Medical Spa MD Certified Partners

Buy your next cosmetic laser or IPL from a Medical Spa MD Certified Partner with confidence that they will meet our 7 point guarantee.

When you buy your next laser or IPL from a Medical Spa MD Certified Partner, you know that you're dealing with an organization who has agreed to meet our high standards, and that their continued inclusion in our program relies on treating Members with transparency and honesty. All Medical Spa MD Certified Partners have agreed to our 7 point guarantee.

As a Member, If you purchase from a Medical Spa MD Certified Partner who does not meet our standards and our 7 Point Member Guarantee, you can contact us directly and we will intercede on your behalf. If we determine that a Member has been treated unfairly or that there has been a violation of our values, we will revoke that companies privileges and access to the program, and we will list publicly list that company as a business that we will no longer work with. 

If you are a Medical Spa MD Member who have purchased from a Certified Partner and want us to investigate an issue or complaint on your behalf, you may contact us here.

Our 7 Point Member Guarantee

Every Medical Spa MD Certified Partner has agreeded to:

1. Follow our Terms & Conditions and our Code Of Ethics
   You can read them here.
2. Transparent Listing Prices
   Any product listed on our site will be immediatly available at that price. There will never be any "bait and switch" tactics of listing of products that are not under the direct control of the listing company.
3. Lowest Price
   Certified Businesses agree that the price you see on Medical Spa MD is the lowest price for that item on their own site or anywhere else.
4. Awesome Service
   Certified Businesses agree that they will provide Medical Spa MD Members with their highest level of service at all times.
5. Public Reviews
   Certified Businesses agree that after every purchase they will use a verified Podium account to send you a request for a public review of their service.
6. Member Only Benefits
   

   Certified Partners agree to provide free, special benefits, upgrades, price reductions, and/or perks to every identified Medical Spa MD Member purchasing a laser or service.

   You must identify yourself as a Medical Spa MD Member before purchasing to recieve these benefits.

While this program can't guarantee that nothing bad will ever happen, it does go a long way to cleaning up the industry and gives you (if you're a current Member) much more serious remedies and security when you're buying a used laser or IPL. It also begins to clean up the marketplace since we will actively be looking to publicize and identify cosmetic laser resellers who are not ethical or have unhappy customers.

Here's a short FAQ about this new program for Members.

Which used laser companies are currently Certified Partners?

There are currently two used laser resellers in the program; Sentient Lasers and Rock Bottom Lasers. 

• Sentient Laser - Free upgrade from 30 day Silver to 90 day Gold warranty for Members.
  View Member offer from Sentient Lasers 
   
• Rock Bottom Laser - Free upgrade from 60  to 120 day warranty for Members
  View Member offer from Rock Bottom Lasers

Want to become a Certified Partner? Apply here: https://medicalspamd.com/partner

Why is this program needed?

If you've purchased a used aesthetic laser or IPL from an unethical reseller you already know why this is needed. If you haven't had a bad experience yet, we're here to make sure you don't. This program looks to hold laser sellers more accountable since we will actively be looking to publicize and identify cosmetic laser resellers who do not act ethically including.

We aim to make every purchase transparent and ethical for our Members.

Why do laser sellers want to be a Certified Partner?

They want the increased sales from our Members, and they're also concerned about the damage that unethical vendors do to their own reputations and the entire industry.

What types of businesses can be a Certified Partner?

Any business that sells cosmetic lasers, IPLs and medical devices to our target market - physicians practicing nonsurgical cosmetic medicine worldwide - can apply to be come a Certified Partner if they agree to abide by our terms, our 7 point guarantee, and what special benefits they will provide to Members. Applicants are then vetted by us to determine if they should be added as a Certified Partner and can display the Medical Spa MD Certified Partner Seal.

We will only work with vendors who have both the intent and the resources to provide high quality services to our Members. We're currently focused on the used aesthetic laser market but if this program is successful, we may extend it to other areas.

Note: Other businesses may apply to be a Select Partner but only cosmetic laser and IPL vendors may be "Certified" and list their inventory on our site. 

What should I do if I feel like a Certified Partner is treating me unfairly or violating the Certified Guarantee?

First, contact the vendor about the issue. All of our Select Partners are very aware of identifying Medical Spa MD Members and will usually bend over backwards to try and remedy the situation.

If you're still not satisfied, you can contact us directly using the form at the top of this page. We will collect your information and contact the vendor directly to investigate what happened. You may be contacted for additional information. If we determine that the vendor has acted dishonestly, unethically, or violated our Certified Partner Agreement we will take any number of actions up to and including publicly disclosing the issue and banning the vendor from the program and site.

What happens after I file an issue?

The first thing we'll do is collect some additional information from you by email or phone to try and determine the order of events and what happened. You may be asked to forward emails or detail phone conversations. We will then contact the Certified Partner on your behalf to tell them that we're involved and to get their side of the story. (Note: They should already be aware of the issue since you should have contacted them first.)

We will essentially conduct our own investigation to determine if there was a violation of our terms or 7 point guarantee, or if the vendor acted unethically. If we determine that the vendor is at fault we will work with all parties to attempt to resolve the issue to the Members satisfaction.

If we determine that the vendor acted intentionally to violate their agreement with us as a Certified Partner we will take additional actions that may include publicly disclosing the issue or incident, notifying our Members, and removing the vendor from our Certified Program. 

Do you guarantee that I'll be happy with the outcome?

No. You may be a jerk who will never be happy. However, if you're somewhat reasonable we will work hard to come to the best resolution we can for you.

