International Hair Removal Systems, Inc. Now called  Rejuvenu International Limited.
Please visit the Rejuvenu page for the
most up-to-date information.
International Hair Removal Systems is a North Carolina-based
company that manufactures and sells "transcutaneous hair
removal" devices under several names.
Products made by International
Hair Removal Systems (IHRS) should be avoided by all consumers.
On 2 April 2001, FDA told IHRS they were in violation of federal
law in making claims of painless and permanent hair removal
using transcutaneous patches. This was their second such warning.
In June 2001, IHRS changed its name to Rejuvenu International Limited.
Products
SuperPhaser Gold (sometimes
written as Super-Phaser Gold)
TransQ-2000 ("exclusive
distributor" is HairLabs
International)
Pinnacle 1250 ("exclusive
distributor" is Harmonix
Corporation)
Also see my comparison of "transcutaneous"
devices.
Contact information
Address: 230 North Bennett Street,
Suite 101, Southern Pines, NC 28387
Phone: (800) 257-9987 or (910) 692-7120
Fax: (910) 692-7987
website: http://www.ihrsinc.com/
email: info@ihrsinc.com
Names associated with this company
Lee Cole (a.k.a. Hubert Cole) lee@ihrsinc.com
Mark H. Chandler doc@ihrsinc.com
Ed Wait: Sales Director
Notes
IHRS lists the following companies as IHRS distributors or salespeople for the SuperPhaser
Gold, TransQ-2000 or the Pinnacle 1250.
In fall, 2001, this list was removed from their website, but
I will leave it up as a service to consumers researching companies.
All the businesses below should
be avoided by consumers.
| Company |
Location |
Phone |
Website |
Contact |
Comments |
| Kats
Management |
Lincoln, NE |
800-843-9162 |
|
Marcy |
Chiropractic supply |
| U
S Medical |
Denver, CO |
800-607-7455 (x 205) |
usmedical.com |
R.H. |
Medical supply |
| Hair
Labs |
Nashville, TN |
615-320-7984 |
hairlabs.com |
James Britt |
Sells "breast cream," too |
| Harmonix
Corp. |
Boca Raton, FL |
888-446-3747 |
harmonixcorp.com |
Oyvind Berg |
Sells "laser hair regenerator," too |
| No
Needle Electrolysis |
Macon, GA |
800-245-4959 |
noneedle.com |
Grace Johnson |
Salon and "school" |
| Consulting
Studio |
Lincoln, NE |
402-464-6536 |
consultingstudio.com |
Don & Nola O'Neal |
Salon |
| Winds Face & Body |
Carlsbad, CA |
760-434-7771 |
hairless.com |
Marion Williams |
Salon |
| Skin Sense |
Wichita, KS |
316-687-0400 |
|
Kathy Orender |
Salon |
| American
Supply / New Life |
Minnetonka, MN |
800-852-3082 |
|
Allen |
Spa supply |
| Houston
Cosmetic Surgery & Vein Center |
Houston, TX |
713-271-1745 |
|
Dr. DesRuisseaux |
Physician |
| Hair for Life * |
East Brunswick, NJ |
732-855-2206 |
|
Dr. Joe Aguiar |
Nutritionist |
| Les
Ongles M'as-Tu-Vu Inc. |
Quebec, Canada |
450-588-3686 |
|
Alice |
Nail salon |
* Removed from distributor list in June 2001
Website analysis
Their About page gives a little history: "Along
the way, 3 patents on the procedures were obtained by Mr. Cole
with the technology growing from tweezers (one hair treated
at a time) to transdermal ( a few hairs treated at one time)
to the current Transcutaneous method (hundreds of hairs treated
at one time). Their "manufacturing facility is also in
North Carolina with all components made and assembly done there."
Cole is CEO and founder. He has "a chain of beauty salons
in the Pinehurst and Southern Pines area of North Carolina."
Chandler does the research ("concentrating on skin care
problems"). He also does the training and "lecturing
worldwide." (i.e. selling the devices at beauty conventions)
The IHRS products page states the SuperPhaser Gold
is "the world's fastest and safest permanent hair removal
method, now with the new Transcutaneous Electrode Patch."
Their SuperPhaser Gold description says it's
"capable of using up to 12 Transcutaneous Patches at one
time,"and that "most owners of the Super-Phaser Gold
are making over $100/hour doing the treatments."
Some choice quotations: My favorite section
is Chandler's comparison to competitors (followed by
my comments).
On false advertising:
"What is advertised is not always the truth. Some of
the methods claim permanence, but have no scrutinizable scientific
proof that they are truly permanent."
There is no published clinical
data that shows these devices can achieve permanent hair removal.
On bogus electric tweezer data:
"The problem with tweezer thermolysis lies with the
fact that it is impossible to induce a dry hair to conduct
a high frequency current. While the companies theorize that
the current reaches the papilla in other ways (like through
the melanine channel), there is no controlled scientific data
to support the claims. What actually occurs is that the current
dissipates from the end of the tweezers (like the end of the
thermolysis needle). The current heats the tweezers and heats
the hair that the tweezers are touching. There is no effect
on the papilla or the stem cells. In fact, the United States
Food and Drug Administration states that tweezer thermolysis
is no better than manually tweezing. The only research that
is used to show that tweezer thermolysis works are small single
patient uncontrolled studies which do not pass the usual scientific
scrutiny. "
The data presented by Chandler
does not pass scientific scrutiny, either.
On gels used to enhance hair removal effectiveness:
First, the substance applied to the skin cannot penetrate
the hair follicle. A normal hair follicle is closed from the
outside world by the seal made by the growing hair and the
oil produced by the sebaceous gland. If this were not true,
all manner of foreign bodies would be contained in the follicle,
including bacteria and constant infections. On the contrary,
we know that the follicle is sterile and very well protected.
There are solutions that when applied to the skin are absorbed
into the upper hair follicle through the transfollicular route,
but these do not include carbon and dye suspensions like used
by Thermolase.
The conductive gel used by
IHRS doesn't go into the follicle, either. That means most
of the energy dissipates on the skin's surface. If any does
get into the skin, it's not enough to cause permanent hair
removal.
Final note: comparison shop
The IHRS products cost thousands
of dollars more than any other their transcutaneous competitors.
If this information doesn't convince you to avoid transcutaneous
electrolysis, you should at least comparison shop. See my comparison of transcutaneous
devices.
Alternate spellings for these products include
Super-Phaser Gold, Super-Phazer, Super Phaser Gold, and the SPG
method. The TransQ-2000 is also sometimes called the Trans Q 2000,
Trans-Q-2000, TQ-2000, TQ 2000, TQ2000, and the TQ2K. The Pinnacle
1250 is also sometimes called the TC System (for Transcutaneous
System), the TD System (for Transdermal System), the TE System
(originally for Transdermal Electrolysis, now for Transcuateous
Electrolysis) or the TQ System (For Transcutaneous System). The
procedure is sometimes referred to as Hands-Free electrolysis,
Patch Electrolysis, No Needle Electrolysis, Non-invasive Electrolysis,
Cotton swab electrolysis, or Q-Tip electrolysis. Older models
include the TE 229, SuperPhazer, TE 429, Super Faser, TE 629,
SuperFazer. The company has operated under several names, including
American Hair Removal System (AHRS), Carolina Institute of Dermology,
Eloc Manufacturing, and Trillion Medical Resources (TMR).
Note: due to misinformation received from Medical College
of Georgia, this site had suggested a connection between Dr. Wm.
Marcus Chandler (MCG '68) and Dr. Mark H. Chandler (MCG '83),
both physicians practicing in North Carolina. Hairfacts regrets
this error.
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