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.
dissapointed that I wont be able to use it as I am asian.
ReplyDeletehiya
ReplyDeletewould you know whether you can use it on arms ?
thanks
It says it's for areas below the neck (excepting mucuous membranes) so yes, I think arms would be OK.
ReplyDeleteaccording to the leaflet (pdf) on Boots.com it IS suitable for asians. Can you clarify? http://www.boots.com/en/Philips-Lumea-IPL-Hair-Removal-System-SC2001_1040221/
ReplyDeletehttp://www.boots.com/wcsstore/cmsassets/Boots/Content/Products/Elec%20Hair%20Removal%20-%20CAT:%20A00000266/10100987.P/Lumea%20PDF.pdf
ReplyDeletethis is the link to the table
on Boots.com. Would like to know as Im also Asian and really want a home laser removal system!!
Can't wait to hear if you are 'hair-free' - am seriously thinking about getting one of these - saving up my pennies as I type! £400 sounds a lot of money, but I must have spent a fortune already, when I add up everything I have ever spent on shaving, waxing, creams, etc. I'm hoping that your review is positive!!!
ReplyDeleteRe. Asian skintones - the chart doesn't specifically limit by racial background, it's just a case of how light your individual skin is according to the chart. As always though, colours vary by monitor.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to the full user manual - http://download.p4c.philips.com/files/s/sc2001_00/sc2001_00_dfu_eng.pdf
Hope this helps!
Hello,
ReplyDeleteAny news on how its going?
Hi Sara,
ReplyDeleteI'll be doing a mid-point post just before session 3 (next Tuesday) but in the meantime I can tell you that my armpits have some bald patches!
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI am thinking about investing in a home IPL system, but am confused between the boots one and Lumea!
Lumea has a longer life span and no hassle of creams or bulb replacements while the boots one claims to give permanent results?
Which one would you personally recommend?
@Udita I think you basically summed it up there. The Lumea is certainly less hassle, but the Boots one seems to be more powerful and does offer a permanent result (although it should be noted that the result is a "reduction" in hair not a full removal). So it depends what you want in terms of permanence, and whether you are prepared to put up with a little extra inconvenience to get it.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, both processes are time consuming, especially on the legs.
my daughter has been having really bad problems with hairs on her legs, she has really tough hairs and has to sit in the bath to have her pours fully open before she can shave and has to always use a shaving gel. When she shaves she is in so much pain with the hairs pointing through the skin and her skin where the hair is usually becomes inflamed and really sore. She has got that way now she is constantly in tears as she can't wear dresses etc and when she wears leggins or tights they rub on the sore skin so she is really upset about it. Do you think one of these products would help her? and do you know of any trials she could take part in as I think she would be a great candidate, but she lives in the north west as a teacher so therefore would not be able to travel to london?
ReplyDeleteHi. Would you be able to ask/advise what the life expectancy of the Lumea is? From what I read so far it does not seem needing bulb replacement, is this correct? Can we expect good quality of energy/light from the same bulb for years?
ReplyDeleteAlso, do you know why it is not suitable for the face? IPL available from salons covers facial hair too.
Thank you.
I am a redhead,but the hairs on my arms and bikini line are quite dark,any chance this could work for me?
ReplyDeleteI'd like to make 3 points regarding the Lumea in hope to help others out there.
ReplyDeleteI have had experience with IPL treatments at proffessional salon, have spent countless hours on the internet reading all available info and was among the very first ones to buy the Lumea as soon as it became available.
1) The Lumea is simply an electronic razor! That's all. It does what it promises BUT it has to keep being used otherwise the hair comes back. Reccomended only for very small areas (such as underarms) which can easily be treated often. Expect NO PERMANENT removal with the Lumea!!
2) The argument of using the Lumea (or most home-use IPL devices) in order to save money compared with treatments at professional salons - is NOT a valid one. The salon treatments are permanent-like ones!!! which is not the case with the Lumea. (Again, if you have the time to be zapping small areas every two weeks for ever, then the Lumea could serve the purpose. But keep in mind that the only thing common between Lumea and salon treatments is the name "IPL" which is very different in strength and results).
3) The biggest breakthrough since IPL -good news- is a spray called Lipoxôme making it possible to treat white, grey, red, blond hair. Meaning that the customer data base expends drastically for these devices which hopefully will result in development of new IPL devices as well as making treatments at salons less expensive.
I haven't used Lipoxôme, has someone else used it who can provide us with feedback?
Good luck with the "hair problems".
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI've deleted two comments here which were posted to advertise another IPL solution. We don't allow advertising via comments on the London Beauty Review.