Not a Member yet? You must be a Member to realize these benefits.

Cutera Reviews: Buying Used Lasers & IPLs

Cutera is a major player in the cosmetic space with a number of platforms and systems:Cutera Coolglide, Cutera XEO, Solera Opus, the LimeLight IPL, ProWave Nd:YAG and Solera Titan. So what's Cutera's reputation with physians?

If you read the discussion threads on Cutera there are some positive opinions about the technology but there's a a lot of negative reactions to the company policies around sales and support practices. Much of it mimics these opinions in the comments on this Cutera discussion thread from way back in 2007: Is any Cutera technology work buying?

Many of the comments or reviews fall in to a couple of buckets that are recognizable and are often repeated; problems with the effacacy, pricing and costs too high, buyer felt lied to or misled by the sales rep (oversold and under-delivered), and the companies desire to lock in the buyer and extract every possible dollar. (We're working on series of posts and a guide to address all of these areas.)

Cutera's not the only laser manufacturer facing some negativity of course. All of the cosmetic laser companies have some issues that they deal with all of the time. In some cases it's unrealistic expectations from buyers but there's a lot of sales reps that aren't doing these companies any favors in overselling and promising revenue outcomes that are much more dependent on the buyers business sense and marketing that the IPL or laser they're buying.

Don't Buy New comments:

I'm new to this site and so happy to see that I'm not alone. Recently wooed into purchasing the Cutera Excel V (at a conference) BIG mistake. Free drinks, good salespeople, and me-new to industry, naive and inexperienced with lasers and zero business savvy. I was told by the speaker at the event, who was also a friend of a friend who I thought had my best interest in mind, that I was getting "the best deal the salespeople are allowed to give" for the demo unit at that conference. Paid $125,000, it broke on day of training and then 2 more times over next few months, and I did not see the results I expected. Long story short...after 6 months of minimal use, I am trying to get rid of the laser, have been offered $30,000 by 2 different laser re-sale companies! Called financing company Cutera had me sign with-Heartland (no options given and no discussion of terms) who informed me that my payoff is actually $170,000 with no ability to pay less early! Can't resell on my own because warranty doesn't transfer unless I pay Cutera another $30,000 to transfer ownership.

and from LH

... The only Cutera piece I still use is the 1064. I will never buy new from Cutera again. I may buy a used 1064 for 20 cents on the dollar or less. The secondary market is very crowded with Cutera products which continues to devalue them.

but one anonymous poster (sarah) said this:

As a Cutera owner I am shocked to stumble across this site. I have been working with this system 2 years. I have very satisfied patients, many of them are thrilled with the how much better the 1064 works for hairs than other treatments they have had elsewhere.  There the no equal to the 1064 for safely treating facial veins.
Also, anyone who is not getting great results with the Titan is just not doing right. I have people coming over from Thermage all the time. Just prepare your patients, doing this treatment to get great results comes with a lot of discomfort. 
Anyone complaining about a warranty... should have bought it at the beginning. My sales rep is amazing, we can always count on him to support our events and set up extra training whenever we feel under prepared.

In short, We love our Cutera system! It just took learning how to use it correctly.

My impression in reading Sarah's comment is that she is not the owner of the clinic or buyer of the system. (Just a hunch.) Most buyers are always talking about the business costs vs return rather than the personality of the sales rep.  : |

Notes: We allow anonymous comments on this site for obvious reasons but you might want to judge the voracity of those comments vs commenters who are identifying themselves (which you do when you login and comment.) All comments are individual opinions and don't necessarily reflect the views or opinions of others on the site. Make your own decisions.

Anyone have thoughts on the current state of Cutera's technology or sales practices?

---

The New Medical Spa MD Guide To Aesthetic Laser Platforms Is Out!

The Comparative Guide to Aesthetic Laser Platforms is now available for free to all Medical Spa MD Members.

Choosing which aesthetic platform you're going to build your clinic or medical spa around is one of the most important, and expensive, decisions that you're going to make. Switching costs are high and if you make a mistake, you're going to be regretting it for a long, long time.

Included Laser Platforms:

• Alma Harmony
• Palomar Icon
• Syneron elos Plus
• Cutera Xeo
• Sciton Joule
• Syneron Emax

This first edition guide offers a starting point for physicians and clinics who are just beginning to research the purchase of a platform, or as a resource for dotors who are in the market but want to know what else might be available. We've done much of the preliminary leg work for you by taking six popular platfroms from Palomar, Sciton, Alma, Cutera and Syneron and comparing them across a number of treatment modalities.

We've also included links throughout the guide to the discussion forums on each platform for deeper investigation that allows you to ask questions directly from other physicians who own that specific laser, as well as discuss other important purchasing decisions around consumables (which can be a significant cost) and support (which can be critical).

Download this free aesthetic lasers report >

Medical Spa MD Guide to Aesthetic Laser Platforms

Note: While there are dozens of laser and IPL systems that might have been included, we started with thise six since they're all "multi-purpose" platforms with wide utility, widely available around the world, and are generally well known. If you represent a cosmetic laser company and would like to be included in future reports, please contact us.

Do you have a suggestion to improve our services or an idea for as research project you think we should be doing? Would you like to be interviewed, or sponsor a report? Please contact us.

Our contributing physician list is growing fast. Thank you to the physicians and clinics who have contributed to this report.

Also: Please feel free to distribute, email, link to, tweet, post or send this report to anyone who may be interested as long as you do not modify or change the report in any way.

Fairwarning: The LipoTron 3000 FDA UnApproved $85k Massager

According to a new story on Fairwarning.org, RevecoMED claims that their LipoTron device is really being marketed and sold as an $85,000 massager.

