Of the few sure things that can be counted upon, unwanted hair growth is right up there with death and taxes. Laser hair removal, until recently, had to be performed by a dermatologist during a scheduled office visit. Visits are expensive, on average $350 a session depending on treatment area. Now there are two laser home hair removal devices that have been FDA approved since 2008 and both run under $600. Should you try one? Do they actually work?
Tria is a home laser hair removal device that was developed by a doctor who had been involved in the development of the lasers used in dermatology offices. Laser light hair removal works by focusing a single wavelength of light to heat the melanin in the hair follicle and disabling the part that allows growth to occur. Hair reduction is supposed to be seen after 3 treatments and it is suggested you use Tria every other week for 3 months then once a month for 3-5 months.
Silk’n utilizes a proprietary Home Pulsed Light (HPL) technology which is different from the Tria laser light device. The light energy is similar to the principle of intense pulsed light (IPL) in office devices with an added “acoustic effect”. Silk’n uses a replaceable cartridge ($50 a piece) that must be changed after 750 light shots. The device also remains plugged in during use while the Tria uses a rechargeable battery. Clinical trials on the Silk’n website state that 80% of people experience noticeable hair loss after 3 months.
Both Tria and Silk’n cannot use on tanned skin for 4 wks after tanning or on dark complexions. Both have built in skin sensors to prevent use on darker skin. Neither should be used on the face or neck to avoid potential eye damage from exposure to their light. Both devices have money back return policies. Side effects of both home devices may include: temporary redness, swelling or tenderness.
I scanned forums on responses to both Tria and Silk’n and as to be expected, some people have better results than others.
Women consistently report that both devices were painful to use, especially in the bikini area and one person felt that it hurt even more on coarser hair. Some indicate they use or want to use numbing creams such as those used in a dermatologist’s office treatment or ice packs to combat the discomfort.
Some people have reported substantial reduced hair in their treated area which really pleased them. However, all laser devices regardless of home or office can only affect a hair in the anagen (growth) phase so repeated treatments are necessary to stop the growth of the majority of hairs in this part of the cycle. It takes 18 - 24 months for hairs to go through an entire growth cycle. Most people didn’t continue to post their results over months so it is hard to know if their hair stayed permanently gone or not.
In general, it would be too much to expect a small home powered device to really compete with office laser treatments. The amount of laser energy needed to permanently destroy the hair follicle cannot be as high as in office machines and still be safe to use at home. Tria and Silk’n may be useful in spot treating certain areas but if there is a large area to be covered, using these devices can be very time consuming and posters have reported it is hard to keep track of which areas they had already done.
If you have dark skin, light colored hair or other skin sensitivities, office treatments by a skilled dermatologist may give you a safer and better result and it goes without saying-- do not use any home laser device that is not FDA approved.
For more on Laser Hair removal, see my article:
www.empowher.com/news/herarticle/2009/11/23/laser-hair-removal-know-basics
Sources:
http://hairremoval.about.com/od/lase1/fr/tria-laser-hair.htm
www.hairremovalforum.com/laser-hair-removal-research/silknsensepil-review/74/
www.hairremovalforum.com/laser-hair-removal-research/tria-vs-silk-n-sensepil/99/
www.thesilknstore.com/Index.html
www.triabeauty.com/
Michele is an R.N. freelance writer with a special interest in woman’s healthcare and quality of care issues. Other articles by Michele can be read at http://www.helium.com/users/487540/show_articles