Is Philips Lumea Safe? And is Philips Lumea IPL Worth it?

Because of the disparity between many manufacturers’ claims and their consumers’ experience, your question about whether the Philips Lumea IPL device is safe and worth it is valid. Unfortunately, when one begins to use a product many times, the half-truths that adverts peddle around dawn on one.

Of course, Philips asserts countless times on their media outlets that its IPL hair removal device is safe except for children below 18 years and pregnant or breastfeeding women. The UK company said it hadn’t tested its product on nursing or pregnant women, so it could not prescribe it for them with certainty.

Nevertheless, knowing IPL’s working mechanism, Philips Lumea IPL design details, and examining unbiased customer feedback can help answer questions about the safety of this device convincingly. As such, we will start by reviewing the IPL technology.

What is IPL?

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is a cosmetic and aesthetic innovation that uses high-powered, broad-spectrum lights of high wavelengths to hit its target. The technology is used for hair removal and to treat acne and other skin infections.

IPL hair removal devices work like mini computers. They use flashguns to send filtered lights through your skin to the hair follicles and the roots. When this light reaches the hair roots, it sets them into a resting phase, disrupting the expected growth pattern or cycle. If used constantly, such hair follicles impacted by IPL either regrow sparingly or never regrow again.

From this explanation, one apparent setback from IPL technology is the possibility of suffering skin burns. This is because the flashed light produces heat inside your skin, which, for some people, is uncomfortable and irritating. Consequently, IPL users might discover that their skin becomes red, dry, or discolored if nothing is done.

Recognizing this danger, many IPL producers have put measures in place to curb it. So let’s see how Philips Lumea addresses this safety concern.

How Philips Lumea Addresses the Danger of Skin Burns

Philips claims its lights are gentle on the skin and will not ordinarily cause skin burns if used as directed. But beyond this assurance, the company has worked a smart sensor into its IPL device that prevents it from flashing lights on incompatible skin tones.

As effective as IPLs can be, it is not appropriate for all skin tones. Flashing intense pulsed light into incompatible skin types accounts for some of the biggest dangers of this technology. But with the smart sensor, the device accurately determines whether your skin is compatible and saves you from wasting time and burning your skin.

Another precaution against burning your skin with this device is the intensity levels worked into it. Rated from one to five, you can choose the one you are most comfortable with and move up the ladder over time. Generally, sensitive skin will do well with intensities one to three, although it may also elongate their result timeline.

Could Philips Lumea have Done Better in Terms of Safety?

Philips Lumea could have done better by incorporating the latest ice-cooling technology that other IPL devices, such as the

Ulike Sapphire handset

, now feature. With this technology, users won’t experience pain as the coolant automatically regulates the skin’s temperature as those lights penetrate it.

An effective cooling technology ensures that the IPL is super convenient as a facial hair remover. However, considering the tenderness of facial skin, its propensity to irritation is higher than others.

Final Verdict on Safety

While Philips Lumea can still do better in the safety department, it is certainly not performing woefully. The top-notch design will only produce a temporary warm sensation, which should vanish within a few seconds.

Philips Lumea IPL Device: Is it Worth It?

One must consider several factors before concluding whether Philips Lumea is worth it. These factors include:

Price

Without mincing words, Philips Lumea is expensive. On

Amazon UK

, the hair removal handset sells for £429 and above $500 in the US. If you get a good deal or purchase during the Black Friday season, you can get it cheaper. However, there is no guarantee of getting it at a lower price.

Compared to other IPL handsets that are as effective but cheaper than Philips Lumea, the product is not worth it. However, if you compare having this device with visiting a beauty salon for a laser or IPL session, it is worth it. Salon treatments are usually above £1,000, and their results are generally not different from what a typical IPL device would give.

Turnaround Time

When you want to get rid of unwanted hair, every second counts. The manufacturer says you should start seeing significant results after a few uses. Specifically, after the first three sessions, you should notice a decrease In your hair growth rate.

Unfortunately, this hasn’t been most people’s experience. Some claim it doesn’t work at all or that it’s prolonged. Most users start noticing what looks like what Philips Lumea promised after 12 weeks. Again, this timeline presents this device as something not worth it, considering that its contemporaries deliver a four-week result.

Effectiveness

Leaving the price and timeline now, how effective is this IPL handset in doing its job? From personal experience and those of others, Philips Lumea IPL is effective If used as instructed. After 12 weeks of using it fortnightly, you should record at least 70% of hair reduction. With maintenance treatment once a month, you are on your path to achieving 100% hairlessness.

In all fairness, this is about the exact timeline for other IPL handsets, although some high-end ones that permit weekly flashing produce results faster in four weeks. Therefore, Philips Lumea is adequate, although the time for achieving clean skin is a significant setback.

Customers Feedback

Over 500 buyers of this device on Amazon rate it 4.7/5.0. The major recurring kudos from most of them are that the handset does its job well. Many who shared their before and after pictures expressed satisfaction with their experience after the first three uses. To many, Philips Lumea IPL lives up to its hype and name.

If genuine buyers confirm that something is working, believing them is safe. Lumea IPL may be expensive, but it works.

Durability

The device is capable of delivering 500,000 flashes before it packs up. While this is small compared to others, it’s enough to last a lifetime. The package also has an eyebrow trimmer that can last for years. You don’t need to buy any replacement parts or spend on maintaining them.

However, the efficiency of Philips handsets decreases with increased usage. You will start noticing this in the time it takes to cool down. At first, it only takes about two minutes to cool. But after a few weeks of regular use, the cooling time elongates, and the device produces continuous instead of pulsed lights.

Bottom Line

You can hardly get a flawless IPL handset, and Philips Lumea has not presented itself as one. It is expensive, comparatively slower, and bigger than others, but it works. With more innovations, such as the ice-cooling tech or any other technology to counteract the heat feeling it produces, the device is on its path to having no equals.