Medical lasers have become a standard part of many surgeon’s toolkits, allowing them to perform incredibly precise operations focused on specific areas of the body. The development of these lasers has been a key to the success of the industry, and one of the leading developers is the team at Erchonia Lasers Ltd who specialise in Non-thermal Low Level Laser technology. Worthy winners in the GHP Global Excellence Awards, where they earned 2021’s Award for Excellence in Innovation, we thought it time to examine what sets the team apart from the competition.

In 1996, Mr Steve Shanks and Mr Kevin Tucek founded Erchonia Corp. Their aim was simple – to develop and manufacture Non-thermal Low Level Lasers. Through an approach which has embraced the potential of innovations within this technological area, the team have been able to achieve incredible success in North America, and are rapidly expanding around the world. Their work has had an astonishing impact on the way in which medical treatments are handled.

Of course, trading around the world is no easy matter. Erchonia Corp is based in the US, and required a different base of operations to reach markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The UK was ideally placed for such a venture, and Erchonia Lasers Ltd was the result. Working closely with their US counterparts, the EMEA team work tirelessly to give their customers the best possible products, service, training and support when it comes to non-thermal laser technology, also educating on the different delivery mechanisms associated with Low Level Laser.

The team’s work covers an enormous range of different areas, with the lasers specifically designed to act as an advanced delivery system transporting photonic energy via electromagnetic energy transfer into the body through a ‘true’ laser beam. This impressive, clinically proven technology, can be used to treat a wide variety of conditions including the reduction of body fat, adjusting the appearance of cellulite, eliminating pain, accelerating healing, treating acne and treating foot fungus to name but a few. Such amazing range of ability is a boost to the medical industry, ensuring that their newest purchase is far more than just a one-trick-pony enabling diversification as well as increased efficacy.

At the heart of Erchonia is a determination to meet the desires and needs of clinicians and patients. The potential of non-thermal laser which falls under the umbrella of low-level laser therapy could easily transform the way in which people are treated. As such, the team make every effort to ensure that the service that they offer is one which is world-class. The success of their efforts can be seen easily in the range of different services that are used, with new and exciting solutions designed for surgeons, aesthetic doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, general pain management clinics and veterinarians worldwide. Reaching such a broad audience has been one of the keys behind Erchonia’s success.

The use of laser therapy has a long and happy history within the healthcare industry, traditionally being used to pierce through skin in order to cauterise a wound. Harnessing the properties of this non-thermal laser technology by electromagnetic energy transfer allows clinics and their patients across the board to access the enormous potential they possess in increased efficacy, especially compared to standard therapies, without the resultant pain and tissue damage, or downtime.

The Erchonia team achieve this exceptional addition to a clinician’s options through careful and thorough investigation via Level One (510k) placebo controlled, double blind, randomised, multicentre clinical trials (using LED in the placebo effect) allowing them to achieve 18 of the 21 US FDA market clearances given to Low Level Lasers. They aren’t just designed to be magnificent examples of engineering, but practical additions to a clinic. Hot lasers carry with them a number of drawbacks, namely the challenges involved in purchasing and maintaining them, as well as the difficulties of patient recovery. A non-thermal laser device is a less expensive treatment overall, while diminishing the safety concerns that are ever present with laser use. ‘True’ non-thermal laser light is coherent, collimated, monochromatic ,visible light, unlike other technologies that fall within this category, allowing Erchonia lasers to optimise the dose of photonic energy delivered to the mitochondria of the cell. The result is a clinic that is transformed into something highly efficient and incredibly advantageous to their patients.

Throughout every level of the firm’s operation, quality has remained first and foremost, and there are no shortcuts taken or compromises made. The desire to find new ways of using non-thermal lasers has been a huge part of the team’s success, and this exploratory method is only possible if every step is made towards ultimate quality and patient satisfaction. Despite the global nature of Erchonia, what unites every aspect is the pride contained within every product. The high quality of workmanship from the humblest fitting to the most sophisticated engineering is clear for all to see.

