Philips Lumea Precision SC2002/01 IPL Hair Removal System with Facial Attachment

If you have already looked at the original Philips Lumea SC2001/00 IPL Intense Pulsed Light Hair Removal System reviews you will see that I reviewed the original model and that I really liked the product and it works very well for me. To date there are over 60 comments on the review and I have answered dozens of emails of questions and queries. I am more than happy to answer any further queries you may have but please be patient as I may be on my travels but I will answer ALL. Much of the wording below is of that same review because this is the same machine as the original Lumea but with an additional head attachment for facial use.

I am a prime candidate - white(ish) skinned with dark hair - and I have also experienced Intense Pulsed Light treatment at my local salon where I was treated with the Aculight system of IPL. You may think that if I have already had treatment why do I still need it and does it really work ? Well the salon IPL treatment certainly does work but because of their strict usage guidelines I was unable to complete the treatment over the three years I attended as far as I would have liked. The salon only treats at eight week intervals and there must be little or no tan to the skin. This is very limiting when I spend a lot of time in Spain and therefore I could only really benefit in the winter months and because of not completing the treatment I have patches of virtually no hair on my legs and other areas which may have been missed are as they used to be - quite hairy.

The package when it arrives is boxed with a full instruction book and a smaller leaflet with a quick guide of instructions, do's and don't's and general usage. There is also a DVD to give you a step by step guide of what to expect - all totally helpful and reassuring. The machine itself has a seal which you have to break before use giving you the chance to return the product unused if you find that it is not suitable for you. Please make sure you have the correct hair and skin colouring before you break the seal. This updated model has an additional smaller head which can be swapped for the larger one for use on the face and more delicate areas of the body. The new Precision head has an extra light filter so it is safe and comfortable to use on the face, underarms and bikini areas. There is also a neat zip pouch to keep the machine in once the box is disposed of. The do's and don'ts are scary at first sight but if you understand that the process works by blasting the melanin in the hair follicle with pulsed light you will also understand that it shouldn't be used on suntanned skin because the light will be attracted to the melanin in the skin rather than the hair and therefore burning tanned skin and is almost useless on blonde, white or grey hair as there is no melanin for the light to be attracted to.

The piece of kit is of good quality as you would expect from Philips and is comfortable to hold and use. All the relevant buttons are on the inside edge of the handle and only once, whilst using awkwardly on underarms looking in the mirror, have I inadvertently altered settings without intending to. There are five settings to choose from by matching your skin and hair colour to the chart on the instruction booklet (also shown above on the Amazon page). When you are ready with clean, dry, shaved skin the device should be placed gently but firmly on the area you wish to treat. There is a green `ready' light which lights up when the skin is covered by the sensor so you know exactly when to press the trigger. Because the sensor has to be completely flat to the skin it can make it a bit awkward for some areas i.e. towards the ankles and around the knee area. This is where this new Precision model is an improvement - the smaller head can get around ankle and knee bones easier than the larger head (the small head is not just for the face). When using the machine there should be no pain unlike at salons who, I assume, must use a much more aggressive light, hence them having to ice-pack the body before and after treatment and the strict limitations of sunshine before and after treatments and a minimum re-treatment time of eight weeks.

After around 8 to 10 days after my first use of the Lumea, hairs started to drop out and at 14 to 16 days you can easily see that there is a big reduction in hair - about 70% gone. On the areas I have used it a second time the hair dropping occurred at a similar interval afterwards, and at 4 weeks after first using it I would say that 80 - 90% of hair is gone. The hair will only react to the Lumea treatment if it is in one of the 3 stages of hair growth therefore not all hairs will respond to each treatment and this is probably one of the reasons that there are a few hairs left. The other reason is that it is incredibly difficult to be absolutely methodical in moving up and down the leg or other treated area because it doesn't look any different during the treatment like shaving or waxing does and therefore there will be one or two areas I have missed. I have bought a white cosmetic pencil to draw sections on the skin and this does help to keep track of what has been zapped. It also helps to have a partner or friend to do the backs of legs as being a contortionist is also an added problem. The first twice or even three times I would suggest using it at two week intervals and after that, I find that four weekly intervals is sufficient to keep me virtually free of unsightly dark hairs. It doesn't treat the almost invisible fine blonde hair so if you are after absolute smooth and hairless skin for the summer then there may be a bit of fluff left.

Since the original Lumea came out about two years ago there have been a few other IPL units on the market, including laser, and scanner style devices. I have looked at, but not tried, other models and to be honest I really wouldn't swap the Lumea for any of the others. There are plenty on Amazon to have a read about (all in one place) and it may well be worth searching the internet for any other models to try to make a comparison. Things to bear in mind are that no changing of bulbs is needed for the Lumea and no messy gels are required. This model of the Lumea lasts around 80,000 flashes. My original Lumea (40,000 flashes) is starting its third summer use and I have never had a moments problem with it. Also a big plus for the Philips is that it charges from the mains and is used cordless rather than with a wire like other models.

