Medicam/IKYT


Medicam, Inc.

Medicam is a Canada-based company that sells a number of devices promoted as lasers through a website, including "breast enhancement" lasers and hair removal devices.

Several hair removal products that have been sold by Medicam should be avoided by consumers.

Contact information

Address: 5285 Queen-Mary, Montreal (Quebec), H3W 1Y3 CANADA
Phone: 514-737-0404
Phone: 888-656-0606 (toll free)
Fax: 514) 737-0931
website: www.medicam.ca

Background

After receiving several consumer inquiries, I posted some information about Medicam on the HairTell hair removal forum warning consumers to avoid their hair removal devices. This led to Medicam president Phillipe Amar phoning me directly and objecting to my warning. I explained that the devices being sold had a bad reputation, and that the manufacturer had been operating a number of hair removal scams under several names.

According to Medicam, "in 1998 Centre Biotechnique Avance was acquired by a private multi-national investment firm with global e-commerce marketing experience. […] In 2005 CBA decided to build a strong partnership with MEDICAM, a Canadian company. "

In October 2005, Mr. Amar called to apologize and to share his own bad experiences with Centre Biotechnique Avance and Global Electrolysis Supply. He also sent me his letter terminating their contract and an analysis of their shoddy products.

Medicam is no longer associated with Centre Biotechnique Avance or Global Electrolysis Supply.

Below are Mr. Amar’s documents reproduced verbatim:

Object: Cancellation of contract for distribution of dmd series .

"Without Prejudice"

Please note that starting today, we will cancel any possible and outstanding
orders for the following reasons:

  • Our company Medicam Inc does not have anything to do with You ( CBA ) or any of your companies.
  • Your units does not perform as you advertised.
  • You used our company name to sell your units when you knew that they were not as effecient as you were pretending they were.
  • You were charging us for new units when you were sending us and our customers used units.
  • You are sending the machines knowing that they were defective or the wires broken.
  • You do not reply to our customers when they have a problem with their units.
  • Your own customers are contacting us for advice and to have their unit repaired because no one is answering or returning the calls
  • When we sent you the emails from customers giving specifications details on your machine, instead of fighting for us, you were suggesting us to refund them. That really means that your specifications were not as advertised.
  • We are tired to hear that Medicam inc is another name for CBA. We have nothing on Commun, we give service when you have to be chased to get a simple answer. We want to build a strong company and give our customers the service they have the right to expect from us.
  • We are tired to refund our customers because your machines are used, broken, remanufactured or simply, does not perform.
  • We are in contact with our law firm because we will not assume any longer the refunds that we have to give based on faulse representation of your products. We were acting in good faith and we are today facing a major proble.
  • The fact that your name is everywhere over the internet as a scam company does not give you the right to use us by not advising us the status and performance of your units. You should have left us the choice either to take your direction knowing the existing problems that you had or simply by refusing to represent a company that is manufacturing such devices.
  • We will contact all of our customers to cancel orders not delivered yet.
  • Make sure that you will answer to your calls or emails from your customers because if we ever get another call from your clientele to know where their machine is, or how to proceed to have it fixed, or where it is since it has been sent to you over 5 weeks ago, etc…. we will tell them the truth about the machines. We will at no time contact your clientele but make sure that you will answer to them as soon as they ask you a question because our comapny does not work for you and we will stop as of today answewring for you.
  • This decision is final and we will never talk to you again. If anything has to be said, please have your lawyer contact ours.

We will keep you informed of the action which will be taken against your company.

Best regards,
Philippe Amar
President
Medicam Inc.

QUAZAR “SO CALLED” DIODE LASERS 

TESTS PERFORMED BY MEDICAM OR/AND SOME OF MEDICAM’S CUSTOMER

 All the following are results after testing the units :

 Report on the dmd12000lp from one of our customers in Bulgaria. He is an engineer.

