Conair - Lumilisse IPL Hair Remover - White

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• Rated 3 out of 5 stars

  Slow results

  • Top 500 Contributor
  • Tech Insider Network Member

  Having gone through professional laser hair removal in the past, my wife and I have been looking forward to this in home option Conair has come up with to potentially save us some time and money. Let me start off by saying the packaging and device itself appear high quality perhaps leading consumers to believe they are getting a high quality product. It was easy for us to understand the instructions and the set up was very simple. It is a plug in device, not wireless, and it comes with two heads, one for your body and one for sensitive areas and your face. If you have ever received laser hair removal from a licensed professional, you know that it can be painful using the high intensity laser; this Lumilisse IPL Hair Remover is not painful at all but does cause a slight tingling sensation when the light flashes which you get used to after using it the first time. After adjusting the button on the side to my skin tone, I started off by using it on my body using the provided attachment and found it a little frustrating because you really need to ensure the device is seated directly on the skin otherwise it will not flash. I found that if you lift it off your skin and put it back down it seems to help with that by perhaps resetting the sensor. One of the other things I found frustrating is that in order to know whether it is properly pressed against the skin and ready to flash, you have to be able to see the green light on the back of the device flash before it will work; the problem is, depending on the area you are trying to use it on, you may not be able to view the green light so it becomes trial and error. One thing that concerns me is the device is made of plastic, understandably so, therefore you have to be careful when using it over a hard surface in the event you drop it, which fortunately I haven't done yet; my concern is that it may break the device or shatter the bulb which I believe you can't replace. Conair claims that the bulb provided should last 300,000 flashes which should last a very long time and you might not ever need to replace it. After using this device for a few weeks and approximately 20 treatments in the same area, my wife and I personally have not noticed much of a change in the amount of hair growth in those areas. Both my wife and I have fair skin and dark hair in the areas we have been using it on. Needless to say, so far we have been unimpressed however we will continue to use it in hopes that it is just a really slow process. If you are looking for immediate results, a better option may be to fork out the additional money and go to a professional with a more powerful laser hair removal machine.

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  Posted 6 years ago by Grouticus

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  Worthwhile Investment

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  DISCLAIMER: This product was reviewed by my wife. The Conair Lumilisse IPL Hair Remover is a worthwhile investment for those who are constantly shaving, plucking, or paying for more expensive laser hair removal sessions. It comes with the laser gun, and 2 tips/shields - one for face and one for body. It also comes with an instruction manual which is easy to follow and includes a schedule for how often the device should be used. It is powered by a wall AC outlet (not batteries). I'm only about halfway through the cycle, but after 5 uses, I can already see a change the amount and texture of hair growth after shaving. Hair is slower growing, and the texture is much finer. I expect that when I complete the suggested number of sessions, that hair growth on the areas that I'm treating will be minimal. The device allows for you to choose your skin pigment type, so that the intensity of the laser is adjusted to your skin. It takes a little bit to get used to how to position the tool on your skin. It must be lined up perfectly on your skin, or it won't work. It's also hard to use on areas with less fat, for example, above your lip. The reason is because the entire tip of the laser must be touching skin in order for it to work, so plumper areas are easier to manage. But, after a couple of sessions and little finesse, I was able to figure this out. I'm only doing under arms, a little on the face, and around my bikini line, and the whole process takes less than 10 minutes. To use, you first place the laser gun to your skin for it to determine how intense the laser should be. Once that's done, you just position it over newly shaven skin (must shave at least 24 hours prior to use) and squeeze the trigger. It does produce a bright laser pulse every time you squeeze the trigger, so it's recommended that you don't look directly at it to protect your eyes. You just pulse it one time for each section of skin until the area is finished. You may feel a slight heat sensation with each pulse, but it's not painful at all. I've also not experienced any side effects like sunburn or irritated skin. The user guide suggests to do this every 2 weeks for about 6 weeks, then you switch over to every 3 weeks, and then once per month. I have dark, coarse hair, and after 3 months of use, I'm starting to see a difference. I do still have to shave every day at this point, but I can certainly tell that I'm shaving less and the hair is much finer. The hope is that after another 3 months, I will be able to shave even less in those areas, if at all. Pros ------- * Costs less than professional laser hair removal sessions * Instructions are easy to follow * Machine is easy to use * Doesn't take a lot of time to use, and you only do it about twice per month * Hair is growing back sparser, thinner, and finer after half of the sessions are completed (about 3 months) * No side effects so far (no sunburn, skin irritation, unusual smells, etc) * Can do in the convenience of your home, rather than making an appointment with a professional Cons --------- * Positioning the laser can be a little tricky at first, especially on thinner skinned areas * Could sting a little bit at first, especially if the laser intensity is too high * Doesn't come with a bag or anything to store the product, shields, and cord in. * Expensive, but worth it if you are someone who would invest in professional laser hair treatments * Doesn't come with any eye protection (glasses) to shield from the laser pulses.

