Bentley.  

Fotona Lasers are the Bentley of lasers.  There is a qualitative difference.  If you pick up any other laser and put the hand piece in your hand, you’ll find that it’s made of plastic.  A Fotona hand piece is generally made out of titanium, unless it is one of our complex, computer-controlled scanners that require a different kind of shaping ability, in which case it’s going to made out of a polymer.

If you’re wondering why you don’t see ads for Fotona, it’s simply because it’s reputation proceeds itself.  Now, if you’re not deep into lasers, you may never have even heard of Fotona, just like if you’re not deep into luxury cars you may never have heard of a Ferrari or a Bentley.    Those people who are into lasers, while they may not even own one (yet), they certainly know about Fotona and they will say very good things about it.  

The reason someone may not own a Fotona is because they bought a commodity.  They bought a commodity because they didn’t know any better until they got into it.  Once they got into it, they will all agree…Fotona has far fewer technical issues, has a longer work life, has more applications, and has better outcomes.  

We’ve shown these better outcomes time and time again.  We take our before/after pictures on the road all the time – all over the world.  Whether they show the results of laser hair removal, laser vein removal, cystic acne or folliculitis treatments, skin rejuvenation or any other procedure, we’ve been accused of re-touching our photographs many, many times because we get results that nobody else gets.  Now this is NOT because we’re such stupendous laser operators! This is because we have the best made, highest performance laser in the world – period.  This is Fotona Lasers.

Fotona Value Added Comes in Low Cost of Ownership

When I was young, I bought a police car thinking I was getting a screamin’ deal on a big muscle car.  I found out later that it’s common knowledge that when you buy a used police car you’re actually buying a new car – one part at a time – because they’re basically used up.  They’ve been rode hard and put up wet…as they used to say in the old west.

The same thing can happen with almost anything you buy. Think about razor blades.  It used to be that you would buy a straight razor and that would last you a very long time – even a lifetime.    Then they came out with “safety razors” and while they practically give you the handle, the blades cost some money.  Another example for the next generation is the inkjet printer.  You could get an inkjet printer that will do just about anything you want for next to nothing, but you have to pay through the nose to get the ink cartridges all the time.

Same thing holds true in laser medicine.  A lot of companies build obsolescence into their hand pieces and other parts.  Some of them even have “shot counters” in them that shut down the machine so that you have to buy more shots.  Fotona doesn’t work that way.  

Fotona has extremely low cost of ownership.  Fotona is a top quality, top tier laser, with all the bells and whistles and with almost no re-occurring cost to the owner.  The costs to the owner are simply normal maintenance, the occasional need to replace a fiber and miscellaneous things like 4x4’s, alcohol, etc – things that any medical office would have on hand anyway.    Cost of ownership is very low.  Our technicians tell us time and time again that we have far fewer breakdowns and far fewer technical problems than other lasers and that when we do have a problem, it is generally easy to fix because Fotona’s lasers are built around a ‘plug ’n play’ modular system so that pieces are swapped out rapidly vs. a lot of difficulties with onsite repairs.

When you’re looking at lasers – don’t just ask about the price of the machine!  While you’ll always find Fotona very competitive in price, remember that in addition, the Fotona laser will be much less expensive in terms of cost of overall ownership.

Hyperflexible Fotona Laser Systems Are The Real Thing

This week we're heading to the 2010 American Society for Lasers in Medicine (ASLMS) Annual Conference.  I will be interested to look, listen and see what buzz is created this year.  The "Laser 2009" Conference demonstrated that companies are still in pursuit of the next great wavelength.  What companies fail to realize is that it is control of the laser, as well as the wavelength, that brings results.  Shifting the wavelength a few nanometers up or down will result in clinical differences, but not as great a difference as having full control of your laser. 

What the highlights of ASLMS Laser 2009 showed me is that Fotona continues to be well ahead of the curve and we have in our hands, right now, the laser health therapies of the future.

