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For over 20 years Lutronic (Boston, Mass.) has been a successful leader in laser and energy-based devices. While the company continues to expand worldwide, the clear objective is to leap ahead of competing companies, many of whom are located in North America.
To reinforce this goal, the company recently purchased a 30,000 square foot facility near Boston to serve as the center for Lutronic Global and hired an experienced management team to lead the charge. According to Lutronic’s CEO, Haelyung Hwang, the Lutronic Global center represents a significant increase in the corporation’s emphasis on North America.
Lutronic is the second largest, independently owned, public aesthetic company in the world, and as Omar Ibrahimi, M.D., Ph.D., founder and medical director of the Connecticut Skin Institute in Stamford, Conn. shared, “Lutronic is one of the best hidden secrets in the aesthetic industry. Their systems are well-built and reliable. The company is committed to building faster and more powerful devices across a wide spectrum of technology platforms. They are seeking to advance virtually every product they have and I am impressed with this ambitious desire to continually improve.”
Although R&D efforts have been underway for years in the U.S., the company is reinvesting a substantial portion of its revenues in technology development activities to deliver innovative products that advance healthcare. “Among our peers in the industry we have one of the top in-house technology development teams in the world,” Mr. Hwang stated. “We now feel that we can make this bold move and increase not only our presence, but also our product offerings. With the combination of the new U.S. led global team and our ever-expanding product offerings, we are poised to become the leading player in the market.”
“With the purchase of a Lutronic device comes the real golden egg, which is the company itself and the service support,” expressed Gilly S. Munavalli, M.D., M.H.S., F.A.C.M.S., founder and medical director of Dermatology, Laser & Vein Specialists of the Carolinas (Charlotte, N.C.). “I’ve found in the years I’ve been using these devices, I don’t really need a lot on the maintenance side, but in terms of setting them up, the training, the updates, the ability to speak to Lutronic’s marketing representatives, and even at a technical level, my experience has been unparalleled. Any time my staff or I have questions about using the devices, they are always available. I think that’s so important when purchasing a device.”
LaseMD – Lutronic’s Latest Product Offering
Lutronic Global continues to innovate so their products remain a quantum leap above competitive devices. Lutronic engineers are constantly looking for ways to improve the treatment experience, push the boundaries of technology for improved outcomes and develop devices that are user friendly. The company’s new LaseMD™ system is an example of how success will be driven by fundamental paradigm shifts. This system features a nonablative Thulium laser and was recently cleared and released for sale in the U.S. “The 1927 wavelength is not new to aesthetics, however, the LaseMD is a unique modality,” shared Steven Weiner, M.D., a facial plastic surgeon and owner of The Aesthetic Clinique in Destin, Fla. “This novel device provides me with great control over treatments, from mild to aggressive.”
For Steven Swengel, M.D., founder and medical director of Refined Dermatology in Los Gatos, CA, U.S., LaseMD has become the go-to laser in his clinic, “LaseMD is a key item in my tool box for treating pigment. I can treat patients and achieve great results with minimal downtime,” he said. “The results provide a ‘wow’ factor that patients love and after their initial treatment they come back three weeks later asking for their next session. Plus, I am able to customize treatments for all skin types, including those who have melasma.”
LaseMD was specifically engineered to enhance permeability without disruption to the stratum corneum. “Lutronic also offers a line of Ampoules and masks. The serums are specially designed to be absorbed after a LaseMD treatment,” Dr. Swengel added. “In addition, their post treatment mask really helps calm the skin after treatment.”
As one of the first U.S. physicians to offer LaseMD to patients, Zena Gabriel, M.D., F.A.A.D., owner of ZENA Medical (Newport Beach, Calif.), had this to say about how her patients have responded: “I have a waiting list for the LaseMD Glo treatments. I absolutely love this system.”
LaseMD and INFINI Combination Treatments
INFINI™, a fractional RF-based system, is another device that has had a dramatic impact on the aesthetic market. As Victor Ross, M.D., director of the Laser and Cosmetic Center at Scripps Clinic in San Diego, Calif. expressed, “Lutronic pioneered the concept of high intensity focused RF, and is committed to improving outcomes, applications and the patient experience.” The intelligent features, which are focused on achieving the best outcomes, are the reason why many physicians turn to INFINI to address conditions previously difficult to treat, such as acne scarring or sagging jowls.
Dr. Munivalli shared his experience with both INFINI and LaseMD, and what he considers a potential winning combination therapy. “Treatment of acne scarring is one of the best applications for INFINI. We see wonderful results and our patients are very happy. Additionally, the wrinkle and skin laxity outcomes we achieve with it are superior over other methods. Now that I also have LaseMD, this combination treatment is what I am most excited about in my clinic. When used together, the benefits provide an overall facial rejuvenation that is now achievable without the long downtimes associated with traditional methods.”
