Note from an electric tweezer advocate

From a reader:

Funny how using the tweezing method of hair removal has produce such a lasting effect on my upper lip when you claim it doesn’t work at all. Makes me wonder about what this site is all about. I had tweezer electrolysis performed on me in the early 80s and I will tell you this in my pictures from high school I had a bad upper lip hair problem. My dark hair stood out and was very noticeable. That problem is gone, how do you explain that? I think you are giving misinformation on your web site and I am considering starting one of my own to tell the truth that tweezed electrolysis worked for me and that I am sure of. I tried the needle method first and was left with a scar. I only had one session with that method. I wonder about you motivation on this subject…something smells fishy here and I think its you.

Thanks for writing. Changes in hair growth can be caused by a number of factors unrelated to your tweezing, which is why it’s important to look at controlled clinical data that’s been published in scientific journals versus personal experiences and manufacturer claims. My site reports the findings of the U.S. government regarding electric tweezers:

In 1985, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged electric tweezer Removatron with deceptively advertising that the product can permanently remove hair. [1] They are now out of business.

In 1998 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that “there is no statistically significant scientific data available at this time to support promotional claims of permanent or long-term removal of hair through use of the device.” [2]

Many others have started sites similar to the one you say you hope to write. Most were practitioners or manufacturers. Almost all of them are out of business or in jail now. Still, if you wish to take the time, I will be happy to refute your anecdotal evidence with the the copious published data on this subject.

Thank you again for writing.

Take care,
Andrea

  1. FTC Press release. 2 October 1985.
  2. FDA Docket 97N-0199.

Today I got this nice follow-up:

ALL I KNOW ARE THE RESULTS THAT I HAVE PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED. EVEN THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES FOUND A STUDY THAT SUITED HIS OPINION AND THAT COULD BE WHAT YOU ARE DOING…I DON’T KNOW. I DO KNOW THIS THE HAIR THAT WAS REMOVED WITH THE TWEEZE METHOD AFTER NUMEROUS APPOINTMENTS IS NOLONGER THERE. THAT IS WHAT I KNOW AND YOU HAVE NOT GIVEN ME ANY TYPE OF INFORMATION TO REFUTE THAT FACT SO I WILL NOT BE TAKING YOUR ADVICE AND I, AM SURE THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME RESULTS AS ME. SO IN CLOSING YOU CAN KEEP YOUR ADVICE AND BLOW IT OUT YOUR BUTT!

Grondunderpair@aol.com

Gotta be some electric tweezer pusher. You can almost always tell when they have some agenda to promote, since even this person’s initial e-mail was hostile and confrontational. Maybe he/she’s mad that we’re getting good hair removal advice and not using scam products?

I have used Finally Free for 25 years and am not yet free, but I only get a dozen or so hairs on my legs every couple of weeks. It is definitely not fast. Also, there are still a lot of tiny peach fuzz colorless hairs all over that I don’t remove. However, I haven’t used a razor in 25 years.