Unsafe home alternative – is it worth doing?

Money troubles lead to inventing new ways to be more economical.

And now women throughout the world try to do lots of salon treatments at home. And pretty often they fail and even do harm to their skin.

Approximately 10 per cent of ladies are now opting for at-home alternatives over beauty salon visits.

It can really be great to save so much money but are you sure you are careful enough when doing those complex treatments at home?

Beauty professionals have reported on a new tendency in their job – correcting mistakes made by women who imagine they can effectively de-wrinkle their face or laser-remove hair in their own bathrooms.

Women might justify themselves with the fact in the past their mothers and grandmother used to dye hair, remove leg hair and tint eyelashes at home with a variety of different techniques.

But during the new era of at-home technology we have got ultrasound for smoothing our own cellulite, hair removal gadgets based around IPL (Intense Pulsed Light), laser treatments and lots of chemical peels which are available online.

Women do not know how exactly they can use machines and gadgets or avoid following all the procedures given in the manuals. The results are deplorable.

Cosmetic dermatologist Dr Mervyn Patterson, MD of cosmetic clinic Woodford Medical Aesthetics said:

Two Asian girls came in with burns on their legs. They had bought an IPL machine which can be used to remove body hair. But these girls used it without realizing it was inappropriate for their skin.’

People assume that if products are deemed by the manufacturer to be safe to use at home, they will be very straightforward. But that’s not always the case,’ he warns.

Most people are safe with home IPL devices, but some clients, especially those with tanned or dark skin, may find that problems develop between 12 and 24 hours after a treatment – when the top layer of skin can become scorched and blistered.’

Dr Sean Lanigan, group medical director of skin clinics comments:

There is a real risk of people coming to harm from these devices. Because they are low powered compared to the lasers we use in our clinics, this may give poor results and tempt people to use them outside their correct settings.’

So, dear ladies, new technologies are fantastic but only when they are operated by people who know how to do that. If you feel unsure, better leave it on the shelf. And if you have decided to try, do a patch test first. Be careful!

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