
Skin printer wipes years from your face [video] - hanoz
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-46831270/ces-2019-skin-printer-wipes-years-from-your-face
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outsidetheparty
This is one of those clever ideas that seems obvious once someone else has had
it. Nice.

(It's also how they're going to get men used to the idea of wearing makeup,
thus doubling the market for cosmetics, isn't it?)

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mstade
> (It's also how they're going to get men used to the idea of wearing makeup,
> thus doubling the market for cosmetics, isn't it?)

I know this is anecdata but I have several female friends who do not care for
make up, except for possibly when going out to a fancy dinner or the likes.
They don’t like the tedium of putting it on and wiping it off every day, so
they just don’t. Some of them do semi permanent things like getting fake
eyelashes and such, and just redo it every 4 weeks or whatever it may be. I
reckon this type of device would probably have some appeal to that market as
well.

I think it’s a really cool device, and if it works as well as advertised in
the (low resolution as it may be) video then I’d probably be one of those men
who is in the market for One of these. I have decent skin but a few spots I
wouldn’t mind to “get rid off” but can’t be bothered with make up.

~~~
black-tea
> I reckon this type of device would probably have some appeal to that market
> as well.

Why? This is even more tedious than putting on normal makeup.

This appeals to people who want to look better but don't want to appear to
wear makeup.

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TeMPOraL
How does this appear more tedious? Unlike normal makeup, it seems to involve
much less precision from the user. I imagine you could probably use it on the
go, without standing in front of a mirror.

~~~
black-tea
This is just concealer which is very easy to apply. Women do much more than
this like mascara, blushers etc which actually require precision to apply.

~~~
mimixco
It's quite a bit more sophisticated than that. Their website says the device
actually mixes three different colored pigments to customize it to your face
and it applies anti-aging serum at the same time. That's pretty cool. The
microprinting technology is from Funai, a Japanese electronics company:
[https://www.i4u.com/2019/01/130609/ces-2019-funaismicrofluid...](https://www.i4u.com/2019/01/130609/ces-2019-funaismicrofluidics-
tech-powers-pgs-opt-beauty-wand-and-airia)

~~~
collyw
Don't women usually choose make up to match their skin tone? This mixes it on
the fly which sounds cooler, but is that really any better? Are anti-ageing
serums anything more than snake oil?

~~~
mimixco
I'm sure they do but I like the idea that it's spot coverage and not all over
your face. I also think that some anti-aging products actually work, at least
they seem to have an effect on me. I don't believe in super complicated
skincare routines that require tons of products.

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Ambroos
It's a pretty cool device. The title would be even cooler if it'd say "make-up
printer" because it's a bit clickbaity.

~~~
jpatokal
It's marketing: the average guy won't buy a "make-up printer", but a "skin
printer" sounds much more palatable.

~~~
cronix
But then we wouldn't have had Buffalo Bill and the Silence of the Lambs would
have just been some geek in a basement printing skin.

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TomMckenny
Woot! We'll be able to work past age 35 in tech!

~~~
hirundo
Unfortunately it doesn't print away jowls and wrinkles. Although I expect it
could via trompe l'oeil for one particular angle.

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sulam
About to turn 48 and still going strong! No need to send the Sandmen after me
yet, really!

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hirundo
Enter the Carousel. This is the time of renewal. Be strong and you will be
renewed. Identify.

