I've never heard of these things until someone mentioned it on another thread. They are supposed to (eventually) give you permanent/semi-permanent smoothness by using light technology. I seem to be a good candidate for it because I have fair skin and dark hair. They are pretty pricey but I've seen some that are less than £200 but I don't know if the brand/price matters much.
Does anyone have one of these devices? If so, what are they like? Do they work? Are they safe? Can you use them on your intimate area and give yourself a Hollywood or Brazillian? What model would you reccommend? Are they worth the money?
My ex had one and it worked but its been a while so u fortunately I don’t remeber the brand. But they do work very well. Go with a with a brand you know.
I have a boots ipl machine. I don't use it as much as I should, but my hair definitely grows slower and its softer. Its also great when I get an ingrown hair. I only use it on my pubic area. A new years resolution is going to be to use it much much more. It would be nice not to shave but still be totally smooth. Depending on how you've removed hair previously you might need to let it grow first. You can only shave when you use ipl machines as they target the root. Things like waxing pulls out the root. I'm not entirely sure if they're 100% safe,but given its just light that is used, I'm fairly sure I'll be ok. Don't over use it, because it will burn your skin. No more than every 2 or 3 days, although they say only once a week.
I have a boots ipl machine. I don't use it as much as I should, but my hair definitely grows slower and its softer. Its also great when I get an ingrown hair. I only use it on my pubic area. A new years resolution is going to be to use it much much more. It would be nice not to shave but still be totally smooth. Depending on how you've removed hair previously you might need to let it grow first. You can only shave when you use ipl machines as they target the root. Things like waxing pulls out the root. I'm not entirely sure if they're 100% safe,but given its just light that is used, I'm fairly sure I'll be ok. Don't over use it, because it will burn your skin. No more than every 2 or 3 days, although they say only once a week.
Thanks for your input. Yes, I understand that you have to be consistent with them otherwise they won't be as effective. I intend to use it on my legs and eventually on my pubic area. I keep doing a bit more research to see which one I want.
I've had one (not from a known brand) and it did nothing for me. The hair didn't even fall off and I didn't notice any change in softness etc. It might just not be of qood quality though, so don't let my experience deter you from getting one.
I've had one (not from a known brand) and it did nothing for me. The hair didn't even fall off and I didn't notice any change in softness etc. It might just not be of qood quality though, so don't let my experience deter you from getting one.
Thanks. Some people say they work wonders and others say they don't work at all. I'm not sure if it's the machine or it just doesn't agree with you or something? Anyway, I've just ordered a SmoothSkin one that was in a clearance sale which put it within my budget. It has lots of reviews so fingers crossed.
UPDATE: I bought a SmoothSkin IPL machine over a month ago and have done my 5th weekly treatment today. To answer my own question on this thread: Yes, it’s definitely doing something. Less hair is growing back each week but there are some patches that I’ve missed (my fault). Hmm…it didn’t mention on the instructions if I could shave in-between uses or not so I’ve just been leaving my leg hair alone until it’s time for my weekly treatment. I don’t mind doing this and it lets me see the progress and any parts that I missed.
It doesn’t hurt most of the time but now and again I’ll get a hot sting on the more stubborn areas. It takes me about 10 minutes to do each leg which isn’t too bad. The light is VERY bright so you have to take care with where you look when you press the button.
So far I’m pretty impressed. You’re supposed to use it for 12 weeks and then top it up whenever after that. I’m going to do another update at week 8 and week 12. I think this could be helpful to others that didn’t know about these things (like I was). I’ll be interested to see the final results but until then, I’ll just keep zapping.
I'm really glad you posted an update on this because I hadn't seen this thread before! I usually only go back about 5 pages or so and went quite some time without being on here at all.
I have been very curious about this form of hair removal 1) because I suffer from PCOS which causes me to have excess hair in unwanted areas. 2) because I have a constant battle with either having pubic hair or razor rash. I can't wax it because I had some kind of reaction, I have an epilator but I'm not brave enough to epilate down there!!
I don't know if I'm exactly suitable for it though, I have very fair skin and sort of mousey brown/blonde hair. How it's worked for you sounds fantastic! I'm going to look this brand up and see if it mentions light brown-dark blonde hair!
I would strongly recommend reading the instructions, the ones I've seen have said to shave before using it. They work by using light to heat up the hair enough to stop the growth by not enough to damage the skin. This is why it's best on darker hair and lighter skin. Shaving means the light isn't heating up hair that's not in the area where growth occurs but check the box for what they say.
One option if you're unsure about your skin/hair type would be to book a professional appraisal, often at places that offer laser hair removal, to see if they think it's reasonable. If you have light hair it may be unsuitable.
Note that laser hair removal, and I believe IPL, are marketed as hair reduction and not removal because the only method to actually remove the hair is to destroy the follicle. This can be done using electrolysis but it's more expensive, slower and cannot be done at home.
@Cinderella69 The one I have says "it's not recommended for those with blonde, grey, white or red hair". So I guess it would depend on how "blonde" the hair is?
