New product trial - Philips Lumea IPL device

This week, I begin my sessions with the Philips Lumea, a hair-removal device which uses IPL technology. I have been intrigued by the idea of IPL since Boots released their Smooth Skin machine last year, and I'm quite excited to be trying this out.

IPL stands for "Intense Pulsed Light". It's a progression from traditional laser hair removal, and it started out in salons. Basically the little "window" in the head of the device shoots out a burst of incredibly bright light which is absorbed by the dark hair shaft. It is transmitted to the root of the hair which is then frazzled out of operation. The treatment needs to be repeated because hair follicles have different phases of growth and dormancy, so you need periodical re-treatment to catch them all.

IPL is now coming to the home-use market via brands like Tria, Philips, Boots and Remington, all of who offer a hand-held unit costing roughly £300 - £400. The Lumea retails at £399.99.

Because of the way IPL works, the method is restricted to those with a good contrast in tone between hair and skin - if you have black hair and pale skin you're ideal, but it's not any use for most black and Asian skintones or those with pale blond, red or grey hair. A frustrating limitation to an otherwise amazing-sounding method.


Unlike Boots' version which proffers "permanent hair reduction", Lumea provides no claim of permanent absence of hair. Instead the marketing blurb says that you can use it every 2 to 4 weeks and stay entirely hair free in perpetuity without any regrowth, ingrown hairs, shaving rashes or painful/expensive salon visits. Interesting contrast - I'm not sure whether it reflects a difference in the way the two machines work, or whether it's just two marketing gambits, but in either case, the prospect is exciting - a single payout for permanent, easy to maintain results.

I'll be attending 4 sessions over the next couple of months as part of Lumea's "spa sessions", which I think are restricted to reviewers (although there was a competition run in Glamour magazine to win places on the trial too). I'll be posting as I go to give you the detail of the experience and the results.

If there's anything you want to know or any questions I can ask about this unit on your behalf, please let me know in the comments.