I'm a new physician entering the field of aesthetics and don't want to go all in on equipment just yet. Are rentals a good option? Any good companies you've used? And what type of training is available since I didn't learn about lasers in residency? Many many thanks in advance.

I'm finding a lot of the second hand equipment is private sales from other physicians / med spas. The problem is I'd be lacking in training.

We are looking for a physician to sublease a medi spa in Freehold, New Jersey at http://www.amerxlaserspa.com . Im on the flip side how do i find someone that wants to sublet?

Nowadays lasers are affordable. Come to think of it, if you will rent a device, there are many responsibilities. if you find a company who rents then make sure that your contract is detailed on all aspects of consumables as well as wear and tear.
Read the small print, especially on Chamber and HVPS damage.

It depends on the core of your business. You decide if buying vs renting will be good for you. Weigh out your options. At this moment, especially here in Europe, due to the international financial crisis, there are a lot of good opportunities to buy excellent used condition machines. Look up for companies that provide second hand devices. IMHO, this is more practical than purchasing new devices.

Before renting, perform a financial analysis. Is renting more feasible than purchasing? Consider usage. How often will you use it?

I highly recommend renting for a new practitioner. This will allow you to test out various devices before your purchase a laser. I am speaking from my own experience. If you cannot guarantee 30% utilization of the machine on a daily basis, you should rent.

Here in Belgium, physicians still focus on buying rather than use.

Lasers are relatively new compared to the other non-surgical/surgical techniques. The tricky part in manipulating these devices are "guessing" the correct parameters in treating certain conditions to achieve optimum results. However, there are several training options available with some companies when you purchase a laser.

Before renting a laser, you must learn how to use it! The risk of disaster is high and I have seen a lot!

If you will be using the laser often, buy it! If you will only need one a few times a year, rent. Fiscal analysis and prudence will keep your costs down.

The risk of an adverse event is significantly higher for inexperienced laser/IPL users who rent equipment. There is greater safety and more certainty of clinical outcomes if the equipment is purchased new (or 'previously owned') direct from a manufacturer. If purchased 'previously owned' from a 3rd party supplier, ensure that you have complete device history records and a certificate of calibration upon installation from a competent laser service engineer.

Whether to rent or lease depends on the terms of both and the anticipation of use (as presumably at the point of making the decision the user may not be certain of uptake or may even be a new business). Buying if you will be using it often, it can be more cost effective to rent as usually all routine maintenance is included (which could be more costly with high usage). A start up business or one new to lasers may want to test the water and not get committed to a longer term financial arrangement (as in a lease). Also renting leaves the doorway more open to assessing the emergence of new technology and perhaps switching to something more innovative or simply changing to something that after a period of usage the operator may realize represents a more commercial or appropriate fit to their clientele. I am from the UK so rental options are perhaps more available. A 6 month rental with full comprehensive training and support with the option to renew monthly thereafter is possible and may not be in the USA. Monthly costs are slightly higher than leasing but the commitment is less onerous and ongoing costs pre-determined. For someone who is sure of their market and the commercial viability of offering laser than lease purchase offers a finite period for payment and less monthly costs.

If you know your demographics and markets, buy the staple lasers. The lasers that you know people will want/need the services of. For specialty lasers: pulsed dye, fractionated, etc. test the markets and see what the feed back is from your patients over a few rental cycles. Once you have the market, then your choice to buy becomes very simple: do you want to build equity in your business or the rental companies?

Depending on your core business you can decide if buying or renting. But in this moment, especially here in Europe, due to the international financial crisis, there are a lot of good opportunities to buy very good second hand machines (often almost new). Companies who provide second hand instrumentation are a resource for our job

If renting by an inexperienced doctor, there are even more precautions that need to be considered. Rentals generally are brought in by "technicians" who are not medically qualified, and therefore should not be relied on to assist the doctor with anything more than running the controls of the laser. Economics should not dictate quality of care for a patient - so if the doctor (or other user) is not well trained or experienced he or she should not be offering laser treatment to patients.

I would strongly recommend that you first check with the established laser companies for rental systems. Some offer rent to buy which is a very good alternative for immediate purchase and the opportunity to evaluate the laser. If renting from a laser company instead of a rental company with 3rd party systems, you know that their equipment meets all standards, and they have all the necessary resources, maintenance, and support you need. Remember too, that the 3rd parties have to source parts and disposables, often not the ones guaranteed or even recommended by the manufacturer - which is a problem for the end user in the event of an accident or injury.

Does anyone know an established company in MA which rents to buy?

October 30, 2014
I agree with Everything Dr C. wrote and believe re certification fees are in restraint of trade and have been quoted numbers like $35-000 to$40,000 by the largest us laser company.

What has not been discussed is manufacturers REFUSAL TO SELL PARTS and REFUSAL TO PROVIDE SERVICE IF YOU DONT BUY A MACHINE DIRECTLY FROM THEM, This may be a greater violation of restraint of trade.
I believe we need a users group to join together and bring a CLASS ACTION SUIT naming all the manufacturers if possible. An alternative would be to lobby our elected officials to pass federal legislation.
Manufacturers should not be able to refuse to provide (or allow service to be provided by their factory trained contracted service company) unless you buy a machine from them. I do understand and believe there are some circumstances where a used machine may need extensive service and the serviceman may detail a list of repairs needed to meet factory specs in order to perform safely. While this is a possibility that is "ripe for abuse" it also is a legitimate possibility that manufacturers claim.

I bought directly from a manufacturer and afterwards was told that the yearly maintenance is available for purchase AFTER the one year warranty expires NOT before. We are talking about $1500 to $3500. After looking at the stock market public information, it appears that the manufacturer earns one third of its revenue (or profit) from service.

What also may be in restraint of trade, by real world action, is when one manufacturer buys many smaller ones. Example Elman had the most generous warranty. Three years parts and labor all included with no exclusions. They were purchased by Cynosure, which I need not mention their policies

Maybe ASLMS or MedSpaMD or a few similar organizations could join together in this goal.

I am willing to get involved in a class action suit on behalf of all of us

Michael Hizme
CLSO, CLTR,LSO, volunteer laser services for the needy. Have served as candidate for public office, Pro bono Guardian Ad Litem of The New York City Bar Association. I'm not a lawyer or doctor.

ps. A factory trained laser serviceman said the largest preventable factor causing wear on lasers is DUST.

Hello,

We are a company that buys used aesthetic Laser equipment as well as have a very wide range of new lasers available for purchase in our inventory. I wanted to see if you had anything available for sale? I would love to assist you if there is an interest in selling something. Not sure if you know, but our company is the only company to have taken over the account of the American Laser Skincare account. It was a HUGE LIQUIDATION! So we hold the largest in-stock selection of Aesthetic Lasers. Some of the things featured are… 100 Gentlemax Pros, over 100 Vela shapes, and much more new lasers between 40-60% off. We do trade-ins as well if you wanting to change from your old Gentlemax to a new upgraded one. Attached below you will find a document detailing the relevant information we will need to evaluate your equipment. Let me know if you have any questions, concerns, or comments. Or if you don’t have anything and just want our information, then keep us in mind for future changes and we would love to assist you with lasers that just are sitting around.

I look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Thank you,

Mychel Jones | Rep
MedShare Technologies
2601 W. Mockingbird Lane
Suite 100 | Dallas, TX 75235
Phone: 469.709.8948 x2016 | Fax: 469.709.8948 x2042
Email: mjones@medsharetech.com |Web: www.medsharelaser.com