Whether your problem is thinning hair or acne, there are a few hot, new products on that claim to take away everything from wrinkles to too much hair. The products use some of the same technologies that a dermatologist may have used on you -- lasers, LED lights, and infrared light -- and you can use them all in your own home.

But do they work?

"These products provide at-home versions of procedures typically performed in a doctor's office: light treatments, laser hair removal, or chemical peels," says Linda Wells, editor in chief of Allure magazine.

"In terms of at-home treatments, this is just the beginning."

Wells and some Allure staffers visited The Early Show Wednesday and reported on the effectiveness of products the staffers tried for several weeks.

>Looking for dry skin remedy

Hi all, I'm new to the forum and very impressed already with all the useful information and tips. I'm a 25 year old male from Sussex. I was wondering whether anyone could give me some advice with a skin condition I have had for the last few years. I won't go into too much detail because I would end up going on and on but I will give you a nutshell version. I took a medication for acne called roaccutane at the end of 2003 and became paranoid about a possible side effect "may increase sun damage". I did not have any sun damage but did not want any either and became a recluse from the sunlight. I stopped taking the medication but the stress of it all caused me some dry skin on my nose and the more I worried about it the worse it got (the converse being that when I relax it goes away). Here I am 4 years later in the same position.

Hope wrecker - cosmetics cop dishes beauty dirt

Few people can drop words such as avobenzone or dipotassium into a conversation with confidence. Paula Begoun can.

The make-up artist turned self-styled "cosmetics cop" has been applying, assessing, smelling, blotting and smearing make-up and skincare her entire adult life. She knows her emollients from her silicones better than most cosmetic chemists.

Her self-published beauty "anti-bible", Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, which set out to torpedo the beauty industry's more outrageous claims about the efficacy of their formulations, has sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide and a seventh edition is about to be released.

And Begoun's work extends beyond the page. The Seattle author is holding a series of seminars around Australia aimed at helping women understand the hollow promises behind much of the goop they put on their face.

TRIA At-Home Laser Hair Removal Device Cleared by FDA

PLEASANTON, Calif., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- SpectraGenics, a leader in light-based therapeutic beauty devices, today announced over-the-counter (OTC) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their patented hand-held laser hair removal device designed for at-home use. The TRIA is the first hair removal laser to enter the U.S. home-based device market, an industry projected to grow exponentially over the next three years.

"The FDA clearance is the culmination of many years of research, clinical testing and innovative product design efforts," said Robert Grove, PhD, CEO, SpectraGenics. "Our engineers are the same scientists who developed the first and gold-standard professional diode laser hair removal system over 10 years ago which is still used by physicians nationwide.

Ease the pain of winter-ravaged lips

Anyone who's said it doesn't hurt to smile must not have had chapped lips.

Chapped lips are basically an infl ammation of the lip itself and can occur for a variety of reasons, including exposure to wind, dry air, cold temperatures and the sun, said Stephanie Burleson, family medical physician with Utica Park Clinic Jenks.

“Chapped lips can be a big problem when they get sore. They can interfere with eating, drinking, talking or other types of everyday things," she said.

Breathing problems such as asthma that cause people to breath out of their mouth more than their nose can also trigger chapped lips, as can some medications.

“Medications for acne, like Accutane, are notorious for drying lips," Burleson said.

Heaters also affect the lips by causing the air to dry out.