I just got off the phone with Myron Levin or Fairwarning.org who contacted me about Advanced Aesthetic Concepts attempts to have comments and reviews about the Lipotron 3000 and their business removed from Medical Spa MD claiming that some negative comments were costing them sales. It was an intersting discussion and Myron filled me in on some of the background that went into the story which has some interesting twists including anonymous calls to the FDA and secretive meetings with criminal investigators.

Read the entire article here: Fat-Melting Device a Weighty Matter for FDA on Fairwarning.org

From the Fairwarning.org article: 

According to interviews and records, Reveco first sought a green light from the FDA in 2007. It chose the FDA’s market clearance procedure, which is less demanding than the formal approval process.

To get a new device cleared this way, the manufacturer must show it is similar in safety and effectiveness to products that are already on the market.

However, Reveco’s bid failed. The company’s initial application “wasn’t in-depth enough,” Rosen said, and the FDA repeatedly sought additional data. Finally, according to Rosen, “We said, ‘You know what, it’s not worth it.”

According to interviews and a document reviewed by FairWarning, the FDA then told Reveco that the device could not be marketed.

LipoTron sales continued, however. Rosen wouldn’t disclose how many of the devices have been sold, but the number is believed to be in the low hundreds.

In 2011, Reveco took another tack with the FDA. It classified the LipoTron as a massager used for relief of minor pain. That would make it, in FDA parlance, a Class 1 device — a category that includes such simple, low-risk items as elastic bandages and examination gloves.

The advantage for Reveco is that massagers can be sold without a green light from the FDA. They automatically are exempt from FDA review and can be put on the market once a notice is filed.

Yet doctors and med spas have been promoting the device on the Internet not for massages but for removing fat.

Rosen said that was not Reveco’s responsibility, stating that the company can’t dictate what doctors do or “police everything out on the Internet.”

Asked who would pay $85,000 for a massager, Rosen replied: “Anybody that wants to buy it.”

Wow. It would take some really big cajones to claim that you're selling an $80k+ device named LipoTron to cosmetic clinics from a company named RevecoMED but you're only marketing it as "a massager for minor pain" and that it's the doctors who are running around uncontrolled promoting it for fat-melting. I'm actually somewhat impressed. I guess the real lesson is that if you can't get your device approved by the FDA as a medical device the first time, reclassify it as a band-aid and declare yourself in full compliance. That seems simple enough. 

Of course it also seems fairly clear from the article that if you have one of these devices and you're promoting it as FDA approved or as a treatment for anything other than a 'massager' you might not be in lock-step with the FDA, a fact that might be exacerbated by the fact that this story has been picked up by major media outlets like MSN.com.

I'm curious; Does anyone have one of these Lipotron devices that they're using as a massager for minor pain? You might want to see if it works on yourself because I'm guessing you have a headache about now.

Update on 2012-07-19 14:46 by Medical Spa MD

More bad news for LipoTron, RevecoMED (the manufacturer of LipoTron), and probably for it's resellers... as well as all the physicians and clinics who are offering LipoTron treatments.

Public Citizen, a consumer watchdog organization with 300k members, has contacted the FDA urging, among other things, that all LipoTron devices should be seized immediately.

Here is what Public Citizen is asking for; from their letter to the FDA:

Immediately seize all LipoTron devices that have been manufactured by RevecoMED and either (a) are being held in inventory by the manufacturer in the U.S. or (b) have been sold and distributed to user facilities in the U.S.

(2) Immediately order RevecoMED and any distributors of the LipoTron device to cease and desist all activities involving the distribution, sale, and promotion of the LipoTron device.

(3) Expeditiously complete its criminal investigation of the distribution, sale, and promotion of the LipoTron device and take appropriate legal action against those individuals, companies, and user facilities that are found by the agency to have engaged in any illegal marketing or promotion of this device

This can not be good news for any of the medical spas and clinics who already have this device.

Read the entire letter to the FDA

View attachments regarding the letter

View the Public Citizen press release

The New Medical Spa Physician Report

Join Now To Receive These Free Reports

The New Medical Spa MD Physician Report is (finally) out!

And we thought that our first medical spa report was huge...

We've had to juggle a huge number of launches in the last month and, unfortunately, the launch date for the report got pushed back a little. We're sorry that we weren't on time, but once you take a look at the report we think you'll find it work the wait.

We integrated a lot of your feedback from the first report in this one, cutting back on the 'situational' questions (although we still have some) and moving in to areas that we know you want answers about.

Here are some of the questions that are answered in this report:

• What percentage of your clinic's revenue is spent on marketing and advertising?
• How is your clinic staff compensated?
• What do you think of paying commission for medical treatments?
• What is the total income of your clinic or medical spa per month?
• What percentage of your clinic's revenue is spent on payroll?
• If you pay commission, how is it structured?
• What are your patients requesting most that you don't currently offer?
• How much is a new patient worth you you as a clinic in the first month?
• How many new patients does an average client refer to you in a year?
• What do you consider to be the most important way to generate sales for your clinic?
• What is your most effective marketing tactic?
• What marketing have you tried that you would never recommend?
• If you could add one cosmetic medical technology by manufacturer and model, what would it be?
• Which treatments generate the most revenue for your clinic?
• What generates the most profit?
• Which technology manufacturer do you think has the best reputation for efficacy among physicians?
• Who has the best reputation for customer service? Who has the worst?

