Megan’s Musing: I’ve read that an at-home tool called a Wellbox is supposed to help reduce the appearance of cellulite. Has anyone tried this device with promising results, or is this a waste of (significant) money?
The Right Brain Responds:
Megan, we’ve blogged about cellulite treatments before, and they really don’t do much. At best they only give you a very minor, temporary effect so you should probably save your money. But you might be interested to know that there ARE several new beauty gadgets on the market that really do work. At least according to a Dermatology Times article that quotes Dr. Thomas Rohrer, M.D., clinical associate professor of dermatology, Boston University Medical Center. He says that “We are getting to the point where, for certain things, patients may be able to treat themselves safely and fairly effectively at home.”
However, Dr. Rohrer also points out that these treatments are still less effective than the devices used by physicians: “They’re not going to be nearly as powerful” but “they may be effective enough…to improve some conditions.” Here are 5 beauty gadgets that Dr. Rohrer says really work:
1. Hair-removal (the Epila SI 808 Laser and the Spa Touch from Radiancy)
According to Dr. Rohrer, Spa Touch showed moderate efficacy with patients reporting an average 66% reduction in unwanted hair counts . At nine months follow-up, patients noted about a one-third reduction. Furthermore, there were a minimal side effects.
2. Hair loss (HairMax LaserComb from Lexington International LLC)
This device is one of only three treatments that are FDA-approved for hair growth. Dr. Rohrer says that “in a 26-week, multi-center, placebo-controlled study with this device, 93 percent of subjects noticed an increase in hair count.”
3. Acne devices (Zeno from Tyrell and ClearTouch Lite from Radiancy)
Both devices thermally treat acne lesions and according to the Dr., Zeno achieved 90 percent reduction in lesion counts in one to two days.
4. Facial photo-rejuvenation (NuLase from NuLase International LLC) and ClearTouch Lite from Radiance)
Light Emitting Diode devices are safe, relatively pain-free, and can provide “subtle but real changes in the skin.”
5. Facial Toning (Facial Toning Device from Radiancy)
Dr. Rohrer claims the Radiancy devices uses LHE technology and is capable of reducing age spots and wrinkles. However, the study he cited has not yet been published so we’re more skeptical on this one.