As So-Smooth awaits the imminent arrival of the new Rio IPL8000™, and its advanced capabilities, So-Smooth have detailed features, benefits and suitability to skin type as well as the disadvantages of Rio hair removal systems.

Hair Removal Areas

The IPL8000™ with its latest technology has the ability to remove up to 180 hairs per second, from legs, arms, chest, back, underarms and bikini lines, quickly and more efficiently than its predecessors, although the IPL8000™ is not suitable for either heads or faces.

Rio X60™ can remove up to 60 hairs in several seconds. Whilst the hair removal area is smaller and is slow in comparison the IPL8000, this machine can be used (with caution) on all areas including heads and faces.

Rio X20™ has a very small treatment area of only 20 hairs per IPL, and with its 2 treatment settings, this system is a much slower than either the IPL8000™ or the X60™, but in its defence it can be used on the head and face and is excellent value for money.

None of these units are suitable for black or Afro-Caribbean skin.  Nor are they suited to white, grey or very light hair. www.so-smooth.co.uk stock a product to counteract the problem of lighter hair, Meladine.  Meladine directs melanin to the hair follicle enabling IPL to penetrate the hair root without damaging skin or hair shafts.

Price

The IPL8000™ retails at on the So-Smooth website at £300-£350.  A more expensive system than its counterparts, but the capabilities and latest features of Rio’s newest Hair Removal System far out weigh the price.

For example, the professional grade quartz bulbs used in this machine are environmentally friendly, producing up to 1000 flashes in their lifetime.  The risk of the bulbs failing before their time is minimal. As a much quicker and more efficient system, the time taken to remove unwanted hair is greatly reduced, and as its mains operated there is no threat of power failure. 

Adding to the benefits of the IPL8000™ are the heat regulator and the access code.  With 5 power settings, the heat setting initially defaults to the lowest power level, 1, ensuring that small steps are taken to build up to the correct temperature for different skin types and tones, minimising any risk of harm or irritation to skin or hair shaft.

The X60™ and X20™ by comparison are real value for money. Cheaper than the IPL8000™, the results are reflected in the price. The X20™ has 2 treatment modes, treating up to 20 hairs at a time, whereas the X60™ has 3 heat settings, number 1 enabling the treatment of individual hairs or setting 3 for multiple hair reduction. Both are slower machines than the later model, with less hair removal per light pulse, but able to penetrate areas that even the latest advances in technology cannot, typically, the face.  These systems are perfect for users with more time to spend removing hair and for those on a lower budget. Visit www.so-smooth.co.uk for up to date pricing details.

IPL8000™ advances over X20™/X60™

Skin sensors have been added to the wand ensuring greater user safety.  Light Pulse will only be emitted once the wand has connected correctly with skin.

A safety ‘Blink’ light is an added feature to the IPL8000™.  The bright orange light will ‘flash’ causing an automatic ‘blink’ action should the wand be pointed anywhere near the eyes.

The UV filter will avoid the risk of any UV light damage the skin.

Conclusion

In conclusion, The IPL8000™ has new and improved features both for the safety of the user and for the effects on the environment.  The IPL8000™ is much quicker and more efficient and safer to use than similar products in today’s market.  The only disadvantage to the IPL8000™ is the fact that neither faces nor heads can be treated, but teamed up with either the X20™ or X60™, systems that can treat this area, the problem is easily resolved.  

All in all, each Rio Home Hair Removal has its own individual use and benefits, depending on time scale, the amount of hair to be removed, price and user safety. www.so-smooth.co.uk are happy to answer questions or concerns you may have with any of the hair removal systems on the website.  Helpful and friendly advice ensures the correct system for individual needs

All Rio Hair Removal Systems have been designed for home use and are all made in the UK.

A tutorial on DVD is supplied with every purchase of the IPL8000™ and as with all IPL treatments, instructions should to be read and thoroughly understood before use.

www.so-smooth.co.uk

Rio IPL8000

Yes, waxing can be painful, but the results do last longer than shaving.

There are disadvantages to waxing your bikini line yourself at home, one of them being the mess. 

