Rejuvenews
In fall 2003, 
Rejuvenu began marketing under yet another new name: Rejuvenews
Rejuvenu itself replaced the name International Hair Removal Systems (IHRS) in June 2001. It’s a North Carolina-based company that manufactures and sells "transcutaneous hair removal" devices under several names, including the Super Phaser Gold.
Products marketed through Rejuvenews should be avoided by all consumers.
On 2 April 2001, FDA told Rejuvenu (then called IHRS) they were in violation of federal law in making claims of painless and permanent hair removal using transcutaneous patches. This was their second such notification, and it echoes earlier advisements they received from the Federal Trade Commission.
It turns out Rejuvenu was claiming they had clearance based on a 1990 decision by FDA regarding an electric tweezer (for details, click here). FDA told them they had no clearance of any kind for transdermal or transcutaneous heir removal.
Rejuvenu responded in May 2001, but FDA responded in October 2001 that Rejuvenu was still in violation of federal regulations with their unevaluated claims of permanent hair removal.
In June 2002, ihrsinc.com went offline and was replaced with Christian educational materials. The site is now back up with a redesign, which I will analyze in upcoming weeks.
On 26 November 2002, Rejuvenu lawyer Richard J. Costanza sent me a tepid legal threat on the heels of their $1000.00 bounty on me.
In June 2004, Rejuvenu "medical consultant" Michael T. Ricks, Sr. was arrested on 31 counts of criminal impersonation and sexual assault. I had reported his activities to the Colorado Attorney General, the Better Business Bureau, and the FDA in 2002. Had the Coloado Attorney General stepped in to shut him down, these assaults on his clients could have been averted.
Products
Also see my
Contact information
additional 2002 information
Address: P.O. Box 55, Southern Pines, NC 28387
Phone: 910-944-4780
Fax: 910-944-4786Names associated with this company
Lee Cole (a.k.a. Hubert Cole)
Mark H. Chandler
Shirley Singleton: claimed to be a registered nurse and electrologist
William Rolland: Instructor, Sandhills Community College
Ed Wait: Sales Director
Ben Anderson: Web domain contact as of 2002
David Petsolt: Web domain contact through 2001 (via Client Solutions)*
Karen Handy: Responisble for promotional materials created for IHRS in 2001 and still in use (via Client Solutions)*
Tana Thames: Executive Sales Director mygrace4u@aol.com
Richard J. Costanza: lawyer
Kim Eyer: Web hosting keyer@eyerstation.com
340 Commerce Ave. Yadkin Plaza, Suite #12 Southern Pines, NC 28387 910.246.0973
161-10 East New Hampshire Avenue Southern Pines, NC 28387 910-246-0973Insatiable Technologies PO Box 4808 Pinehurst, NC 28374 domreg@insatiable.cc
Greg Lamb: Site designer, Lamb Designs 382 Grant Street Sanford, NC 27330 919-777-9222 lambdesigns.com
* see notes on domains and web marketing below
Notes
In 2001, IHRS had listed the following companies as IHRS distributors or salespeople for the Super Phaser Gold, TransQ-2000 or the Pinnacle 1250. This page was removed from the Rejuvenu website in Fall 2001, but I leave it up to help consumers avoid the kinds of companies that sell Rejuvenu products.
All the businesses below should be avoided by consumers because of their involvement with this company.
Company
Location
Phone
Contact
Comments
Lincoln, NE
800-843-9162
Marcy
Chiropractic supply
Denver, CO
800-607-7455 (x 205)
R.H.*
Medical supply
Nashville, TN
615-320-7984
James Britt
Sells "breast cream," too
Boca Raton, FL
888-446-3747
Oyvind Berg
Sells "laser hair regenerator," too
Macon, GA
800-245-4959
Grace Johnson
Salon and "school"
