Product Review: Philips Lumea Precision Plus

I am sure I am not the only female with more body hair than I like…! And we all have our favourite ways of getting rid of this unwanted hair whether it's shaving, depilatory creams, waxing or epilating. Personally I prefer epilating, as I feel I get the same result as waxing, something I have not yet dared try myself, and epilating I can do at home, where and when it suits me.

But although the epilator pulls out the hair by the roots, every 2-3 weeks the hairs keep coming back again, so when I was asked to trial the *Philips Lumea Precision Plus, an at home IPL hair removal system that permanently removes unwanted hair, I happily accepted. Here are my thoughts;

 

 

What they Say:

"Philips Lumea IPL hair removal system works wonders to prevent the reappearance of hair on face as well as body. Gentle pulses of light, applied regularly, keep skin silky-smooth every day".

 

For full information, visit Philips

RRP: $1299 – Available from The Shaver Shop (currently on special for $799)

 

What I Say:

It’s has now been a while since I received the Philips Lumea device, so I have had a good chance to get it to the test. If you have not seen my initial post and thoughts on the Philips Lumea, you can see it here.

The Philips Lumea Device

The actual Philips Lumea Precision Plus looks almost like a hairdryer or a handheld barcode scanner. On the handle you turn it on, and then set the light intensity level according to your skin and hair colour. There are little buttons around the edges that act as a safety switch.

I found the device light and easy to use. A burst of light will not be released unless the applicator is in full contact with your skin and you have to push the trigger. It also has a green ready light on the back of the device which is easy to see and lights up when it is ready to go.

It has five adjustable light energy settings to ensure gentle but effective treatment, across a variety of skin tones and hair colours. Used correctly, Philips Lumea's IPL treatment is safe and gentle to use even on sensitive skin and sensitive body areas.

The device has an integrated UV filter to protect skin from UV light, so no glasses are needed while using it. However, there is a very bright red light that comes with each zap, so my personal advice is still to look away while zapping.

The Philips Lumea Precision Plus comes with two attachments; a large body attachment and a smaller precision attachment which is equipped with an extra integrated light filter and enables a safe and convenient application on the upper lip, chin and sideburns, as well as sensitive areas on the body, such as the underarms, the bikini area and hard-to-reach areas.

I also find that it is a bonus that no replacement parts needed, as it is equipped with a high-performance lamp which does not require replacement. The lamp can generate over 100,000 flashes, which means you can maintain results for more than 5 years.

The unique cordless design means that it is easier to get to difficult to reach areas without having to work around a cord.

It comes very professionally packaged and includes an instruction manual, a cleaning cloth and a travel bag to keep the device safe.

 

 

Suitability

The treatment works best on light skin with dark hair, simply because white reflects light and black absorbs it.
Lumea Precision targets the melanin in the hair, it is not suitable for treatment of light blonde, white, grey or red hair, as the hair simply doesn’t contain sufficient melanin to have any effect. It is also not suitable for those with too dark skin and hair, as the skin and hair may simply absorb too much light and heat that skin reactions may occur.
Consequently it is most suitable for those with light to medium toned skin, and with naturally dark blond through to black hair. Within a few days, the hair will start to fall out and not grow back.
It is also not suitable if you have any skin irritations, diseases, if your skin is sensitive to light, or easily develops a rash or allergic reaction. It is also not suitable for use while pregnant or breast feeding.

 

Treatment

To remove the hairs, the light window is then placed on the surface on your skin and the light is then absorbed by the dark hair and kills the hair off at the root. As hairs are in different stages of growth, and only those in the growing phase are susceptible to the light treatment, for optimal results, the area needs to be treated every two weeks, 4-5 times. And by then, most of the hairs should have fallen out.

I concentrated on treating my underarms and legs and thighs, and found that it took 2 minutes to do both armpits, and around 15-20 minutes to do both my legs and thighs on both legs. And of course the great thing is that you can do it on the couch while watching TV.

Pain

I cannot deny that there will be some pain, and even more so if you are zapping an area with heaps of hair. Generally, the less hair, the less pain it will bring, although treating more sensitive areas will also feel more painful. Treating the legs, I kind of just felt a quick and short warm feeling, while it hurt a little more doing the armpits, probably because the hair there is thicker, and the area is more sensitive too. But all in all, I felt that it is almost like getting waxed, an intense but short sharp pain, which to me was a bearable and also because it only lasts for a second or two.

 

The Risks

The Philips Lumea claims to be very safe for both face and body, but of course skin irritation is concern. After shaving, your skin must be clean and dry, no lotions to be applied. It is also advised not to use any products containing alcohol 24 hours following treatment, as well as avoid sun exposure for 48 hours after the treatment.

 

 

According to the instruction manual, you should start off with the absolute lowest setting suitable for your skin type first, which for me was a 4/5, so I started with 4 being gentler of the two on my legs, just to be safe!

It didn’t hurt but just felt quite warm on my skin, and following the treatment, I did not have any redness or issues.

Disadvantages

Using the Philips Lumea Precision Plus does take both patience and commitment. You have to keep up the treatments from the start, or you will be back square one. And if you have large areas of hair you wish to remove it does take quite some time, which does get a little boring in the end (hence why I have used it in front of the TV!)

The device does have some weight to it, weighing 550gms, so after a while the hand does get a little tired from the weight, as well as from repeatedly squeezing the button at awkward angles trying to reach all areas.

Verdict

I did find that not all hair shed immediately or 100%, so patience is definitely required. I did learn that exfoliating the skin a few days after the treatment helped and encouraged the hair to shed faster.

I started to see the hair shed around the 2nd week of first application, and after 4 sessions on the same areas I estimate that the hair had reduced by about 70%, and after the 5 sessions around 80%. Some hairs haven't grown back but there are still more than I would have thought – but all in all, I definitely have less hairs than when I started out, which is definitely a great bonus.

But as with all laser/light treatment it is recommended to continue with the treatments to prevent hair regrowth. You may be hair-free now, but as there is a chance of the hair growing back eventually, spot treatment can easily be done to maintain results.

Retailing at $1299.95, the Philips Lumea Precision Plus is not exactly cheap, but when you realise that a single IPL treatment at a salon can be around $350, and you also need to have numerous treatments there, you will very quickly save yourself some money by purchasing your own device.

Obviously this will always be a more expensive hair removal system than say a shaver and shaving cream – but that is also completely different ball game, where you will continue having to shave your legs ever few days. And as I have noticed that I considerably less hairs, and as I assume that with a few more treatments, I will have next to no hairs growing back, and hereafter only need follow up treatment now and again, the Philips Lumea Precision Plus is definitely an effective device, which will save me a lot of time not having to remove hair in the future!

*This product was kindly provided for consideration, and it has been reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

What do you think of IPL hair removal? Would you consider doing it at home? What’s your preferred way of removing hair?