Anyone has any info or experience on the Aesthera PPx photopneumatic tx for hair reduction, veins, and photofacials? It is being touted as better than LASERs.
Thanks

No question-it is essentially painless. The suction can pinch a little, but no hot sensation. Also no question-fast! With a spritz of water for cooling I have a 200 lb pt I do back,chest,abd,&arms in 50 minutes. Great for acne, good for pigment and hair, ? for vessels. The price was great and disposables are paid for by patients prn wearas a huge lease payment for a no disposable device is paid by you, with or without patients.

I have had the Aesthera for abourt a year and feel its great for Acne and activating ALA, but as a hair removal tool I have been greatly dissapointed; I'll be getting a diode soon.

Aesthera gave me a machine to evaluate for 4 months and i too was disappointed. It doesn't work on darker skin types and i've not seen any success in hair removal or vascular treatments. I would recommend sticking to proved technology. I have a NaturaLight IPL that is my bread-and-butter photofacial system (acne, pigment, rosacea)- not too expensive, and a Fotona Dualis Nd:YAG that is the best hair removal and vascular system I've seen. Glad I didn't get the Aesthera.

It makes sense that the device is weak on hair and pigments, especially in darker skin types, as the fluence is low, . However, does it work well for acnes in Type IV skin (Hispanics and Asians)?

Aesthera and a number of the other "low priced" IPLs are teaching that it is OK to perform treatments without gel. All the leading IPLs (Lumenis, Palomar, Sciton, etc.) and every published article and text I have read on the subject(over 100) ALL stress the absolute need for gel. As I understand it, gel is required not just for immediate cooling as it acts as a "heat sink" to draw heat away from the tissue but also- perhaps even more important- because gel is necessary to "couple" the energy and reduce the amount of photons reflected off the skin.

Any feedback by anyone on the subject of gel vs. no gel?

The Aesthera uses a user-applied spray of water as a cooling agent; the suction action of the Aesthera evaporates the water and cools the surface (somewhat). They sell you a freon-based chill spray (a consumable) for the head to cool it off. So, you spritz the treatment area w/water, do a bit of treatment, then have to stop your treatment to chill the head down so the hot treatment head doesn't irritate the patient. It would be worth the hassle if it...well..worked good.

I'm looking at buying an Aestera PPX and already own a Lightsheer diode, DUSA Blu-U and a Cutera Xeo with the 1064 YAG, IPL, Titan, etc. I am looking for another system for faster hair removal.

Two questions:
1) How does the Aesthera PPX compare to the Blu-U for treatment of acne?
2) How does the Aesthera PPX compare to the Lightsheer and Cutera 1064 for hair removal?

JT: The aesthera w/ its $50 disposable (@420mnm) tip will do the same job as the Blu-u that doesn't have a disposable. BTW you can activate ALA w/ any IPL..but the "sweet-spot' is about 420nm. I just bought a Lightsheer as my Aesthera wasn't doing the job for HR. ALA is a home-run for acne in my mind (and for Photodamage and enlarged pores); the 420nm light (or ipl) works also in ~80% of acne after 3-5 txs (in my consent I always say that 20% won't be responsive to this TX). Good luck w/ it!

The Aesthera PPx, in my hands,has very pos results with pigment and age related sun damage.I'll do a "throw down" any day.
Acne wise,I do not use ALA.Have not needed it, adds to pt cost and adds to ovarall treatment time.
Hair? Pretty iffy. Maybe for fine dark hair; otherwise I'll use the tried, trued and trusted boxes.
Thermage tips? Please, somebody give me the site for refurbishers. $500 - $600/tip just crazy.

We have an Aesthera in our practice and we are extrememly dissapointed. I have a huge number of patients that I am now re treating for free with a laser system because they have had no result or less than 10% reduction. More disturbing is that the company changed their guidelines and never bothered to notify us. It has been a nightmare dealing twith the company over this issue and I just want it out of our office. We originally purchased it so that the Nurse Practitoner could also perform Laser Hair Reduction, as in our state only a physician can use the laser. It is now costing us a fortune in free treatments. Our Aesthera no sits in a box in a closet

So PPX is practically useless for hair removal? Then why do I still see it offered out here in Denver, CO? Are they all scams?

I own an Aesthera PPx which I use for various indications; Hands down great for active, nasty acne. Great for pigment. Still would use other items (chem peel i.e. Vi-Peel) to get rid of background "noise" before IPL.
HR iffy but good for axilla and bikini lines. Aesthera (PPx) good starting point for pain sensitive pts.
I am still extraordinarily cautious treating Skin Type IV and above. Always test spot them and thank the gods above I did so.
Flip side, patients do love the hot steamy towels and pore cleansing. Again, go figure.

I have tried to test an Aesthera PPx with big customer care troubles from the spanish distributor, and definitively it is not an affordable hair removal option, customer experiences in education sessions were far from our quality levels. Probably it explains how difficult was to cancel the rental contract.

