GHR vs. AHRS: stolen pH data

GHR vs. AHRS: stolen pH data

As appearing on GHR’s "Consumer Beware" sales site

The stolen data below is as it appears on a GHR sales site called Kitty’s Consumer Beware, with modifications to show comparison of FDA data submitted by competitor AHRS.

Parts highlighted in orange were stolen verbatim.
Parts in plain text are slight modifications.
Over 80% has been lifted verbatim.
The device compared changes between the two versions from a Hinkel Electro-Blend to an Instantron Elite.

To see the AHRS original data as submitted to FDA in 1990:

Comparison to needle epilators

For more stolen data, see:

Stolen efficacy data

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Guaranty Hair Removal Clinical Trials
pH Analysis of Hair Removed via Electrolysis

I. SYNOPSIS 
A comparison was made of the pH level of the hair root on three test subjects following epilation with 1) a tweezer electrolysis device, 2) a needle electrolysis device, and 3) simple mechanical tweezing with no treatment. 

II. INTRODUCTION 
The reaction which occurs in electrolysis is as follows: 

  1. Direct electrical current is applied to a solution of NaC1 and H2O (saline or salt water).
  2. The current causes a breakdown of this compound into the component parts that are subsequently rearranged into new compounds around the respective poles. This process is called ionization. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) forms at the negative pole and hydrochloric acid (HC1) forms at the positive pole. Either compound will achieve permanent hair removal but traditionally, the negative is used in needle electrolysis because a reaction between the hydrochloric acid and the metal of the needle produces a tattoo from a metal deposit being left in the skin.  
  3. In the case of electrolysis occurring in a hair follicle, either a strong base (NaOH) or acid (HC1) will cause the destruction of the hair follicle. Measurement of the pH of the epilated hair’s bulb will validate the creation of either a base or acid due to the action of the current on the hair follicle when applied either through a needle as in traditional electrolysis or through the hair as with the GHR galvanic tweezer technique. 

The normal pH of hair is well documented to be in the slightly acidic range (4.5 to 5.5) 1,2. The normal body pH is in the neutral (6.5 to 7.5) range so the pH of the epilated bulbs would reflect the pH of the hair follicle at the time of epilation. Human tissue does not survive a pH >(greater than) 10 or <(less than) 4. Therefore, the presence of a pH within these parameters is evidential of destruction to the follicle sufficient to prevent its regeneration. 

The purpose of this test is to determine the pH of the hair follicle in a control situation (mechanical tweezing) and with two types of electrolysis devices, the needle and tweezer. 

III. MATERIALS AND METHODS 
We epilated 6 hairs from each of three test subjects. Each subject was treated with
1) the GHR galvanic tweezer device, 2) the Instantron Elite needle epilator set in galvanic only, and 3) simple tweezing of untreated hairs. The hairs were chosen at random from the chin area on each of the subjects. Each subject was treated according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Subject 1 was a 33 year old white male, subject 2 was a 26 year old white female and subject 3 was a 42 year old white female. 

After treatment and epilation, the pH of the hair root was measured using Baxter Scientific Products pH indicator strips for 7.0 – 14.0. These strips effectively measure the pH of basic (alkaline) substances. No change in reagent color indicate a pH of 7 or less. Because the intent of this analysis is to measure bases, the true pH of tweezed hair (4.5 to 5.5) was not quantified. Therefore, anything that registered no change in reagent color was recorded as a pH of 7. The strips were moistened with distilled water. As a control test for test strip accuracy, the pH of 1 molar NaOH was tested and found to have a pH of 14. 

IV. RESULTS 
The pH measurements for each of the subjects’ 6 hairs are listed in the following chart. 

Device Subject Number  Hair 
#1
Hair 
#2
Hair 
#3
Hair 
#4
Hair 
#5
Hair 
#6
Average
Tweezer Only 1 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
  2 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
  3 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
Needle Device 1 10 12 13 12 11 11 11.5
  2 11 7 10 11 12 12 10.5
  3 12 7 11 12 11 11 11
Tweezer Device 1 11 11 10 13 12 12 12

The average pH for both the tweezer device and the needle device is 11, with a range for both devices of 7 to 13. The average pH for all hairs treated with the needle is 10.89 and for the tweezer device is 11.07. A higher average pH (18%) was achieved with the tweezer device treated hairs. The pH of the tweezed hairs were all 7 indicating no base reaction inside untreated follicles.

V. DISCUSSION
The average pH obtained with both of these devices were well above the normal hair pH of 4.5 to 5.5 as well as the normal interstitial pH of 7.2 to 7.4
3. The hairs that showed no reaction to the reagent strips can be attributed to the fact that the electrolytic reaction can only take place when a hair follicle exists, primarily in the anagen and catagen phases4. These hairs were most likely in the telogen phase of the hair growth cycle when no follicle is present.

From these measurements, it is reasonable to conclude that the electrolysis reaction, described in the introduction, is occurring with both of these devices. It is also reasonable to conclude that these devices produce an equal amount of NaOH as a product of electrolysis.

REFERENCES:

1.Fitzpatrick, Thomas B., et al, Dermatology in General Medicine, Third edition, New York, McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1987.
2.Powitt, A.H., Hair Structure and Chemistry Simplified, New York, Delmar Publishers, Inc., 1990.
3.Montagna, William and Ellis, Richard A., The Biology of Hair Growth, New York, Academic Press, Inc., 1958.
4.Hinkel, Arthur Ralph, and Lind, Richard W., Electrolysis, Thermolysis And The Blend: The Principles and Practice of Permanent Hair Removal, Los Angeles, Arroway, 1968.

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