Hay gals! <333

So a quick question for y'all - what are the various pro's and cons of having laser hair removal done professionally at a salon (or wherever), vs getting hold of a home solution?

Long story short, I'm looking at home laser hair removers like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Precision-SC2003-11-Attachment/dp/B0096PEO4I/ref=pd_cp_d_0, and I'm wondering if this sort of thing is just as good as having it done professionally.  Obviously both are fairly expensive, but at least the home solutions are typically a one-off cost, whereas having it done professionally is something (as I understand it) you have to go back for several times (I assume it costs each session, right?).

Before anyone asks - I've got fair skin and dark hair, so laser should work well.  The only question I would have there is wether or not the home solutions work on a male body?  I can't see why it wouldn't unless the thickness of it has an effect or something?  lol dunno

So yeh, if I could have your thoughts, opinions and experiences ladies, it would be much appreciated  <333

To start with - Philips Lumea Precision Plus SC2003/11 IPL Hair Removal System is not Laser Hair Removal System. IPL means it is intense pulsed light, which uses different technology and requires replacement cartridges. And thus is not a one-off cost. If You are looking into home lasers, I would suggest Tria 4x or Tria Laser Precision (cheaper but should be fine with face as this is essentially the main area where You will be using it). Unfortunately, I cant really reflect on professional lasers as I have literally no idea about them - never used them, but I am working with Tria 4x and - no complaints so far . You can see result on my avi pic - I am still dealing with upper lip and chin and some minor hairs here and there, but nothing with should cause too much worries. Besides, there is always the option of doing ~10 hours or electrolysis to clear up those problematic and stubborn areas . If You are not into flashy products with indicators and displays, then You might consider trying new Tria Laser Precision - but I cant really comment about it - review says that it is the same Tria 4x without "bells and whistles" . Hope this helps

And, btw, we have a looooong thread about Tria somewhere in depths of this forum .

Hay Emily!

Thanks for the reply hunni, it was most informative

Quote from: ♡ Emily ♡ on December 18, 2013, 12:54:52 PM
To start with - Philips Lumea Precision Plus SC2003/11 IPL Hair Removal System is not Laser Hair Removal System. IPL means it is intense pulsed light, which uses different technology and requires replacement cartridges. And thus is not a one-off cost...

Haha well that's a good start!   I assumed "Intense Pulsed Light" was just a fancy marketing way of saying "Laser"

Quote from: ♡ Emily ♡ on December 18, 2013, 12:54:52 PM
...If You are looking into home lasers, I would suggest Tria 4x or Tria Laser Precision (cheaper but should be fine with face as this is essentially the main area where You will be using it)...

...If You are not into flashy products with indicators and displays, then You might consider trying new Tria Laser Precision - but I cant really comment about it - review says that it is the same Tria 4x without "bells and whistles" . Hope this helps

And, btw, we have a looooong thread about Tria somewhere in depths of this forum .

Thanks for the info.  I've had a quick look at the Tria 4x on Amazon and it's not wildly more expensive than what I was looking at already so that's a good thing   I'll have a dig around for that thread too and see what's said in there before jumping in at the deep end!

Quote from: ♡ Emily ♡ on December 18, 2013, 12:54:52 PM
Unfortunately, I cant really reflect on professional lasers as I have literally no idea about them - never used them, but I am working with Tria 4x and - no complaints so far . You can see result on my avi pic - I am still dealing with upper lip and chin and some minor hairs here and there, but nothing with should cause too much worries. Besides, there is always the option of doing ~10 hours or electrolysis to clear up those problematic and stubborn areas .

Your avi pic is looking great hun!  That's actually really encouraging and good to know

Out of curiosity - what sort of 'permanency' are you getting out of it?  Are the hairs not growing back at all or are they just growing back really slowly?  I keep reading mixed things about laser (generally - home and professional alike) about how permanent it is.  To be honest I certainly don't mind maintaining it - all I really want is to not have to do it every other day and suffer the razor burns and ingrown hairs like I do at the moment!

Once again, thanks for the reply hunni, it was most informative <333

Cheers, Kira
Thanks for Your compliments - hope I will be able to give some extra advice and You will have smooth face as well - soon .