Does it work ? For me, being dark haired, it certainly does but remember that it does not give permanent results - or at least that's what Philips say. I have used it thoroughly for the past two summers and not at all during the autumn and winters and by the spring when I start to use it again I noticed that much fewer hairs have grown back and the ones that have are much sparser and thinner. Whether after a whole year or two it would be the same I don't know.

I would strongly urge you to read all the instructions and information on the product page above and also read as many reviews as you can find. Reviewers are there to give their honest opinion and with a product of this fairly high cost you don't want to get it wrong. Also, why not google Aculight to get another explanation of how IPL works. If you have any specific questions or queries I am happy to answer you if you would like to contact me at the email address on my profile page. I would also like to add that I have no connection whatsoever to Philips and that I am totally independently using the Lumea for reviewing purposes through the Amazon Vine program.

The new and improved Philips Lumea Precision is an update on the previous model - the main differences are that it's lighter, thus easier to manipulate whilst using it on difficult-to-reach areas such as underarms, legs or bikini line. There's also a precision attachment which is specifically designed for use on the upper lip/chin areas.

Ok - so does it work? Well I've now owned it since 17th March and have been using it regularly by following the instructions and carrying out the necessary preparatory work - i.e. shaving the area prior to treatment and repeating the steps every two weeks or so. I have medium to light skin with dark/brownish body hair so according to the chart on the box I should be a perfect candidate for this system and use it on the 4/5 or 5/5 settings.

As a result of using this system I have to shave my face every day - it's no joke, I have stubble otherwise, my body hair grows quickly. I think after two months of regular use that it's definitely reduced the amount of facial, underarm and tummy hair I have but it hasn't removed it altogether. I realise that it's a very long and drawn out process but I thought I'd have to highlight how difficult it is to go through the different stages. I suppose it will be worth it in the long term, but I'm finding it difficult at the moment.

I will, of course update this review in another couple of months but needed to write about how difficult the process is to cope with at times. I'll also comment about how expensive this unit is to buy, although compared to salon sessions it's a snip. This may, or may not offer a total solution for many women and they, like me may be feeling very disheartened about the whole process.

*Mid June Update* - The Lumea gains another star

With regular use on my face it's clear that the hair is starting to hugely reduce, which is great :) It's a long process though, so do expect to be in for the long haul.

The main reason I've upped the star rating of my review is because compared to the Remington iLight I've also been testing the Philips Lumea is a delight to use in comparison. I'll draft the review for the Remington in about a week or so, but I'm not very impressed so far :(

*November 2012 Update* - I thought it fair to customers who may be exploring the possibility of buying this for Christmas to provide regular updates on the effectiveness of this unit. I have been using it regularly on my face - well, every two weeks or so, as per the guidance, but the hair on my face isn't disappearing as quickly as I'd hoped and I have to shave my face on a regular basis. As you can imagine, this isn't particularly nice or pleasant and considering that when you've made the decision to shave your face it's pretty permanent as the hair is blunt cut by the razor and quite frankly, feels like stubble.

As I've gone so far down this route that I cannot go back I'll continue for the time being and update this review accordingly, but at the time of writing I'm not a particularly happy bunny. Unless circuses are recruiting any bearded ladies in the coming months I'm a bit stymied, aren't I?

Brilliant product!

I have light brown asian (indian) skintone and black hair. I have been using this machine for 2 months now and it is absolutely fantastic! I suffer from PCOS and a side effect for some women can be dark, unsightly facial hair, but not anymore! My skin is hairfree and smooth and glowy! After trying waxing and eplilating I noticed that the hair was just becoming darker, thicker, more stubborn and harder to get rid of. I considered laser treatment as a permanant method, however the cost would have run into thousands. I carried out a load of research on varying hair removal systems and decided on this product after reading other reviews and I am so pleased I did. My hair growth is now minimal (non-existent in some places) on all the areas I have treated thus far (face/neck/underarms, full arms)and any hair which may grow is very light and soft downy hair, but this is very few and far between. I am now using the machine on my legs and bikini and am hopeful of similar results! It has definately worked for me.

November 2012
I am still using this product but only on the few remaining hairs which I have missed. I no longer have any facial hair (well except my eyebrows!). The hairs on my arms/legs/underarms has all but gone. I cannot recommend this product enough. I am probably going to keep topping up treatments once every 4 to 6 weeks just to keep the hair away as I know this may not be a permanant result unlike laser treatment, but at the moment I am one very happy lady.

In additon the machine is so incredibly easy to use and treatments take minutes. 5 minutes face and neck. 15 minutes maximum for legs and 10 minutes for full arms and underarms, and then it will need charging but it could not be simpler or quicker. I will keep you posted on my progress in the new year!