Clinical evaluation of a handheld self-treatment device for hair removal.
OBJECTIVE
Laser- and light-based methods for hair removal, though effective, are expensive and may be associated with adverse effects. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a thermal, handheld self-treatment device (no!no! Thermicon, Radiancy Inc, Orangeburg, NY) for removing unwanted hair.


METHODS
Twelve of the 20 enrolled subjects underwent 6 supervised and 6 unsupervised self-treatments of their lower legs and umbilicus-bikini areas at twice-weekly intervals for 6 weeks. Follow-up visits were scheduled at 2, 6, and 12 weeks after the final treatment. Results were evaluated by pretreatment, post-treatment, and follow-up hair counts.


RESULTS
For legs, the median clearance percentages were 48% post-treatment and 43.5% at 12 weeks. For the umbilicus-bikini area, the median clearance percentage was 15% at 12 weeks.


CONCLUSIONS
The efficacy and safety of the no!no! Thermicon device for hair removal of the legs appear to be comparable to those of laser devices.
Spencer
James M
JM
Spencer Dermatology and Skin Surgery, St. Petersburg, FL 33716, USA. jgspencer@tampabay.rr.com
D000005:Abdomen; D000328:Adult; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000209:etiology; D004890:Erythema / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006204:Hair Removal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg; D008875:Middle Aged; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012648:Self Care / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome