Philips Lumea IPL Hair Removal System

For those of you who don’t know, Philips Lumea is a hand-held hair removal system (for legs, underarms and bikini line/area), which applies pulses of light to the hair root to inhibit regrowth - have a look at the Philips' promotional advert:



For me, hair-free legs are a must. Unfortunately though, I’ve been finding waxing is playing havoc with my skin and I’m too lazy to shave. So a type of laser hair removal seemed like the only option. I looked into having professional laser hair removal, by the cost for legs, underarms and bikini area was way too much: laser treatments/IPL are normally between £40 and £80 per session (e.g. Renew Media and Knightsbridge Laser Clinic).

I first saw the Lumea advertised in a magazine, and after some online investigative work I became convinced it was the answer to all my problems! I decided to purchase the Lumea (currently selling for £389.99 on Amazon). I’ve being using the device for nearly a month now, and so far I am very impressed…

Lumea in Use

The device itself looks like a mini hairdryer, it’s comfortable to hold and feels robust and well-made. It’s also cordless, and the instructions say that the battery lasts for a minimum of 150 flashes when fully charged. I find I can’t do both legs in one session, I have to have a break and recharge the battery for a bit which is a little bit annoying (and you can’t use it when it’s connected to the mains and charging).

Before use you must check to see what strength setting to use – i.e. those with the biggest contrast between their hair colour and colour of their skin can use higher settings (3 to 5), such as those who have dark brown hair and beige/white skin. Lumea is not suitable for those with black skin, and it does not work on red or light blonde hairs.

To prepare your skin, you have to shave the areas you plan on treating, and make sure they remain free of any products. To use, you place the Lumea directly onto your skin at a 90° angle, and when you’re holding it in the correct position, the ‘Ready’ light will turn green. Once this light is on, you can press the trigger, which will release a flash.

Your repeat this process all over your legs/underarms/bikini area, making sure the laser overlaps slightly to ensure all areas of your skin are treated.

The instructions suggest that underarms take 4 minutes, one leg 30 hour, and the bikini area 8 minutes. However, I have found that it takes me much less time – approx 15 minutes a leg, 3 minutes for the entire bikini area, and 1 minute for both underarms.

Does is hurt? Not really: You do feel the flash, but only when you have it on the higher settings, and it’s more ‘uncomfortable’ than painful. It feels like being flicked with an elastic band, a kind of sharp warm feeling. But it’s absolutely nothing compared to the discomfort of waxing!

The user guide says to the user Lumea one every two weeks for the first two months, by this time, your skin should be hair-free. To ensure skin remains smooth, you should repeat the treatment on underarms and bikini area once every two weeks, and once every four weeks on legs. However, you should adjust the length between treatments depending on your own personal hair regrowth rate – so potentially you might be able to get away doing it less frequently.



The Results

Even after the first use I noticed a difference. Firstly, I think perhaps some patches of hair took longer to grow back than they normally would, and secondly, some patches did not grow back at all before it was time for my next treatment.

It’s now been almost a week since I used Lumea for the second time, and I’ve had even better results. The hair on my legs is taking ages to grow back!

Disadvantages

•  The Lumea does not result in permanent hair removal – treatment has to be repeated
•  It only works on darker hairs (i.e. not light blonde ones) and isn't suitable for all skin colours
•  Minor discomfort (but barely any)
•  Can’t use when connected to mains

The advantages completely outweigh any disadvantages, in my opinion! If hair removal is the bane of your life, smooth legs are a necessity, and your skin is sensitive to waxing, shaving, and depilatory creams then I cannot recommend Lumea enough.

P.S. I chose Lumea above other similar devices because Philips is such a reputable brand, and the product had amazing reviews. However if your thinking of purchasing it, it’s probably worth looking at other (cheaper) hair removal systems including Boots' Smooth Skin Intense Pulsed Light Hair Reduction System.