AESTHETIC work on the face and body used to be within the purview of cosmetic surgeons and trained medical professionals, but a new group of practitioners is steadily growing: everymen. That is, you, me or anyone else who can get their hands on one of the home-use aesthetic devices that, as Derek Zoolander would say, are 'so hot right now'.

Certainly, so exponentially has the market for these DIY gadgets grown in the years since 2008, when the first home-use IPL machine was made commercially available, that sales are predicted to top US$1 billion (S$1.26 billion) soon. According to the analyst group Medical Insights, the market is expected to be worth US$1.3 billion by 2013, up from just US$296 million in 2008.

In Singapore, personal lasers and the like have been relatively slow in piercing the market, but as of last year some companies have gotten in on the act.

In September, beauty company Sephora began bringing in the Clarisonic Plus, a skincare system that utilises a sonic frequency to clean, soften and smoothe skin as well as improve its tone and reduce pore size.

And medi-spa Clariancy opened its first retail store earlier this year, specialising in home-use aesthetic devices including the face-lifting Tripollar STOP and the skin rejuvenating Silk'n FaceFX. The store is doing so well that more branches are in the pipeline.

Says Clariancy's co-owner Clara Lee, who runs the company together with her doctor husband: 'In the course of our work, we have seen many clients with multiple beauty concerns but no time to complete the treatments. As such, we brought these devices in to cater to this group. We also realise that the modern-day woman is comfortable with embracing new technology, so it's a good time to introduce her to electrical products that can enhance her skincare regime.'

It's a good time, too, to offer DIY devices as an alternative to spa treatments, considering the level of trust consumers have for spas right now. States Ms Lee frankly: 'Some people have lost their trust in spas and salons, and now they prefer to buy home-use devices and perform self-treatments instead of purchasing packages.'

Another local company that is bringing in a DIY device is Fusion Cosmetics, which late last year launched the ReFa Platinum Electronic Roller.

The T-shaped, platinum-plated gadget from Japan is an all-in-one device which deploys a micro-current to lift and shape skin in just moments. 'I spotted it at a beauty trade fair in Japan, where the manufacturer, MTG, was broadcasting videos of celebrities such as Rihanna, the Black-Eyed Peas and Rachel Leigh Cook using it,' says Fusion's executive director, David Leow. 'MTG said that more than a million pieces had been sold in Japan alone since the launch six months back.'

He and his staff then tested the roller - because 'marketing alone doesn't make a product' - and found that it really worked. 'It was very obvious that the side of the face that had been treated by ReFa was slimmer and had tighter contours,' he says. 'That's when I decided that this was a product time-starved Singaporeans would definitely be interested in. Who wouldn't want a device that can give you a facelift in just a few minutes?'

Who wouldn't, indeed - and in the comfort of your own home, too, at a far lower price than what it would cost to have a similar treatment done at a clinic or medi-spa. (To illustrate, a package of six professionally done laser hair removal sessions can cost about $1,500, compared to $799 for Clariancy's Silk'n SensEpil, and 'a device like the $480 ReFa can provide results that would otherwise cost 10 times as much in an aesthetic clinic', says Mr Leow.) It sounds too good to be true, so what are the drawbacks?

For one thing, going down the DIY route doesn't give you the luxurious pampering experience that you would get at a spa, and for another, home devices generally don't have the 'industrial strength' of those found at a professional facility.

Notes Clariancy's Ms Lee: 'Home-use devices have a lower intensity compared to professional ones to ensure they are safe for personal use. That being the case, you have to go through more sessions to achieve similar results.'

Still, that's just a teensy imperfection on the face of it all, which those in pursuit of beauty should be able to cope with. As such, it doesn't look like it will be long before these DIY devices start significantly reshaping the beauty market here. Says Ms Lee: 'It's like introducing laptops to people who are already accustomed to desktops. People are aware of the technology (especially those who frequent aesthetic clinics and beauty salons).

'What we're doing is telling them that this technology is now portable, compact, and can be performed safely at the convenience of their own home.'

This article was first published in The Business Times.