Posted by Thomas Sult MD on Mon, Jun 07, 2010 @ 06:00 AM
Q-Switched lasers are all the rage in Asia and that interest is now trickling into the United States. Asia represents roughly 70% of the world’s demand for Q-Switched Lasers and they use it almost exclusively for skin rejuvenation. The tattoo removal capability is not a big piece of the drive for this laser in Asia.
In the United States, Q-Switched lasers are seen primarily as tattoo removal tools. And they’re great tattoo removal tools, but there are several things about the Fotona Q-Switched laser – specifically the Fotona QX Max – that are really lost on the US public.
It’s a 4-wavelength machine so it’s competitive with the best machines out there. Actually, it’s better because it has the highest single pulse energy available. Other companies talk about similar energies, but when you read their literature, you find they’re doing a stacked pulse. Data generated by the R&D Dept. at Fotona shows that after a Q-Switched pulse of any significant energy (300-500mj), the skin is damaged in a way that creates a collagen cap. That collagen cap acts as a barrier to a second pulse. That second pulse then has very little clinical efficacy, so you really need a large energy, single pulse and that’s what the QX Max can deliver!
Having this single, large-energy pulse means the QX Max is excellent for skin rejuvenation. Using Nd:YAG or KTP you can do a beautiful job of improving the skin's texture, tone and color.
In addition, the Fotona QX Max has something called Accelera Mode. Accelera Mode provides a longer pulse duration so it gives you the opportunity to do things no other Q-Switched laser can do. If your primary interest is in skin rejuvenation but people come to you with little spider veins along the nose or mouth or what have you, the QX Max can treat those very effectively. It also has the capability to do hair removal . Now it’s not primarily a hair and vein machine – it doesn’t have the capacity to do large areas. If you’re going to do large body areas of hair removal, you’re going to want a machine with the power to do that such as the
Fotona XP Max or an SP Dynamis. But for the focused practitioner who’s interested in excellent non-invasive, non-ablative skin rejuvenation types of therapies, the QX Max is truly a great choice because it’s a complete workstation that also manages the telangectasias, the hair, the texture, tone & color issues of the skin.
We’ve seen excellent results using this technology and we have our Asian partners who would say that it is by far the best platform on the market for the skin rejuvenation application. So if that’s your niche, take a look – it’s pretty interesting!
Posted by Thomas Sult MD on Thu, Oct 22, 2009 @ 07:00 AM
I saw a great ad for a laser tattoo removal clinic. The ad showed an attractive woman with a large tattoo on her back, and the caption said: “Sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas - XXX laser tattoo removal clinic”. Some people get a tattoo on a whim and have regrets; some need room for a new one… others need to change the name. Tattoos have long been a vibrant subculture, but recently it is more and more mainstream, resulting in the growth of the tattoo removal business.
Tattoo removal laser systems are special Q-Switched lasers. They have extremely short pulse durations and very high peak power. This makes these systems unique. They are quite technically challenging to build. Most companies that try and build them have underpowered machines. Our Fotona tattoo laser is the most powerful on the planet in terms of pure Q-Switched power. This results in more efficient ink removal and faster treatments. Our 4-wavelength laser gives excellent coverage for all ink colors. Each color of ink absorbs a different wavelength of laser light. The laser light is converted to heat and the ink is broken up. This results in the smaller ink particles being eaten by WBC’s in the body. Several treatments are needed to fully remove a tattoo. Homemade or jailhouse tattoos are most often removed in just a few sessions while multicolor professional tattoos will require more sessions.
The Fotona QX Tattoo removal laser has been featured on the History Channel’s Ancient Ink segment.