AIBU to ask if Philips Lumea IPL machines are worth buying?

It was a game changer for me.
I’m pale with dark thick body hair and used to get awful shaving rash around my bikini line, it completely solved this problem.
Also fixed my strawberry legs. I wish i got one sooner!!
I used it regularly for 6 months approx 4 years ago and now just do it when I spot a straggler, every few months or so.

It's been brilliant for me and has completely solved a 40 year old problem of oh-so-hairy legs. Just a pity my legs are old lady legs now and not worth showing off. I am very consistent in doing it and find it takes around an hour to throughly do both full legs.
It's also worked on stomach and armpits but not on top lip / chin. I wish I could reach my upper back too, but I can't.

Love mine but im pale skinned with very dark hair.
You have to use it on a very set schedule to start with but now I literally zap once a month.
I got mine as I was so sick of peri menopause ingrown hairs

Not really. It does get hot if you're using it for a long time/ on the strongest setting though.

Sometimes it can feel a bit hot on the armpits. I do find the bikini line a bit hot and painful, the more sensitive the area, but not overly so. There are 5 settings and when turning on you hold it against the skin and it recommends which setting to use.

Sorry to jump on the thread but is it painful?
I notice one pp has mentioned pain

It took a year to work, I had (past tense!) very thick, long dark leg hair.
Been five years of smooth legs now. Never had an ingrowing hair since. I just do a half arsed 10 min zap every 3 weeks and run a razor over once a month to pick up the odd tiny hair. I've let my almost 18hr old start to use it and it's worked much more quickly for her.

I wear running shorts so often that I have a permanent tan line on my legs these days.

Love mine even though apart from an initial burst of enthusiasm when I bought it I've been really inconsistent with it.

It's made the most difference to my legs, I only have a few small bits which grow now, I'm 90% hair free.

Armpits a reasonable result but not as good as legs. I did hear some deodorants stop it working as well in this area which might be why.

Bikini line - the bit which started to migrate down my thighs in my 40s has totally gone & the rest is much sparser and the hair is thinner

Face - the neckbeard is much much better but I was the most consistent with this as it's the most visible area. Hardly any hair on my upper lip now either.

👎 from me. First off I found it really painful. Secondly I didn’t notice much improvement/impact. Did it for 6 months consistently and still had to either epilate or shave because of thick regrowth. I have dark thick leg hair and fair skin tone.

I love mine, the best money I’ve ever spent on a beauty product. I do have really dark hair with pale skin so I’m the ideal candidate for it and as others have said you do have to be consistent especially in the beginning .

I've found LPL in general (both salon and the Lumea use) has permanently got rid of some hair even when I don't use it for months. Most hair on my armpits has never grew back.

But given any area, there will generally be 25% of hairs there that will always be there and never gets reduced. I've read something like that anyway and seems consistent with what I've experienced.

Yes my DD used it for this in particular as she had some thick hairs that would become ingrown hairs often. After initial use she just had to maintain every few weeks.

It's annoying having to shave bikini line though, before using IPL, at first.

I would add I am actually very inconsistent with it and it still worked

Total game changer for me: wish wish wish I could afford one when I was in my 20s when I cared more about what I looked like and had more sex! I got the Phillips one a few years back and used it a fair few times over the first few months.
I barely shave my legs or bikini line these days, I’ll maybe shave them ever couple of months or do an ipl treatment couple of times a year before a holiday whilst watching the iPad. Have some downy fine hairs and that’s it. it’s never grown back as thick - I used to be tortured by stubble and rash and goosebumps and a sore bikini line.

It's not permanent. You do it frequently at first, then it spaces out. I can't think now what the minimum recommended intervals are, but the app pings to let you know you're due.

@PermanentTemporary so.whats the expectation ? It stops growth for a while or reduces growth ? People stop using and everything goes back to normal ?

mine has worked brilliantly on bikini line.
im also dark hair/pale skin

From my understanding medical grade lasers like in a clinic can permanently remove 90% of hair. After laser my underarms have never grown back but my bikini line would beep tops ups. An ipl isn’t as strong and recommendation with the device I have is once hair is gone you need to use approx once per month to keep it up

I have one but it's difficult to know for definite. I did, many years ago have IPL at a salon and that's why.

After that I bought the Lumea. I do find my armpits in particular much less hairy and hardly have to shave there. It does, as they say, reduce hair but not get rid of it completely. I still have to shave every few weeks.

I'd say in order of best to not as good areas where I've noticed hair has reduced: armpits, legs, upper lip, bikini. They are the places where I do IPL.

I’ve a cheap version. I’ve had laser done on bikini, underarms and legs but still needed a top up every 6-12 months so decided I’d try one and see if any use. I’ve found it fantastic. I’ve found hair on bikini always came back first and was told by laser tech that this can be the most stubborn due to hormones. I’ve been using since Jan and am completely hair free. I’ve used on my face and arms as well and it’s working brilliantly. In my case any fine hair literally stopped growing from the first use

So I take it the hair grows back eventually?

I think it works everywhere, it’s just that facial hair takes forever. I did two solid years as recommended and it was brilliant for feet, legs and stomach, pretty good for underarms, and very slow for facial hair, but it definitely reduced the heavy beard I had. I then stopped again for several years. I’ve only just restarted on my face and it is making a very subtle difference again. I’ll just keep going with it.

Ive got one. It was quite expensive. Ive had it for a few years. Hardly ever use it. I dont think I 'd recommend them. They'rd ok but not really worth the money., Too much messing about recharging and holding it at the right zngle. It's a pain tbh.