Make sure the surface you will be using for the process is protected from the wax, especially if the kit you have chosen has to be heated. The wax needs to be hot enough to cling to hair, but not hot enough to burn the delicate area of skin and keeping the wax at the right temperature during the whole procedure can be difficult.

Taking off equal amounts of hair from either side of your bikini line can be tricky to judge correctly.

I would advise anyone thinking about waxing at home to follow these steps:

Trim excess hair to about ¼” long or shave a couple weeks before waxing.

• Don’t be stingy with the wax. Using it sparingly will make it difficult to pull out the hair and you will end up unsightly with spots you have missed.
• Pull the skin taught as you remove the wax. This will help the wax to get a good grip on the hairs and cleanly lift them as you remove the strip.
•  If you notice any stray hairs once the process has finished, use a pair of tweezers to pull them out.
•  Exfoliate your skin regularly to help prevent in growing hairs.

Waxing such sensitive areas may cause reddening of the skin and could be sensitive for a few hours. If this happens to you, you should avoid taking a hot bath, going swimming or exposing the area to the sun.

Whilst everyone knows that waxing can be painful it is best to wax mid cycle as this is them time when the area is a lot less sensitive.

Waxing is a short-term solution to hair removal, and this kind of Waxing would last for about 4 to 6 weeks depending on your hair growth cycle.

If your eyes water at the mere mention of ‘Bikini Wax,’ then home laser hair removal treatments are a far better option for those of us with a ‘sensitive disposition’.

Laser treatments are a more permanent solution to unwanted hair, but the results are extraordinary.  Although pain is felt by some users, as described in our last article, it is certainly more comfortable than waxing.

Tria, Silk’n and Rio X60 are among the most popular hair removal systems on the market.  So why put yourself through it when easier solutions are to hand?  Our website: www.so-smooth.co.uk offers a variety of home hair removal systems to suit your needs.

Each system comes with easy to understand instructions and further advice can be given on the right system for you by emailing customerservice@so-smooth.co.uk

Many women tend to let hirsutism sabotage everything that could be good in their lives because of the insecurities they have to face each day.

Relationships can be tough at the best of times, even more so when trying to find the perfect person to share your life and condition with.  Even when that understanding man has been found, and the relationship is secure, women will still pluck, shave and wax in private and go to bed in total darkness.  It’s a problem that all sufferers have to live and deal with every day of their lives.

Excess facial hair is defined by the course black hair that grows above the lip, chin, breasts and stomach, although not uncommon round the bikini area.

Ultimately a doctor should check your condition to eliminate any underlying hormonal problems, but beauty products are available to help improve the problem of excessive hair.

Generally, Salons with hi-tec laser removal systems could help significantly. But, what if you’re that embarrassed you couldn’t possibly face a beautician?

Home laser removal could be the answer.

Home lasers are designed specifically for use at home with safety being of paramount importance. Each unit is required to meet strict health and safety standards before they are given approval to be sold for home use.

Pain thresholds vary from person to person.  Other methods of hair removal such as waxing, sugaring and epilating can be much more painful than using a home laser.

Home laser hair removal can hurt but not excessively and the pain will quickly disappear.  Good quality lasers have a number of different settings on the unit to cope with different hair types.  Establishing the correct setting for you will ensure pain is reduced to a minimum.  So-Smooth recommends that you initially start your treatment on a low setting and gradually progress to the higher settings as you get used to the unit.

Although, occasionally there are some side effects such as reddening or swelling around the treated area these usually subside soon after treatment.

It is important to stress that anyone considering using a home laser system should read the instructions thoroughly before using it.  You will need to know if the unit is suitable for your skin type.  Pregnant women should not use hair laser removal as there has not been enough scientific research undertaken to guarantee safety to an unborn child.

Hirsutism is one of the hardest conditions that many people have to live with.  Buying the correct system for you will go some way to improving the quality of life for sufferers.

So-Smooth stock a number of hair removal systems.  If you would like any advice on the right unit for you, or information of any of the related products, please email us and we will be happy to help you make the right choice.

Click Here for view home laser systems available at www.so-smooth.co.uk

Home Hair Removal Sytems

Look out for our article comparing Hair Removal Systems from Silk’n, Tria and Rio.