Whew.... and that's just a partial list of what we cover. There is also a great interview with plastic surgeon Dr. Enrique Etxeberria from Spain and some great info about waiting room marketing videos from this reports business sponsor, Frontdesk.

Download the report here.

Thank You To All Of The Contributing Physicians & Clinics

The following is a partial list of the physicians and clinics that contributed to this report and gave us permission to identify and link to them. Sign up to contribute to the next report here.

Note: We do not identify individual physicians or clinics with specific answers to make sure that all respondents can be completely candid in their answers. (Our surveys are done through our online software and provide confidentiality and anonymity and they take about 10 minutes to complete.)

YoungMedicalSpa.com

SurgeryToday.com

BESPlasticSurgeryPractice.com

RenewMed-Spa.com

AzaniMedicalSpa.com

DrLopezTallaj.com

MucioPorto.com.br

ChapelHillDaySpa.com

PacesLaserMD.com

PlasticSurgery90210.com

Clinica Etxeberria

BCLaserAndSkinCare.com

ForeverYoungMedspa.us

WinchesterLaserCosmetic.com

RenovoMD.com

Reveal.com

VisageMedArt.com

ScienceMedispa.com

OmniHealthPro.com

Clinica-Luxury.ro

Our contributing physician list is growing fast. Thank you to the physicians and clinics who have contributed to this report. If you're a physician and would like to contribute to the next report, please let us know by entering you information in the form below.

Become a Contributing Physician Member

Complete this form to contribute to the next report.

Licensed Clinicians Only: If you're a licensed clinician practicing cosmetic medicine and would like to be included as a Contributing Member in the next report, please fill out this form. You will then be added to our Contributing Members and receive a monthly questionnaire that only takes about 10 minutes to complete. (If you're a business that would like to sponsor a report, please contact us.)

Palomar's Creepy Adivine Postcard

Palomar sent out this creepy postcard promoting their Adivive autologous fat transfer system.

Evidently, it turns you into an eyeless zombie.

Here's some quotes from Palomar's new zombie creating technology. From the postcard:

Autologous fat transfer has never looked this good.

Patients are eager for dramatic, longer-lasting results. The Adivive Fat Transfer System can help meet their expectations - and your desire for aesthetic success.

Autologours fat transfer has never looked this good?

Wow.

Here are some more from the ranks of the undead.

I'm not sure who you're going to impress with these before and after pictures but you'd expect some better marketing from a market leader like Palomar.

I'm also guessing that they'll provide you with these before and after images to 'help you grow your business' if you buy a Adivive system. I'm not sure it that's such a good idea...

The challenge of taking good before and after pictures has just as much to do with expression as it has to do with reproducing the lighting. The object is not to try to remove all expression, but to reproduce the expression.

There's a proceedure for taking before and after pictures in the Members area that you may want to take a look at.

And who's idea was it to cut out the eyes?

This  is by far the creepiest direct mail postcard that I've receved from Palomar in my memory.

I wonder what Cutera, Cynosure and Sciton are up to? Vampires perhaps?

Link: Fat MD has started a discussion of the Palomar Adivine autologous fat transfer system here.

Identifying Third Party Companies Who Can Repair Your Used Medical Laser BEFORE You Buy

Before you buy a used medical laser, it is critical that you identify third party companies who can repair it. You can’t always rely on the manufacturer to support your used laser. As was already mentioned, manufacturers will often turn their back on any doctor who has not purchased a new laser directly from them.

It is important that you find out from your broker who they use to repair the lasers they are selling you. You need to ask them which laser repair companies are “the best” third party repair companies. You want to get names and phone numbers of specific people who have experience repairing the lasers you wish to purchase.

After 90 days of warranty from the broker who sold you the laser, you will be “on your own” and you need to make sure you can continue to get the support you need for your used laser. You need to conduct your own independent research on the internet (I prefer using Google) to find out the following information from third party repair companies:

1. Identify at least 3 or 4 companies who specialize in repairing the used laser you wish to purchase
2. Ask them to provide you with at least 5 or 6 references of people they have recently serviced
3. Find out whether they have laser repair techs who have been Manufacturer-Certified to work on your used laser
4. Find out if they can obtain parts for your laser. Many manufacturers make it very hard for anyone outside their network to obtain parts such as laser fibers and dye kits. Don’t forget that laser and IPL parts are typically unique to one particular device. Some laser companies won’t even warranty the laser for you if it is not purchased directly from them.
5. Find out whether they have the diagnostic software from the manufacturer to trouble shoot problems with the device
6. Ask them to tell you the most common repairs the device needs and a ball park cost to repair the most common problems
7. Whether the company can offer you a third party extended warranty on the laser, how much it costs, and what all it covers.

You need to do this footwork BEFORE you buy. After you buy it can be too late and you may be taking too large of a risk.

The Truth About Used Medical Laser Warranties

Laser brokers typically give you a 90 Day Warranty when you buy a used laser, but they are really just gambling that it won’t break down during those 90 days. If it does, they have to get someone to service the laser, get parts etc. so be ready to be down for awhile if this happens. In addition, the cost of the repair is coming out of their gross profit from the sale, so they may wish to drag their feet to avoid paying these costs. A good broker will deal with the issue head-on and get it taken care of immediately. Every day that your laser is not functioning is a day you are losing money and the broker should and must respond QUICKLY to this emergency.

Paying top dollar for new equipment allows peace of mind with warranty protection, but it comes at a very high cost. While it is true that most used laser equipment is no longer under a manufacturer’s warranty, research has shown that you are almost ALWAYS better off buying used equipment and paying out of pocket for maintenance and repairs versus buying new and having it covered under warranty. You are simply paying too high of a premium for the luxury of buying new. If peace of mind is the issue, then buy a back-up piece of equipment at a 70% discount that you can rely on when your primary equipment goes down. The reality is you will still be paying less than buying the brand new piece of equipment or a manufacturer’s warranty.

