July 2005
Dear Paula,
I am wondering if you know anything about a method of hair removal called Transcutaneous Permanent Hair Removal? Unlike regular electrolysis, a gel-like substance is spread over the skin and an electric probe with a cotton swab on the end of it emits electricity, which is supposed to permanently destroy hair if it is in the growing phase. I have seen salons advertising this method as a pain-free way of removing hair. The company that makes the device is International Hair Removal Systems (IHRS), but I can't find out much about them. You can find claims on the Internet that this is either the most wonderful discovery in hair removal ever, or that this is unproven and quackery. Any insights would be so much appreciated.

Sharon, via email

Dear Sharon,
Information I found about the type of hair removal system you are referring to was indeed shocking, but not in a good way. In fact, it's pretty startling to learn how useless it is and how disreputable the companies are that sell these machines. These devices go by several names, including transcutaneous permanent hair removal (the one you mentioned), transdermolysis, no-needle electrolysis, and transdermal electrolysis. All of these to one degree or another have been under scrutiny from the FTC, and the FDA has challenged the claims and the safety of the machines.

On the surface, the method seems pretty convincing, resembling a technique to deliver specific medications without a needle using a conductive gel and an electric current, but that's where the similarity stops. In other words, what works to deliver medicine cannot remove hair. A sure sign for consumers that this is nothing more than a scam is the exaggerated claim of 100% permanent hair removal. Even medically researched and FDA-approved laser hair removal devices can't make that claim. As far as transcutaneous permanent hair removal is concerned, there is no published research or clinical data of any kind demonstrating that it works.

A very informative, extensively documented Web site on all sorts of hair growth issues, www.hairfacts.com, states that "Claims by the promoters [of transcutaneous permanent hair removal] conflict with laws of physics. Hair is a poor conductor of electricity. Skin is a better one, and conductive gel is an excellent conductor. Because electricity follows the path of least resistance, any energy applied by the device is not going to travel selectively down a hair. It's going to dissipate across the gel on the skin's surface. The reason these ‘transcutaneous' procedures don't hurt much is because the energy is not strong enough to stimulate the nerves, let alone damage the hair growth matrix permanently."

As recently as last year the FDA sent the manufacturer of these hair removal machines a strong warning letter to cease and desist in poor manufacturing practices, misbranding, and false claims that the devices are approved by the FDA. In fact, the company has changed names to avoid FDA scrutiny (Source: www.fda.gov).