Blog

Jay Rayner at The Observer has a cheeky piece about male body waxing:

For The Refinery has a speciality, something it apparently does with more panache, style and bravura than almost anywhere else, and it has been decided that the world would be a far, far better place if I were to experience it. Put most simply, the 10 skilled therapists here are currently working their fingers to the bone using hot wax to rip pubic hair off men who think the boy-zilian is simply the way to go.

www.the-refinery.com

Full article (guardian.co.uk)

Gayle Weber at the Hays Daily News in Kansas profiles a local hair removal clinic:

The Nu U Anti-Aging Clinic, 1506 Vine, provides pulsed light treatments and mesotherapies for patients seeking treatment of skin blemishes or weight loss. Dr. Ann Taylor started out with a general practice but saw patients who were traveling as far as Wichita and Kansas City for services such as hair removal, acne treatment, sunspots and hard-to-lose fat.

Full article (hdnews.net)

Denise Naughton at the Phoenix ABC affiliate reports that The Derma Health Institute is holding Free Laser Demo Days at several of their locations:

The focus will be on skin rejuvenation, such as Photofacial, Laser Genesis and Titan. Time permitting they will also demonstrate any of its available laser treatments, such as VelaShape body contouring, laser vein removal, tattoo removal, laser hair removal, and laser resurfacing.

Full article (abc15.com)

Before and after shots can show the dramatic results of hair removal. Now a software program can help in tracking the process:

Developed by CSIRO’s Biotech Imaging team, in conjunction with a leading U.K.-based personal care company, the software magnifies images and analyzes them to work out the number of hairs in any specific area. The system supersedes the time-consuming and repetitive process of having to count hairs manually, most commonly using a magnifying device.

Full article (skininc.com)

Andy Sinishtaj, founder and CEO of Body Essence Laser Center, answers questions in this profile:

My first experience with this industry was when I purchased a laser hair removal package from a local company roughly four years ago. In reality, the treatments were not as effective as I had hoped. About a year later I had visited a buddy in Seattle who also owns a medical spa. His business was doing great and after talking to him about the results I had before, he explained in great detail why results can vary so much. This was when the first thought of opening my own cosmetic center entered my mind. Now more than two years later and countless hours of researching and planning, we opened Body Essence Laser Centers.

Full article (hometownlife.com)

Troy Barrett and Rachel Melnick of KEPRTV try out Smooth Away, the friction hair removal produce being sold heavily on TV via direct response ads:

OK as usual…don’t forget to read the directions on the smooth away because the hair removal pads…which are the star of the show here…these things are like a very fine grit sandpaper…
so using the Smooth Away according to the directions my co-anchor Rachel Melnick and I are each going to test it out so you get a gals opinion and a guys opinion.
Rachel tested the smooth away on her arm and I tested it on my hand…to see if it really works…click the video link and watch the full edition of “Will It Work?”

Full article and video (keprtv.com)

More on friction hair removal

Shahriar Zahedi has an interesting post on the preponderance of hair removal ads targeted at Iranians in California:

Listening to the Iranian radio during my daily commute, I hear a lot of doctor commercials. There seems to be a preponderance of two particular medical specialties advertising their services to the Iranian Community in Southern California: hair transplant doctors and doctors specializing in laser hair removal. The logical conclusion for any unbiased listener hearing these ads would be that we are a community of balding men and hairy women.

Full article (iranian.com)

Allure has posted its list of 2008 beauty breakthroughs:

Tria Personal Laser Hair Removal System

WHAT IT DOES: Star Wars geeks have always loved lasers, but our interest in them was piqued only when we discovered they could make us look less like Chewbacca. For the past ten years, dermatologists have wielded diode lasers to reduce hair growth. Now, the FDA has cleared the first hair-removal laser for at-home use, designed to reduce hair growth significantly. The Tria, which can only be used below the neck and costs $995, comes with a safety sensor—if it’s aimed at dark or tanned skin, the device locks to prevent the risk of burns.

Full article (allure.com)

More on Tria Laser hair removal and home laser

Robin Williams Adams has a good profile of a typical medspa-type expansion of a women’s clinic offering hair removal and other treatments:

And getting your regular medical care from Bond Clinic isn’t a requirement for procedures in the clinic’s Bond Aesthetics division. That division includes a massage therapist, facial specialist and medical spa, and is in a section of the Bond Clinic Women’s Health Center that opened late last year. It has a separate entrance from the more established program that encompasses obstetrics, gynecology and women’s diagnostic services.

Full article (theledger.com)

Great article by the Boston Globe’s Jenn Abelson on Gillette’s research & development on hair removal:

As Gillette tries to extend its grip on the global grooming market, a company that built its reputation tackling hirsute masculinity is trying to conquer the tricky, but rapidly expanding business of understanding what women want. Women’s shaving is Gillette’s fastest-growing blades and razors division, and Venus, the brand it launched for women in 2001, took in more than a half-billion dollars in sales last year. The Boston shaving giant’s owner, Procter & Gamble Co., wants to double that figure in the coming years.

Full article (boston.com)