Science & Technology
Sharplan CO2 Laser
Carbon dioxide lasers are incredibly accurate. They produce a tiny powerful beam that vaporizes skin one very thin layer at a time. At its lowest setting the laser removes only 10 microns of tissue (about one cell layer). At its highest setting, it removes about one quarter of a millimeter of tissue.
This precision makes the CO2 laser a great device for mole removal. Only the mole is injured. There is minimal damage to nearby normal skin. This minimizes the risk of leaving a scar.*
Soprano Laser
This is the world's first painless hair removal laser. While other lasers use single intense shots of energy to accomplish hair removal, the Soprano uses 10 low intensity pulses per second that cannot be felt.
It is equally effective as standard lasers for hair removal.*
It is made in Israel by Alma Lasers, one of the most innovative laser companies in the world.
CoolSculpting Body Contouring Machine
CoolSculpting uses cold to kill fat cells.
Five different applicators are sized to fit various areas of the body like tummies, flanks, inner thighs, and under the chin.
Over a 35 minute session, cold is applied to kill fat cells. Since your body stopped making new fat cells at puberty, these cells will not be replaced. The cold is precisely regulated so it does not affect other tissue such as blood vessels, muscles, and nerves.
Accent XL Radio Frequency Generator
The Accent produces radio waves that are used for skin tightening, body contouring, and cellulite treatment.
It is made in Israel by Alma Lasers, one of the most innovative laser companies in the world.
There are two hand-pieces to deliver different types of radiowaves. The bipolar hand-piece delivers shallow waves about 10mm deep to tighten skin. The monopolar hand-piece is patented technology that delivers radiowaves 25mm deep to affect fat cells.
miraDry
This device uses microwaves to destroy sweat glands. As a bonus, it also kills hair follicles.
For people with excessive underarm sweating, miraDry treatment can be life-changing.
Most commonly only on treatment is required, but some people need two or more.
Candela GentleYAG Laser
At the York Laser and MedSpa we use the GentleYAG laser for hair removal, facial skin tightening, facial vein treatments, and fungal nails.
Lasers produce light that has unique properties. The light has only one wavelength (colour) and the light travels in beams that are parallel. The end result is that a laser beam stays the same width at the source as at the target, and loses very little energy. A laser beam one centimeter in diameter fired at the moon would only spread to one meter in diameter at the moon’s surface. Compare this to a flashlight. The beam would be a meter wide after traveling only ten meters.
Laser light of different wavelengths is used for different tasks. Hair removal is done with 755nm, 810nm and 1064nm lasers. Skin resurfacing uses laser light at 2940nm and 10,000nm. Vascular lasers use light at 532nm and 1064nm.
The GentleYAG was chosen for its efficacy and its unequalled safety profile as explained below.
The target for laser light energy is the pigment called melanin. This pigment is found in hair and throughout the skin. The darker your skin, the more melanin it contains. The object of laser hair removal is to have more absorption of laser light energy by the melanin in the hair root than by melanin in the skin, thereby destroying the hair follicle but preserving the skin.
The GentleYAG laser has the longest wavelength available for hair removal. The longer wavelength results in deeper penetration of light into the skin where the hair root resides. Less light energy is absorbed in the skin. The result is hair root damage without skin damage. It is the safest wavelength available for hair removal.
All other wavelengths of light are scattered and absorbed in the very superficial layers of the skin where they may cause undesirable skin side effects such as burning and pigment changes. These shorter wavelengths are unsuitable for treating dark skin.
The longer wavelength of the GentleYAG is safe for use on all skin colors, including tanned skin. We have never seen pigment changes using the GentleYAG laser.
This laser is also an excellent device for the treatment of facial veins.* We rarely use it for leg veins, because sclerotherapy works better, hurts less, and costs less.
Harmony AFT Intense Pulsed Light Device (IPL)
At the York Vein and Laser Clinic we use the Harmony AFT Intense Pulsed Light Device manufactured by Alma Lasers. This multi-purpose device is used for some hair removal, facial vein treatments, and pigment treatments (photorejuvenation). Our Harmony has four different handpieces for these different functions (420nm for acne, 540nm for facial veins, 570nm for photorejuvenation, and 650nm for hair removal).
IPL is short for Intense Pulsed Light. As the name implies, IPL machines produce intense pulses of light from flashlamps. This light initially contains all colours of light in the visible spectrum plus infrared and ultraviolet. Because ultraviolet light is harmful, all IPL machines use some type of mechanism, usually filters, to block out UV.
We chose the Harmony because of the innovative technology it uses to deal with ultraviolet light (AFT).
As mentioned above, all IPL machines use some type of device to prevent harmful ultraviolet light from reaching the skin. Most machines use filters to simply block out the UV rays. In contrast, the Harmony IPL converts the UV light to useful wavelengths. This method is called Advanced Flourescent Technology (AFT). Most of the energy boost occurs at the wavelength that the IPL machine uses for doing its job. Because more light is available at the desired wavelength, the overall energy delivered can be reduced, and consequently, the machine is safer. This safety factor is the primary reason we decided to purchase the Harmony to treat our patients.
We are also very impressed with how well this device works. While most IPL devices need to be used three to eight times to achieve the desired results, we usually only need one or two treatments to achieve beneficial results.* Occasionally three treatments are required.*
Zimmer Elektromedizin Cryo-5 Cooler
This device is a technologically advanced air conditioner that blows super cooled air. The Zimmer has one very important function: to cool the skin during laser and IPL treatments. This cooling protects the skin and decreases discomfort.
*Results may vary.