My one has these two sensors on the side that will automatically adjust the power of the light depending on the skin/hair it is on. So if it senses dark hair and light skin, it will go to full power. If it senses darker skin or lighter hair it will go on a more gentle power. I don't think this can be adjusted and is there for health and safetly reasons but it does come with a gentle mode if full power is too much for you.
The instructions say that you can use it on your bikini area but not on your genitals because the skin is different there so it depends what you want.
Epilators are EVIL! lol. I tried it once or twice on my leg and got rid of it. Would I heck put that anywhere near my bits.
@bunual Yes, you must always read the instructions (my one was like a full book!)
You definitely still have to shave beforehand so the light can target the root or it will just burn the top of the hair which won't be effective. And you can't pluck/wax the hairs, they must be shaven. So if you hate shaving you will still need to do it.
I am looking into buying an IPL machine so this thread is really useful! I’m so fed up with shaving and finding the time to go for a wax. Does your IPL say it’s suitable for pubic hair? I’d like to buy one someone has recommended :)
I am looking into buying an IPL machine so this thread is really useful! I’m so fed up with shaving and finding the time to go for a wax. Does your IPL say it’s suitable for pubic hair? I’d like to buy one someone has recommended :)
Yes, it says it can used on your bikini area but not on the actual genitals, anus or any "mucus membrane". The machine I have is quite big and clunky so I think it would be tricky to use down there.
Ok, I completed my 9th weekly treatment a few days ago. I'm still not shaving in between the weekly treatments so I can measure the progress. I'm just going to put what I've noticed into points so they are easier to read.
1. The smoothness is definitely lasting the whole week and now when I come to shaving there's nothing really there to shave. I still do it anyway to follow my schedule and to get any sneaky hairs.
2. It's tricky to use the light in certain places on my leg because it must be laid flat. I have the most trouble with the bony areas like the ankle, shin and knee. I've started using it vertical rather than horizontal and I think it gets more that way, especially around the shin area. This takes a bit longer than the old way, too.
3. I'm not seeing much in the way of "black dots" where the root can be seen through the skin. Yay! There's still some there but I'm pleased so far.
4. Haven't had any trouble with in-grown hairs.
5. For some reason, it hurts a little more than it did in previous uses. Maybe it's to do with the lack of hair now? I don't know...
I'm really happy so far. It's a slow progress but the results are impressive and it will be interesting to see the "final" results in a few weeks. Zap Zap!
I'm currently do IPL at home. The device I use suggests I do 5 initial treatments 2 weeks apart, then treatments every 4 weeks after that. So far I've done 5 treatments on my backside and underarms and am now starting treatments in the genital area.
So far the reduction after 5 treatments is very noticeable, I'd say about 70% gone, though I've found that treating my downstairs requires me to numb the area first, as it's too painful to do otherwise. I don't know how many treatments it'll take to get it permanently smooth; some people who reviewed the product I use said they had very stubborn hair that required 12 treatments, but doing one's downstairs area involves treating hormonally-driven hair, so it might take more than 12.
If I've finished treating these areas and moved on to doing my legs in a year from now I'd be happy.
@ that light bulb moment - I have heard that some machines have a different schedule that others. Mine is simply once a week and every 4 weeks/as needed after that.
I have also started on my downstairs since a few days ago. I have only done it one time so far but it did hurt way more that my legs. I'm not sure if it's because the hairs are thick or because it's just a sensitive area in general. Either way- ow! I'd still choose it over waxing, though. I'm going to keep updating every few weeks to measure the progress. Good luck with the rest of your treatments.
HunnyMonster29 I’m intrigued as to the regrowth with the downstairs so please do keep us updated! I want something more sustainable than waxing (£££!) and I’m not too bothered if it hurts as long as it works 🤣
P.S do you do all of the downstairs or just the bikini line? I’m sure either we spoke or someone else and it was mentioned it was unsuitable for certain parts down there?
@ Delightful87 - Don't worry. I like being the guinea pig, lol.
I'm trying to do "everything" I can reach without being too invasive, if that makes sense. My IPL machine has a safety feature on it so it won't zap unless it senses the right skin/hair underneath it making it very tricky. I'll keep trying it though to see what happens.
@HunnyMonther29 Thanks! Yeah they do seem to have different treatment schedules; based on the cycle of hair growth, after 5 treatments each follicle should have been done, and after that regrowth takes longer, so it makes sense to do monthly treatments after that.
@Delightful87 It's suitable for all normal 'skin' down there, so not membrane-type tissue, ie you can't treat the labia minora (why would you? hair doesn't grow there thank goodness!), also you can't treat directly on the perineum or anus, although you can treat right up next to it (and I mean RIGHT next to it - I'm doing that with no adverse effects)
I am appalled though to discover 2 hairs are growing out of my clitoral hood! - with that skin being the thin membrane type I can't do laser there though I can and will be zapping those with electrolysis.
Also a point worth noting about IPL, it's not safe for eyebrows, as that would mean it flashing too near the eye which can do optical damage. Electrolysis is suitable though.