Hollywood Laser Peel
In Dr. Weiner’s opinion, Lutronic’s entire product line is very well priced, especially considering the quality of the systems. “It is a little known fact that the Spectra is the biggest selling Nd:YAG laser system in the world,” he stated. The versatility of this dual mode Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, offering customizable parameters, built-in safety and minimized downtime via four distinct Q-switched mode wavelengths, makes this system popular in clinics worldwide. “It does everything from treating tattoos, pigmentation, all types of congenital nevi and more. Additionally, the system’s Hollywood Peel is a very quick, no downtime procedure to rejuvenate the face using a proprietary carbon-based lotion that is placed on the patient and penetrates the skin to several microns. Then you apply the laser, which removes around 7 to 10 microns of skin and makes the skin glow.”
BellaV for Vaginal Rejuvenation
Lutronic’s new vaginal rejuvenation application, BellaV™ uses the Action II multipurpose fractional Erbium:YAG laser, which improves common symptoms of the female aging process such as leakage, dryness, itchiness and even laxity. “The treatment is non-surgical, non-invasive and easy to perform, allowing practitioners to effectively treat a widerange of vulvovaginal symptoms and conditions,” Dr. Weiner shared. “I think we are just scratching the surface with this device, because Action II can also work well for ablative skin resurfacing. On the vaginal rejuvenation side, it offers a quicker process that is very well tolerated by patients and achieves better results than competing systems. There are also potential combination therapies that use the INFINI and the Erbium laser.”
PicoPlus Picosecond Laser
Pending FDA clearance, the PicoPlus™ picosecond laser system is another new product about to hit the U.S. market, that perhaps best epitomizes the company’s approach to taking aesthetic technology to the next level. “The PicoPlus is more powerful than any other picosecond laser on the market,” Dr. Weiner noted. “It has four wavelengths, a variety of spot sizes and a fractional component for skin rejuvenation. It is good for Asian skin rejuvenation, which is a difficult skin type to treat, but Lutronic has perfected treatments on darker skin types. It is clear that this has both pico and nano technologies built into a single platform.”
For Saleem Loghdey, M.B.Ch.B. (U.C.T.), F.C. Derm (SA), C.C.S.T., (U.K.), F.A.C.D., a dermatologist and Mohs Surgeon in Miranda, New South Wales, Australia, PicoPlus is his favorite device. “It is a picosecond laser that really addresses a multitude of problems,” he reported. “Initially it performs tattoo removal, which is a growing market. We can remove them in one-third to one-half of the time that it took in the past. The cost is much better for our patients, as well as the efficacy.” In particular, the PicoPlus has been very helpful
in treating melasma, Dr. Loghdey continued. “This is an extremely difficult condition to treat that often comes back. With other laser systems, I would find that there would be an initial improvement, but then at some point the condition would rebound. With the PicoPlus system, we are able to stay on top of this condition.”
This system offers many other benefits, including pigment removal, rejuvenation and laser facial toning, Dr. Loghdey expressed. “The user interface is very friendly and comes with a toggle function for adjusting fluence energy settings very easily. Settings can be adjusted at any stage of treatment and the warm up time is very quick.”
In order to meet what is seen as a growing demand for its systems, Lutronic has boosted its technical support capabilities. As stated by Dr. Weiner, “With picosecond lasers you have to make sure that the company is reliable and they have good service because picosecond lasers can be finicky. I have no problem working with Lutronic’s technical support, though there really are very few problems that I have encountered with their devices. The highly trained technicians respond quickly and fix any issues in a single visit. That has to be factored into the cost equation when you purchase a laser-based device.”
The Value Proposition of a Strong Portfolio
According to Dr. Ibrahimi, “Having more options available to individual practices is a winning scenario. Lutronic’s wonderful portfolio of products will also raise the bar and force other companies to improve their product offerings, which will ultimately increase the quality available to individual practices. I’ve been working with Lutronic for over five years and have been impressed with their growth trajectory. I attribute this to their wonderful products and great customer service.”
As Mr. Hwang asserted, prospects for Lutronic’s global push are extremely bright. “We have more than 10,000 customers worldwide who have found a home with us. In addition, we have the stable financial structure and funding that will make this continued expansion a success. This very strong financial ability and dedication to technology advancements will bring us closer to our customers,” he said.
Dr. Weiner concluded, “Lutronic is a solid manufacturer and financially very sound, and that is something you need to evaluate when you buy aesthetic devices. In an environment where larger players are acquiring so many energybased device suppliers, a big concern for practitioners is; what does the future hold for these companies? Is the research going to continue? Will the product lines be upgraded and will there be new products created that offer the latest technology advancements? In the case of Lutronic, the answer is a definite yes.”