Lincoln, NE
402-464-6536
Don & Nola O’Neal
Salon
Carlsbad, CA
760-434-7771
Marion Williams
Salon
Wichita, KS
316-687-0400
Kathy Orender
Salon
Minnetonka, MN
800-852-3082
Allen
Spa supply
Houston, TX
713-271-1745
Dr. DesRuisseaux
Physician
East Brunswick, NJ
732-855-2206
Dr. Joe Aguiar
Nutritionist
Quebec, Canada
450-588-3686
Alice
Nail salon
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
954-818-2072
Sharmeila Chanti
Salon
St. Paul, MN
612-801-9929
Jason Groen
Distributor
Salt lake City, UT
801 264 6630
James & Sylvia Pickens
Esthetician
Saskatoon, SK
306-249-6678
Distributor
Bloomington, IL
Cathy McLaughlin
Distributor
Ultima Hair Removal Center
801 Turner St.
Clearwater, FL 3375Clearwater, FL
Clark & Margo Seabloom
Distributor
Lisa Farinelli Skin Care
8060 E. Girard Ave.
Denver, CO 80231(1805 S Bellaire Ste 307)
Denver, CO
Lisa Farinelli
Distributor
Nail Images Inc
405 Hackensack St.
Carlstadt, NJ 07072Carlstadt, NJ
Lori-Ann Matise
Distributor
Linda Trevan
18464 W. Old Peterson Rd
Libertyville, IL 60048Libertyville, IL
Linda Trevan
Distributor
Hair et Al
10101 N. Arabian Trail
Scottsdale, AZ 85255Scottsdale, AZ
Annette Landgren
Distributor
Esthetics Institute
20 S. Main St
Concord, NH 00301Concord, NH
Judy Montore
Distributor
Galia Zacatecas
503 Col. Granjas San Isidro
Torreon, Coah 27100+52 MexicoTorreon, Mexico
Dr. Rocio Colinas/Susana Marroquin
Distributor
* See these pages for updated information about their involvement with this manufacturer.
2002 redesigned site analysis
"The fastest way to permanent hair removal"
2000-2002 Website analysis
Their
In Novemer 2001, they added the following:
Any negative advertising against us is based on ignorance and no vision for modern technology. Lack of knowledge and closed minds are the major obstacles we want to overcome. Rejuvenu is dedicated to educating the world to the fact unwanted hair can be permanently removed without the pain of a needle.
We refuse to lower our standards by becoming defensive and resort to name-calling and demeaning negative propaganda. We challenge such advertisers to do a side-by-side study with us to prove our method not only works, but also is far superior to theirs.
In other words, they refuse to prove their claims by doing their own tests. It’s up to them to prove their claims that the SupePhaser Gold is permanent. They have not met their burden of proof with published, peer-reviewed data. I challenge them to get a side-by-side study published to prove their claims.
Cole is CEO and founder. He has "a chain of beauty salons in the Pinehurst and Southern Pines area of North Carolina." Chandler does the research ("concentrating on skin care problems"). He also does the training and "lecturing worldwide." (i.e. selling the devices at beauty conventions)
The Rejuvenu
Some choice quotations: My favorite section is Chandler’s
On false advertising:
"What is advertised is not always the truth. Some of the methods claim permanence, but have no scrutinizable scientific proof that they are truly permanent."
There is no published clinical data that show these devices can achieve permanent hair removal.
On bogus electric tweezer data:
"The problem with tweezer thermolysis lies with the fact that it is impossible to induce a dry hair to conduct a high frequency current. While the companies theorize that the current reaches the papilla in other ways (like through the melanine channel), there is no controlled scientific data to support the claims. What actually occurs is that the current dissipates from the end of the tweezers (like the end of the thermolysis needle). The current heats the tweezers and heats the hair that the tweezers are touching. There is no effect on the papilla or the stem cells. In fact, the United States Food and Drug Administration states that tweezer thermolysis is no better than manually tweezing. The only research that is used to show that tweezer thermolysis works are small single patient uncontrolled studies which do not pass the usual scientific scrutiny. "
The data presented by Chandler do not pass scientific scrutiny, either.
On gels used to enhance hair removal effectiveness:
First, the substance applied to the skin cannot penetrate the hair follicle. A normal hair follicle is closed from the outside world by the seal made by the growing hair and the oil produced by the sebaceous gland. If this were not true, all manner of foreign bodies would be contained in the follicle, including bacteria and constant infections. On the contrary, we know that the follicle is sterile and very well protected. There are solutions that when applied to the skin are absorbed into the upper hair follicle through the transfollicular route, but these do not include carbon and dye suspensions like used by Thermolase.
The conductive gel used by Rejuvenu doesn’t go into the follicle, either. That means most of the energy dissipates on the skin’s surface. If any does get into the skin, it’s not enough to cause permanent hair removal.
