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What’ the “Triple Play Red Bulletin” Tattoo Removal Stock from WSD Insider?

Sniffing out the "FDA Triple Play" stock from the Publisher's Series

By Travis Johnson, Stock Gumshoe, September 25, 2014

“As Ebola dominates the news, another epidemic quietly runs amok on U.S. soil.

“It’s the proliferation of tattoos.

“45 million Americans are ‘tatted,’ but nine million of them wish they weren’t.

“Yet while they’d like nothing better than to remove their hated tattoos, they’re afraid of the pain and cost of conventional treatment.

“That’s all changed…

“Now there’s revolutionary technology that’s giving those with tattoo regret a new lease on life…”

That’s the intro to the latest over-the-top pitch from the WSD folks for their Publisher’s Series, the relatively low-cost newsletter they launched recently — and that we covered just last week. But lots of folks chimed in and asked for a solution to this one, so solve it we shall.

So why “Tattoo Removal?” Well, it is a big business — though perhaps not as big a business as tattoo parlors, given the incredible prevalence of tattooing in our society now. And as the super-tattooed generation tries to move into the staid workplace and wear long sleeves to cover up their dragons and lightning bolts, I’m sure tattoo removal is growing — though whether tattoo removal catches on in a hugely profitable way probably depends more on whether society continues trending toward greater tattoo acceptance as the heavily inked Millennials age.

I think my generation (I’m 44) is probably the last to have the near-consensus that “tattoos mean you’re a crazy degenerate or an outsider” or some similar opinion, and I live in an extremely well-tattooed part of the world, but body ink still throws me off a little bit and catches my eye — and it still stands out as shocking in some situations, if your doctor or your lawyer has a big, visible tattoo it does force a double-take.

But more importantly, can you imagine a better way to appeal to the “grumpy old man” demographic than to say that these “dang kids” are finally going to be able to get rid of the tattoos of their foolish youth? After all, the “grumpy old man” demographic has been the core target market for financial newsletters since that group was furious with Jimmy Carter almost 40 years ago.

So yes, grumpy old men are probably being pandered to a bit here by the copywriter — and I’m a grumpy old man in training, so the ad caught my eye, too. How is it possible that all these people won’t want to have their tattoos removed if that technology is getting faster and better?

Which gets us back to the point — what’s the “tattoo removal” stock being teased by Robert Williams for The Publisher’s Series? Let’s check the clues he provides:

“With this powerful new laser technology, the company behind it is in prime position to seize the market from current cosmetic laser treatments… and create a brand-new market for the accelerated removal of tattoos….

“But it gets even better…

FDA Approves the New Laser for the Treatment of Acne Scars

“Its approval hit only a few weeks ago, and could DOUBLE the company’s market in the coming months (as well as its stock price)….

“Over 60 million Americans suffer from the condition, and a third of them – about 20 million – have severe enough acne to cause scarring.

“Enter this new laser, which is the only one of its type with FDA approval to remove these scars….”

And apparently this is not a brand new or breakthrough company, they’ve been a “cosmetic technology” company for a long time…

“… it’s been in business since 1991, with its technology being considered state-of-the-art for hair removal, skin rejuvenation, and the removal of unwanted fat.

“The company’s solutions include a variety of products that are sold to dermatologists, plastic surgeons, primary care physicians, obstetricians, and gynecologists in 120 countries.

“It also holds the rights to 37 patents, and markets over 14 different light-based systems.”

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OK, so we know that the retiring baby boomers have been pushing the cosmetic rejuvenation market nicely forward for a decade or so, and will probably continue to be more active and youthful and youth-seeking, on average, than previous generations of “senior citizens” (and, unlike many young tattoo regret patients, they actually have money). Thats why Valeant is fighting so hard to take over Allergan and it’s incredible Botox franchise.

So that’s a good market to be in, all else being equal. Any more clues about this specific stock?

“Revenue rocketed to $72.6 million in Q2 2014, a jump of 45% for the same period in 2012.

“Much of the increase comes from a recent acquisition of a major competitor.

“In fact, the company has acquired several competing firms over the years, which has added even more strength to its position as a leader in aesthetic technology.”

So that’s plenty for us to get an answer out of the Thinkolator for you: they’re teasing Cynosure (CYNO), which does indeed have a variety of mostly laser-related devices used for cosmetic treatment, including more established markets like cellulite/fat treatment/shaping, hair removal, etc. in addition to the relatively smaller markets like tattoo removal or their new picolaser indication for acne scar treatment. They also, just this morning, announced that they received FDA approval for wrinkle treatment with the PicoSure system.

Which sounds like it should be a big deal, given our national obsession with wrinkles, but I have no idea how effective the treatment might be or what the competitive landscape is like for wrinkle treatment. They also will be earning royalties on the first home-treatment laser device for wrinkles, being launched by Iluminage this Fall (Illuminage is a joint venture of Unilever and Syneron, not sure why they’re paying royalties to Syneron’s competitor Cynosure).

