At Home Laser Hair Removal
In February of 2008 the FDA signed off on their first approval of an in-home laser hair removal device. The product was developed by SpectraGenics Inc. and is being marketed by Tria Beauty who calls their hand-held device the Personal Laser Hair Removal System. To most in the body enhancement field, it’s known as the Tria Laser. SpectraGenics has been in the Japanese market since 2005 with a similar product called the i-Epi.
The Tria is priced at $995. A single office visit for laser hair removal can cost upwards of $400, so on paper the in-home model can pay for itself relatively quickly as it takes from three to nine sessions to go through a complete professional hair removal cycle. It does have its limitations however; only certain people can use it and it is not as effective as an in-office visit where laser treatment is administered by a licensed professional with commercial equipment.
The Tria works by focusing on the hair follicle with intense heat, as do all laser hair treatment devices. No goggles are needed as with the professional procedure because the Tria doesn’t pack as much punch as a commercial laser hair removal device brings to bear and because the Tria is certified for use below the neck only. However it won’t work on white, grey, blond or red hair and it can be dangerous for people with dark skin and those who rarely or never sunburn. The device has a skin sensor that tests the skin it’s exposed to before “unlocking” the laser function.
No laser hair removal process captures 100 %of the hair in the area treated. Professional procedures will remove about 80% while the Tria is advertised as removing about 70% of the hair on which it is being used. The research conducted by Tria reports that after one year, about one third of the hair removed had not returned. People who undergo laser treatments will see some hair re-growth, although the new hairs are likely to be paler and weaker than those that were removed.
Laser hair removal is not a one-time procedure. People who find the laser process an attractive option will find themselves returning to their plastic surgeon or salon for refresher treatments at some point. Some of the plastic surgeons who support the in-home option see it as an ancillary treatment to the professional option. The Tria can be used to remove hair that remains after a professional session. It can be used for maintenance until it’s time for another visit to the aesthetic surgeon’s office.
Laser hair removal is the number one body enhancement treatment sought by women under thirty-five and is the second most popular among women over thirty five, led only by Botox. Pundits are proclaiming that “home laser and light devices” will be the most popular cosmetic trend over the next few years.
A device called Silk’n priced at $800 incorporates a different technology, known as pulsed light that is also found in professional systems. An Israeli company called Home Skinovations Ltd. is behind the device. It has been introduced in the U.S. and reviewed by the FDA, which says that the device must be sold by physicians to the consumer. The FDA was concerned that over-the-counter sales might include sales to people with dark skin. Tria’s built-in ‘skin test’ helped SpectraGenics avoid that issue.
The lower end of the market is occupied by a piece of equipment called “no! no!,” which sells for $250 at Sephora stores and on the Home Shopping Network. It is essentially an upscale shaver, employing an electric heating technology that didn’t require regulatory approval, but can be used on all skin types.
While none of these devices can yet deliver the quality of hair removal treatment that professional facilities provide, it makes sense that a product like Tria can be utilized in conjunction with salon or office treatments to provide a maintenance program. Because it’s a highly anticipated consumer market, newer devices or updates of the current ones will continue to improve on performance vis-à-vis the professional machines – but they are providing a decent hair removal option at a fraction of the cost for the salon or office visits that are required for treatment by certified professionals.
