Blog

Article on hair removal options at spas

Abby Penning of Skin Inc. magazine has written a good overview of hair removal methods from the spa owner’s standpoint.

But to make sure it’s your spa people keep coming back to, you need to not only offer a trustworthy atmosphere, but also high-quality treatments, as well as safety, a large array of options and, perhaps most importantly, the convenience that just isn’t available through home hair removal.

 Processes of Hair Elimination [skininc.com]

Electrologist reopens after fire

Registered Electrologist Nancy Casteel had her business destroyed by fire on October 16, but she’s back in business. Nancy Casteel Hair Removal still has the same phone number, 918-397-7072, and will be located, within the doctor’s medical spa, inside Primary Care Associates, 4150 SE Adams Rd., Bartlesville, OK 74006.

Full article [examiner-enterprise.com]

Home-use hair removal devices heat up holidays

by Andrea James

 The most dynamic trend for the beauty industry in 2008 has been the emergence of new at-home or do-it-yourself (DIY) tools for hair removal.

While the Palomar/Gillette device, the first one cleared by FDA, is still unavailable, two nimble newcomers are stealing the thunder this holiday season.

arrow Silk’n Flash&Go (power level is about 3-5 Joules/cm2)

arrow TRIA Beauty (power level is about 7-22 Joules/cm2)

 

TRIA beauty has been making a big publicity push. Neither device is cheap, and will set you back $700 to over $900. Still that is cheaper than a course of professional laser treatments.

Note that effectiveness of the lower-power home devices won’t match the pro versions, and there are a ton of products to avoid. Make sure the device you buy is cleared by FDA for at least some evidence of safety and effectiveness. And don’t buy anything on eBay till you read my list of scam products sold primarily on eBay.

 Full article [marketwatch.com]

More information:

 Home laser hair removal: what works, what doesn’t

New Zealand: We can’t restrict laser/IPL use by beauty therapists

The New Zealand Ministry of Health says it cannot restrict hair removal and other cosmetic procedures by beauty therapists. They are not covered by the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act and the machines they use are not defined as medical devices by its Medsafe division. The announcement came after a therapist who treated the woman with electrical light optical synergy (ELOS) had breached the code of patients’ rights on standard of care and informed consent. The patient being treated for acne scars ended up with worse damage on her face. IPL can be used to remove hair, thread veins and pigmented lesions such as freckles and some birthmarks.

> Full article [nzherald.co.nz]

New DVD: The Complete Guide to Laser Hair Removal

Aesthetic VideoSource’s new instructional DVD, The Complete Guide to Laser Hair Removal, walks doctors and medical spa personnel through the science and application of this increasingly popular cosmetic option. Featuring two physicians – Christine Whitelaw, M.D., and Mark B. Taylor, M.D.

 The Complete Guide to Laser Hair Removal [amazon.com]

Program in Rio offers free hair removal for poor

Brazilian plastic surgeon Ivo Pitanguy launched an initiative through the Brazilian Society of Cosmetic Surgery (SBME) to offer hair removal to low-income residents of Rio De Janeiro, performed by students in training. Since the program’s beginning in 1998, nearly 17,000 people have used the service. Critics say the poor people are being used as guinea pigs, a charge denied by the physicians.

Full article [thetimes.co.za]

Palomar patent suit against Candela stayed pending USPTO decision

 Palomar Medical Technologies, Inc. (PMTI) announced that its lawsuit against  Candela Corporation for infringement of hair removal patents, specifically U.S. Patent Nos. 5,595,568 and 5,735,844, was stayed pending reexamination by the  United States Patent and Trademark Office

 Full article [marketwatch.com]

Chicago local news segment on hair removal

Makeup artist Marcus Geeter did a segment on hair removal for Chicago ABC affiliate WLS-TV. He recommends the Finishing Touch Lumina for brow shaping brows, the Remington Essential Epilator for epilation, and the no!no!, which is a product I advise all consumers to avoid.

 Full article and video [abclocal.go.com]

Electro-optical Synergy (elos) for hair removal

Electro-optical Synergy (elos) is a method of hair removal featured in devices by  Syneron Medical.

Below are some recent published reports:

Combination Radiofrequency and Light Energies: Electro-optical Synergy Technology in Esthetic Medicine. Sadick Neil S. Dermatologic Surgery, Volume 31 Issue s3, Pages 1211 – 1217 

Hair removal using a combination radio-frequency and intense pulsed light source. [PDF] D Yaghmai, JM Garden, AD Bakus, EA Spenceri, GJ … – Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2004

Blond hair removal using ELOS systems. C Schroeter, S Sharma, N Mbonu, T Reineke, H … – Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2006

Combination of short-and long-pulsed mode of electro-optical synergy technology for photoepilation: …
S Karsai, L Schmitt, C Raulin, S Hammes – J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol, 2008

Lasers, lights and related technologies: a review of recent journal highlights
RF Bipolar – Viewpoints in dermatology, 2007

Photoepilation: a growing trend in laser-assisted cosmetic dermatology.
K Nouri, V Vejjabhinanta, SS Patel, A Singh – Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008