I’m pretty disappointed in my Wyoming town right now. I just called the two places that advertise electrolysis and neither one of them “perform electrolysis with a needle”. ??? What???
The first one said that their “hair removal gal” uses tweezers and not a needle, but it IS electrolysis. The gal that does it doesn’t work Mondays so I couldn’t talk directly to her.
The second place sounded even sketchier. The woman I talked to said that she uses a permanent hair removal machine but it is NOT electrolysis. I asked if it was laser and she said no. She explained that it used “some sort of gel and electric current to remove the hair, but there were no needles to be afraid of”. I asked what the make and model of the machine was and she said she didn’t know. I asked if it was permanent hair removal and she said, “Yes, but you just have to be patient. It takes a lot of time to be permanent”
Ugh. These are the only places that supposedly offer electrolysis OR laser, and neither one of them actually offer it. And to think of all the poor women that are being taken by them. Grrrrr. Makes me so mad.
Yes, small towns are where these kinds of devices flourish. Most consumers lack the sophistication and research skills needed to tell what works and what doesn’t. You might check with local physicians, and see this page for other thoughts on research:
There was a place in my area called
“AT LAST! PERMENENT HAIR REMOVAL”
They plied the IGHRS “Transdermal Electrolysis” scam. For over ten years they fooled people into paying them $60 per hour for tickling their faces with electrode gel, and plucking their hairs out. They would start by saying one had to come every week for 12 weeks ($720) and then say that the person had really resistant follicles, and tell them they should either do another 12 weeks ($720) or start coming in at least once a month for the next year ($540) and re-evaluate their hair situation then. Depending on the path the consumer took, they would pay At Last! either $2,880 or $1,260 a year, until they wised up.
Every now and then someone sued for a refund, and got their money back. Of course, if you can sucker $65,000 a year out of people, while only refunding on average $6,500, why stop?
Finally, one angry victim took action and started contacting other people who had utilized this place’s “service” and set up a run on the place. They all filed small claims cases on the same day, and a ripple effect took place where others then filed in the months that followed.
Soon, the office was up for sale, the business retreated to the basement of the owner’s home, and very soon thereafter, she fled to Florida and filed for bankruptcy. Not everyone got their money back, but the business was finally killed off.
Even with all the publicity surrounding this place, there are still very high profile places in Buffalo boldly calling what they do “electrolysis” when it is only certifiable high priced tweezing.
Perhaps I need to make a monthly trip to your state and show them what permanent hair removal is really all about. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />
Yes, small towns are where these kinds of devices flourish. Most consumers lack the sophistication and research skills needed to tell what works and what doesn’t. You might check with local physicians, and see this page for other thoughts on research:
Thanks for the link. Unfortunately, all 3 of the ones listed in my town (Gillette) are not an option. Two of the ones listed are the ones that I called today that don’t actually do electrolysis.
The other one listed is a dermatologist who I have vowed to never step one foot in his office again. Long story, but I left his office crying because of his horrible bedside manner and him pushing his personal beliefs on his patients. And that was about a dermatological issue, not hair removal.
Perhaps I need to make a monthly trip to your state and show them what permanent hair removal is really all about. <img src=“/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif” alt=“” />
James, thanks for your insight. And I think this sounds like a great idea! <img src=“/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif” alt=“” />
I wish there was some way for me to “out” these businesses. I live in a mostly blue-collar town, but due to coal mining and coal bed methane, there are high-paying jobs. I really feel like these businesses are preying on the “not-so-smart, but wealthy” people that live here.
and really, none of the 6 links had anything in Wyoming near you?
btw, i just replied to your other thread, and for your situation, i would definitely advise to do laser. It is really the most efficient method for bikini and underarms on light skin and dark coarse hair. Although I’ve had electrolysis on almost every other area with finer hair, laser worked great on those 2 areas and ended up being much faster and cheaper. You can read my treatments diary for more information. And if you do decide to look for laser clinics, check out the link for GentleLASE providers on the Candela website (manufacturer) as this would be the best laser for you. You can type in your zip code there. http://www.candelalaser.com/patients/index.cfm?task=practSearch
I wish there was some way for me to “out” these businesses. I live in a mostly blue-collar town, but due to coal mining and coal bed methane, there are high-paying jobs. I really feel like these businesses are preying on the “not-so-smart, but wealthy” people that live here.
Is there anything that can be done?
Actually, since the FDA has very plainly stated that these machines and this protocol are NOT permanent hair removal, you could very simply take that information to local media, and one could also place inexpensive classified ads asking “have you been scammed by local so called permanent hair removal services?” Give an email address for people to reply to, or a secure cell phone number and share the information, and maybe schedule your own run on the small claims court filing office. All you need is copies of their advertising stating that they are selling PERMANENT HAIR REMOVAL or any other proof that they are promising Permanent, while delivering a known temporary method. In the case of At Last!, it was easy, as their very registered professional business name proved the fraud. They were registered as “AT LAST! PERMANENT HAIR REMOVAL”
and really, none of the 6 links had anything in Wyoming near you?
btw, i just replied to your other thread, and for your situation, i would definitely advise to do laser. It is really the most efficient method for bikini and underarms on light skin and dark coarse hair. Although I’ve had electrolysis on almost every other area with finer hair, laser worked great on those 2 areas and ended up being much faster and cheaper. You can read my treatments diary for more information. And if you do decide to look for laser clinics, check out the link for GentleLASE providers on the Candela website (manufacturer) as this would be the best laser for you. You can type in your zip code there. http://www.candelalaser.com/patients/index.cfm?task=practSearch
I responded to Andrea about the link she provided, but unfortunately, the ones listed in my town are not true electrolysis.
And I checked every single link in the how to locate a practitioner and there are none here.
I am open to laser, as well, but I don’t think I can find a practitioner for that either. I checked the link you provided and there is only one in the entire state of Wyoming and it is 250 miles away.
I suppose because of my choice of locale, my options are extremely limited.
Very interesting. I was talking to my hair dresser today and she has a client that goes to one of the fraud permanent hair removal places, but she wasn’t sure which one. She is going to ask next time she comes in. But she was quite certain that they told her that this was permanent hair removal and was simply an alternate form of electrolysis.
And I know that a co-worker’s wife also goes to one of the places. She tried to talk him into getting his back done, but he said after seeing how red and sore she looked after her treatments, there was no way he’d do it. I’ll ask him about it tomorrow.
It’s hard to tell what would happen in a small town like mine if I tried to out them. It depends on who they are and who their family is. There is no local TV news, but the paper is quite biased.