There are currently two at-home laser hair removal devices that are on track to be commercialized within the next 12 months or so. Even if results are not permanent, they will provide long lasting hair removal (although I am not sure how effective it will be on darker skins).
The first one is:
Spectragenics TRIA
and it is already out in Japan:
The second one from Gillette/Palomar might get a full national launch in December 2007 or a bit later:
If these cool toys work and people are satisfied with what they can do for them, then let the free market reign. Consumer satisfaction dictates everything that goes on in this world.
Thanks for the information.
Consumer satisfaction dictates everything that goes on in this world.
And yet, despite a majority of people not getting permanent hair removal or even reduction or satisfaction with laser, the number of machines and clinics keeps multiplying! If only a few of these at home devices provide say a month long clearance…we might see an end to out-of-home laser hair removal.
Amen!
Sorry, did not mean to submit that prematurely. Can anyone translate what the specifications are on that laser? It’s in Japanese and there does not seem to be a English translator page, unless I overlooked it. I was able to convert the numbers and the device is $1,995.00. I want to know if it can generate the power we receive in the office.
It has a english webpage but I am not familiar with the rules of this forum so I won’t post the link. you can look it up on google under name TRIA It goes up to 24 joules and the people that made this little gizmo are the same onces that worked on one of the most popular and wide used lightsheer laser so it has some credibility. In my mind I think this machine works like lasers but I dont think you can expect any permanency. I think as long as you will be using this machine you will have nice reduction of your hair. It’s not as powerful as real lasers but 24 joules can yell some good results. I would at least like to try this for example on my beard and see if it will for example stunt the regrowth so i won’t have to shave as often but $2000 is a little too much just to test something.
just wondering , i looked at the Specifications of this laser:
Laser type Diode laser
Output wavelength: 800 nm
Output fluence: 6-24 J/cm2
Output pulse duration: 125-600 ms
Spot size: 1.0 cm (diameter)
Pulse repetition rate: up to 0.5 Hz
doesnt the pulse duration is more then long enough ? here on this website you talk about 5ms - 20ms , and its 125ms and above , and idea why?
plus the spot size is 10mm which is quite low, so according to what people here say , this laser doesnt seem so effective after all…
The problem with this device, which I think is only $695.00 dollars is it has no cryogen. So you are going to feel a lot of pain when shooting this. Also, I would need at least a 15 mm spot size to get the job done. 10 mm seems way too small to cover a large area. Also, I remember the doctor saying how much it costs in maintence fees each month for teh laser and it was some astronomical number. I’m wondering how long thios device will last or what kind of warranty we would receive because I’d be using a lot of pulses. Eh - not sure about this yet, but I’m glad they are finally getting lasers out into the public.
yes, i agree. very small spot size, pulse too high, and joules too low. probably not much for permanency, but might cause some shedding.
there is other discussion on this forum regarding the gilette product if you run a search.
[quote=tembo]
And yet, despite a majority of people not getting permanent hair removal or even reduction or satisfaction with laser
Just curious. Would mind posting where you get these facts?
I would argue that the evidence doesn’t support your facts.
We’ve been in business over 10 years, have treated about 40,000 people and done close to 400,000 treatments. We allow our clients to have any money they pay in advance back if they change their minds for any reason. And about 1/3 of our new clients are referrals from friends.
You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time. Hard to believe we would still be in business and successful if we were fooling people.
Laser Hair Removal Headed For the Homefront?
Download this press release as an Adobe PDF document.
New study finds portable, hand-held laser device safe and effective for consumer use.
Wausau, WI (PRWEB) September 20, 2007 – Consumers using a first-of-its-kind laser hair removal device designed for at-home use experienced both excellent short-term, single-treatment hair removal and excellent sustained hair removal with periodic treatments, according to a new study recently published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine (July 2007 issue), the peer-reviewed professional journal of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS).
In his article entitled “Simulated Consumer Use of a Battery-Powered, Hand-Held, Portable Diode Laser (810 nm) for Hair Removal: A Safety, Efficacy and Ease-of-Use Study,” laser expert Ronald G. Wheeland, MD, professor and chief of dermatologic surgery, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Mo., reports that overall this novel diode laser technology is highly effective, has an excellent benefit-to-risk ratio, and could soon offer consumers a viable new treatment option for at-home removal of unwanted or excess hair.
“Our study results are very exciting because they demonstrated that a heterogeneous group of people could teach themselves how to use the laser hair removal device safely and effectively simply by reviewing the product’s packaging label and background materials,” said Dr. Wheeland. “Thus, we can anticipate that this low-cost, eye-safe, portable device could make laser hair removal much more widely available and appropriate for over-the-counter consumer use.”
In a simulated home-use environment, subjects were divided into two treatment groups – a Treatment Group of 77 appropriate users; and a Non-Treatment Group of 44 inappropriate users who did not meet the criteria for using the portable diode laser device – i.e., mainly individuals with naturally light or grey hair or dark skin tones. All treatments and observations were performed at the dermatology clinic, with consumers in the Treatment Group performing three self-administered treatments at three week intervals with no instructions other than the package labeling. These subjects chose two body sites they wanted to treat from a list that included the underarm area, leg, arm, abdomen, chest, upper lip, bikini, or the nape of the neck (men only).
Other than assistance from the clinical staff in identifying the treatment area during sessions, all study subjects performed each treatment entirely themselves. This included choosing the level of energy from the three available high, medium and low settings. The device labeling instructed subjects that higher settings were likely to achieve better results and that they should choose the highest setting possible without excessive discomfort.
Effectiveness of the self-treatment device was primarily measured by a reduction of hair count from the first visit to each subsequent visit. The mean hair count reduction for all treatments in the Treatment Group was considered statistically significant at all visits except at the sixth visit (due to the natural hair growth cycle). Specifically, subjects experienced 61% mean hair count reduction three weeks after the first treatment; 70% three weeks after the second treatment, and 60% one month after the third treatment. Mean hair reduction at 12 months following the third treatment was an impressive 33%.
“While the portable diode laser was clearly effective in reducing the amount of hair in the treated areas, the device also proved to be safe when used by appropriate users,” noted Dr. Wheeland. “The only observed side effect was mild-to-moderate redness, which typically resolved in less than 30 minutes, and slight pain during treatment. Overall, subjects reported being very satisfied with their results.”
By comparison, consumers in the Non-Treatment Group were given a single, staff-administered laser pulse at the maximum energy setting of the device on a non-cosmetic, hair-bearing site to determine the worst-case incidence of side effects at the maximum fluence. In the Non-Treatment Group, a few subjects experienced mild blisters after treatment; those with darker skin types carried an increased risk of injury. Still, in all of these subjects, the blister resolved without any medical intervention needed.
“Based on our study results relative to efficacy, safety, pain levels, and usability of the device and its labeling, this new laser device could offer consumers a nice at-home complement to office-based laser hair removal procedures, especially for localized areas of excess hair such as the lip, chin or sideburns,” added Dr. Wheeland.
The American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) is the world’s preeminent resource for laser research, safety, education, and clinical knowledge. Founded in 1980, ASLMS promotes excellence in patient care by advancing clinical application of lasers and related technologies. For more information and physician referrals, please log on to the Society’s website: www.aslms.org.
Media Contact:
Nadine Tosk, 847.920.9858
Karen Sideris, 219.922.7537
Thanks, tembo. Keep the information coming. We’ll see how this works for the general consumer in the future.