ReplyDeleteOh man now im even more confused!! I thought Lumea WAS suitable for Asian skin? The leaflet does not exclude Asian skin tones but Boots IPL system specificially says not suitable for Asian skin; the factt that Lumea doesnt expressly exclude made me think it was suitable-- i need a definite answer!
ReplyDeleteAlso Lumea is NOT permanent?? The user above said you use it like an electronic razor- use every two weeks but EVENTUALLY like years down the line its permanent isnt it?? Please clarify for us Gemma!
i'm asian with a mid brown skin colour and i have to say it seems to be working. i've only done one session on my lower legs and one session on my arms (at intensity 3)- it's more than two weeks later and there's bearly any hair there on both. so far so good.
DeleteLumea is suitable for certain skin tones but the directions don't explicitly exclude certain races. Some Asian people with lighter skin may be OK. It will depend case by case.
ReplyDeleteLumea is not permanent - it keeps skin hair free but only for as long as you are using it. There may be some long term permanent reduction but Philips do not guarantee this, it's just something that some long term users have observed.
Hi, its been a couple of months now since you wrote this so I was wondering what your thoughts are now that you have presumably attended several sessions?? I am on the verge of buying the lumea but its not been out very long and there are no conclusive reviews! I want be be as sure as possible before I part with such a large sum of money!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
The telegraph's review stated in the opening paragraph that "This miracle treatment not only removes hair but, with regular use, significantly reduces hair growth until it disappears completely."
ReplyDeleteA few people have said that you have to keep using it indefinately, is this the case?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/lifestyle/lighthairremoval/7634096/Philips-Lumea-review-Jane-Cunningham-Beauty-Blogger-Hair-removal.html
Re. Update - I have posted several times about Lumea since this post - you can find the posts using the tag cloud on the left (Click "philips lumea"
ReplyDeleteRe. Telegraph - to the best of my knowledge Lumea is non-permanent. However Jane may have some information that I don't. It could be that further research has been done allowing Philips to make this claim. I have emailed the PR for Lumea to find out the score.
HI, can you continue to wax etc - whilst using this device?
ReplyDeleteno you have to trim the hair.. and then zap them
DeleteIs it ok to use on the upper lip? Thanks - all the comments are really helpful
ReplyDeleteyes you can use it on the upper lip
DeleteNo, you can't wax - the root of the hair needs to be present as this is what the light is attracted to.
ReplyDeleteLumea is not currently safety tested for use on the face as far as I know.
Re. Telegraph article - I have obtained clarification from the PR for Philips. She says:
ReplyDelete"The Lumea does not offer permanent hair removal in the sense that there reaches a period when you never have to use it again. If you use the Lumea every 2 weeks on an ongoing basis you could say that the Lumea does offer permanent hair removal as your hair follicles would be in a permanent resting phase and therefore your hair would never grow back. However if you stop using the Lumea, after time the hair will start growing back again – but this is the same with Salon treatments, nothing can ever really claim to be permanent permanent.
The Lumea does thin the hair growth over time if you continue to keep up your treatments and the length of time that it takes for hair to grow back gets longer and longer with increased use."
I hope that clears things up.
Can you use it on pubic hairs?? like down there??
ReplyDeleteYou can use it on your outer bits - but not any bits that are, err, slippery, or more accurately, not on the mucous membrane.
ReplyDeleteDoes the hair just fall off?
ReplyDeleteAs with most IPL devices you have to shave beforehand, and usage of the device affects the regrowth of hair.
ReplyDeleteHi- can u use this one or ipulse one if u have thread veins on ur legs?? Which one would u recommend?? Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi, usually with lazer treatments you are not allowed to expose your skin to medium - high amount of sunlight as it may cause pigmentation (about 6 weeks before and after) is this the case with this device?
ReplyDeleteThanks
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any idea whether the Boots or Philips hair removal device would do any harm to tattoos?
ReplyDelete@Anon1: Not sure about thread veins. I will ask a PR for you!
ReplyDelete@Anon2: AFAIK you cannot tan or sunbathe before or immediately after using IPL devices, as your skin will be more sensitive to the sun.
@Jana: Unfortunately you can't use the Smooth Skin on tattoos - I'd imagine it's the same for the Lumea.
i just had my second session with Lumea (legs and undearms) and so far i have seen no results. My hair is black and i my skin tonne is light brown, so it should work. Will keep posting how it goes over the next sessions.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletecan you use it on your neck
ReplyDeletehas anyone tried it on their face? I know it says its not recommended for the face, but i'm curious to know if anyone has tried it anyway!
