Philips SC1981/00 Lumea Compact IPL Hair Removal System for Face and Body

I bought my Lumea 1.5 years ago, and for me, it's been an absolutely fantastic, I only wish I had earlier! I have near-black hair, and mediterranean/asian skin, so I only use it on the level 4 setting as advised, instead of the highest level 5. In some areas I'm 90% hair free, in others about 50%, but this fluctuates depending on when I last did a treatment and what stage of growth the hair is in. Pictures included show my legs and armpits as they are currently - this is 6 days after shaving, and about a month after my latest Lumea treatment. I still shave to take care of the few hairs that are left behind, but I don't do this as often, and my skin looks and feels wayyy smoother than it would through shaving alone. Positives + painless to use + actually hair-free skin + results that last a long time, longer than waxing Negatives - each treatment takes significant time to do thoroughly, about twice as long as the product claims: it takes me 60-90 minutes to do both legs - from reading the other reviews, it sounds like it doesn't reliably work for everybody When I first got it, I followed the instructions of doing fortnightly sessions for 16 weeks. After that I noticed diminished hair growth but not really gone. Following the instructions I switched to once a month for a while. After three or four months of that I didn't have much regrowth, not enough to make it feel worthwhile doing as often, so I switched down to whenever it seems necessary, which is currently about once every 4 months. I love it. I've always had problems with other hair removal methods: * shaving with a razor gives me razor-burn (irritated red and bumpy skin) * waxing always gives me ingrown hairs and doesn't last long enough to feel worth the effort * epitalor was incredibly painful and no better results than waxing * laser hair removal, I tried a tester session and I found it so painful I couldn't bear it (my pain tolerance is quite low). Before the Lumea I was just using an electric shaver, which is quick and easy and doesn't have any negative side effects, but doesn't leave skin super smooth, and of course regrowth is pretty quick. I still use my shaver before Lumea treatments, and in between to take care of the remaining hairs. When so much of your body hair is gone, the few that are left aren't actually that noticeable. I have had different amounts of success on different parts of my body. * legs and bikini line are the best, about 90% hair-free for the months in between regrowth * belly/chest, upper lip are pretty good, mostly hair free but I treat these areas fairly often still because I want to keep them 100%, luckily this doesn't take too long because it's only a few small areas * armpits haven't really worked at all for me, maybe 50% less hair but still quite a bit remaining. I don't know if this is because the concave shape of the armpit means it's hard to get close contact with the Lumea, even though I try to make it flat. Update: I've been doing my armpits more frequently recently and it's down to about 40% hair remaining. If my Lumea broke or I lost it, I would definitely buy another one - but I would probably upgrade to a bigger model. I chose this one initially because it was cheaper and more lightweight. The lightness does make it easier to use, but I think I'd prefer to trade that now for the bigger window on the larger models which would make treatments a quicker.

Ok.... so I'm not totally hair free but what I can say for my hair colour which is dark brown and skin type which is quite pale, the hair growth is much slower, thinner, patchy and softer/less stubbly. I can go for much longer between shaves which has left my skin softer/less dry. I have less of a shadow on my underarms. It's simple and pain free to use. The are 2 downsides for me: 1. the time and boredom of doing my legs, although I will be reducing the frequency of treatments now due to the already good effects 2. the power lead's not quite long enough (I need an extension lead to be able to position myself in good light for my legs and by a mirror for everywhere else). I've used it for 4 months now and it was perfect for the build up to a holiday. The price of this compact was great to test out the effect that this treatment has on my skin. I will definitely keep using this.

Quite simply, a waste of money. This product doesn't even work on strong dark hairs on the highest setting. Go to a salon instead, where you know it is going to remove hair. I have been having salon laser hair removal for a number of years, it works great, completely removes hairs permanently. I bought this as a top up In Between sessions, but wish I hadn't bothered. It's not cheap, but the laser light is not strong enough to do anything. Probably for safety reasons, so what's the point?

I've been using this for over 8 weeks now, only on one arm and leg so that I can easily compare any changes and there isn't any difference at all so far. I'm very pale with dark hair so I don't know why it isn't working for me. It's easy to use and doesn't hurt at all. I use it on the highest setting and it just feels a bit warm for a second. I'm giving it two stars for now. I'm going to continue using it for a little longer and I hope it will suddenly start working but I doubt it. So far it's looking like a big waste of money.

Device is light and easy to use. It works well on small areas and hair has been taking longer to grow than nomal. I used to do IPL in beauty salons for a couple of years and I have saved a fortune since i bought this device. Overall the long term results are a little bit dissappointing. I have been using it for over 10 months and still have hair especially on the bikini area where i should be seeing the fastest results ( because of the colour contrast of black hair on white skin). I hope that in the next months i see more rigid results but so far it does not look like the hair will dissappear completely. On the upside it hurts a lot less than in the beauty salon and prefer to do it at my own time even if it means taking more time to get the results (hoping the lamp lasts another six months).

One of my best purchases! Was not sure at the beginning, but I started to see results just after the first uses! Regrow incredibly reduced, it works on me! My lumea stopped to work after a month but it was immediately replaced by the excellent customer service of Phillips! Contacted them on a Sunday and got immediately reply; the item was replaced in a week! Still using it, I love it! To do all legs it is a bit long but definitely it is worth! I use it for legs, bikini area, face, neck and arms. It is great!

Used twice ( you only need to use it every other week) and hair growth has definitely slowed already, I'm very impressed. I've only used it on my legs so far but I'm feeling confident now to try it on other areas.

Bought for girlfriend. Unfortunately I get the job of zapping every couple of weeks. Easy to handle and small enough to manoeuvre around sensitive areas of the body. I do wear sunglasses whilst operating due to the bright flash. Seems to have desired effect due to the razor being used a lot less. I have noticed a vast difference with her new smoother skin.