Editorial
(December 2002)
Past Editorials
Electrolysis is dead.” “Electrolysis doesn’t work: It’s
finished!” How many times have we heard such talk in the last few years?
“Electrolysis is history,” the competitors to needle-based hair removal
repeatedly intone. But I don’t think we’re ready to throw in the towel just yet.
Looking back – as we tend to do as we approach the beginning of a new year – we
will admit to having hit a few low points in recent times, but right now things
appear to be on the upswing. In fact, the prospects for electrology in 2003 look
very good indeed.
The impact of the 9/11 tragedy had far reaching effects. Obvious repercussions
were felt in the airline industry, and business and recreation travel suffered
greatly. The commerce of many North American cities was impacted dramatically.
Financial markets took a dive and have continued to be turbulent. The
manufacturing sector ground to a near halt, and the automotive industry has
fallen precipitously – dragging the rest of the economy down with it.
The impact on non-essential businesses like electrolysis has been no less
dramatic; a fact that has never been more evident than with our electrolysis
equipment manufacturers and their sales (or lack of sales) of epilators.
Doctor-operated laser hair removal clinics, peeking as they did at the same time
as the economy was imploding, created an inescapable downturn for our entire
field.
In addition to all the economic woes following us into 2002, the electrolysis
community suffered a further blow in April, when another of our national
associations was lost to compromise. The International Guild of Professional
Electrologists (IGPE), no longer representing “electrologists only” renamed
itself to become a guild of “hair removal specialists” (IGHRS). Meanwhile,
regional associations suffered from very low attendances and a big show of
apathy at their meetings and seminars, which has surely been reflected in the
membership rosters.
However, not taking things lying down, the electrology manufacturers continued
to design and market new equipment for the industry, and the associations –
national and regional alike – organized and promoted “bigger and better”
learning seminars, and now it looks like the tide may have turned. Key
indicators of the economy are signaling a slow comeback. The stock market
indices are not “soaring” or anything, but there have been steady gains in the
last quarter; interest rates are at an all time low; and what uncorrupted
corporations there are left, are mostly meeting analysts’ expectations. Testing
the waters of our own industry, the answers to questions that we put to the
major electrolysis suppliers suggest that sales have been picking up. The most
encouraging news to date was demonstrated in the attendance numbers at the AEA’s
Las Vegas convention in October. The count this year topped 350 people – a crowd
the likes of which we have not seen in quite a few years. People are getting
back to flying again, and we saw a significant number of new faces in the crowd.
The Association convention organizers were gratified to see the lecture hall
filled and the Exhibitors Showcase well attended. And to the great satisfaction
of the retailers, this year’s conventioneers were buying!
The manufacturers and distributors of electrolysis supplies and services are the
pulse of the electrology profession. Ours is a small, tightly focused industry.
The tools of the trade are very specialized, the market is small, and the volume
of sales is comparatively low, so sales to newcomers in the business – and more
importantly, the sale of new or upgrade equipment to existing electrologists –
are a direct measure of the health of our profession and the exhibitors reported
brisk sales at this convention.
So, how does the immediate future look for electrology as we roll into 2003? If
the recent success of the AEA’s International Board of Electrologists
Certification (IBEC) “Teach-the-Teacher” pedagogy program (28 participants) is
any indication, I must paraphrase Mark Twain and say, “The reports of our death
are greatly exaggerated.”
The staff at IHR wishes all its readers a very bright and prosperous New Year.
— Anthony D. Copperthwaite
publisher@hairroute.com
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