ReplyDeletethanks
If it's not recommended for use on the face, I wouldn't use it on the fact - not least because any adverse reactions are going to be very visible!
ReplyDeleteThe Boots Smooth Skin is OK for the face - my Mum's been using it on her chin, and I will write an update about it soon.
i have used the lumea and i can see results and its only the first session, so ill see how it going to go.
ReplyDeletedo you have nay news on whether it has any effect on thread veins please
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI have problem with the hair on my neck, so can i use on neck? And can i use it on my breasts - around nipples?
yes you can use it on you neck I am unsure if you can use it around the nipples :(
Deleteok well i was going out to buy one of these products, as i get loads of blonde hairs growing on my face, i'm 44 and have notice a huge difference in growth since i started on hrt back when i was 31yrs. so i was hoping these might help with it. but now i guess i'll just have to stick with trimming every other day with scissors unless somebody has a better idea????
ReplyDelete@Anon1: Not heard any news about the effect on thread veins I'm afraid. Might be worth going to the Lumea facebook page and asking there?
ReplyDelete@Anon2: It's suitable below the neck aside from mucous membranes, so that sounds like it should be OK for the breast area - just do a careful patch test first.
@Anon3: The Boots Smooth Skin is suitable for the face and my Mum has had a lot of success with it there:
http://www.londonbeautyreview.com/2010/09/mum-review-using-boots-smooth-skin-ipl.html
has there been a difference in hair growth since using this please? how long have you been using it? and how often do you need to redo it?
ReplyDeletethanks
I have been using this and initially you have to use it after 2 weeks and when the hair stops growing back you can increase the time interval between treatments I have had this machine for 6 months now and am so pleased with the results I use it on legs, upper lip area ... amazing results :)
DeleteI have unwanted hair from my belly button downwards and it is dark hair, I have been to salons and had 6 treatments so far and the hair has become thinner but not permanantely gone.
ReplyDeleteI want to buy the Lumea but I see positive and negative feedback?
£400 is a lot of money, how often do you need to use it and has anyone seen results?
Please help.
Thanks.
i haven't tried it there. i bought mine from ebay for £170. it was unused and totally new.
Deletei works for me and i'm pretty sure it would work on the stomach.
it's suitable for use anywhere below the neck.
you use it ever two weeks and the hair reduces considerably after every session - especially on the legs.
hope that helps.
it will help you should defiantly buy it I had thick course hair and now they hardly grown back and if they do they are soo fine they are unnoticeable... works a treat and im soo happy :)
DeleteI'm intersted in buying a lumea as I was hoping it would save time shaving etc, but was concerned about the comment claiming that it is just like a time consuming electronic razor. how long on average does the lumea take to use on ,say, one whole leg? also can anyone using it advise on whether after the initial four to five treatments, skin stays completely hair free between two week intervals???
ReplyDeletethanks.
How often can the philips lumea be used?
ReplyDeleteThese are really expensive in Australia but really, good. I bought mine from www.philips-lumea.com and it was here in less than a week. I am so happy I am smooth and hair free now.
ReplyDeletedon you mean philips-lumea.com
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteAs Lumea sc 2002 has launched, would you please tell me what is the difference between 2001 and 2002 that makes the 2002 useful for face as well as the other areas? (except its physical shape)
Hey,
ReplyDeleteI am really interested in buying this product, but as other have mentioned £400 is alot of money. Has anyone seen any drastic changes? If so, what hair colour/skin tone are you of? Also, most importantly, how long does the Lumea take to use say per one whole leg? Thanks guys
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI'm medium toned of Indian ethnicity and recently purchased the Philips Lumea. So far I have had really good results!
I was very hesistant to buy it but decided to go ahead and cant wait to continue using it.
I'm going to be doing reviews on my blog if any ine is interested in seeing how it pans out.
Thanks,
Mo
http://teenytinymo.blogspot.com/2011/09/hair-away-with-you-philips-lumea-review.html
They key to the telegraph review is the word sponsored in the link. Don't think it's impartial for a minute.
ReplyDeleteHi i wanted ot ask a question i just brought the IPL when you on it does the fan make a slight noise?
ReplyDeleteI've just bought the Lumea precision and have used it on my chin. I've never shaved my chin before but had to prior to using the IPL - as the the hair will grow back before the next time I am able to use it does anyone know if you can shave in between the fortnightly use.
ReplyDeleteI used it on my legs so far. Works perfectly
ReplyDeletedidnt use it for a month still no hair!!
But is it ok to use it on the lady parts? I mean all over. Is it going to affect anything inside. The idea of it being concentrated light scares me.
I'd be a bit cautious - maybe ring Philips and ask?
Delete