Question:
is there a laser hair removal facility in Hamilton or Toronto
Ontario. Is this process expensive?
Answer:
There are several clinics here in Toronto. I do not know about Hamilton.
The treatments are very expensive, and the results are not permanent.
As a Canadian, it is important that you understand that we have very
ineffective government regulations of medical devices. First of all, for
most devices, such as lasers, manufactuers can sell them by simply
filing a three page Device Notification Form with the Medical Devices
Bureau in Ottawa. By law, the devices must be safe and effective;
however, the manufactuers are not required to provide any proof
prior to marketing their product. They are on the honour-system, so
they must be able to provide proof of safety and effectiveness on
demand, but that would only happen if the government receives many
complaints about a device.
Even worse, there is a huge loop-hole in the way the regulations are
interpretted, which permits doctors or health-care facilities to circumvent
them, by simply importing devices directly. How bizarre!
According to my reseach, so far, none of the several different hair-removal
lasers being marketed in Canada have even been registered with the
Medical Devices Bureau.
Also, beware of claims that a particular laser hair-removal system has
"U.S. FDA approval", because that is absolutely false. As of 7 March 1997,
the FDA has given 3 laser hair-removal devices "clearance to market",
but all that means is that they are substantially equivalent to other
dermatological lasers marketed in the past. The FDA's main concern is risk.
As long as FDA is reasonably convinced that the laser is unlikely to
injur people, when used as directed, then clearance to market is virtually
assured. There is also a requirement that evidence of effectiveness be
provided, to support any marketing claims; however the standards of proof
are not very great.
Nevertheless, not one of the hair-removal lasers has managed to convince
the FDA that they can provide "permanent", "long-term", or "pain-less"
hair-removal. The most they are allowed to claim, is that they reduce hair
for up to three months. That is pathetic.
Also, beware of false and deceptive claims by the medical clinics that
offer
the laser hair-removal treatments. I have telephoned 5 clinics in various
Canadian cities, some more than once, and each time I was given what I
believe to be deceptive information.
The most common pitch is that the system was designed for permanent
hair-removal, but because it is so new, they do not have enough proof
to be able to make permanence. Then they tell you that there are ongoing
clinical trials in the U.S. and/or Europe, and that some people
have had excellent long-term results. It is all B.S., designed to deceive
consumers into believing that permanence is possible, even probable,
despite that fact that the clinics cannot claim it.
Another very common pitch is to claim that hair grow in cycles, so you
will need multiple or on-going treatments to treat new hairs or ones
that were previously dormant. Now there is a grain of truth to this,
in that hair does indeed go through various growth cycles, including
periods of dormancy. However, the hair-removal scam devices use
this fact to con customers into believing that what is actually regrowth
of previously treated hair is new hair. This is called "managing patient
expectations". They plant the lie in your mind at the start, so that the
you will be easier to con when the hair grows back.
The way to shut them up, is to ask for a written guarantee. They won't
give you one.
Also, beware that you will most likely be asked to sign a consent document.
Should you decide to try a treatment, read it very carefully, and be
certain
that you are not being asked to sign away any legal rights. Nobody knows
the long-term effects of laser treatments. If in doubt, have your lawyer
review the document.
As I said earlier, the costs are very high. To clear a male person's back,
they offer a one year treatment program. The cost of the initial treatment
is between $3,300 and $4,600, depending on the person's size. Since
I an 6 foot 5 inches, I would be charged $4,600. Then there are up to
three follow-up treatments, which cost $1,000 each. GST at 7 percent
is extra. So I could be charged up to $8,100 to clear the hair, and there
is no guarantee of permanence, and no reason at all to expect it. Go ahead
and ask how many treatments will be required in following years, and
see if they give a straight answer.
Since the treatments are temporary, they should be compared to other
temporary treatments, like waxing. A wax jobon the back wil cost about
$30, and the results are good for between 4 and 6 weeks. If we take
the worst case, that would mean about 12 treatments per year, or
about $360. That is 23 times less than the laser.
Also, I have learned that the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company)
consumer protection program, Marketplace, has just broadcast a
story on laser hair-removal. I do not have full details, but as I
understand
it, they covered the story of a woman who paid thousands of dollars for
treatments and was dissatisified. I hope to have the transcript e-mailed
to me by tomorrow afternoon. In any case, the program will be
rebroadcast on the CBC Newsworld cable channel, on Saturday
March 15, at 6:30 AM Eastern Standard Time. That's right AM not PM!
You may wish to set your VCR for that program - it runs 30 minutes.
Marketplace has a pretty good reputation for thoroughness, but I will
reserve judgement until I have read the transcript and seen the program.
The only method of hair-removal that has been widely recognized as
providing permanent results is needle type electrolysis. I had excellent
results with the method called The Blend. I have spoken to the relevant
person at FDA, who has confirmed that only needle electrolysis is allowed
to claim permanence, because it has had over 100 years to prove itself.
For any kind of hair-removal treatment, I recommend having a small test
area treated, and then waiting for at least 3 months - the longer the
better,
and then compare the rate of regrowth. Even among electrologists, there
can be huge differences in results. But we especially wary of any non-
needle, or tweezer, or laser devices, because they are very controversial
to say the least.
If you wish further information, I will be pleased to direct you to the
relevant persons at FDA or Medical Devices Bureau.
