It’s 9pm on a Sunday and for the past 20 minutes I’ve been sitting with my back against the wall, with a jet of moist, hot air directed at my face. No, this is not some new form of water torture but rather Dr Dennis Gross’s Steamer Solutions ($125, currently only available in the US), a DIY skincare device that promises to open my pores and restore brightness to my dull skin. It is also an example of a growing beauty trend.
From teeth whitening to lipo-massage and facial toning, it seems there is now an at-home gadget to fix almost all your physical flaws. Beauty store Sephora offers more than 15 devices on its website, ranging from the $500 portable laser hair removal system by Silk’n SensEpil to a Clarisonic Mia Skin Cleansing System for $119. And it is just one of a growing number of beauty emporiums and stores selling such products.
“Consumers are fascinated with the idea of fixing themselves,” says Dr Joshua Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research in the dermatology department at Mount Sinai hospital in New York. “These devices are the next generation on from at-home chemical peels.”