The company has been gradually improving their margins and aiming to boost them a few more points, and they say that their target markets in aesthetics generally have very favorable growth prospects in the 5-10% range — and they are continuing to make acquisitions to try to grow the company, including a small acquisition a couple weeks ago of a company that makes radio frequency machines for aesthetic treatments.

The one real direct competitor of similar size (ie, it’s not a part of a massive medical device company) that I’ve seen is Syneron (ELOS), which has been a substantially better stock over the last couple years despite the fact that CYNO’s operating metrics are maybe a little bit better, and there’s also the much smaller Cutera (CUTR)… and probably others, including subsidiaries of those and other larger firms as well as some nonpublic companies — I did a quick search at MedicalExpo and found 48 companies offering dermatologic laser treatment systems of one type or another.

The fact that CYNO is selling their new PicoSure devices with a disposable lens caught my eye, because to an investor that means “recurring revenue” if you have to buy a new lens for each patient — but I assume their competitors are probably all doing something similar, there isn’t a medical device company in existence that hasn’t paid close attention to the success of the “razor and blade” model as applied in their field, with one notable example of profit being the Da Vinci surgical robot with its required semi-disposable attachments to ensure a “profit per surgery” by the company.

CYNO’s PE is about 19 based on the trailing four quarters of earnings, and they trade at about 15X expected earnings for 2015, so that looks pretty reasonable, but if I were considering investing in this one I’d take some time and read the latest reports and presentations from all the competitors to see what the market looks like — the distinctions or competitive advantages between the different companies are not readily apparent to me, which makes me more comfortable with the larger and more reasonably priced player (which is CYNO among those three), but there are many, many ways to lose money by investing in industries if you don’t understand the competitive dynamics at all. Do we have some volunteers who can go get their tattoos removed by the various different “pico” lasers so we can see if they’re any different?

That’s about all I can tell you — it’s your money, so it’s your choice — does CYNO sound like an intriguing play on tattoo removal, laser aesthetics, or whatever else? Let us know with a comment below.

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chris nichols
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chris nichols
September 25, 2014 12:50 pm

Think you guy’s mean CYNO (not CNYO)

Stephen
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Stephen
September 25, 2014 12:50 pm

Looks like these lasers are already being used for tattoo removal in New York.
http://www.laserskinsurgery.com/Types/PicoSure

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Dom
Member
Dom
September 25, 2014 1:09 pm

CYNO is a good “cyclical buy”. If one looks at its quarterly movement since 2006, buying shares in mid-August and holding until May has averaged a 31.7% gain with an average of 18% over the last five years. I made money on it holding from 8/16/13 to 4/17/14. Bought shares again on 8/18/14 and it is trending up/down same way as last year. For some reason December is a big month for cosmetic surgeries, so need to hold CYNO through 3rd and 4th quarter earnings.

pumrysh
pumrysh
September 25, 2014 3:22 pm
Reply to  Dom

Dom, there’s certainly enough volatility to make a buc on this one but not always bullish. The 2008 period was pretty bearish. Using technicals would help maximize profits.

Al
Guest
Al
September 25, 2014 1:50 pm

Symbol typo? CYNO

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skin
skin
September 25, 2014 2:18 pm

I used to do a bit of laser tattoo removal, and the technology has evolved. There are undoubtedly regional variances, but in my former locale, Patients were loath to pay $300. per treatment, and typically have at least 6 treatments before more or less removal. I doubt if I ever really made money on the $55,000 Q-switched Nd:YAG laser I was using – probably just about broke even on it. There’s a bit of sticker shock when a patient has paid maybe $200 for the tattoo, and now face an ultimate bill of $2000 to get rid of it (truthfully, often only partially).
I did own several Cynosure lasers, though, and found them and the Cutera lasers to be fairly reliable. Lasers do break, and the typical yearly maintenance/warranty is around 10% of the purchase price, providing another revenue stream for laser companies.

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Gene F
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Gene F
September 26, 2014 9:58 am
Reply to  skin

I used to use a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser to vaporize tiny spots of metal to do chemical analysis of electronics integrated circuits, and know the ‘burn’ it can do if you get your finger in the way. Fortunately, the pulse is so short, that it doesn’t do much damage to the surrounding tissue.
When I aligned the laser, I used exposed polaroid film, and it would blow the emulsion off the paper backing.

