Photoepilator medical data

Photoepilators were first developed in 1969. In 30 years, there has been no published medical data on the effectiveness of the device. The limited testing of these devices was merely uncontrolled, unreviewed, unpublished in-house reports on a handful of subjects observed for 12 weeks. The original Omicron PhotoEpilator was taken off the market in 1972, but many of the returned machines were bought by Carol Block, who still operates at the time of this writing.

= recommended only for in-depth researchers
= may be worth ordering
= strongly recommended

Published data

No published clinical data to date.

Unpublished reports by manufacturers

Harte (1970): This uncontrolled, poorly-designed in-house report claims that Omicron observed 60% regrowth at 12 weeks after one treatment on 12 subjects.

Unpublished reports by non-manufacturers

Gior (1972): Treated 49 areas with an Omicron device he purchased for evaluation. Gior reported 100% regrowth in 44 areas after six months, with 5 sets of eyebrows showing slight improvement, which he attributed to mechanical tweezing.

Lawsuit excerpts (1973): Comments on use of the device in a court case brought by dissatisfied owners and settled out of court by Omicron.

FDA (1990): In Regulatory Letter CHI-499-90, photoepilator maker Carol Block is cited for "serious violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act," including misbranding based on claims the D’Plume photoepilator can achieve permanent hair removal.