Hoyun at Popgadget.net asks: What do you think of home laser treatment devices? Do they work?
The Right Brain responds:
Thanks for the question, Hoyun. We’re big fans of your blog and we saw your recent post on the Vitalmed Softlaser Wand for do-it-yourself laser skin treatments. Here’s what we think:
What do lasers do for skin?
As we previously posted, lasers are effective tools for the treatment of wrinkles and for skin resurfacing and specific laser devices have been approved by the FDA for use by dermatologists. Derms use these “professional strength” lasers to abrade the upper layers of skin, revealing “fresh” skin below. This is a serious treatment: some patients report mild pain and slight reddening (which can last for months.) For more information, you can read these laser facts from the FDA’s website.
What is the Vitalmed Softlaser Wand?
The Vitalmed Softlaser Wand (also known as the Beurer Softlaser) is a hand-held 5 milliwatt Aluminium - Gallium laser that produces a light beam with a wavelength 635 to 670 nanometers. According to a website that sells this thing, here’s the laundry list of things it does:
- Help reverse the effects of aging
- Reduce wrinkles & fine lines
- Stimulate collagen & tone skin
- Clears acne & erase blemishes, bruises
- Diminishes scars, stretch marks, cuts & burns
- Treats herpes / cold sores
- Helps treat tennis elbow, tendonitis, arthritis, sinusitis / rhinitis
- Heals eczema, dermatitis, rosacea, burns, spider veins & more…
- We make no medical claims in the U.S. - yet.
It’s interesting that they say they don’t make medical claims in the US, yet here it is for sale.
Does it really work?
We can’t find any evidence that laser devices sold for home use are effective. In the US, the FDA does not legally sanction these devices. In Europe, according to the websites, Softlaser is a certified Medical Device that complies with the EU Directive 93/42/EEC. We’re not experts in interpreting EU legal directives, but we scanned the 46 page document and couldn’t find any indication that product performance is a criteria for certification. It appears to be more of a safety registration document.
It seems to us that any device strong enough to produce the side effects mentioned above (when used by a dermatologist!) is probably not safe for home use. And if the home version is weaker and doesn’t have potential side effects it seems like it would be less likely to work.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Since it’s not approved by the FDA and since we couldn’t find any clear evidence that this device actually works, we’re really skeptical. If any of our community in Europe, where this device is supposedly approved, have any additional information please let us know and we’ll update this post. In the meantime, you see a picture and find out more about a similar product, the Nuphase Soft Touch Laser
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Beauty Schools Directory Says:
Hi - Great information on laser technology. After reading this article, I would definitely be skeptical of the “Vitaland Softlaser Wand.” I think in the future, if I need any work done, I’ll head to my local dermatologist. Nice, article!
Jen Says:
Very good post. It is so tempting to buy something like this, especially if you can avoid the inconvenience of scheduling a visit and paying the hefty Dermatologist fee.
However, if it doesn’t work, or even worse, you end up damaging your skin with it, it would be infinitely worse to waste your money on something like the Nuphase Soft Touch Laser. I would be curious about anyone who has used this and what their experience was.
Hoyun Kim Says:
Thanks for your thoughtful article in response to my question. A slight error I’d like to point out, however. The name of our website is Popgadget, at http://www.popgadget.net.
An intelligent person Says:
Thank you for breaking the news that this item may or may not work, based on your being “unable to find evidence.” It is that thoroughness that keeps me reading this blog never, like getting the name of the blog you’re referencing wrong within the first four words. Perhaps you were unable to find evidence of their correct name as well.
Right Brain Says:
Intelligent Person:
It’s clear from the tone of your comment that you’re not happy with this post. Maybe it would help if I explained a bit more about our perspective on what we do here.
We encourage our community to ask us ANY beauty question that’s on their mind. We can’t answer every question, but when do blog about a topic we try educate our community so they are smarter shoppers. And hopefully we can entertain people in the process.
Typically we receive questions that ask if a certain beauty product or treatment really does what it says it will do. For some of those questions, it’s easy to find very specific information that clearly supports, or contradicts, the premise of the product. In other cases, it’s not easy to track down exactly where the truth lies. Either way, we do our best to try to answer the question to the best of our knowledge. We don’t claim to be experts in EVERY aspect of EVERY product for EVERY beauty need. But we do have the advantage of working in this industry for many years, so we do understand much more than the average person. Our goal is to share as much our experience as possible with our readers.
In the case of this Softlaser product, we were intrigued because the product claims to be an inexpensive, easy to use, do it yourself replacement for a treatment that is normally done with very specialized, expensive equipment by trained dermatologists. For that kind of claim, we would expect to see some kind of corroborative proof and we couldn’t find it.
That doesn’t mean the proof doesn’t exist, it just means we couldn’t find it. We are not perfect and we can’t research every topic exhaustively. If anyone reading this, including the company that makes the Beurer device, can point us to some data, we will gladly revise our post with this new information. Until then, it’s our opinion that this is device is unproven and people should think twice before spending their money on it.
If you find our approach dissatisfying, you’re certainly not obligated to continue reading our blog. But we hope you’ll stick around; maybe you’ll learn something. Thanks.
Klu Says:
Really, I’d rather have an article state that no information could be found on it one way or the other than have an article that had a clear opinion based on little to no supporting data. Thanks for being honest.
uds Says:
I have to agree with Klu: if you don’t have the information, how can you have an opinion?
Jen Says:
“Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.”
I am all for pointing out a mistake, asking for clarification, or making a constructive suggestion. It can be done without being insulting.
Keep up the great work Right Brain!
What Should a 20-Something Do About Aging? | Beauty Secrets Blog Says:
[...] for your skin? Recently, lasers and LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) have been shown to effectively rejuvenate photoaged skin. Cosmetic surgeons [...]
Jeanne Levrier Says:
I found this site while searching to see if my Beurer SoftLaser can be repaired as it quit working after 3 or 4 years of use. When I used the laser I did notice some improvement. I would use it while watching television or listening to a radio program as this helped time the length I used it. I have a placed between my nose and upper lip that is a small circular-like place that is red that was helped to fade so long as I periodically used the laser on it. I think I had mild improvement to my overall face and noticed an improvement to the laugh line area. To maintain any improvement it was necessary to use the laser. At times I would use it consistently and then would fall away from using it all. But when I had something special to attend, I would use it to look my best. I paid around $249.00 for the laser so it cost me around $5.00 a month amortized. I ordered it as I wanted results without having to be tied to doctor appointments. Overall I must say that when I used it faithfully I would notice results, when I didn’t of course the aging process marched on.