The comprehensive approach is made possible through a process that sees each product completed ‘in-house’. The team are over 85% self-reliant in all facets of the company. All products that bear the Erchonia name undergo the same impressive manufacturing and assembly processes, combined with oversight that ensures no part goes awry.

With demand being international, these products are produced to FDA, ISO, OSHA and MDSAP standards. The commitment to quality in all areas is the key behind the impressive reputation that Erchonia have been able to garner for themselves. When medical professionals need a product that can stand the test of time, they more often than not turn to Erchonia to see what they can offer.

While the team’s products blow the competition away, it’s in the area of research and development that the team thrive most clearly. Erchonia Corporation has a strong history of innovation, for which it has achieved success in GHP, but this has only been possible thanks to an astonishing amount of investment. The team have over $5 million invested in research and development at any one time to make sure they keep pushing the boundaries and defying the dogma.

These studies have an impact not just on the company, but on the scientific community as a whole. Through this commitment to higher standards and the exploration of new boundaries, the team at Erchonia has been able to push the limits of the market for the benefit of their clients.

Innovation is one of the key tenets of Erchonia, with every aspect of the business built around ensuring that the team can continue to grow in their ways of working. Leadership comes from a cross-functional and diverse senior management team, comprised of business, sales, marketing, compliance, research, and engineering expertise. By combining all of these aspects, the team can enact a full spectrum view of proceedings that can benefit the whole company, as opposed to specific areas.

This approach, which embraces novelty and original thinking, is what has seen the company grow over the last two decades. It makes it possible for the leadership to explore a problem or possibility from all sides, in its true height, depth and breadth. It’s little wonder that such strong consideration for the needs of clients has allowed the team to achieve such an incredible degree of success over the years.

Those clinics which have taken up the use of an Erchonia laser have found it quickly becoming an indispensable tool in many unique situations, but one of the most rewarding for the Erchonia team is that of pain management and accelerated healing. Chronic pain can be incredibly challenging to treat, but the use of specific treatments such as laser therapies have been known to bring about fast and effective relief. The specifics of this field are not yet fully understood, with scientists still exploring the impact and potential effects of this new area of laser therapy, but it holds within it enormous potential.

The use of non-thermal lasers could transform the lives of those with Chronic pain. The lasers can penetrate the skin, as well as soft or hard tissues, and are able to make an enormous difference to a person’s wellbeing with no visible impact. Often, the use of an Erchonia laser can have an immensely positive effect on inflammation, pain and healing. Cells absorb the light energy from the laser and are able to convert it into cell energy, which suppresses pain and reduces the inflammatory pathways. The results speak for themselves, with short, regular treatments offering patients much needed reprieve from pain over the longer term.

The use of laser treatments can take the strain from other options which some would consider riskier. Naturally, most medical professions try to avoid the use of surgical options if at all possible. While the use of various medications seemed the natural solution to this, they bring their own problems. Medicines like acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatories often bring their own unique and undesirable side effects at best or do little to help at worst. The use of opioids has its own risks, this time by way of misuse and abuse by the patient.

As non-thermal laser treatment has no recovery time or reported side effects, while being painless and safe to use, it has become the recommended choice for many. The most exciting aspect, however, is the way in which companies like Erchonia have been able to open the market up so that clinics can use this treatment easily and effectively. Historically, it was incredibly difficult to access such resources, but now many clinics have them as standard to work alongside their own skillset. That is the result of what Erchonia have done, both in North America, Europe and beyond.

It’s clear that the medical industry is one which is constantly innovating, but one of the biggest innovations is the work that has been championed by the team at Erchonia. Their high-quality products have opened the door to new treatments that have transformed the industry at large. It’s an incredible achievement!  Thanks to this organisation, more patients can access better healthcare that relieves their pain quickly and effectively, and also reduce their body fat whilst preserving the endocrine function of the cell which can be discussed in more depth at a later date. Innovation is at the centre of what Erchonia do!

For more information, please contact Kate Murray via email at [email protected]