The truth about buying manufacturer warranties is this: They are extremely expensive and are written HEAVILY in the favor of the manufacturer. If nothing goes wrong with your laser device while under warranty, you normally have nothing to show for the money you have expended. We call this “vaporware” because the only thing you bought was a little peace of mind for a short period of time. This money can never be retrieved and is forever lost. Instead of buying “vaporware,” how about buying a back-up piece of hardware? This will give you peace of mind AND something to actually show for your money.

Laser companies do not like customers buying on the used market. They will treat you like a second class citizen and you will get third rate service and response from them. Depending on what laser you are looking to buy and how much training and upkeep it requires should be the main factors. Certain lasers have a good history of maintenance and others have a poor. It will be important to do your research on which lasers and manufacturers have a history of reliability and quality.

You also need to find out which laser manufacturers are user-friendly to pre-owned equipment. Some manufacturers can charge you a laser “RECERTIFICATION FEE.” Recertification fees are sometimes required by the manufacture if the laser device is sold to someone else. The laser manufactures claim it is to ensure the device has not been tampered with, however the real reason is to protect the manufacturer from being undersold by doctors looking to sell their used equipment. Charging a “recertification fee” levels the playing field between the new and used price. These fees can be as high as $25,000.

Thinking of purchasing a used cosmetic laser? Get the best deals here with us.

New Classified Listings For Cosmetic Lasers & IPLs

We've just finished with our new classified listings area for selling your medical spa, used cosmetic laser or IPL, or even your business services.

We've been using 'forums' to try and offer a place for our Members to be able to sell their used equipment, but that's always been something of a hack. So, we've created a subdomain and put up a dedicated classified listings site - along with our medical spa jobs site - that goes hand-in-hand with our forums where you have access to cosmetic laser & IPL reviews as well as very specific 'how to' threads.

This new site works much better, allowing you to upload images of what you're selling, has integrated Google maps and some really nice contact features that forums just don't provide; like automatically expiring a listing so that you don't have to wonder if that Palomar Starlux you've been eyeing is still on the market.

Right now, you don't even need to register with this site, although that may change in the future.

I want to put a special shout out for a couple of our Select Partners — Frontdesk SEO — who put up the dosh to get this done and are helping to sponsor the site and build out the Business Vendor category so that business will now have truly inexpensive place to add thier services. This was specifically designed for business that sell directly to medical spas — like IPL head refurbising, used cosmetic laser retailers and even marketing companies — to have a place that they can affort do advertise... right where the buyers are. ; )

There are a couple of things to remember.

Used cosmetic laser resellers are welcome to list their entire inventory individually or list their business in the 'Business Services' category.

Note: If you’re listing your business as a provider that sells equipment, technology or services to cosmetic clinics, you’re required to post your listings in the Business Services Category. If you abuse the system you'll be banned.   ; (

Pricing

Some of the listings will cost you a little to post. All listings are for 45 days.

• Individual Listings: $9
• Featured Listings: +$9
• Business Vendors: $45

How to create a listing that sells

One line descriptions don’t do well. If you want to make a sell, follow these rules:

• Be descriptive! Make sure that you include  an accurate, lengthy description if you’d like to make a sell. Studies show that listings with at least 400 words sell more than 4X as well as brief descriptions.
• Add images: Your buyers want to see what they’re buying. You can add up to 5 images. Use them in the listing and don’t just put a link out to your Flikr account.
• Use your email as your contact info: Include your email address in your listing. If your listing sells, you won’t want to keep fielding endless phone calls. Use your phone number in your email responses.
• List your items individually: People want to know exactly what you’re selling from the title. Don’t try to squeeze multiple, different types of products in the same listing.
• Make your title descriptive: Include the product, location and price in the title if you can.

Remember: Only Members may post listings. If you’re not yet a member you can join Medical Spa MD here. It’s free, which is a terrific price.

Medicams Reputation: Cosmetic Lasers & IPLs

Medicam is an IPL & cosmetic laser company in Canada that I don't have any first-hand knowlege of since I've never had any experience with them... but someone doesn't like them.

We've always allowed anyone to post their own opinion, but some individuals with a grudge will attempt to abuse that by posting negative (or positive) reviews and comments under different names. 

Here's a number of comments about Medicam and their cosmetic lasers and IPLs:

Dear friend! Whatever you do - do not buy a Medicam Inc. IPL or have any business with this people! You might as well just put money straight to the garbage. Be very aware of [name removed], sales representative. He will lie and cheat, and took advantage of you and your money. He will sell you the machine in Canada - even though it is not FDA approved, and it is illegal to sell it in Canada. He will sell you hand peaces that are dangerous for health. Medicam claims their parts are from Canada. ALL MEDICAM PARTS ARE FROM CHINA. I know to separate independant people who know industry very well, and they are well informed. This people will go some day to jail, because the way they run business in Canada is illegal. I live in Mexico, but I have friends who live in Ontarion, and I hear nothing but the nightmare stories, about this company. If you still want to go ahead, and have business with them, May God help you, my friend.
-JJ

Dealing with Medicam Inc, Montreal based company offers the worst customer service. They talk and promise a lot, but do not deliver. What a waste of money. There are so many great US and Canadian companies, and on average the great IPL machine cost 35 000$. Their machine cost around 40 000$, but they lie by telling you that machine cost close to $60 000, and than they pretend they offer the deal. Somebody wrote above that machines are made in China. Everybody knows that. All the parts are form China, they just put parts together in Canada.
-John

Medicam is a lie! It is a bullshit company! They talk big, but do not believe anything they say. I wanted to see their factory, but they always had excuse.. they never wanted to show me. Why? Because they do not have factory in CAnada!
They do not have licence to sell their machines.
If you are in trouble, they will not take care of you.
All the people that have trouble with Medicam should do something together to shut them down, before they still more money from people.
- Joana

It is poor quality IPL. It will break down, and it is not possible to fix it
- xx

The trouble is, the Medicam rep is right. All of the comments above were posted by the same individual. They're all from the same IP address (96.49.115.160), using the same computer in Vancouver British Columbia.