Notes on web domains and their web marketing company
Domain Name: IHRSINC.COM
Registrant: Intl. Hair Removal Systems, Inc. (IHRSINC2-DOM)
230 N. Bennett Street, Suite 1 Southern Pines, NC 28387The new IHRS/Rejuvenu whois contact information is below:
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Billing Contact:
Anderson, Benjamin (BA3382) ben@THEANDERSONS.NET
112 Deer Trail Ln Carthage, NC 28327 910 947-1710(old contact info) Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Billing Contact: (see 2002 update below)
Petsolt, David (DLP5) david.petsolt@CLIENTSOLUTIONS.COM
Client Solutions 200 N. Bennett Street Southern Pines, NC 28387
910.295.3661 910.693.4391Domain Name: REJUVENU.COM
Rejuvenu, 26 Pinecrest Plaza, #273 Southern Pines, NC 28387
(This is a dropbox at
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Chandler, MH mark2683@hotmail.com
Rejuvenu 26 Pinecrest Plaza, #273 Southern Pines, NC 28387
910-295-6652 413-702-4618
2002 update on Client Solutuons
Client Solutions claims they are no longer affiliated with Rejuvenu/IHRS.
In March 2002, David Petsolt wrote with the following update:
"We have no affiliation with the company discussed in this article, but as a vendor."
On 18 March 2002, I recieved another letter from David Petsolt about his relation with IHRS:
" I have no business relationship with Mr. Cole. Please note the following:
– I had no part in the creation of his website.
– I am no longer part of Client Solutions, the company that did create his site (as of July 2001).
– I have not spoken to or worked with anyone involved with that company for quite some time.
– I do not host, maintain, or have ANYTHING to do with this site or this company"On 18 March 2002, I received a letter from Karen Handy, owner of Client Solutions (excerpts below):
"I have read your page regarding IHRS and don’t care much about what they claim. However, Client Solutions only designed their web site with content provided by them… Our company is not responsible for the content of the IHRS web sites."
"We did the graphics for the web site – IHRS had control over the content of their site as they maintained the content. We cannot be held responsible for something they owned and modified."
On 10 April 2002, I received a follow-up letter from Karen Handy (excerpts below):
"…we had amicably negotiated the termination of all contracts with Rejuvenu… We have no ill will towards Rejuvenu and their organization."
The promotional web material designed and once hosted by Client Solutions includes the following claims: "transcutaneous electro patch system… permanent hair removal… non-invasive… painless… permanent." As I noted above, these claims are in violation of federal regulations. Client Solutions did not independently confirm veracity of the promotional materials provided to them by IHRS, as required by law.
As the
Had Client Solutions attempted to do a review, they would have quickly discovered that this "electro patch system" was making claims in violation of federal regulations.
Final note: comparison shop
The Rejuvenu products cost thousands of dollars more than any other of their transcutaneous competitors. If this information doesn’t convince you to avoid transcutaneous electrolysis, you should at least comparison shop. See my comparison of transcutaneous devices.
Alternate spellings for these products include Super-Phaser Gold, Super-Phazer, Super Phaser Gold, and the SPG method. The TransQ-2000 is also sometimes called the Trans Q 2000, Trans-Q-2000, TQ-2000, TQ 2000, TQ2000, and the TQ2K. The Pinnacle 1250 is also sometimes called the TC System (for Transcutaneous System), the TD System (for Transdermal System), the TE System (originally for Transdermal Electrolysis, now for Transcuateous Electrolysis) or the TQ System (For Transcutaneous System). The procedure is sometimes referred to as Hands-Free electrolysis, Patch Electrolysis, No Needle Electrolysis, Non-invasive Electrolysis, Cotton swab electrolysis, or Q-Tip electrolysis. Older models include the TE 229, SuperPhazer, TE 429, Super Faser, TE 629, SuperFazer. The company has operated under several names, including American Hair Removal System (AHRS), Carolina Institute of Dermology, Eloc Manufacturing, and Trillion Medical Resources (TMR).
Note: due to misinformation received from Medical College of Georgia, this site had suggested a connection between Dr. Wm. Marcus Chandler (MCG ’68) and Dr. Mark H. Chandler (MCG ’83), both physicians practicing in North Carolina. Hairfacts regrets this error.