  1. It actually is constant wave laser instead of long pulse laser “with a pulse duration of 100 milliseconds”
  2. The total emission power is 2,14W instead of 12 W “The DMD12000lp produces 12,005mW of 808nm and 910nm laser output”.
  3. The pulse frequency can not be adjusted instead of “Pulse frequency is user-adjustable from 3-300 emissions per second”. The pulse frequency regulator regulates a sound buzzer only.
  4. The laser has not got “adjustable output” as described. Intensity regulator which is intended to do so actually turns the system off or on.
  5. The Laser Emission Indicator doesn’t work properly and may mislead the operator. The display shows 214 when the laser is not active and 154 when the laser is active. There is no subordination between the Intensity regulator, LED display and actual output power of the laser.
  6. The so called “laser protection eyewear” stop only 75% of laser emission instead of 98% to 99%. Having in mind that regular sunglasses stop 50% to 60% of the laser emission our “laser protection eyewear” are a bit darker sunglasses.
  7. The model designation is not visible neither on the driver unit nor the hand piece. It is not possible to determine which model exactly we have received.
  8. Some misleading texts are readable on the driver unit: “Module Input Characteristics 1.5000 ma 5.000 KmV” and “Output Characteristics 350 to 1000 MJ/sec”. It is strange because a measurement unit as KmV doesn’t exist and 1000 MJ/sec is the power produced by a 1000 MV electricity plant.

Report on the dmd9000lp

This is a letter sent by one of our customer. We decided to cancel our contract with CBA for their so called Lasers and we decided to provide the Futur potential customers of these so called Quazar units with the exact content of this customer tests on the dmd9000lp. It starts below:

Listed deficiencies with the DMD9000

1.         Unsafe Wiring/soldering practices.  One of the 120VAC wires (which are ENERGIZED at ALL times unit is plugged in) has a defective shrink tube.  IF this solder joint was to contact a case it could result in a lethal injury to anyone touching the case.

2.         Unit is NOT LP (Long Pulse) the Diode Modules are NOT pulsed in any way!  As long as the hand held switch is pressed, the diodes are energized.  If you want proof of this, simply remove the 555-timer chip from Canakit 191 Timer PCB (Printed Circuit Board).  As you will see once the timer is inactivated simply depressing the hand switch energizes the CW (Constant Wave) Diodes and they are energized CW for as long as the switch is depressed.  The 555-timer circuit pulses only the small RED LED.  Why do you pulse the Red Led?  Is this to make the client think the laser is pulsed? Oddly enough the same voltage circuit drives the LED and the diodes, just the red led has been pulsed.  So why is this advertised as a "LONG PULSE" device?  This constant state of energy brings me to my next issue.

3. Diodes not properly mounted.  For CW Diodes to remain energized continuously, they should mounted to an adequate heatsink.  There is no heat sink material near the diode modules.  Simply gluing the Modules to a thin strip of Aluminum then placing them into the handheld device would have given at least a modest thermal dissipation medium.

4.  USED COMPONENTS!  This may not be an actual deficiency, but one would expect for the cost of this machine that it would have NEW electrical components!  To be specific, the power supply that is used to drive the laser modules is USED!  It appears to be a salvage part from some sort of Consumer electronic device.  You can see were the wires were once attached to the device!  The unit in mine is a Lambda G0079D Power Supply.   This was a common Power supply in many small Home stereo systems.  The real shame is that this Power supply could have been purchased as a new component for less than $200 USD.  The real problem with this is thoroughly covered in the next paragraph.

5.  The USED Power Supply is inadequate for what it is being used for!  The power supply is rated for 3.3V@15A The power requirement for a typical Laser Diode Module is 2.0-2.1V@7A  as you can see to fully power three Laser Diodes would require 21A with a stable 2V Power Supply.  Although the total wattage of this power supply meets the requirement, the power supply voltages are not correct.  As a result the Laser Diode Modules are only receiving approximately 80% of their required power.  A twenty percent reduction in power may not sound significant until you take into account the fact that Laser Diode Modules are NOT Linear!  A Twenty- percent reduction in input power to a Laser Diode Module results in approximately a FOURTY percent reduction in OUTPUT power.  The power supply in my unit tested at a max of 1.84V.   As you can determine, this is not enough power for the Laser Diode Modules.