When you are confronted with a new “revolutionary” aesthetic therapy, scrutinize the biophysics behind it.  There are very few new things a laser or other energy device can really do to the skin.  The options are ablate, selective photothermolysis, bulk heat or Frac3®.  When considering what any new “revolutionary” gizmo is really doing, consider how you can configure the hyperflexible Fotona systems to do the same thing.  Mulitple treatment options in every Fotona laser system = VALUE to the laser owner.

A Fotona Laser Vs. The One Trick Pony

Many laser companies will want to sell you a whole bunch of boxes.  One box for laser skin resurfacing to erase hand spots, one box for this, one box for that, one box for the other thing…but you just do not need all of that equipment.  When we used to talk to physicians and they would sort of boast that they have 20 lasers in their office, we would be somewhat intimidated by that and start wondering if we had all the right equipment.  And now, quite frankly, I have to suppress the urge to chuckle because I know that they’ve got a bunch of one-trick-pony boxes…they’ve spent a boatload of money on a bunch of stuff they don’t really need.

It’s a little like this:  A Fotona Laser has just a few wavelengths and they all work completely and successfully.  Our product works a bit like the product by Microsoft called “Word.”   If you want to make a banner, you can make it with Microsoft Word.   If you want to make a business card, you can do it with Microsoft Word. If you want to type a letter, type a book, import graphics…you got it – you can do all of those things with Microsoft Word.  But most people who own Microsoft Word actually buy a special little program to make banners, and another little program to make business cards and so on.  So get Microsoft Word….get a Fotona Laser – and then learn how to use it.  

The nice thing is, when you begin setting up a medical spa and buy a laser from Fotona in the United States, comprehensive training and clinical follow up comes with it.  You don’t have to worry about how you’re going to learn the depths of this machine.  You’re taught and it’s easy.    It’s like we’ve taken the concept of Microsoft Word and put it on a Macintosh platform so it’s easy to use. 

So, no one-trick-ponies.  I know…I keep saying that, but it’s just that time and time again we see this one-trick-pony thing. Don’t buy a machine that either does a whole bunch of things well not very well (like an IPL) OR a machine that only does only ONE thing well. 

 

Get a machine that does a whole bunch of things extremely well.  Fotona.

Nd:YAG Laser Equipment and the Pepperoni Pizza

There is an idea in Aesthetic medicine that an Nd:YAG is an Nd:YAG.  That is about as true as saying all pepperoni pizzas are the same.  Sure the pepperoni may be the same, but what about the crust? Is it thin or pan…what about the cheese…the sauce, etc. You get the idea.

The wavelength is an important part of the Nd:YAG laser equipment selection process, but the truth is there are several wavelengths that can generally accomplish a single goal.  Many companies will use a second or third harmonic of a laser, shifting its wavelength a few nm and create a new story about this new unique proprietary laser.  Don’t be fooled, that is just marketing.  Take a look at any absorption curve.  The curves are continuous and generally smooth.  A few nm is not the clinical difference. Control of the laser technology is.

I have already posted on Calibration.  Another differentiating issue is how the Nd:YAG laser energy is turned on and off.  The technical term is attack and decay.  The natural attack and decay of a laser discharge is a bell shaped curved, known as Gaussian.  This results in the peak power being significantly different than the average power.  This can mean that if you choose 60 Flu on your control panel, that will be the average power, but your peak may be 100 Flu or more.  Another issue is flat top optics.  Remember as a kid using a magnifying glass to burn paper?  The center of the spot was hot and the edges cooler.  If the optics of your laser are like that, as many are, the center of the spot will be hot.

Fotona uses VSP technology to create square pulses, not Gaussian.  The square pulse makes the peak and average power nearly the same.  The Fotona optics result in a flat beam…without hot spots.

So why should you care?  The more precisely the beam is delivered, the more aggressive you can be with your treatments without concern for side effects from suboptimal beam profile.  This translates into outcomes and comfort.  Not just comfort for your patients but comfortable sleep for you.  Don’t just trust me, look at what other users have to say: Fotona Doctor Testimonials.