Just wondering if anybody has anything to say about the Isolaz. Either the Perfusion or acne treatments. My results are not what I expected and the company is horrable to deal with.

I am also hugely disappointed with Aesthera PPx for HR and vascular lesions. Its an investment I really regret. I find it excellent for severe active acne and pigmented lesions

Also extremely disappointed in PPx for hair removal. Hate to say it but anyone interested in class action?
The price I paid and the headaches and costs I have incurred have ruined any possible positives about this system.
NEVER buy it, lease it or pay them for anything.
Of course, they are completely impossible to deal with about the failure of the system to remove hair.

I have had the new Isolaz now for six months. Great for Acne, am using it instead of Accutane with great results. In over 40 patients treatted with full course (4 Rx's) I have had only two patients that didnt clear completely. PPx did not have the power I needed. The sales rep told me the Isolaz has three times the power of the PPx, and so far that seems correct. Lately, i have had an influx of patients asking for the procedure, can't seem to figure out where they are coming from other than one said they saw it in a major magazine.

ppx what a nightmare, bought our system for 38,000, in July 2006, we had to pay MD to oversee procedures done in our spa, salesperson never fullfilled training committments, was un trustworthy. after one year of patient treatments no one was satisfied. We ended up having to stop Tx.s due to expendetures for MD. No one cares at Asthera or have extreme difficulty recieving any help with operations of equipment, proper training. My ppx is just sitting in a corner, I have 15 boxes of tips. Wish I could sell it cheap. I was going to proceed with Attorney just waiting for more medspa and spa inquiries to see if other owners have experienced all the hardships as we have. I left an e-mail for anyone to respond

one of my worst mistakes ..= PPX.

Dr. G,

Did you have Ppx before you tried Isolaz? After making a few expensive mistakes, I would never listen to what sales reps or luminaries say.

Dr. G,

I may be interested in purchasing your system. Let me know if you still want to sell.

Sounds like a great deal to me...

Dr. G,

I may be interested in purchasing your system. Let me know if you still want to sell.

Dr. G,

I may be interested in purchasing your system. Let me know if you still want to sell.

jblanchard

If your still interested I have the same system which is not being used!

Hi Dr J,
Very interested to own an isolaz aesthera ,
how much are u selling it for

email me

We are in the process of suing them from a machine we bought in 2005 and the never ending hassles we had with them. They are so awful to deal with that they ignored for almost a year that they were being sued until a default judgment was issued against them last year... unfortunately for me the judge in our County has a rule that they have to be given 30 days to respond to the judgment - which they finally did, which starts the whole process over again. Aesthera's CFO is being deposed as I speak by my attorney.

I have an Isolaz that I'd be willing to sell if anybody is interested.

I have an Isolaz that I'd be willing to sell if anybody is interested.

I too am in the same boat with SO many of you who have posted regarding Aesthera. What a nightmare!! I have had nothing but hassle and headache with the company and machines. PPx as well as Isolaz. In hindsight, this is pure fraud and to be lied to over a period of 3 years is unacceptable. The PPx was originally purchased ($65K in 2006) strictly for Hair Reduction and now to be told is just isn't effective is shocking. Not to mention the company completely changing their guidlines without ANY notice to us. Completely fed up! SparkMD, I would be VERY interested in speaking with you. In this case, class action suit seems very appropriate!
If anyone is interested in purchasing a PPx for SR or Acne therapy please let me know. I wouldn't ever market this for Hair Reduction.

If this is migrating to a class action suit, please count me in!

This is interesting to me, seeing all the responses to the PPX challenges. I too have been thru the headaches. I bought mine in 2006 for 47,000, too much, specifically for Hair removal. I was told that was the best machine on the market at that time. So I bought into it. a year later losing more money then gaining I contacted the company and as most of you discovered as well, they passed me around from person to person, and got no where; so I stopped payments, but that soon came back at me. Demanding I pay, we have come to a "settlement" simply because I just wanted to STOP! Forget I ever bought into something like this.
It had been sitting in the closet for the past year, making payments on something that isn;t being used, which was bothering me, so I JUST brought it out again got proper training for Acne and sun spots. Now having success. Its been working wonderfully for that. If only I would have known that in the first place.

if anyone is selling tips pls email me @ mary1343@live.com tips for acne and sr and hr thx

I am a dermatologist in Hong Kong.

In the last few weeks, a local beauty saloon sent me 8 patients who were burnt with some horrible rectangular marks on the arms, legs, abdomen, and back, in varying degrees, after treatment with this PPx machine for hair removal. Apparently they did exactly what the local distributor told them to, and even in the presence of a "trainer".

Before this, I never heard of PPx.

