I think hair removal is definitely one of those topics that isn’t talked about enough on blogs… which is funny because most females I know participate in hair removal in some shape or form. Over my teens and early twenties, I’ve tried so many different ways to get rid of unwanted body hair. This includes shaving (all the bloody time), hair removal creams (smelly), waxing (an expensive hobbie) and epilating (ouch!). Laser hair removal is something I’ve always thought about trying and have looked into having it done professionally or at home a few times so when I got the opportunity to try an at home IPL I couldn’t wait to get started.
I’ve been trying out the Philips Lumea Precision Plan IPL Hair Removal System * (£400 from Debenhams) for four weeks now and have used it twice (once every two weeks as recommended in the instructions). I’ve been trying two areas of my body with the IPL, my lower legs and my underarms and have been really impressed with the results so far so I thought I’d write a quick first impressions post about it as I know so many people are interested in it.
Firstly I love the design of the ‘laser gun’ as I call it. It’s sleek and comes with a carry case to protect it when it’s not being used. It’s comfortable to hold and is easy to maneover around all areas of the body and as long as the safety ring on the light is pressed fully against the area you want to zap, it can be used from all angles.
Before you begin treatment, you must first shave the area which you are treating (in my case my lower legs and underarms). Then the product works by applying light pulses to the hair and its root, just underneath the skin. This causes the hair to shed naturally from the skin and prevent it from regrowing. The light pulse intensity chart makes it really easy to match up your skin tone to the intensity setting that will work best for your body and skin tone. It also comes with a separate attachment for more sensitive body areas such as the face, bikini line and your underarm area.
Each lower leg takes about 10 minutes each although I was quicker the second time than the first. Doing my underarms are super quick. Each one takes about 12 blasts in total and a few minutes do do both arms. You just move the gun up and down the leg making sure you cover the entire surface area. I surprised myself with how quickly I picked up a technique for this.
So the results – even after one treatment I was flabbergasted. Normally when I shave my legs I get that bumpy ‘I know I’m getting regrowth’ feeling the next day. After using the IPL on the first occasion, it took 48 hours to get that feeling. After the second treatment my legs were super smooth for 72 hours before ‘the bumps!’ I’ve also noticed that the hair is finer and shorter which is clearly a direct result of the light treatment. The same thing has happened with my underarms and I’m also noting how much smoother the skin feels and I’m not getting any in growing hairs which is a bonus.
I’ll be following the instructions and trying the Lumea every two weeks for at least eight weeks so make sure you check back for the final review and my YouTube video
Have you tried at home IPL? How did you get on with it?
