It’s well known that at-home hair removal devices are pretty much a scam.They continue to sell in the millions, just as electrolysis tweezers, dermal rollers and pads, the no-no, the remington and tria have before. They purport anumber of technological claims, which pretty much always prove to be false, and the manufacturer is always long gone by the time the consumer figures it out. There’s one more device to add to the list now, the ME:
http://mepower.ca/how-me-smooth-ipl-rf-hair-removal-technology-works
This device claims to use IPL in a combination with RF energy to destroy hair. The theory goes that RF energy is somehow “attracted” to the heat generated by IPL. Err, somehow past the delicate tissues in the upper skin layers. I recently got asked about this device, and I thought my response worthy of putting here. It’s a really classic case of marketing that does not represent truth, and is misleading. Here’s my response to a question on this device :
It’s a scam. You are pretty much dead on with your assumptions.
About IPL devices:
IPL or intense pulse light has been marketed as a form of “laser” both on a professional salon level,and for at-home devices for many years at this point. The technology has been shown to lack sufficient power to have a permanent effect on the germination cells located the the hair root, and in an area of the hair follicle known as the bulge . Look here for a hair follicle diagram so you can picture it:
http://images.wisegeek.com/hair-anatomy-diagram.jpg
IPL can cause hair to shed, but lacks sufficient power or light energy to heat the pigment in the hair sufficiently to have this effect down near the hair root. So the germination cells are not killed, the hair grows back.
A Word on RF energy:
Radio Frequency energy or HF/Thermolysis is the technoilogy used in electrolysis to perform thermolysis . In the case of electrolysis, this energy is transmitted down a metal probe and is dispersed into the surrounding area in a small egg shaped pattern at the bottom of the probe right where the heat energy is needed to destroy the germination cells that cause a new hair to grow. However, hair itself, does not transmit RF energy where it needs to go to kill these cells. Neither does skin of any color. RF energy is not “attracted” to skin or tissue that has been heated. It also does not transmit electrical current from the surface of the skin down to the hair root. The metal conductor is needed for this type of energy to get where it is needed to work at an intensity sufficient to cause damage to the follicle and make it incapable of growing hair. I would also add that between the surface skin and where the hair root is , lies a area of the epidermis that is very granular, and easily damaged by heat, including that caused by RF energy. In electrology, this upper layer of skin is protected because the RF energy goes down the probe past it to the end where it is needed . Electrologists are careful not to affect this area because it is easily damaged sometime s resulting in scarring or pitting. I’m not sure how the ME thinks that RF gets to where it can kill the germination cells, without being transmitted though this layer. The energy wont be transmitted by either the skin, or the hair itself.
I’d like to note that there are many at home devices of this class and they often do try to market themselves as effective, when they arent. The remington, the tria are a couple of examples. It’s an old industry that relies on the consumer’s unwillingness or inability to return and get refund for a product that doesnt work. Prime examples of this, all purporting to permanently destoy hair, also include devices like electrolysis tweezers, Dermal "electrolysis " rollers or pads, the No -No and many many others. They make millions selling these devices, that just plain dont work! Often the scam is perpetuated by the necessity to buy bulbs or heads for the devices that have planned obsolescence, thus making the scam even more lucrative.
There is only ONE at-home hair removal device that actually kills hair, that is the ONe Touch home electrolysis kit that uses galvanic electrolysis with a metal probe. It does work. For a FEW hairs. But it’s such a poor implementation of such that insertions are most challenging to the point of being impractical, the tips are non-sterile and 99.9 % or people get frustrated with them , throw them in a drawer and never use them again or throw them out altogether.
One more word on marketing of these devices. Did you happen to notice that the Me with its accent above the E is not a term that can be googled? That’s because the manufacturer dont want you to find the reviews that tell you this product doesnt work. THe No! No! uses this same strategy as well. It’s dishonest marketing at its worst.
People honestly grasp at the slimmest of hope to deal with their hair problem, and the marketers take advantage of this hopefulness. Dont be another victim!