Do these wired beauty devices mean you'll never have to go to a salon again?

Last week, The Grocer magazine revealed that women are turning away from the salon and choosing to do beauty treatments in their own home - the UK home beauty market is worth an astonishing £3 billion.

But, instead of paying £1,200 a year for Botox, could you really give yourself a brow-lift with a £90 pen?

And can you really blast your cellulite away at home? Femail decided to test some of the most innovative DIY gadgets on the market and asked cosmetic dermatologist Dr Mervyn Patterson to give his expert verdict...

BROW-LIFT PEN BY CRYSTAL CLEAR

Brow lift pen: Botox alternative
SALON EQUIVALENT Botox

This device looks like a thick marker pen - and claims to give you an instant brow lift.
The 'ink' part of the pen is a serum full of peptides - a natural chemical which stimulates collagen production - and the idea is to 'draw' the pen around your eyes and forehead, to push it into your skin.
It's battery-operated, so while you draw the pen around it also vibrates to give your face a bit of a workout, tightening muscles.
You can feel your skin dragging as it is moved around, but it's not uncomfortable.
EXPERT OPINION: This is totally safe to use and it will firm and hydrate the skin. But Botox is more effective, because it actually paralyses the muscles.
The brow pen only tightens them - for the time being. If you're expecting an unlined face you'll be disappointed, and the effect is likely to last only one day.

CELLU SMOOTH ULTRASONIC UNIT
Cellu Smooth: No evidence it works to cure cellulite
SALON EQUIVALENT Ultrasound

You can’t feel anything when using this equipment but according to its leaflet ultrasound waves penetrate deep into the skin and break down cellulite.
Ultrasound - a popular beauty treatment - is supposed to cure orange peel because the ultrasonic vibrations cause the skin cells to heat up and break down fatty deposits.
These are then supposed to be disposed (and dispersed of) naturally throughout the body.
The warmth of the machine also claims to promote circulation which helps skin tone - and it should penetrate 6cm down into the skin.
EXPERT OPINION: There is no evidence it makes any difference. The only proven method is endermologie, where you grind away at the lumps with what's effectively a large vacuum cleaner.
There is certainly no evidence to show that Cellu Smooth works. There is no way you could produce waves strong enough in a home environment to make any difference.
Cheap and cheerful, but not much science.

TRIA
Tria: Great for those who want to stop shaving and waxing
SALON EQUIVALENT Permanent laser hair removal for legs

It works by emitting a pulse of laser light which heats up the dark pigment inside your hair, thus disabling the hair follicle for ever. It claims to get rid of hair permanently.
You can use on legs, armpits, chest, back, stomach, arms, hands, feet and bikini line and it gives lasting results of hair reduction or total removal.
It suggests that it's far superior to home hair removal methods such as waxing and shaving.
The handset looks like a hairdryer with five settings. Basically, they are gauged to your pain threshold - the highest setting hurts the most, but is the most effective.
A couple of seconds later a beep and a flash of red light indicates that the laser pulse is finished. Just after the flash you feel a second of brief pain - like a light bee sting or a rubber band being snapped against your skin. Not fun, but not unbearable.
Thankfully, it has to be used only twice a month for three months and then once a month for three to five more months. The thought of never having to pay for waxing again is tempting.
EXPERT OPINION: It is not strong enough to permanently cripple the hair. The energy output is very low. You will get slower regrowth and some loss of hair, but I'd be surprised if it was permanent. Bear in mind that the energy of the laser is only a fraction of that used in a salon.

SKIN-LITE
Skin Light: Unconvincing
SALON EQUIVALENT

Red light therapy is offered in various forms in salons.
According to the science, stimulating your skin's cells with coloured lights can affect them profoundly - for example, infra-red heat can increase blood flow and circulation as well as helping regenerate damaged tissues, yellow helps lighten scars and blue targets the bacteria causing acne.
Skin looks instantly plumped up and younger. The notion of recreating such results at home is most appealing, for a fraction of the price.
Skin Lite is a hand-held device emitting pulses of red and near infra-red light to stimulate and accelerate the body's natural healing process.
EXPERT OPINION: There is some evidence that LED light has a subtle effect on skin.

TUA TRE'ND
Tua Tre'nd: Worth a go
SALON EQUIVALENT CACI Quantum

An at-home face-lift using electrical impulses. The Tua workout covers five facial zones.
Sagging faces and necks are lifted using low voltage micro-currents which contract muscles and increase blood circulation to the specific areas. Used five or six times a week for three months, the worked-out muscles become toned - and the increased circulation means skin looks healthier and more plumped up.
When turned on, the sensation is a tingling similar to that of mild and localised pins and needles, and the intensity can be adjusted as high as you can bear it.
EXPERT OPINION: You will get some lifting effect from this - and if you can't make it to the salon and want to see a brightening of your features and subtle tightening, it may be worth a go.

NUTRA SONIC
Nutra sonic: Top marks
SALON EQUIVALENT Facial

This machine works using a brush attached to a battery- operated handset, which uses 300 movements a second to clean and smooth skin.
It also claims to reduce fine lines, oily areas, dry skin patches and blemishes, as well as the appearance of visible pores.
Simply hold the brush to your face, moving it slowly over the contours, and the machine does the rest. After just a couple of minutes my face looks brilliantly clean and very healthy.
EXPERT OPINION: Probably the same effect as a microdermabrasion scrub - and a good, deep clean is, of course, beneficial for the face.

OXYJET
Oxyjet: May plump skin
SALON EQUIVALENT Oxyjet Facial at Janet Ginnings

The Oxyjet salon facial uses pulsed oxygen pressure to push cosmetic formulations deep into the skin to the basal - or deepest - layer of the epidermis so that they can act on these deeper cells.
This releases puffs of oxygen onto your skin. I start with the lip treatment - to increase lip volume and smooth skin.
Finally, the Beauty-Tox activator, a caviar face patch, to lift skin, and lip cream are applied. The skin looks brighter and firmer.
EXPERT OPINION: Decent skincare penetrates sufficiently well to the dermis without any clever mechanisms.