Secret Shopper Series – IPL Part 1
To give our patients a first hand look at what to expect out of IPL treatment and to seek feedback about what we can be doing better–we enlisted the help of a secret shopper to test out our new service offering. In Part 1 of our series, an anonymous patient we’ll call Secret Shopper Sally talks about her initial experience booking IPL with Genstler.
What’s involved in the scheduling process?
Scheduling was super simple. I called the office and mentioned that I was interested in an IPL consultation for my dry eyes, like I’d seen advertised on the website. Kay took my information and got me scheduled right away! Dr. Eisenbarth actually had times available the same week, they just didn’t line up with my schedule very well. I was impressed with how quickly they were able to get me in.
What happened in your consultation appointment?
The consultation consisted of a basic eye exam and then Dr. E did a few tests to see how well my eyes produce tears. It turns out my meibomian glands were blocked and on top of that, my rosacea was causing a lot of my dry eye issues. He said it wasn’t terrible blockage, but enough that between the blockage and some rosacea on my face I qualified for treatments.
My initial appointment was only for a consultation, but Dr. E had time in his schedule over the lunch hour that day and offered to see me. I came back to the office about an hour after my original appointment and got my first treatment right there that day!
Dr. E was awesome. You could tell that he’s a believer in the system and what it’s capable of doing. He did a great job of explaining it and making sure I was comfortable.
What was the procedure like?
Dr. E treated my entire face. I have some experience with IPL treatments in the past for cosmetic purposes. This treatment was a bit more intense than what I’d had before. Dr. E. explained I was more sensitive to the light because I have a darker complexion.
The procedure itself feels like someone lightly snapping a rubber band on your face repeatedly. After my first treatment, my face experienced some burning like I was in the sun for too long, felt raw, and I looked worse for a few hours after the procedure. Dr. E sent me home with a care kit with single-dose Retaine eye drops and moist heat compresses to manage my after care.
What comes next?
This was my first of five treatments. In the first one, we focused on my face and in the following treatments we’ll focus around my eyes to treat my blockage. After the initial treatment, my eyes felt comfortable and my face was really clear and felt great. My past treatments were just a once-over, so I think this is going to be super effective for my dry eyes and my complexion.
In Part 2 we’ll share Sally’s thoughts on the rest of her experience. Stay tuned for more on this process!