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hn_throwaway_99
One of the things I think is really cool about this is how it automatically
matches your skin tone. There are endless YouTube beauty videos about the
difficulty of matching foundation colors to skin tones, and in the past few
years brands with a very wide foundation range have gotten a lot of good
press, especially the ones that have (finally) developed a much broader shade
range for people of color. Seems like this could have a lot of applications
beyond just covering age spots.

~~~
hackermailman
Matching your own natural tan is one use I'm sure will be popular given the
large tan in a can industry. Maybe aftermarket addons like Mehndi designs to
spray on, or matching lipstick shades to photos.

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amaccuish
I'm a man and have been wearing make up for years to cover acne, and it makes
me feel good. Maybe this will help push passed the whole "makeup is only for
women" thing and allow more men to feel good too.

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mstade
My apologies if this comes off as insensitive, I really mean no disrespect,
but doesn’t the make up aggrevate your acne?

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amaccuish
Not insensitive at all!

I had worried that, but I've been wearing it for years and have noticed no
difference. My acne is actually alot better now, but I put that up to
maturity, not the makeup. I think it probably depends on your skin type etc.
But I tried all sorts, short of roaccutane, to get my acne sorted and nothing
worked. I figured I may as well just hide it until it disappears on its own.

I used to wear a lot, when I first started, now I just use a lightish
covering, no one can tell, and even when they did, I couldn't care less. The
confidence boost I got from not having a rank face was amazing. I'm sure
someone would say that's not the healthy way of dealing with this sort of
psychological stuff, but it worked for me.

~~~
leetbulb
I still get acne from time to time (I think mostly due to my love for
chocolate). However, when I get regular sun exposure, it completely clears up.
If you don't get much sun, try it...nothing else worked for me :)

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copperx
I thought the chocolate-acne link was an old wives tale?

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tormeh
It's not chocolate, it's sugar. Or anything with a high glycemic load.

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leetbulb
TIL (and just did some research) -- my bad! I suppose I've always attributed
it to chocolate because I rarely eat sweets, but when I do, it's chocolate and
usually a lot of it in one sitting.

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bondolo
I'd love to see what it does with my face:
[https://avatars1.githubusercontent.com/u/250420?s=800&v=4](https://avatars1.githubusercontent.com/u/250420?s=800&v=4)

~~~
oth001
burn scar?

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doctorcroc
Seems like a port wine stain [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port-
wine_stain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port-wine_stain)

~~~
bondolo
Yes, it is a port wine stain birthmark.

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jhayward
I have to admit I was hoping for some application of custom-printed skin
cells[1] but this is pretty cool as well, and placed in an area of the market
that is constantly looking for innovation.

[1]
[https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170123090630.h...](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170123090630.htm)

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fao_
I hope they have anti-bacterial wipes at the conference. I'd hate for them to
be spreading skin conditions, like the thing that happened with the Occulus
Rift: [https://hothardware.com/news/vr-headsets-public-demos-
blamed...](https://hothardware.com/news/vr-headsets-public-demos-blamed-for-
spreading-eye-herpes)

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teknover
The (billion) dollar question: does it remove dark spots under the eyes?

~~~
mimixco
No. According to their website, you can't use it under your eyes.

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executive
Meanwhile, these guys are building a real 'skin printer'
[https://www.renovacareinc.com/technology/](https://www.renovacareinc.com/technology/)

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PHGamer
more like makeup printer. wake me up when we can fix age spots and other
broken cells and imperfections.

~~~
partiallypro
They can, but it requires laser surgery, skin resurfacing or chemical peels.
There are a lot of solutions in the plastic surgery field.

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Raphmedia
It's neat but nothing you can't do yourself with a bit of foundation and a few
brush of different sizes.

The main benefit would be speed, but once you are used to applying makeup you
can get your morning face done in about five minutes.

That's one of those product that will really depend on the price point.

~~~
hn_throwaway_99
I could see this being much, much more widely adopted by men than a "couple of
shades of foundation and a few makeup brushes" ever would.

~~~
Raphmedia
Good point. Something I had not considered either is people with loss of
motions.

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antirez
I'll never understand the urge to look younger using tricks: it will not
reflect your actual health this way. Makes a lot more sense to try to look
younger because of life choices that make you biologically fitter, like good
nutrition, sport, sleep, ...

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nmeofthestate
It's because using tricks is one way to look younger.

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failrate
This reminds me of that shake on hair in a can they advertise on TV.

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amelius
Can it apply eyeshadow, and reach difficult corners like around the nose and
eyes?

Also curious: could it be used to copy one face onto another face, when viewed
from a certain angle?

