IPL Philips Lumea Advanced sc1995 review
After struggling with removing my hair for many years I decided to try IPL technology. At first, I was not sure if it will actually deliver on its promise to remove hairs permanently.
Nevertheless, I had nothing to lose…well only money and time😊.
So, I researched brands and products for about a month before making my final choice. I had two criteria, value for money and efficiency.
The Lumea Advanced met both. In this review, I would like to share my experience with the product after using it for 7 months.
Disclaimer: Before I go into it I would like to say that this post may contain affiliate links or links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All this means is that I make a small commission at no extra cost to you! Daramiblog offers information that is designed for educational purposes only. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace professional medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. Here you can read my full disclosure.
Now let’s start with the characteristics of the IPL device
Suitable for:
Appropriate skin tone
The device works fine on pale, beige, blond, wheaten and brown skin. Unfortunately, it is not effective on naturally light blonde, red, gray, or white hair. Lumea advanced is also not suitable for very dark skin
Usage:
The design of the device is sleek and elegant. Because of its gun shape, it is easy to use.
Once you choose the appropriate intensity setting according to your skin tone (the manual has a detailed description to help you) you are ready to go.
On the back of the device, there is a “ready” button which lights up when the device is placed at 90˚. This is also a safety system that will prevent unintentional flashing.
How cool is that? No one wants to waste the precious 250,000 lamp flashes which according to Phillips are enough for a life long usage.
IPL Treatment schedule
Initial phase – the first 4-5 treatments every 2 weeks
You also need to be prepared for frequent touch-ups.
Touch-up phase – every 4 to 8 weeks depending on how fast your hair grows.
According to the manual, it takes 1 to 2 weeks for the hair to reappear and maybe sooner due to those hairs not being in a growing phase during the initial treatment.
This is what happened to me, right after the 3rd-day hairs started showing and I was a bit disappointed coz I was expecting miracles I guess :).
I didn’t give up though I continued my treatments as scheduled and after the 2nd treatment, I noticed that the hairs were not as strong. After the 3rd one, the hairs were not as dense as before either.
Currently being in the 25+ week using it I still have a few small spots that hair appears but it is manageable with a razor.
I cannot emphasize how much easier it is now. No need to worry about hair removal every day. I just use a razor on those spots if needed maybe once every 7 days.
It should be noted that my hair grows extremely fast.
Treatment time per area:
| Manual recomended time |
Actual time | |
| Armpits | 1 min | 3 min |
| Bikini | 4 min | 10 min |
| Leg | 14 min | 35 min |
| Upper lip | * not recommended | 2 min |
In the description of the device and in the manual Philips does not recommend the product to be used on the upper lip. Guess what, I did try it and it works just fine for my upper lip.
For me, it took longer than the recommended time because I wear size 16 and I am a bit obsessed with perfection :).
Hey, don’t judge!
| Pros: | Cons: |
| Effective | Not suitable for all skin types |
| Easy to use | Full body treatment ≈ 1h+30min |
| Integrated safe system | The cord might get in the way |
| Easy to clean | It becomes warm after use* |
| 250,000 light flashes | |
| Gentle to the skin | |
| Painless |
*The device gets warm after use especially if you use the Slide & Flash mode. There is nothing to worry though since according to the manual it is normal to feel some heat coming from the top part of the device.
Treatment IPL modes
For more convenient use Philips Lumea has two different modes
Stamp & Flash
Ideal for small and curvy areas such as underarms and knees.
Slide & Flash
Convenient for larger areas like legs.
For the UK market, you can buy it here or click on the picture below.
This product is not sold in the US, however, there are other editions that are available on Amazon.com. The difference is in the package and the number of heads that it comes with.
This one is with 2 heads.
Click on the photo for more info!
This one comes with 2 heads and a trimmer.
Click on the photo for more info!
To conclude
All in all, I am very pleased with the result. It is a much more affordable alternative than a beauty salon session. It does take longer but it is worth it and if you are patient results will appear, just don’t give up and follow the recommended schedule for the treatments.
P.S. I skipped one treatment due to moving houses and being busy (I know you feel my pain). This cost me a lot, it held me back and I had to start the treatments from the beginning so as to have the desired result.
Please learn from my mistake and do not break the schedule for any reason.
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Are you interested in trying IPL? What hair removal methods do you use?