While I make it a point to try and never stifledissent or real opinion, it's obvious that the comments above are neither. It's greatly irritating when someone uses Medical Spa MD to comment under different names in order to damage an individuals reputation and this makes me pretty damn mad.

While I don't have any real opinion about Medicam one way or the other since I've never owned one of their IPLs or lasers, the fact that the comments above were obviously made with the explicit desire to mislead rather than just post a legitimate gripe anonymously means that the individual wasn't really trying to share any knowledge. For that reason I've modified them.

Oh, and there's this from the Medicam rep named above that was posted as a response and I found quite persuasive.

To everyone concerned,

I was asked to visit this site this morning and must say that I am extremely surprised to find what is mentioned in certain posts.

First of all, MEDICAM is an ACTUAL manufacturer. ANYBODY who wishes to visit our offices and factory are more than welcome and it'll be my personal pleasure to give the tour myself.

Secondly, all posts shown on 09/26 are by the same person. Jake, you do not fool me with the JJ, Joana (your manager) or 'xx'. I frankly find it ridiculous that you would attack me personally. Believe me when I say I sleep on both ears at night, knowing everything than I have done for you. These attacks just show how unappreciative and unreasonable you actually are. One last thing in regards to this, mention or attack me personally one more time and you will be hearing from my lawyer. Your childish games end here. I could simply state point by point how wrong you are and allow everyone to come to their own conclusions, but exposing your dirty laundry isn't something I will do. The only thing you accuse us of that is actually true: the art exposed in our office isn't related to lasers! I hadn't received the memo from the National Art Institute stating that art shown in an office has to represent what is sold within. Completely ridiculous!

Lastly, and more importantly, I appreciate these blogs as they provide potential clients with an unbiased point of view. This being said, certain clients will never be satisfied and we know of certain competitors who lie since they have nothing else to counter our prices and services. All information must be analyzed with this in mind. We have absolutely nothing to hide. The Chinese manufactured, unsafe, no service, certification approvals and other ridiculous comments are all LIES.

Once more, I invite anyone wishing to get clarification to call our offices: 514-737-0404. I'll me more than happy to take the call myself.

Best regards,

[Name Omitted]
Sales Director
MEDICAM INC.

Now Medicam could have been stupid, but they weren't. The individual singled out just posted a comment underneath the others. I'd point out that this is the kind of response that actually protects your reputation and makes you seem reasonable.

It's also a good reminder to take everything you read with a grain of salt.

I'm going to leave the comments up for a short time and then remove them. There are others who want some real cosmetic laser reviews and opinions without the drama.

I just wonder who Jake is.

Cynosure & Their Legal Intimidation Department

Someone supposedly from Cynosure and using the dubious name 'Legal' has decided that posting threats against people making comments on the Cynosure Laser Users forum is the very best way to move the discussion along.

Now there are any number of dubious posts on Medical Spa MD to be sure. The straight spammers are easy enough to pick up but the 'hidden agenda' groups are around too. (I've outed others in the past.)

Here's 'Legal's' IP address lookupAnd this appears as though it's really coming from someone at Cynosure; although probably not thier customer service or sales departments.

You can see their IP address to the right >

More on that in a moment; here's what 'Legal' left as his initial comment:

ATTENTION:
Mike P did not write the above statement in regards to Mr. Leibl. The person involved with Mr. Leibl must refrain from using any executive's name at Cynosure or any current Cynosure employee's name in this forum to publicly air their differences.
Cynosure may take legal action and have all IP addresses pulled for sourcing of information, if these action do not stopped immediately.

Cynosure has no involvement with this web site and the accusation by Leon Leibl,
Paul Edmondson, Dee Greene and the fictitious employee by the name of Bob West.

It seems odd that 'Legal' wouldn't identifiy themselves if the actually worked for Cynosure; Medical Spa MD has been threatened with lawsuits many times by companies who didn't like what someone had to say and in every other instance, there's been a lawyers name attached.

This didin't only seem suspect to me. LH (A well respected regular around here) had this comment:

Legal,
It sounds as if you have nothing to say in this matter considering the fact that you have left an anonymous post and the others have left their names. Please do not try to come on her with your legal crap and try to intimidate people. This threat has been used before and did not work. If I am not mistaken these posts are over a year old and this is called free speech.
LH

Here,  'Legal's' response gets a little shrill:

Dear LH,
It's called defamation of character, not free speech when placed in this context. Establishing a statement exposing a person to hatred, ridicule, contempt, or causing injury to you in your occupation.
It isn't enough that the untrue statement was said and published, it must also have been conveyed or be published to others and understood to be about you. Figures seeking to prove defamation of character must also show that the false statement was made with actual malice

LH,
Do you care to tell us your name? Do you care to share with us your infinite brilliance of wisdom on this subject?