6.  The "METER" on the Driver Console is incorrectly wired.  The Meter is wired in such a way as to place two DIFFERENT Vcc on the DATA pins of the Digital Display Device.   What exactly is the Meter supposed to be measuring?  If the meter is supposed to be measuring the Voltage Applied to the Laser Diode Modules, The meter will require an A to D Voltage converter circuit.   Sounds expensive?  The Complete Digital Voltage Panel meter is available from CANAKIT (Where the 555 timer circuit came from) for less than $20USD.  By applying Vcc to "DATA" pins one could get almost any reading as the pins pass from one state to another. 

7.  Laser Diode Modules are of questionable manufacture.   The Diodes have no markings whatsoever!  The Diodes are even of two differing sizes.  This leads me to believe they are also derived as salvage from a questionable source.  Numerous calls to Coherent have confirmed that Coherent has never knowingly sold or supplied any laser diode modules to Quasar.

8.  Flimsy design of handpiece, which leaves “EXTREMELY DELICATE” optical fibers, exposed to likely breakage.  A Quite simple design of hard material, which encases the fibers, would protect them and make them viable for a long-term future.  This could be designed into the handpiece for a couple of dollars.

9. Timing system.  I have just read one of the ads.  It states that the Pulse duration is 100 microseconds.  This is quite interesting since the system does not even pulse the CW Laser Modules.  If you want absolute proof that the Diodes are not pulsed, remove the 555 timer IC.  You will discover that you can power the diodes by depressing the handpiece switch.  Even if they were pulsed by the 555-timer circuit, how could they be pulsed at 100 microseconds?  Do you think that a hobbyist Kit built timer is capable of producing a pulse width of 100 microseconds?  This is faster than you can open and close the contacts on a typical relay.   More important is the fact that even if the Module drive current were to controlled by 555-timer the maximum current ability of the timer circuit is only 3A.  This would never power the diodes fully.

Now I have another question if you have actually read this.

Were you duped by Quasar?  Have you never opened the cabinet of an item that you sell?  Or, did you know this was a sham and choose to participate in this sham with full knowledge of the deceptive device that you are selling?

PLEASE REFUND MY MONEY!  I will leave your company graciously if you simply refund me my money.

Now what should all this cost with correct components (12-15 units)?  All Prices are USD.

Aluminum Project Box                 30
Silk Screening Graphics                     10
Power cord and receptacle            4
Knobs switches                                  8
Misc Receptacle (10 pin DIN)            7
555imer Circuit  (From Canakit)             15
Small Power supply for Timer  30
Correct Voltmeter Panel display            35
misc Wiring                             5
Brass pieces)w/ machining)            10

Laser Power Supply
(To replace inadequate salvage unit)
OR by using at least two of the salvage units the system would have adequate power for the diodes.

(2.2V @ 60A                          250
Misc Potentiometers                      3
Handpiece (Battery Case)            5
Misc Switches                        6
Red LED  Pointer                        2
Total Costs                 —————

Less Diode Modules                      420

Approximately 3 Labor hours to assemble the device with semi trained labor.  (MY 14-year-old son can solder these wires and assemble this device in 4 hours at a pay rate of $6/ hour)  So not expensive labor is required.

Testing???   There are only three variable potentiometers, which should take a total of ONE minute to adjust.  Basically there is nothing else to adjust. This is all the testing that CAN be done!  There are NO adjustments for a CW Laser Diode Module!

Diode Modules are of questionable price.  However in the included literature the price for a replacement handpiece which includes three Diodes is listed at less that $800 USD and this is for single unit RETAIL part replacement price.  I will let the Reader figure out the price for the diodes.   But for argument sake lets say the three Fiber Coupled Diodes cost $550 Wholesale.

As You can see this unit cost less than $1000 to produce With the CORRECT components and wiring.  Why would they build it for less than $1000 and produce a shoddy device, which is sure to bring the IRE of their customers?

So Paul and Phil, are you victims?  Have you been duped by quasar also?

Please reply with your instructions for my refund.

Thank You
Ed Youngblood

That is it and I hope that now you can understand why WE WILL NOT REPRESENT THAT KIND OF COMPANY EVER. Of course, we gave full refund to that customer who helped us open our eyes.