They have spent quite a bit of money for sending the patients to me, but the worst thing is they are being sued for tens of thousands of dollars.

dr stephen

The laser company should also be responsible for the side effects. They promote and sell a technology that does not work. Their trainers are nothing more than salespersons or other paramedical personnel who have minimal to no clinical experience in treating patients. They know how to turn the machne on and off and show you a few company slides but have no idea on what they are doing.

Soemhow, we have to hold these big companies and their luminaries accountable for the blatant lies they concocted up.

The laser company should also be responsible for the side effects. They promote and sell a technology that does not work. Their trainers are nothing more than salespersons or other paramedical personnel who have minimal to no clinical experience in treating patients. They know how to turn the machne on and off and show you a few company slides but have no idea on what they are doing.

Soemhow, we have to hold these big companies and their luminaries accountable for the blatant lies they concocted up.

PPx has just been introduced to my country and it costs like $2300 for 5 treatments from a beauty salon. The beautician told me that results are guaranteed for acne scars, open pores and hair reduction. The problem is i have a huge problem with acne scars and open pores. To everyone out there who has tried PPx, should i give it a try?

I can sell you the ppx system if you want.
You can make money off your friends, or someone who wants
the service.
We used the system for about 3 months, then we stopped.
Reason: Patients not happy.
Why: You can read all those posts regarding PPX.

I have gotten two treatments so far using PPX/PDT for the treatment of mild-moderate acne. Both times, the suction has left either a burn mark from accidentally touching the light when suctioned, or bruising from the force of the suction. Both have gone away within time. I have to say that the 24-48 hour time period for seeing positive results is not true for me at all. In fact, the first time I did it last summer, I looked TERRIBLE for about 1-2 weeks. Then afterwards, my skin got better and better. The good skin lasted about 2-3 months then the effects began to wear off. I just got my second treatment yesterday and am left with three large unsightly bruise marks which look as if they'll go away in a few days, no problem.

Question: Do you ever have bruising happen to your patients using the PPX? Do you have patients whose skin only show the good effects after 1-2 weeks?

P.S. How does the PPX compare, in your opinion, to IPL or chemical peels for the treatment of mild to moderate acne?

Thank you Dr. Rioux! It is true that my skin is not held taut for most of the time. That must cause the bruising and the (once) small burn near the lower lip. The doctor did the water cooling and cryogen...although maybe turning down the force of suction at certain parts might help. Thank you for clearing that up for me.

Hi,

I have been doing laser hair removal for about 5 years now, I tried everything.. From elecrolyse to IPL to diiode treatments.. The only thing that's been working for me now is the Aesthera PPx (that I only tried outside of Montreal, Canada). I prefer it on all the others, not only because I can lay there pain FREE (while the othesr are impossible to deal with) but because it worked on my hair. My legs, underarms are practically hair free and i am witnessing great results for my bikini line. I still do my face with a diiode machine, which hurts SO MUCH and i still have to go there every 3 weeks to do it again (which is starting to bother me since I'm not seeing ANY results).
I'm currently looking for someone in Montreal who has this machine.
Thanks,

Maria.

Have you tried long pulsed 1064nm yag? It will do a good job doing hair removal. It is fast and relatively" less" painful. Candela has the long pulsed yag, and fotona xp max is also one of the lasers that will do a great job on hair removal.

good luck. I dont have much luck with PPX...

Isolaz the only way to go for active nasty acne. 70% of my practice.
Hair? I use it for axilla and bikini areas. I've pretty much navigated out of the hair removal biz and prefer to refer pts to the franchises or a facility with a diode or Nd:YAG.
Pretty good for pigment with adjunct prods.
Bottom line; in terms of anti-aging I always combine micro-resurfacing (DermaSweep), skin care like Obagi Nu-Derm and chemical peels (PCA). Pretty much that's all I need.
Re: Profusion. I love using the suction portion to profuse ingredients.

Isolaz the only way to go for active nasty acne. 70% of my practice.
Hair? I use it for axilla and bikini areas. I've pretty much navigated out of the hair removal biz and prefer to refer pts to the franchises or a facility with a diode or Nd:YAG.
Pretty good for pigment with adjunct prods.
Bottom line; in terms of anti-aging I always combine micro-resurfacing (DermaSweep), skin care like Obagi Nu-Derm and chemical peels (PCA). Pretty much that's all I need.
Re: Profusion. I love using the suction portion to profuse ingredients.

Isolaz the only way to go for active nasty acne. 70% of my practice.
Hair? I use it for axilla and bikini areas. I've pretty much navigated out of the hair removal biz and prefer to refer pts to the franchises or a facility with a diode or Nd:YAG.
Pretty good for pigment with adjunct prods.
Bottom line; in terms of anti-aging I always combine micro-resurfacing (DermaSweep), skin care like Obagi Nu-Derm and chemical peels (PCA). Pretty much that's all I need.
Re: Profusion. I love using the suction portion to profuse ingredients.