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gumby
So will it be super cheap to buy but replacement toner will cost a fortune?

Wonder if you could get different colours and have a in-situ printable tattoo
system.

~~~
alanbernstein
Reminds me of the automatic graffiti tools they have in The Expanse (show).
Just upload a graphic, start dragging the gadget around on a wall, and it
paints the image for you.

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andygcook
The EBS-260 handheld inkjet printer already kind of does this:
[https://youtu.be/Va3A7QcBlLE](https://youtu.be/Va3A7QcBlLE)

Built for industrial use, but don’t see why it couldn’t be used for basic
tagging. I’m not affiliated in any way. Just stumbled upon it the other day
and thought it was neat.

~~~
alanbernstein
Neat, thanks for the link. IIRC the one in the show was used to paint an
arbitrary large image, just "scrubbing" over any yet-unpainted sections, at
any angle. Seems possible with real-world tech.

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wycy
Strange that the guy wipes it off in the end. If I just had years erased from
my face I probably wouldn't be so quick to put them back.

~~~
hanoz
Director: Wow, you look great, that's quite a transformation. You know what
would be great, we finish with a before and after close up. Here, take this
wet wipe.

Presenter: Awww, really?

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ww520
Wow. Photoshop IRL! This is cool tech. Very nice application of technologies
to a problem domain.

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person_of_color
Off topic but does anyone know what works for dark circles under eyes?

~~~
isoprophlex
My thought exactly, I have the most ridiculous bags under my eyes, that are
always there (even when not drinking coffee, sleeping well, etc.)

I'd pay good money for something that removes them without hassle...

~~~
person_of_color
Have you tried Vitamin C serum?

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darkerside
Am I the only one that had trouble seeing much difference before and after? I
guess I could see that some lines had faded, but I really didn't think he
looked any "younger".

~~~
joshschreuder
I felt the same during the video but the side by side comparison right at the
end makes the difference much clearer.

~~~
darkerside
That's what I was waiting for, but I was totally underwhelmed! Maybe it's just
expectations vs reality.

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WalterSear
Makeup printer papers over years from your face.

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spyder
Or just do it once with laser treatment, which is more invasive but you don't
have to do it daily.

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anc84
That's a perfect advertisement there being done by the BBC...

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princekolt
What did you expect them to do? If the product really works the reporter can't
just say "uh I can't really see it".

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anc84
Look at the style, the prepared questions, the orchestration.

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Wistar
Wow.

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codazoda
"120 thermal inket printers"

Wut?

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tlb
There are thermal inkjets, different from thermal printers or piezo-inkjets.
They work by electrically heating a small wire to create a steam bubble, which
pushes the ink out. See
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkjet_printing#Thermal_DOD](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkjet_printing#Thermal_DOD)

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s_r_n
This seems like a concealer applicator. The results look similar to what
someone could achieve today using some concealer from the drugstore.

~~~
partiallypro
Right, but if priced appropriately this could really penetrate the men's
market more than foundation or concealer ever could.

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joering2
First she says "its printing on your skin" then she is saying that it "removes
spots", well which one is it?

If I have red wall and paint black over it I will not say I removed red paint.

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AtlasBarfed
"bursts blood vessels"? is this ... healthy? Temporary but makes things worse
in the long run?

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hackernudes
The quote from the article is: ...applies tiny amounts of make-up to remove
age spots, burst blood vessels and other blemishes.

That "remove" action applies to every item in the list:

\- remove age spots

\- remove burst blood vessels

\- remove other blemishes

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samstave
s/remove/hide/g

~~~
Nerada
Completely off-topic, but I frequently see this type of word correction
formatting online but have no idea where it's from.

Is this a type of emacs/vim find & replace shortcut, or is it just something
that people have picked up on the internet and run with?

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jononor
Yes, it is used in vim and sed (and probably more). s is for "substitute". g
means global, substitute each occurrence, not just the first.

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Nerada
Thanks! I've been scratching my head on that one for a while.

