Nadine Dilong Last week, renowned dermatologist, Prof Firas Al-Niaimi came to Australia for a roadshow of Candela workshops, talking all things skin rejuvenation and scar treatment.
Professor Firas Al-Niaimi, MD is a highly experienced and respected consultant dermatologist with nearly 20 years of medical experience. He trained in some of the UK’s top hospitals, including the largest dermatology department in Europe (Manchester) and the world-renowned St. John’s Institute of Dermatology at St. Thomas’ hospital in London where he completed a prestigious laser and Mohs surgical fellowship and continued to work as an honorary consultant for several years.
Needless to say, he is a wealth of knowledge and we couldn’t wait to learn from him at Candela’s Sydney event where Prof Al-Niaimi demonstrated the use of multiple modalities to achieve optimal results. He focused on three Candela devices: PicoWay®, NordlysTM, and Vbeam®
Here are five things we learned from Prof Al-Niaimi:
1. Everyone approaches treatments differently
We love that Prof Al-Niami prefaced his presentation by stating that the following information was simply his way of doing things, and he is happy to share what he has learned throughout his career, but at the same time he acknowledged that every practitioner has their own way of doing things, and that he himself is still learning. What a great attitude to have!
2. The Nordlys is a great first device
For practitioners thinking about investing in their first device, Candela’s Nordlys is the perfect choice as it can treat a variety of skin conditions. The Nordlys system quartet of technologies includes SWT IPL, Frax1550, Frax1940, and Nd:Yag 1064nm, with 21 indications for use. SWT IPL (selective waveband technology), in contrast to other IPL technology, uses narrower wavelength bands, per condition, which enables treatment of photodamaged skin using less than half the fluence and no active cooling, and requiring fewer treatments.
The Nordlys system offers high ROI fractional non-ablative resurfacing capabilities for significant practice savings and it is quickly becoming a go-to platform for new and existing aesthetic practices, and is a favourite of Prof Al-Niaimi.
3. There are 5 steps to approach vascular treatment:
Prof Al-Niaimi uses Candela’s VBeam to treat vascular conditions, and this is his thought process when deciding on settings: Choose appropriate wavelength, choose appropriate spot size, determine the pulse width, select the appropriate fluence, do not forget the cooling!
4. We all learn from our patients!
Prof Al-Niaimi explained how every practitioner continues to learn from every patient and showed an example of a scar treatment he did, where the patient experienced a post-burn itchy scar (Pruritus), and in order to relieve the itch, Prof Al-Niaimi treated the scar with the VBeam. To his surprise, not only did the itch subside, but the scar flattened, too!
5. Frax results are enhanced when used in combination with topicals and skin boosters
Prof Al-Niaimi explained that his approach is not an ‘either or’ one in terms of devices Vs topicals, but he sees the best result when combining both. In particular, he mentioned the use of skin boosters or bioremodelling injectables before a Frax treatment, to boost the skin’s hydration levels, which in turn optimises the results he achieves with Frax. He also uses Frax to enhance the penetration of topicals to achieve healthy, radiant skin.
For more information, visit candelamedical.com