I dig up for You that thread - here it is!  https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,136864.0.html
Actually, laser and IPL are two different technologies (You can google them if You really wanna know technicalities, but there is no diode in IPL kits) and they are assumed to be of similar result but IPL hurts less and needs lamp cartridges, whereas laser is a bit quicker, does not need cartridges but the in-built battery will eventually "die".  Its approximate life span is about 3 years - so keep in mind that You are investing that money into something which will become useless in 3 years... but hey, 400 bucks is not that much given the period of time . The new Tria Laser Precision is btw even cheaper!
Yeah, both technologies are sort of similarly good, except, they have always been compared when testing on their target audience - cis-females . Nobody has tested or assumed that transwomen might be using them as well . I have read different, mixed and contradicting reviews (I was really torn between Tria and Silk'n'Sense IPL kit), but ultimately settled for Tria and I am very happy about it. One run on my face takes 300 hits and then battery needs to be recharged. One lamp cartridge for Silk'n'Sense IPL kit usually contains 1000 flashes... That's 3 sessions in ~ 3 weeks and then I would need to buy a replacement cartridge and they are by no means cheap . So in the long run IPL is quite an expensive undertakiing despite its initial cheapness.
I cant really comment about permanency yet as I have been lasering my face for about 4 months IIRC... My cheeks cleared up pretty fast, my neck is clearing now as well - sure there are single hairs popping up from time to time - I would suggest buying cheap magnifying make-up mirror to follow Your progress - but I would say that I have ~95% facial hair reduction. I have no means to tell if hair, which is growing back, has been zapped or not, and I keep lasering my face once per week (upper lip and chin - twice per week). I am thinking to keep lasering till March-April and then visit electrologist for feedback and maybe do some sessions to deal with white hairs... But yeah, if You wish to enjoy smooth skin ASAP then laser is Your first friend and electro - afterwards. Many girls here have suggested to start with 1-2 sessions of professional laser treatment and then to follow-up with Tria, but as professional laser is extremely expensive here (it is targeted at women and costs ~ 10 USD per 1 square centimeter), I just went with Tria from the beginning . Well, that's it mostly And if You have any more questions I will be more than happy to reply .

I've only had a couple of goes at laser on my beard but gave it up because the hairs are too light for it to work properly. Professional is probably way more expensive but from what I can gather they would cover the whole area in a single session and should do it in such a way that avoids problems with skin pigmentation (common when botched apparently). Maybe try a professional session at a proper hair removal clinic instead of a local beauty parlour and see first hand before deciding on DIY.

Do you believe tria 4x is good for eyebrows??

The battery of my Tria was dead about a year ago. I had used it infrequently for 2 years.

I still see a few fine but long hairs growing in my feet. Also many fine hairs in my beard area, which are not so much noticeable. Also some hairs left in my armpits. When I see those fine hairs, I shave or pluck them.

I am not quite sure whether I should purchase another Tria to remove those few fine hairs. Probably not, but I am not quite sure.

A merit of Tria is that you can treat by yourself whenever you have leisure time. Time is an important factor to me. Also it is far less expensive than professional laser, which requests ca. US$ 300 for just the beard area alone, and does not guarantee the complete removal (extra charges).

I am satisfied with my Tria.

barbie~~

Quote from: eliza36 on December 22, 2013, 11:18:22 AM
Do you believe tria 4x is good for eyebrows??

Do not put it anywhere near your eyes! A wrong angle could blind you. Just wax or pluck.

Quote from: barbie on December 22, 2013, 02:36:37 PM
The battery of my Tria was dead about a year ago. I had used it infrequently for 2 years.

I still see a few fine but long hairs growing in my feet. Also many fine hairs in my beard area, which are not so much noticeable. Also some hairs left in my armpits. When I see those fine hairs, I shave or pluck them.

I am not quite sure whether I should purchase another Tria to remove those few fine hairs. Probably not, but I am not quite sure.

A merit of Tria is that you can treat by yourself whenever you have leisure time. Time is an important factor to me. Also it is far less expensive than professional laser, which requests ca. US$ 300 for just the beard area alone, and does not guarantee the complete removal (extra charges).

I am satisfied with my Tria.

barbie~~

If you still have your Tria, search online and there are tutorials on how to replace the battery. A new one only goes for about $20 US.

Quote from: michelle666 on December 22, 2013, 03:53:05 PM
If you still have your Tria, search online and there are tutorials on how to replace the battery. A new one only goes for about $20 US.