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  Posted 6 years ago by BADog

• Rated 3 out of 5 stars

  Helpful for a very specific group of people

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  Pros Makes IPL affordable and available at home Good build quality Bulb is designed to last the life of the product Auto calibrates Does reduce the amount of hair growth Offers glide mode to reduce time needed for treatment Makes skin smoother Doesn’t need that much work to use, once a month on maintenance Cons Hard to get it to work in low fat areas Can cause irritation Does not slow down all hair growth but just some follicles Still requires regular shaving Complicated rules and reasons not to use Must avoid unprotected sun exposure during use Doesn’t include eye protection No one really enjoys trimming or shaving hair so the idea of a device that either stops or at least reduces the need to shave sounds like a great idea. Of course, there are creams that can make hair fall off but, in most cases, they cause irritation and they just don’t work for some people at all. There are more permanent professional methods, but they require a lot of money and to be sure you never want it back. A middle ground is what used to be relegated to expensive centers to get laser hair removal. Conair is looking to make it more affordable and bring the technology into your home with the Lumillisse IPL Hair Remover. The question is if they have succeeded. IPL (short for Intense Pulsed Light) technology is like laser treatment and is a bit finicky. For starters, if you have a darker skin tone or lighter hair it won’t work. The reason is it retards hair grown by using light to heat up the dark hair. If you have dark skin, you will zap your skin as well. The reverse is also true that if you don’t have dark enough hair it can’t properly heat it up. Also, the instructions say to avoid long exposure to sunlight for treatment areas so no trips to the beach if you are going to use this. Another consideration is some question the overall health of exposing yourself regularly to light that is so intense you can feel real heat on your skin. So far, the main concern has been around UV exposure, which thankfully, the Lumilisse does not produce. Design The overall design resembles a hair dryer. It is made mostly of plastic but feels sturdy and well built. On the side is a skin sensor that measures the pigment level of your skin to determine the proper intensity level. Depending on your skin type and response there is also a manual option to increase or decrease intensity. The front portion where the light is emitted has two interchangeable tips. One tip is for face and sensitive areas and the other is for larger portions of your body. Beyond a power button and trigger the design keeps the function as simple as possible. This is nice as operation is where things get complicated. Usage Conair has attempted to make the process as simple as possible, but the technology overall comes with lots of rules and caveats. The manual is full of reasons not to use it beyond dark skin or light hair to include if you take certain medications or have certain skin conditions. Assuming you don’t fit any of the criteria to prevent usage and the initial test shows no unfavorable results, you still aren’t out of the woods. You have the option to use it in precision mode which allows full intensity for each treatment with a pause between each. It recommends drawing a grid with a white makeup pencil so as not to miss spots or overtreat spots. If you use glide mode, recommended for large areas like the legs, the intensity is fixed at one but doesn’t say if you can then overlap to improve results or how fast you should move the unit. If you are more toned or have areas with less fat you also might find yourself struggling to get it to fire. There is a safety mechanism that make sure that the device is fully against your skin so the front of your leg and around your knees can preset a challenge as you try to stretch your skin and twist your legs to get it to let you use it. In some places it can occasional still trigger the safety lockout even when it is fully against your skin. This isn’t all bad because if you accidentally get it to fire without full contact you might do eye damage as the flash is extremely bright. In fact, it’s a bit of a surprise that they don’t include eye protection because even when it fires against your skin the flash can be painfully bright even if you are looking away. They instructions recommend you use sunglasses if you have issues, but it seems that some sort of protection included in the box would have been helpful. Over repeated use you might get used to it but it’s questionable if that is really a good idea to let yours eyes get used to such bright light. On large surfaces you are supposed to shave 24 hours prior and it is a good idea to be sure you are thorough in how you do this. If you miss a hair you will know because the “zap” of light will let you know. Overall you should expect some minor discomfort but far less than some other hair control methods. There are some very rare skin types that might get a rash during testing of sensitive areas or even get a spot a little like a sunburn. Unfortunately, during testing the results around the chin caused a mildly painful rash and extremely dry skin so treatment in that area had to be discontinued. If you have PCOS and were hoping this would solve those embarrassing facial hairs just be prepared it might not work out. In fact, it states that for some that hair density could increase temporarily or even shift to a different area. Results Conair is very straightforward about how, even if you follow every rule in the manual, that IPL may still not be the right fit for you. This isn’t the fault of the unit or it’s design but rather the technology just isn’t a cure it all. That said, the “Misses” should have been the literal perfect candidate of the technology with pale skin that doesn’t tan and dark brown, nearly black, hair. Unfortunately, PCOS and sensitive skin didn’t help and overall the results were mixed. Shaving frequency hasn’t been reduce much in nearly 4 months but the hairs are smaller with slower growth and subsequent shaves are resulting in much smoother skin. I was hoping to give it a try as well to use it to reduce shaving and trimming the lower part of the back of the neck. Unfortunately, my hair is too light, and I tan too easily. Also, if you plan to try to use to reduce shaving but might want a beard again someday there is a change you might be out of luck. Some who use it will experience permanent reduced hair growth so think carefully where you use it before trying. If you don’t care if you ever have hair in that area again you should be ok. The big question is if the results are good enough to warranty continued use through the summer while lathering up in extra sunblock to prevent unfavorable results and that question at this point still can’t be answered. If you have skin that tans easily, love the summer sun, and don’t often use sunblock it would be best not to try it. If, like my wife, you don’t tan and must use sunblock all summer it might be ok. Conclusion It is nice that Conair is working to make what was expensive technology more accessible but what they can’t fix is the science behind it. If you are looking for a hair control method just don’t expect the Conair Lumilisse to be the holy grail that solves all your problems and be aware of the limitations and warnings of the technology. If your skin and hair type make a good candidate, it might be worth a try. The only downside in that case is if it doesn’t work for you the results won’t be apparent until well after any return policy allows.

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  Posted 6 years ago by CraigB