There is an ad for a method that seems questionable on nevershaveagain.com. I can't tell how good it is, although if it really is a reliable method I'd be willing to try. Anyone know anything more?

Don't waste your money.

Hair does NOT conduct electricity, nor will radio waves travel down the hair shaft! We have discussed this scam here many times. They say money back guarantee, but you won't get a cent back.

Radio Frequency hair removal can only work with a probe/needle inserted into the hair shaft, and since that is the type of hair removal that requires the MOST SKILL to perform correctly, it is NOT something that home users with NO EXPERIENCE should be trying to do.

only electrolysis and laser provide a permanent solution. if these cheapy things worked, we would all be using them and those practices would be out of business.

There are indeed studies that show hair is not a good conductor of an electric current. This is why electrolysis requires an insertion of a needle directly into the hair follicle. But radio waves and electric currents are very different animals and travel differently. Electricity requires a conductor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_current), while radio waves – part of the electromagnetic spectrum – are absorbed by and can travel along some insulators. Insulators block electric current, but can actually propagate radio waves. Radio waves are close on the spectrum to “microwaves” (don’t worry, “close” on the spectrum, but NOT close enough to damage skin!) – the radiation from which, as we all know, can excite water and other molecules and produce heat. Radio frequency waves are used for various medical procedures, including ablation (see also here). Operating at a very specific wavelength, Finally Free’s patented technology concentrates RF wave energy at the hair roots where it effectively damages the roots and prevents hair regrowth.

Please see http://www.nevershaveagain.com/finally-free-questions-answered.aspx for more information.

When the Finally Free/Never Shave Again product is described as electric tweezers, it is because it is a tweezer device hooked up to an electrical machine. There are two types of these, one that delivers galvanic current from the item that contacts the hair, and another type that sends FM signals from the item that contacts the hair. In any case, no permanent hair removal takes place unless this system involves contact between the current, or radio frequency via direct contact of the bulge area of the follicle and the instrument delivering the current. This is because the treatment energy is otherwise dispersed into the air, or surface skin, rather than delivering the packet of energy to the hair's growth cells.

If the FF/NSA were powerful enough to work with simply sending radio frequency energy with a focused downward force into the skin, it would be thermodesiccating holes in the skin as well.
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Like a symphony?

Most classical pieces start with a theme and end with a repeat of the same theme. My career seems like that. When I started my career, in 1975, Depilatron (the first ET device) got started. (The unit sold for $12,000.) We assumed that this scam would be stopped within a few months by our “governing authorities.” Now, as I approach my “end” (I’m 65 folks), those infernal devices are still with us.

The key to their success is pricing and “return policy.” Most people will, after a year of fiddling with the thing, just throw the $75 thing in the trash. But even if they do return the thing, they must find their bill of sale, box it up, pay a “shipping and handling fee.” Thus, even if they will go through the hassle, the company still makes a profit. I would assume the device, probably made in china, costs no more that $5 to make. So, they always win.

(A few years ago, I was working with a company that made lasers for a variety of medical/esthetic purposes. I was told that the cost of manufacturing a laser device is only about $600- $1000 — yes, some mark-up!) 10 years ago, I promoted a tele device called the Telangitron. These are now made by about 10 companies. The cost to manufacture these units was $300-$400. Presently, one company sells this identical device for $28,000! All typical mark-ups.

The bigger story here is the lack of any authentic FDA protection. Long story short: FDA is primarily interested in devices that potentially harm people. There is no protection from being scammed. Problem is, the public trusts the FDA mark, and assumes there has been appropriate testing of the device's efficacy. Not true. And so the frauds continue — forever. And, my symphony seems to be approaching the “last movement.” Bella Tutti!

(Can I post something this long-winded?)

Amen. I try to remind people here all the time that "FDA-approved" that many companies like to print all over their glossy brochures just means "it probably won't kill you". FDA doesn't test for efficacy.