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vivian lewis
September 25, 2014 3:04 pm

if they really are aiming at the grumpy old man market like Travis suggests, they may also be peddling wrinkle and fat removal for the GOM’s wife. That may make him less grumpy.
And maybe the same for him to make the wife less grumpy. Decrepit is the new middle-aged

Rusty Brown in Canada
Member
Rusty Brown in Canada
September 26, 2014 10:10 am
Reply to  vivian lewis

When the whole world finds out that vitamin C is the best wrinkle remover ever, the market for lasers for this purpose will go kaput in no time.
Vitamin C becomes collagen when it combines with ordinary amino acids in your digestive system, and collagen is the basis for resilient, youthful skin and arteries. It’s the mesh that supports your skin cells and arteries and keeps them strong and wrinkle-free. Cures varicose veins by strengthening the weakened vein walls.
Don’t get me started. Check it out yourself.

Carl May
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Carl May
September 30, 2014 12:52 am

One only wants more collagen if one has a collagen deficiency. Check out the complex of diseases known as “scleroderma” and/or “systemic sclerosis” to learn of the kinds of problems that come with too much collagen production by one’s fibroblasts.

arch1
September 30, 2014 4:49 am
Reply to  vivian lewis

vivian Wife when asked if she wakes up grumpy replies,,,,no I let him sleep til noon if I can.
Personally I believe in the compensations of nature,,,as wife develops a wrinkle or two husbands eyes are getting weaker so as not to notice.

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quincy adams
Guest
quincy adams
September 25, 2014 3:20 pm

The “Grumpy old men” gallery, of which I’m a proud member, may wish that the tattoos NOT be removed. When I walk into a restaurant and see a lot of painted bodies, I know I need to be eating someplace else. Two of my daughters, both in their 30s, are tatted. They must keep them covered in their workplace or lose their jobs. This they do, as neither has the slightest inclination to have them removed. Not likely that CYNO will have the rush of customers they may be anticipating.

mervr
mervr
September 25, 2014 4:54 pm

Hi Travis; I would like your comments Re: Lifetime Income Report’s article on Box 8 dividends. Thanks

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Jim Skelton
September 27, 2014 11:34 am

Based on my age (66), you’d think I’d be a solid member of the GOM club. But you’d be wrong. I don’t know the statistics (if they exist) but I can tell you from direct experience that there are more men than you’d think – and women, too, for that matter -, in all manner of vocations and professions, that carry tats on various body parts which are exposed only where and when they deem appropriate.
That’s the club I belong to. I have a hand-sized tat on my right upper shoulder which will never, ever be removed. And that is for the same reason that most people get a tat in the first place; the idea or belief or experience it represents has real meaning to them. It signifies some milestone in their lives, some sort of connection to an event or a participation or maybe even a product of sorts that they are committed to. Regret having it is seldom found. You’ll far more often find a sense of pride behind it.
That said, one must also consider the tats out there which were applied by the young and foolish that represent nothing of substance. They are there simply as some sort of “cool” symbol which that misguided kid thought was a good idea at the time. That’s where all those winding snakes, bleeding skulls, Chinese characters, and barbed wire entwined daggers come from. This kind of tat will probably come to be regretted at some point in the future. What bride in a low back wedding dress really wants to have a serpent crawling up out of it, winding over her shoulder, then diving back down into her cleavage? Not many, that’s how many. It was cool on the dance club floor ten or fifteen years before, but not now. A solution is required for most of these folks. Maybe this laser treatment device(s) is the answer. Imagine wedding planning and consulting companies having to add into their employee base a tattoo removal specialist.
All of which I say just to throw out there the idea that there may not be as many people that want a tat removed as we might think. And even then, that can afford the semi-successful treatments. Plus, as someone else has stated here, society is changing its view of what kind of people get tats in the first place, and what it says about them. Like a man with long hair in the 1960’s. I remember clearly laying in front of the family TV the night the Beatles made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. When they came on, my Dad leaned forward in his chair, stared at the screen a couple seconds, then made the only comment he had to make about them. With total disapproval and disdain in his voice, he said “Just LOOK at all that hair!” At which point he went back to reading his newspaper and I began to see the possibilities of my teenage years.
I’ll be having a look at CYNO and ELOS, and CUTR. But not so much for the tat removal aspect, but instead for the wrinkle and body hair situation. EVERYBODY gets wrinkles. Near everybody starts to grow hair in places they never had any before by about age 45 or so. Almost all don’t want them. Anything that can do a pretty good job getting them reduced or eliminated is going to rake in the cash from mostly women, yes, but more men than you might imagine as well.
That’s my play. Remove those wrinkles and unwanted hair. As for the tats, well, just live with what you have done. The stigma is falling away.
PS – remember my Dad from above? The guy who just couldn’t understand a man with hair that touched the top of his collar? Well, guess what? He had a tat on his left chest, a shield of some sort and the words “India-Burma Theater, 1944 -1946”. He served in the Army during WWII and was posted to that theater of war. Nasty business. You think he’d ever have considered having that removed?

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Fernando
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November 11, 2014 7:42 am

thanks for sharing.nice

Eartha Elkins
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Eartha Elkins
August 7, 2016 5:22 pm

This website really has all the information and facts I wanted about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.

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