The next page will be what we realized ourselves and what measures will be taken to compensate our existing customers. We really apologize! We had in mind to provide our customers with the best possible unit for hair removal and certainly not to fool anyone. Our sincere apologies for all the trouble most of you had to deal with. Our pending orders for any dmd series are already being switched for the Medicam MD-Series ( MD stands for Medical Device). All of our customers will be contacted in a very short term.

The reality

  • We were receiving “so called brand new units” when most of the time the machines were used. After receiving complains from our clientele we finally decided to check the units before sending them…..SURPRISE!  the units are at over 50% used or refurbished. We were charged by CBA for brand new units when we were receiving used ones. Since the machines were suppose to be brand new, we never opened the boxes to check them. Today we are at 100% sure about it and we have proof of it.
  • Even worse, some of the machines were sent in a defective condition.
  • They know that you will send back your units to get it fixed.
  • Service delay takes forever unless you harass them everyday.
  • These machines work for pin point hair removal if you are willing to spend a lifetime trying to remove your hair on one leg. You can trust us, we were one of their distributors.
  • We have nothing to do with such a Company, we are a totally separated company.
  • WE OFFER TO ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS TO UPGRADE THEIR UNITS BY THE NEW MD SERIES ( MD stands for MEDICAL DEVICE ) THAT WE MANUFACTURE. DIODES ARE FROM THE USA, IPL LIGHTS ARE FROM JAPAN AND GERMANY, BOARDS ARE FROM ASIA, CANADA AND USA, AND LAST, CASING DESIGN IS FROM CANADA AND MANUFACTURED IN SHANGHAI.
  • ALL ELECTRONIC BOARD ARE PROTECTED WITH A METAL GRILL, THE DIODE MODULES ARE INTERNALLY COOLED SINCE THE BOX IN WHICH THE DIODE MODULE IS, HAS AN INTERNAL COOLING DEVICE SO THAT THE LASER HAND PIECE DOES NOT OVERHEAT.
  • ALL THE DIODE LASERS HAVE EITHER A LED SCREEN OR A COLOR TOUCH SCREEN FOR EXACT SETTINGS
  • WE WILL CREDIT OUR CUSTOMERS WILLING TO UPGRADE THEIR MACHINE THE FULL AMOUNT (100%) THEY WERE CHARGED FOR. THEY WILL JUST ASSUME THE DIFFERENCE IN PRICING. NONE OF THE CUSTOMERS WILL HAVE TO ASSUME THE SHIPPING FEES ONCE MORE. WE WILL PAY TO SHIP THE NEW UNITS. PLEASE RETURN YOUR OLD EQUIPMENT SINCE WE WILL NEED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE UNITS TO KEEP THEM AS A PROOF SINCE WE MIGHT TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THEM.
  • UNFORTUNATELY, WE CANNOT SIMPLY REFUND ANY CUSTOMER BECAUSE AS WE SAID, WE WERE ALSO VICTIMS AND ALSO PAID FOR THESE UNITS. WE ARE WILLING TO LOOSE A BIG AMOUNT OF MONEY BY UPGRADING THE UNITS CONSIDERING THAT THERE IS A PRICE TO PAY FOR OUR CUSTOMERS SATISFACTION.
  • TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, AN MD-15 IS ABOUT 6 TIMES THE SIZE OF A dmd9000lp
  • MD-50 AND MD-100 ARE EVEN BIGGER AND HEAVIER. (ABOUT 8 TIMES)

PLEASE ACCEPT OUR SINCERE APOLOGIES. WE WERE VICTIMS AS MUCH AS YOU WERE, AND MAY BE EVEN MORE. WE NEVER HAD IN MIND TO FOOL ANYONE, WE WANTED TO BUILD A VERY GOOD REPUTATION IN THAT FIELD AND YOU CAN TRUST THAT WE WILL MAKE ANY POSSIBLE EFFORT TO ADJUST OURSELVES TO THE LEVEL THAT YOU WERE ALL EXPECTING.

AGAIN, WE APOLOGIZE. THANK YOU ANDREA A MILLION TIMES BECAUSE PEOPLE LIKE YOU HELPED US STOP DREAMING AND OPENED OUR EYES TO THE HARSH REALITY.

SINCERELY,
PHILIPPE AMAR
PRESIDENT / CEO
MEDICAM INCORPORATED