Michelle,

Thanks,
But I could not find the web site of tutorial.
I will appreciate any help.

barbie~~

Quote from: adoradeny on September 11, 2014, 03:39:32 AM
NO, Tria do not sell replacement batteries. Once the battery dies, you can not use the laser and the producer don't sell replacement batteries. They argue that the device's life is more than enough to treat completely the entire body of a single person. In years, Tria will last close to 4 years or approximately 90,000 pulses. You can find more about it on http://www.goodepilator.com/reviews/Tria-Hair-Removal-Laser-4X

They are not selling replacements, but I have heard that there are ways how to "do-it-yourself" instead of feeding greedy capitalists by buying another kit

Quote from: ♡ Emily ♡ on September 11, 2014, 03:56:57 AM
They are not selling replacements, but I have heard that there are ways how to "do-it-yourself" instead of feeding greedy capitalists by buying another kit

I am eager to know the method to save US$500.

barbie~~

Quote from: barbie on September 11, 2014, 02:08:50 PM
I am eager to know the method to save US$500.

barbie~~

I'm struggling to find anything on how to actually do it, but from a few scattered pics I've seen it should just be a case of opening it up and giving the battery a little tickle with a soldering iron   From there you can either wire up a new battery or a mains adaptor.  Should be straight forward in theory but I won't know until I get one myself (soon™ lol ). If we didn't live in completely different parts of the world I'd offer to fix it for ya hun <3

Quote from: KiraD on September 23, 2014, 07:03:42 PM
I'm struggling to find anything on how to actually do it, but from a few scattered pics I've seen it should just be a case of opening it up and giving the battery a little tickle with a soldering iron   From there you can either wire up a new battery or a mains adaptor.  Should be straight forward in theory but I won't know until I get one myself (soon™ lol ). If we didn't live in completely different parts of the world I'd offer to fix it for ya hun <3

Yes, Kira. I could open it by using the two screwdrivers.



And, the next step is to find an online store that sells it.
Where??

barbie~~

And, I could disconnect the battery. ifr 26650 3.2v rechargeable battery.



barbie~~

Actually, it consists of a pair.
More complicated to purchase.



barbie~~

It says 4.4 Ahr, meaning 4400 mAH. As the pair of rechargeable battery is connected in parallel, each of battery has 2200 mAh power.
Searching the internet, most products are 4000 or 5000 mAH each. No problem in purchasing and replacing with these over-powered rechargeable batteries in Tria?

barbie~~

Oh fantastic hun!  I wasn't sure what your technical skills were (most people would be scared to just dive in and do something like this lol).

If the 5000mAh one is 3.2V then that would be great - all it means is that the charge will last longer basically, so as long as it doesn't have more or less voltage than the old one (although you'll probably get away with +/-10%) and has the same physical dimensions it should be fine.  If you can get it with the same connectors that's even better, but if it comes to it you can always chop the connectors off the old one and solder then onto the new one

Have you got a link to the new battery you're looking at?

<3

Quote from: KiraD on September 28, 2014, 05:46:22 AM

Have you got a link to the new battery you're looking at?

<3

Sure. Thankfully, Facebook ad immediately showed me the links.



Oh. High mAh is a good news. Thanks! I will try to order a pair. I am considering the following one:

http://www.dx.com/p/trustfire-rechargeable-3-7v-5000mah-26650-li-ion-batteries-pair-107232#.VCgC6_l_t8E

barbie~~

Haha yeh, the mAh is basically a measure of how much of a charge it holds.  For example, a 3.2V battery at 5000mAh will hold more of a charge than a 3.2V battery rated at 4000mAh.  It's highly analogous to Litres when it comes to a drinks bottle When it's different voltages of course things get a little more complicated, but voltage-for-voltage you can think of it this way

Speaking of voltages: ooh, that one you linked there hun is 3.7V - that's about 15% over, which your Tria's circuits may not be happy with (because like I said, circuits normally aren't designed to have more than about a 10% tolerance).  I'd say you want to keep it between 2.88V and 3.52V at most.  If you want to play it safe then we can assume a 5% tolerance instead, which would be 3.04V to 3.36V (keep it within these limits if you can as you're more likely to be successful).

You may even find in the Tria's instruction book somewhere (usually either in the back or the front) some kind of table listing power requirements / tolerances etc which will help here.  I don't suppose you have that kicking about still do you?  I'm assuming there's a more technical manual in the box that tells you more about the device than the general user guide I'm finding online lol, but if not don't worry too much - just assume a 5% tolerance and you should be fine

<3