Derma Vital
9-2416 34 Ave SW
Calgary, AB
T2T 2C8
(403) 249-4247
Rating:
1 out of 5 stars
(
5 reviews)
Reviews
Not as advertised and could be better...: Photo Facials - Only do the bare minimum after the first appointment. (First treatment cremes were applied) Not a ONE hour treatment as advertised. One is in and out in a little over 1/2 hour (only machine). No prep or after treatment of any kind. Want you to take a special facial mask after treatment at extra cost that would enhance results. <br/><br/>Laser treatment - Am told by staff they do not work with just one treatment! WRONG...had some done before and only one treatment was needed and they were less noticeable then this one.<br/>
Return calls are not made in a timely fashion.<br/><br/>Will not return...
Rated 1 stars by brownrogogo
on October 05, 2012
Don't waste your money!: I also bought a coupon deal for Derma Vital thinking it would be a good way to try them out. When I tried to book an appointment I was told that they were not honoring the coupons that THEY had sold. I can't imagine how many of these "deals" were sold in good faith and they just decided no to honor them. It looks like I won't be able to get my money back, so I'm basically screwed. But if that's the way they roll it's probably better that they didn't put a laser near my face! This is a shameful way to run a business. I would never recommend Derma Vital or Kijiji Daily deals, just flush your money down the toilet and save yourself the aggravation!
Rated 1 stars by Anoyed
on September 24, 2012
Waste of time and money: A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY! I bought a Derma Vital "Unlimited" laser hair removal deal through a coupon company, & this was anything BUT “Unlimited". <br/><br/>Some context: I’m the classic high-responder to laser: fair skin & dark hair. I’ve had a LOT of laser in my lifetime, and yes, this is a long-term investment. You need to keep going back to destroy multiple cycles of hair growth. If you have all your treatments back-to-back, at 4-8 week intervals (depending on how quickly your hair grows back), this will take about 1 - 1 ½ years, and even then you may still need occasional touch-ups. So after responding brilliantly to laser at many other clinics, I can tell when laser is NOT working on me. <br/><br/>Here are the ways in which DV cut corners: <br/><br/>1) NOT TREATING THE FULL AREA. The owner skipped huge amounts of the treatment area. She claimed that by sliding the treatment head over the treatment area (leaving a trail in the treatment gel), that this meant the whole area had been treated. It was obvious which areas hadn’t been treated on me, because the shaved hair immediately grew back in the untreated areas, while the treated patches were beautifully smooth. So if the laser is only turned on over 50% of that area, you still only get 50% of the surface area treated. Reputable clinics will gladly do touch-ups if they have missed obvious areas. Not DV – I insisted, but it was like pulling teeth. <br/><br/>2) BOOKING INSUFFICIENT TIME. I was limited to ~1/2 hour for a "full treatment" of both legs. Not mathematically possible. <br/><br/>3) NOT HAVING ENOUGH AVAILABLE APPOINTMENTS. Be sure to book all of your years’ appointments in advance if you buy an "unlimited deal" from DV. In fact, if possible, do this BEFORE you pay! DV was so overbooked over the 3 months that I tried to get service from them, that it was exceedingly difficult to get appointments at all, much less appointments that were long enough for a full treatment session. Most people have busy lives, and it's far too inconvenient to keep coming back for multiple 20 minute appointments (as they suggested), when the treatment area calls for 1+ hours. Also, my sessions were routinely late, as per the other poster's comments.<br/><br/>Do an internet search. DV is constantly advertising deals. Is this because they can’t retain their customers? That’s my guess. Sure, the DV team may have years of so-called "experience". But this doesn’t guarantee ethical, professional, nor quality laser treatment. <br/><br/>You know you're in incompetent hands when you have to do the laser technician's job for them. I had 3 appointments at DV, and the treatments were so slipshod, missing so many areas, that I started monitoring how many pulses of laser they were giving me, as an objective measure of how much surface area they were actually treating with the laser. It’s simple math. Also a laughable exercise, and fortunately I’ve never had to do this at any other laser clinic. <br/><br/>So if necessary, you can monitor how many laser pulses you get, because the Palomar laser machine has a pulse counter. Also, the surface area of the Palomar laser treatment head they used on me was 10cms square (5cms long x 2cms wide). So you can guesstimate how many pulses will give you 100% coverage of the treatment area, by dividing the surface area to be treated (avg length x avg width, in cms) by 10cms (the size of the treatment head). <br/><br/>And insist on a full refund, as I did, if they repeatedly treat only 50-60% of the treatment area, and if they refuse to treat missed areas, when you have immediate hair regrowth. A rigid 6-8 schedule benefits DV, not the client. It’s neither supported by science, nor good business practice. <br/><br/>There are many other laser clinics that provide excellent value around Calgary (and no, I’m not affiliated with any of them). Needless to say, I have since moved on to a more ethical and professional laser clinic, and my appointments are an intense but efficient 1 1/2 hours for the same area that DV claimed to "treat" in 1/2 hour. No more hairy patches all over, after treatment. And I'm getting treatment every 4 weeks, because that's the cycle of my hair growth (every one's different). All at the same price that DV offered. <br/><br/>Yes, I follow the deals. But IMO DV was an absolute waste of my time and money. For a great illustration of someone who refuses to meet contractual obligations, & is exhausting to problem-solve with, think John Cleese in Fawlty Towers. That’s my experience with the DV owner!!<br/><br/>Finally, recognizing that readers might be interested where I'm going now - but that it may be frowned on to give a specific business name, I'll instead just say that I'm going to a place in Glenmore Landing. They have a few laser clinics there, I’ve tried all, & all are great. Ask for the deals! <br/><br/>My only caveat to this dismal evaluation of DV, is that if the daughter of the owner ever takes over the business, things may look up. She seems with-it.
Rated 1 stars by Maxine S.
on February 21, 2012