Is everyone getting Skin Laundry's facial laser treatment without me? Apparently everyone with Internet access is gushing about the dewy glow, shrunken pores, and smoother skin the treatment promises. But no review so far has answered three important questions: What exactly are these $65 laser treatments? Who's doing them? And do their claims actually hold up? I took it upon myself to find out.
Skin Laundry has six locations in Southern California, Arizona, and New York City, with six more on the way. It offers only one service: YAG laser followed by intense pulsed light (IPL). Dermatologists use YAGs to resurface skin and fade brown spots and IPL to treat redness and lighten pigmentation. Skin Laundry tells clients that the combination of the two removes "dirt and bacteria"—so "skin looks refreshed" after one session—and clears acne, reduces the appearance of pores, and evens skin tone over time.
When I visited the Manhattan branch (the Skin Laundry team knew I was reporting on the treatment for Allure), I was nervous about submitting my virgin skin to a laser—I consider Clarisonic brushes aggressive. The treatment felt kind of like a blowout from an overeager stylist, not painful but not quite comfortable either. A nurse moved a wand-like device over my face inch by inch. The YAG caused a few rubber-band-snap sensations and a slight burning smell. The nurse said it was the scent of "dirt and toxins being vaporized." (I felt like I was analyzing the ultimate pore strip: both grossed out and gratified.) As for the IPL, it was really bright. Even with goggles (all clients have to wear them) I was convinced I'd go blind. (Turns out, I was just being dramatic.) Ten minutes later, I was finished. I looked in the mirror and noticed a slight pink splotchiness on my cheeks and forehead; when I walked out a few minutes later, it had disappeared, and my skin looked clean and bright, like I had just had a good exfoliation.
All Skin Laundry treatments are performed by registered nurses. Before the RN holds a device to your skin, she completes a one-day course with the company that makes the machines and then clocks at least three months of additional training on roughly 200 to 300 people. Out of the more than 200,000 sessions Skin Laundry has performed so far, there hasn't been a single incident of burning or discoloration, says John Eungdamrong, a board-certified practicing dermatologist who is also the supervising medical advisor for Skin Laundry in New York City. (This means he is present when nurses are training and is on call while the location is open to field questions and concerns.)
When I spoke with dermatologists who are experts in lasers and not affiliated with Skin Laundry, though, they all expressed concern over possible risks, especially with IPL. "I've seen hundreds of patients come out of salons and spas with scarring or discoloration because the IPL device was used on the wrong skin type or tone," says Roy Geronemus, a clinical professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center. Skin Laundry's on-site physician's assistant evaluates the skin type of each first-time patient based, in part, on the Fitzpatrick scale that dermatologists use; anyone deemed Type VI (very dark) is refused treatment because of the risk of burning, scarring, and discoloration. IPL is also a risk for Types IV and V, but dermatologists can use a lower energy level to safely administer it to those skin tones.
Skin Laundry told us that they use one machine setting for everyone, regardless of skin color and type, which concerned the experts I consulted. "When it comes to skin, one size fits none," says Doris Day, a clinical associate professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center. "A setting that's ideal for one patient could do nothing for another and could actually injure a third." I asked Skin Laundry twice about which wavelengths they use: while interviewing Eungdamrong, who knew I was a reporter, and while speaking with an on-site RN, who didn't know my Allure affiliation. Neither would share that information. What Eungdamrong would say: "We use such a low energy that it's not like the IPL used to treat sun damage or vascular lesions in a doctor's office. It's very gentle." So that opens up the opposite problem: Is it so gentle that it's not actually doing anything?
Skin Laundry—from its name to the information on its website—focuses on "deep-cleaning" claims and benefits. And although a few studies published in peer-reviewed journals have found that YAG lasers and IPL can have an anti-bacterial effect, "that's definitely not the standard of care," says Geronemus. "I don't know a single doctor who uses these machines as an anti-bacterial treatment. A fractional laser, like the Fraxel Dual, is a much better option to reduce pore size, while the Smoothbeam diode laser can be helpful to control oil and is also one of the best options for acne. And if you want clean skin, you wash your face." What about that burning odor that Skin Laundry told me was vaporized dirt and toxins? Day had a different explanation: "That was just peach fuzz burning off your skin. These machines don't vaporize bacteria."
Eungdamrong, however, says that after five weekly Skin Laundry treatments, clients will start to see cumulative results of smoother, clearer skin. And independent dermatologists did tell me that, even at low wavelengths, multiple YAG and IPL treatments could affect bacteria and oil glands and maybe fade some discoloration. I told Geronemus how refreshed my skin looked after just one session, and he said it was likely from minor swelling and collagen stimulation—and that both were temporary. (Sure enough, the glow was gone by morning.)
The dermatologists I spoke to insist this isn't a turf war over some very lucrative territory. "I'm just concerned for patient safety," says Geronemus, who bars nurses in his own practice from using high-energy lasers, like YAG, and IPL. "I'm sure well-trained nurses could use weaker devices, but even in the best hands, complications can occur. You can call that bias, but that's a fact." Day also administers most lasers in her practice herself, only delegating hair removal and Thermage to her nurses. And even Eungdamrong insists, "I'm a dermatologist. I would never tell anyone not to go to a dermatologist. We think of this more like a maintenance part of your regimen, something to complement your dermatologic care."
But is it necessary or worthwhile maintenance? "I have my doubts," says Ellen Marmur, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. "But who knows, maybe Skin Laundry has managed to take the risk out of this technology in a way that will still improve skin over time. I'm willing to be cautiously optimistic."
If cautious optimism (and, in my case, temporarily radiant skin) is enough for you, Skin Laundry treatments are $65 per session or $500 for a package of 10 (a.k.a, $50 a pop).