'Legal's obviously not been reading the site for long. (LH has bee around for more than a while and has a stellar reputation. Many of our Members, including myself, do know who he is.)

So what are we to think about Legal?

To be honest, he may have a legitimate gripe. There's a comment in the thread above that does sound as though it's written by someone claiming to be from Cynosure. However, I get emails every couple of weeks about some comment that's mistakenly attributed or where someone has revealed their business information and would like that information removed. (Although this is a hassle I try to oblige as long as it does not change any 'content'.)

I'll note here that Cynosure has not contacted me in any way. If Cynosure had, and they provided me with anything reasonable that indicated that someone was posing as one of their employees, I probably would have just removed the comment. We have a very strict policy around this. (Posting anonymously is fine; there are a lot of physicians and others who could be hurt by airing their real opinions in public. But posing as someone else will get you banned and outed.)

While it seems that 'Legal' is posting from Cynosure, it's hard to say who they are or what their motives are. (And their grammar is suspect. "your infinite brilliance of wisdom'???)

The threat that 'Legal' makes of 'have all IP addresses pulled for sourcing of information' is totally bogus. It would take a court subpoena in order to even try to get any IP addresses. The fact that the treat is even made is just stupid. 

Cynosure's business management should walk in and have a talk with 'Legal' about making corporate threats in public. I don't imagine that Cynosure reps want to be in answering questions about this thread while they're trying to demo a Smartlipo or Affirm.

If Cynosure's business or legal departments actually have an issue with someone's comment or claim that it's been posted fraudulently, please contact us directly. We're happy to help and if it makes sense we'll remove it. But don't just go around threatening and trying to intimidate others on Medical Spa MD forums... you'll make the front page and get your IP address banned... as in this case.

Cynosure Links:

• Cynosure Laser Users
• Cynosure Acclaim vs Candela Gentle Yag vs Laserscope Lyra
• Cutera vs. Cynosure
• Cynosure: Elite, Affirm, Cynergy & Smartlipo
• Problems with cynosure affirm laser

Interview with Sciton BBL Product Manager Cheryl Deguara

Since Scitons Group Buy Program for Medical Spa MD Members just launched, we took the opportunity to chat with the Sciton BBLs product manager, Cheryl Deguara.

We're happy to have Sciton on board and offering our community some pretty hefty savings on the new BBLs IPL. We've had a number of conversations with them around their technology and customer service and we're satisfied that they recognize the benefits that this community can provide them, and that they're serious supporters of the site. Sciton's let us know that they've already sold more than a few units through Medical Spa MD. We'd love it if there were more Scitons out there.

To start off we wanted to get some inside info about why Sciton thinks that their BBLs platform is an obvious choice for your medspa or laser clinic. While not earth-shattering on the insight front and with a pretty obvious marketing slant, it's a start... and it's right on target.

From our first contacts it was obvious that Sciton is very proud of their BBL and and they aren’t afraid to say so.

“Our unit has some very impressive features that you won’t find with our competitors”, says Deguara,  “including an unlimited number of pulses while the unit is under warranty. Most IPL lamps have a pulse limit. When you reach that limit, it is typical to replace the hand piece 2-4 times a year at a cost of $5K-$7K each. You will never have that cost with Sciton's BBL.”

We asked Cheryl what she wants our Members to know about their product.

“BBL has 2 flash lamps instead of the 1 standard lamp found in other IPL devices. This not only means a longer lifetime but also helps eliminate the lamp degradation seen after short periods of time with other competitive IPL’s. There is no other IPL on the market that is as durable, reliable or versatile as Sciton’s BBL.”

Scition BBLs differentiated features include:

• Other IPL devices require 2-7 different hand pieces to switch between wavelengths and/or spot size. Sciton’s BBL utilizes a single hand piece yet offers ultimate versatility and convenience.
• Rapidly interchangeable filters allow switching the wavelength in a matter of seconds. Patients are not inconvenienced and doctors save time not having to power down the system to change wavelengths.
• Innovative magnetic spot size adapters make changing the spot size fast and convenient. There is no need to buy a different hand piece simply to change the spot size. The large 15X 45 mm spot size is easily converted to 7 mm round, 11 mm round or 15 X 15 mm square in a snap.
• Sciton’s BBL is the only system where you can control the skin temperature from 0 – 30 degrees centigrade. This allows better controlled treatments by increasing safety while maximizing clinical results.

Sciton Links

• Sciton’s BBL Group Buy Program for Medical Spa MD Members.
• Sciton BBL, Joule & Profractional Forums
• Cosmetic Laser & IPL Comparions & Reviews
• Sciton User Group
  

Sciton BBLs Partnership Launch Is Coming

Sciton and Medical Spa MD will be announcing a group buy offering for our Members next week.

This is just a heads-up, but if you're even thinking about adding a cosmetic laser or IPL to your medical center you'll want to take a look at this new program.

Sciton's not sitting on their thumbs. They're a motiviated and hungry company that's watched the success that some of our other Select Partners like Shine and Frontdesk SEO have had and decided to craft an offer that pushes the limits of what a cosmetic laser manufacturer has done before.

This could fizzle of course, but I think there's an equal possiblity that it could just change the way that cosmetic medical technologies like laser and IPLs are sold and marketed... at least by those companies who have good reputations and understand that their physician customers are their greatest asset.

For Medical Spa MD's community this could be something of an inflection point, with one of the major technology companies now looking to actually become a member of the community we've built and allowing Members to pool their collective buying power and benfit from others who are using the same technology without trying to wall them off from all other information and messaging – which never really worked anyway. We'll be discussing the details of the offer and how it came about when it launches now but I wanted to mention that it's coming.

