Laser Innovation, Part 3, Palomar

This is the third of five articles designed to aide you in understanding the various companies designing and producing lasers for use in cosmetic medicine. This article covers Palomar Medical Technologies:

Palomar Medical Technologies

Palomar Medical Technologies, Inc. is a researcher and developer of light-based systems for hair removal and other cosmetic procedures. In 1997 Palomar obtained FDA clearance for the first high powered laser hair removal system and high power diode laser system. In 1999 Palomar obtained FDA clearance for a sub-zero cooled laser system. In 2001 Palomar introduced the Q-Yag5 system for tattoo and pigmented lesion removal. In 2004 Palomar signed a Development and License Agreement with The Gillette Company to complete development and commercialize a patented home-use, hair removal device for women. In 2004 Palomar signed a Development and License Agreement with Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc, a Johnson & Johnson company, to develop, clinically test and potentially commercialize home-use, light based devices for reducing or reshaping body fat including cellulite; reducing appearance of skin aging; and reducing or preventing acne. They have one operating subsidiary, Palomar Medical Products, Inc. located at Palomar's headquarters in Burlington, Massachusetts, which oversees the manufacture and sale of Palomar's lamp and laser based systems currently on the market. The Company conducts business in one industry segment, medical and cosmetic products and services.

Laser Innovation, The Big Players, Part 2

To help you better understand the lasers being used in cosmetic medicine, specifically for laser hair removal, we have produced a five part series remarking on the major laser manufacturers producing new technologies. This article covers the Lumenis Corporation.

Lumenis

Lumenis develops, manufactures and markets proprietary laser and intense pulsed light devices. Its systems are used in a variety of aesthetic and medical applications. These include hair removal, non-invasive treatment of vascular and pigmented lesions, acne , psoriasis , open angle glaucoma, secondary cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, various ENT conditions, gynecology, urinary lithotripsy, benign prostatic hyperplasia, neurosurgery , veterinary procedures and dentistry. Lumenis maintains its headquarters in Yokneam, Israel with regional offices in the US, Europe, and Asia.

Series Report: Laser Innovation, The Big Players

This article is the first of five covering the five major companies producing lasers for cosmetic medicine. The first is:

Candela Corporation

The Candela Corporation is involved in the development and commercialization of advanced aesthetic laser and light-based systems that allow physicians and personal care practitioners to treat a wide variety of cosmetic and medical conditions including: vascular lesion treatment of rosacea, facial spider veins, leg veins, scars, stretch marks, warts, port wine stains and hemangiomas, laser hair removal, removal of benign pigmented lesions such as age spots, freckles and tattoos, skin rejuvenation and wrinkles, acne and acne scars, psoriasis, other skin treatments.

Candela Corporation's product line includes the following products: GentleLASE, GentlYag, Vbeam, ALEXLAZR, Smoothbeam, C-beam, Ellipse Intense Pulsed Light system. They market and sell their products in more than 64 countries worldwide. Candela maintains separate regional executives in North America, Latin and South America, Japan, Asia, Europe and the Middle East which manage their marketing, selling and service activities through a combination of direct personnel and a network of independent distributors. They lease a facility for their operations in Wayland, Massachusetts.

“Beam Me Up”..Doc?

Lasers Change Medicine, and Your Looks

Cosmetic medicine, that fascinating field which has brought us larger breasts than nature intended and hairless male chests, has taken America by storm. Approximately 300,000 breast enhancements are performed each year. Millions more laser and injection procedures are performed, each to address an ever widening array of aesthetic needs. If you are an aging beauty with wrinkles, no matter. Botox™ or Restylane can restore you to the shining beauty of your twenties, for a price. Hormones have you looking like BigFoot, with hair here, there, and everywhere? Laser hair removal can zap you smooth as a baby’s bum. As laser surgeons and dermatologists have yet to find the fountain of youth that will help us live forever, at least they have found ways to keep us looking young until death does come knocking.

Perhaps the fastest growing and most promising technology in cosmetic medicine involves lasers. Laser medicine, as popularized by such procedures as laser hair removal and the ubiquitous laser eye surgery, has revolutionized the way cosmetic physicians can address their patients needs. In a few sessions, lasting typically under 30 minutes, unwanted hair may be completely removed leaving in its place softer and smoother skin. Unsightly age and sun spots are obliterated leaving younger looking and smoother skin with no downtime. Spider and facial veins are wiped away with a pass of a laser handset. This revolutionary technology has made smoother, younger-looking skin less expensive to achieve with longer lasting results.

The market for aesthetic procedures has grown significantly over the past several years. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons estimates that its members treated approximately 2 million people in 2002, a 95% increase since 1998. According to industry analysts, an estimated $1 billion is spent each year on cosmetic laser procedures in the United States alone. As more and more laser technologies are developed with higher utility and efficacy, the more popular procedures are likely to gain in popularity increasing demand for lasers and greater technologies.