Painful waxing appointments and frequent shaving sessions can be quite exhausting and not to mention costly and time-consuming. Today, we are going to do an in-depth review of the new Philips Lumea Prestige Hair Removal device to determine whether it’s a worthy purchase.
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How does Philips Lumea IPL technology work?
So, is there a way you can say goodbye to tiresome hair removal treatments? Yes. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL), along with laser treatment, is the only long-term solution for minimizing and ultimately stopping hair growth. It works on the idea that light energy is absorbed by high-pigmented areas like your hair, which is then heated up.
The heat then damages the follicle, eventually slowing down hair growth. However, unlike laser treatments, which comprise of just one particular wavelength, IPL has multiple wavelengths that the skin absorbs effectively.
The technology uses a hand-held, high-powered device that delivers an intense, broad-spectrum light pulse, usually in the visible spectral range of 400 – 1200 nm.
IPL treatments work best for those with dark hair, as those with thicker and darker hair absorb the light much better, thereby giving better results. We recently took the top IPL devices on the market for a test drive, so we could share all the pros and cons.
User Review of the Philips Lumea Prestige (Model BRI953)
Does Philips Lumea IPL work?
- Yes. Philips has demonstrated that users can see up to 92% hair growth reduction with only three treatments from their product.
- The Philips Lumea Prestige is the first IPL device that comes with curved attachments for every body part – four attachments for face, body, underarms, and bikini. This is super convenient!
- The device features the SmartSkin sensor that recommends the ideal setting for your skin tone, thus helping you achieve optimum results.
- Convenient, cordless design for easy operation.
- Long-lasting use – Flashes should last for more than 15 years of use. The Lumea Prestige beats most other device on the market.
- Incredibly easy to use and very user-friendly
- Incredibly fast! You can treat a full leg in just 7 minutes.
- Excellent customer support. You will receive trusted, prompt and expert advice. You will get a helpful treatment calendar along with a helpful “how to” guide app, with a 100-day money-back guarantee.
- More comfortable, and less painful, than many other devices.
Are there any watchouts with Philips Lumea?
- Pricey – but it delivers more benefits than any other device on the market. Check the latest price here.
- Battery life span is a little short – meaning it needs to be recharged frequently.
- Some customers have complained about the effectiveness of the skin tone sensor, although we didn’t experience any problems.
What To Expect in the Bri953 model?
When you purchase Philips Lumea Prestige IPL for hair removal, you can expect the package to contain the following items:
- Philips Lumea Prestige hair removal device
- 1 cm square curved-in body attachments
- 3 cm square curved-out underarm attachment
- 3 cm square curved-out bikini attachment
- 2 cm square flat facial attachment
- Storage pouch
- Lumea Application user slip
- Cleaning cloth
- Instructional manual
- Power pack along with a 2-meter long cable
Of all the devices we have reviewed, this is one of the most complete packages, with all the accessories you need for full body treatment! Check for the latest prices here.
Can Philips IPL work on dark and light skin?
You can use the Philips Lumea Prestige on both face and body with light to medium dark skin tones. It works well on black, brown, dark brown, dark blonde hair colors.
However, you cannot use it on red, light blonde, white or grey hair as well as brownish black and darker skin tones. In addition to that, the product should not be used on black or brown spots such as moles, warts, and birthmarks.
This is a common limitation for most devices, as darker skin tones will absorb too much of the light, potentially causing burns. Luckily, there are some options for darker skin.
Can you use Philips Lumea once a week?
The Philips Lumea Prestige makes use of IPL technology, that is safe for at-home use on both the face and body. It minimizes and hinders hair growth with each treatment. Eventually, hair growth stops and periodic use will keep your stubble and fuzz-free. You will need around 4 – 5 treatments to see significant results. And yes, with proper care and instructions below, you can use this product as often as once a week.
You will get a minimum of 250,000 flashes from the Philips IPL device, covering a body area of 1,025,000 cm square when using the 4.1 cm square attachment. In simpler words, you can benefit from 200 full body treatments (underarms, full legs, face, and bikini line) or more than 15 years of monthly top-up treatments. This is a much longer lifespans than most devices on the market!
The treatments don’t hurt too much, but feel like “a hot elastic band” hitting your skin in certain areas, such as behind the knees and the bikini area. The Philips Lumea was developed with 14 years of research and meets all the FDA and EU safety regulations that are required for home-use appliances. And obviously, Philips is a very reputable brand so there are really no concerns with reliability.
However, it is important to do a skin test on each treatment area using the safe intensity levels for your skin. If you are pale-skinned and all five intensities are suited to you, it means that you should do your skin test with each one to determine the best fit.
The skin tone sensor on this device is a neat feature that ensures safety, by recommending the optimum level to use. You do not have to guesstimate, and it is especially effective if your skin tone changes with the body part or with seasons.
You don’t have to activate the skin tone sensor once you are familiar with the device- you can use the up/down controls and set the intensity manually. The sensor will then check for a suitable skin tone periodically throughout the treatment process.
Keep in mind that your skin must completely cover the flash window or it will fail to flash altogether. This safety system means that you cannot accidentally flash into open space, such as near your eyes. This is a huge bonus for safety, and one of the main reasons I love this device
It comes from a reputable brand, so you can depend on safety. It is built to last for a long time, so it won’t need replacement for many years. It comes with every accessory you could ever need. And it’s great design, makes it one of the easier and more comfortable devices to use!
So if you are looking for quality and have the budget, this would definitely be my pick! You can check out the current price here.
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Donna K. says
Greetings! My question is why doesn’t this device work on grey or white hairs? My chin is loaded with coarse, white hairs that won’t come out with ANY method, including tweeting or waxing. I jokingly refer to them as “porcupine quills”. What alternative to I have now?
Nicole says
IPL works by targeting the pigment in the hairs. Because light or gray colored hairs have little to no pigment, there’s nothing for the laser to target.
Husna says
Is it suitable for bekini with dark and thick hair ?
Fawzia Hassouna says
Hi,
Does philips lumea working on dark skin as mentioned on there blog philipslumea.com
Nikki says
Fawzia,
The Phillips Lumea does work on dark skin better than others but in general, darker skin is harder for some of these home IPL machines. Here is a great resource on why that is the case. https://asmoothlife.com/laser-hair-removal-for-dark-skin/ But yes, if you look at the range of skin types that are covered in chart and you feel like you fall in that spectrum, this is a great product.