To bone up beforehand, read the latest cosmetic laser & IPL reviews and get a sense of what the medical spa community's thinking about Scition, Palomar, Cutera, Solta and the rest of the cosmetic laser & IPL technologies or visit some of the physician user groups.

If you're in the market for any type of cosmetic laser or IPL my advice is this; wait a week. Even if you're about to buy a Palomar Starlux, Candela Smoothbeam, or even a used cosmetic IPL, you'll be able to beat up your sales rep on price a little.

Cosmetic Lasers, User Groups & Clinical Exchange Forums

Medical Spa MDs forums are getting some TCL.

With tens of thousands of comments, the navigation menu had pretty much outgrown the the previous navigation and was bursting at the seams. The only way to really drill down and find information was to search, and that's somewhat clumsy since you have to know what you're looking for.

We spend the last couple of days and nights attempting to create a better system that allowed physicians to brows by topic as well as have access to holistic search functions. It's still in need of a little tweaking but we're letting you see it now.

Medical Spa MDs new forums are divided into four broad categories:

• Medical spa business

  that includes legal and marketing and advertising forums.

• IPL & cosmetic lasers grouped by manufacturer 

  You'll find a special forum on cosmetic laser & IPL reviews and comparisons as well as forums for Palomar, Cutera, Sciton, Lumenis, Candela, Cynosure, Sineron, Alma, Solta and others. I've also put all of the IPL & cosmetic laser user groups in one place.

• Physician clinical exchange

• Used cometic laser classified listings

These changes to the forums combined with the new area for Medical Spa MD Select Parterns should allow you to navigate the site and find information that's relevant to your needs more easily... at least I hope so.

We'll try to manage the places that posts are found and move them to the appropriate location when we can. Of course there's a huge amount of overlap. I've included pretty much any fat removal treatment under the Bodyscupting & Liposuction forum for example. While it's not perfect, I think it's much better to have only a few forums that you can peruse.

If you haven't used the forums before, please do. We have a very active physician community who are very helpful. Many of the best threads on the site were started with physicians asking very specific questions around treatments, techniques, and other 'down in the trenches' queries.

If you would like to have a forum added or think we've missed something please let us know. If there's enough content or interest we'll add it.

Also, if you're a physician who has some great information or something to say on any topic, please submit it as a guest post and help everyone out.

IPL & Lasers from China

I've certainly been getting a lot of IPL & cosmetic laser companies from China contacting me lately trying to get on the site.

I haven't seen one yet that claims FDA approval for their lasers. Does anyone with a laser clinic or medical spa outside the US have experience using lasers or IPLs from China? Are lasers or IPLs a workable solution for clinics in Europe or Asia?

Im guessing that a very large majority of the componants that are used by Palomar, Cutera, or Thermage are manufactured in China already.

ArTek ~ ThermoTek: How to Stand Out in the Crowd

I just returned from attending the ASLMS conference in Washington, DC. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and the laser and IPL manufacturers were in full force!

As expected, all of the companies displayed their equipment there for us to see and play with. With the current technology present, came the vision of new technologies balancing on the horizon. One can almost envision the progression of technological development when you're at ASLMS as all of the companies seem to be racing to release that next perfect modality that will change the face of aesthetic medicine as we know it.

What presence these companies displayed with their engineers and physicists standing along side of their sales force. Once, where you would discuss the steps of treating various conditions, you now find yourself discussing, and more curiously, understanding the importance of discussing pertinent wavelengths and wattage.

I can seriously envision one day stepping into a sort-of tanning booth, being hit with a flash of laser light, and stepping out of the booth with 3 inches of fat shed from my waist. Almost reminiscent of the Jetsons, this technology is truly within our grasps! Parents sending your children to college for the first time, relish in the thought of them becoming engineers or physicists for they surely will have a booming career in aesthetic medicine!

One cannot peruse through Medical Spa MD without coming across the gripes and concerns of disgruntled laser owners completely dissatisfied with how they were handled and treated after the sale. I, for one, would like to give you a story of hope by posting some positive words for a change about a little company with a big conception of customer service. So much so that it should be a considered a text book gold standard for anyone struggling in today's aesthetic market

I'd like to tell you about ArTek, the manufacturer of ThermoTek, an air chiller we use for laser skin resurfacing. In shipping back to the company for firmware flashing, the carrier dropped the box and smashed our unit. Busy as we are in our practice, no one thought to add the extra insurance and the carrier only was responsible for $100 of damage. We were now out $5000 just like THAT!

ArTek had such compassion for our situation that they completely took care of us and rushed repairs to the unit, as well as expedited shipping, so we could have it back in time in our office for our patient's resurfacing procedure.

I saw them at ASLMS. I walked up to them and extended my hand and introduced myself. They knew who I was and recounted my plight. I sincerely thanked each one of them personally for caring enough about my situation, about my patients who needed this device for comfort, and for forgoing the cost of the repair bill due to the shipping company's error.

To all of you laser companies, (and you know who you are as you've already been singled out!) take notice of this excellent display of customer service. THIS is how you take care of your customers and THIS is how you stay a leader in the aesthetic marketplace. 

Great technology is good for about 3 years...

Outstanding customer service lasts a lifetime!

Author: Paula D. Young RN runs internal operations and training at Young Medical Spa and is the author of the Medical Spa Aesthetics Course, Study Guide, and Advanced IPL & Laser Training course for medical estheticians and laser technicians.

Submit a guest post and be heard.