With Laser Industries receiving the FDA green light to market their EpiTouch, it is important to keep in mind what makes the Palomar EpiLase a unique device and how it differs from the competition.
The EpiLase is a long pulsed ruby laser that works on the principle of photothermal destruction. At a wavelength of 694.3 nanometers, ruby laser light deeply penetrates the skin and is absorbed by those structures responsible for hair growth (the pluripotential cells). The problem has always been, however, that because epidermal melanin is a competiting site for ruby laser absorbtion, long pulsed ruby lasers will damage the top of skin, an undesirable effect, as well as hair cells, the desired end. What makes the EpiLase unique is its patented delivery device which cools the epidermis on contact, allowing for the selective heating of deep tissue structures. With this delivery system, the EpiLase requires no creams or gels, making treatments easy and fast for the operator. To date I can think of no other ruby laser manufacturer that has adequately resovled this issue--including Laser Industries. In addition, the EpiLase has the advantage of being a high power laser which means faster treatment.
In contrast, the Thermolase SoftLight seeks to remove hair based on the less certain principle of photomechanical destruction. With the SoftLight system, the patient is epilated and a carbon based exogeneous pigment (trade name "Thira Cream") is massaged down into the hair follicles. A Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser, the same type of laser used for tattoo removal, is then fired at the skin. In much the same way the Nd:YAG is used to break up a tattoo, the SoftLight laser reacts with the pigment in the cream causing the carbon particles to explode. It is reasoned that this violent cavitation of the cream in the hair follicle will either kill the pluripotential cells or at least shock them into a period of dormancy. The problem is, to my knowledge there are no peer reviewed studies that substantiate this method of photomechanical destruction as a sound method of permanent hair removal (an is why the Thermolase spas cannot claim permanent hair removal). Palomar has the clinical advantage of pointing to studies such as the one recently publised in a leading dermatology journal that substantiates ruby laser hair removal.
The cosmetic surgery market is a volatile one, but alternatives to electrolysis and waxing interest the paying public and are already being sought. It strikes me that science is strongly behing Palomar and, for the mean time, so is my money. |
