Seeing the light in a maze of light and energy-based technology
Nov 01, 2011 Posted by Martha Drezin
Without a common, carefully-defined vocabulary we have smoke, mirrors and unsubstantiated claims
Twelve years ago I went to Cairo, Egypt. There, I saw the pyramids, realized I was not eternal, but they were, and nearly slid off my camel as she reluctantly stood up to schlep me across a desert littered with discarded water bottles. (Where were the garbage cans?) At night, I heard the great Sphinx talking, illuminated as if in a blaze against the black desert sky. That dazzling sound and light show is my total background in light- and energy-based technology.
Now, every woman’s magazine is featuring stories about light and energy-based therapies, such as Baby Quasar Light Therapy, Acne Anti-Aging LED Light, Skin Perfecting Blue Light and Vibrational Beauty Therapy. Assuming these are great innovations, nobody wants to be left out. But, how do you sort through this maze of heat and light? What will this product do to me and for me? Are manufacturer’s claims based on patient testimony or sound scientific data? Is the product safe? Is it effective? Has the product earned FDA approval? Will the results last? Is it worth the money? Am I a good candidate?
As an educated consumer, you do not agonize too long. Instead, you sail into the office of your favorite board-certified plastic surgeon to get advice. But what you don’t realize is that your surgeon, barraged daily with materials and salespeople promoting the latest and greatest in light and energy-based technology, is charged with deciding which technologies are safe, effective and worth an investment. The only way to keep up with this technology explosion is a constant ongoing educational process.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) works hard to educate members about new technologies. One of their goals is to prepare members to separate the wheat from the chaff in dealing with a steady onslaught of manufacturer’s reps who may be making false claims about products.
In providing education about light and energy-based technology ASAPS discovered a problem: there was no uniformity in the language used by the cosmetic industry in describing this technology. Results: misunderstandings and unrealistic expectations. According to a Guest Editorial published in the October 2011 Aesthetic Surgery Journal, “…even among plastic surgeons, there is often a lack of consensus about the words describing our procedures, techniques and results.”
For example, what does it mean when a procedure results in “essentially no downtime?” What does “downtime” mean? When it comes to science, a conversation with poorly-defined terms is no conversation at all.
ASAPS decided that a concisely-defined common vocabulary was intrinsic to getting information about new products. The Society formed a “Light- and Energy-Based Therapies Subcommittee” that identified a list of common terms companies use for promoting their products. Then they defined these terms. Now, as defined by the Subcommittee, downtime is “the expected time after which a patient can resume his or her normal lifestyle” and “essentially no downtime” is “less than 24 hours.” There are also definitions for minimal downtime (24 to 72 hours), moderate downtime (three to seven days) and significant downtime (more than seven days). ASAPS believes that manufacturers will use these strict definitions because a common language will facilitate sales.
Vocabulary is not the only marketing tool that needs standardizing. When you are considering an aesthetic procedure, you most likely scout the web for before and after patient photos. But what are you actually looking at? How many treatments did it take to produce the “after”? Did the “after” include other treatments you may not be aware of? How soon after the procedure was the photo taken? Is there extra makeup involved? Lighting adjustments? The ASAPS subcommittee is recommending that manufacturers include number of treatments, complete disclosure of all treatments in the “after” photo and how long after the treatment the “after” photos is taken. Also, the same lighting and patient positioning should be used in the pre and posttreatment photos. Those manufacturers that follow the ASAPS photo recommendations will be acknowledged, so that members will be more likely to seriously consider their products.
As well as putting the brakes on manufacturer’s claims, standardization of language and patient photos will translate into tremendous benefits for consumers. For example, when you ask your doctor if there will be swelling after a treatment and he says, “essentially none,” he will define that term as “swelling that resolves in less than three days.” So, you’ll know that day two is no time to schedule that big job interview.
Twelve years ago I went to Cairo, Egypt. There, I saw the pyramids, realized I was not eternal, but they were, and nearly slid off my camel as she reluctantly stood up to schlep me across a desert littered with discarded water bottles. (Where were the garbage cans?) At night, I heard the great Sphinx talking, illuminated as if in a blaze against the black desert sky. That dazzling sound and light show is my total background in light- and energy-based technology.
Now, every woman’s magazine is featuring stories about light and energy-based therapies, such as Baby Quasar Light Therapy, Acne Anti-Aging LED Light, Skin Perfecting Blue Light and Vibrational Beauty Therapy. Assuming these are great innovations, nobody wants to be left out. But, how do you sort through this maze of heat and light? What will this product do to me and for me? Are manufacturer’s claims based on patient testimony or sound scientific data? Is the product safe? Is it effective? Has the product earned FDA approval? Will the results last? Is it worth the money? Am I a good candidate?
As an educated consumer, you do not agonize too long. Instead, you sail into the office of your favorite board-certified plastic surgeon to get advice. But what you don’t realize is that your surgeon, barraged daily with materials and salespeople promoting the latest and greatest in light and energy-based technology, is charged with deciding which technologies are safe, effective and worth an investment. The only way to keep up with this technology explosion is a constant ongoing educational process.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) works hard to educate members about new technologies. One of their goals is to prepare members to separate the wheat from the chaff in dealing with a steady onslaught of manufacturer’s reps who may be making false claims about products.
In providing education about light and energy-based technology ASAPS discovered a problem: there was no uniformity in the language used by the cosmetic industry in describing this technology. Results: misunderstandings and unrealistic expectations. According to a Guest Editorial published in the October 2011 Aesthetic Surgery Journal, “…even among plastic surgeons, there is often a lack of consensus about the words describing our procedures, techniques and results.”
For example, what does it mean when a procedure results in “essentially no downtime?” What does “downtime” mean? When it comes to science, a conversation with poorly-defined terms is no conversation at all.
ASAPS decided that a concisely-defined common vocabulary was intrinsic to getting information about new products. The Society formed a “Light- and Energy-Based Therapies Subcommittee” that identified a list of common terms companies use for promoting their products. Then they defined these terms. Now, as defined by the Subcommittee, downtime is “the expected time after which a patient can resume his or her normal lifestyle” and “essentially no downtime” is “less than 24 hours.” There are also definitions for minimal downtime (24 to 72 hours), moderate downtime (three to seven days) and significant downtime (more than seven days). ASAPS believes that manufacturers will use these strict definitions because a common language will facilitate sales.
Vocabulary is not the only marketing tool that needs standardizing. When you are considering an aesthetic procedure, you most likely scout the web for before and after patient photos. But what are you actually looking at? How many treatments did it take to produce the “after”? Did the “after” include other treatments you may not be aware of? How soon after the procedure was the photo taken? Is there extra makeup involved? Lighting adjustments? The ASAPS subcommittee is recommending that manufacturers include number of treatments, complete disclosure of all treatments in the “after” photo and how long after the treatment the “after” photos is taken. Also, the same lighting and patient positioning should be used in the pre and posttreatment photos. Those manufacturers that follow the ASAPS photo recommendations will be acknowledged, so that members will be more likely to seriously consider their products.
As well as putting the brakes on manufacturer’s claims, standardization of language and patient photos will translate into tremendous benefits for consumers. For example, when you ask your doctor if there will be swelling after a treatment and he says, “essentially none,” he will define that term as “swelling that resolves in less than three days.” So, you’ll know that day two is no time to schedule that big job interview.