 Author: Anita Cain for www.so-smooth.co.uk

Hair Removal

Waxing, Shaving, epilating and laser hair removal are methods for removing unwanted hair.  However what are the MOST common reasons for removing unwanted hair:-

Hair Removal for Surgery: Hair is removed so that access to the relevant body part can be undergone with minimal infection risk.

Hair Removal to remove lice: For those unfortunate enough to have experience either head lice or crabs one way of eliminating the little critters is to shave off all hair .

Hair Removal n preparation for Chemotherapy:  Some cancer patients shave off all of their hair to prepare themselves for treatment.  It seems that some would rather control the removal of hair rather than wait for it to fall out.

Hair Removal for Gender Reassignment:  This is another large category.  For men wishing to change their gender from male to female they also remove all body hair to reflect how society perceives a woman should look like. Male to female gender reassignment individuals remove unwanted hair permanently by either electrolysis or laser hair removal, or a combination of the two procedures.

Hair Removal for Religion: Head-shaving is a part of some religions.

Hair Removal for Tradition:    In some countries (i.e India) it has been a tradition to ostracize some women by shaving their heads.  This outdated tradition has now been outlawed but still occurs in the more rural areas.

Hair Removal to be Pure: Ancient Egyptian priests wanted to be pure for the gods.  In order to present themselves as pure to the gods they would routinely shave or depilate their entire bodies.

Hair Removal to join the army: When joining the army it is a well accepted custom to shave the hair of the army cadet.  A very short hair cut or a completely shaven hair cut is a regular occurrence.

Hair Removal as punishment:  The Nazis used to cut off the beards of Jews.  After the 2nd World war head shaving became a punishment in France, The Netherlands, and Norway for women.  These women were punished for having relationships with the Nazis.  Years ago when witch hunts were a regular event, individuals that were perceived to be witches were completely stripped naked and shaved in order to find so called witch marks.

Hair Removal

Hair Removal especially permanent hair removal for VANITY:  This is the main category.  Since the 70’s it has been very fashionable to be hair free.  Adverts for beautiful hair free women appear regularly in the media and affect everyone’s perception.  Do you remember the media uproar when Pretty Woman Star Julia Roberts was caught with a full underarm of hair?  The press loved it!  Some men shave their heads as a fashion statement.  Or some even shave their hair to hide the fact that they are going bald.

Nowadays and in the UK it is perfectly acceptable to discuss waxing, laser hair removal treatment, bikini areas and all other forms of hair problems and hair removal methods.  Fortunately the home laser hair removal market is growing rapidly to provide a permanent hair removal solution to people in their own home.

Up to date products and price information on all laser hair removal products can be browsed on a no obligation basis from our main website:  www.so-smooth.co.uk

Hair Growth Cycle

To understand why laser or IPL hair removal units such as the Rio x60, Silk’n or Tria take a series of treatments to permanently remove unwanted hair you need to have an understanding of the hair growth cycle.  The hair growth cycle affects us all differently.

Each hair follicle is an anatomical structure that pushes out hair from the hair shaft.  Hair is made up from a collection of proteins called keratins.  All human hair grows in a cycle.  This cycle consists of three phases.

These three hair growth phases are Anagen, Catagen and Telogen, or what I like to call the growers, the latent ones and the resting (hibernating) ones.  We all loose about 50 to 100 Telogen (resting) hairs a day through showering or combing our hair.  Although hair loss from the legs or bikini area is less noticeable it still follows the same cycle as the hair that grows on our heads.

The amount of hair growth can change at different times of our lives.  Some people will have a greater percentage of Telogen hairs (resting hairs) or will have a greater number of Anagen hairs (growers) at certain parts of their life; for example during adolescence or when going through the menopause.

Many things can cause temporary or permanent hair loss such as alopecia, medication, radiation, chemotherapy, and exposure to chemicals, hormonal and nutritional factors, thyroid disease, generalised or local skin disease and stress.

There are also many things that can cause excessive hair growth.  The term for excessive hair growth is hirsutism for males and Hypertrichosis for females.  A future article will cover what causes excessive hair growth.

For laser hair removal units including IPL units to work effectively at permanently removing unwanted hair the hair follicle needs to be in the growing phase, i.e the Anagen stage.  This is why all home laser hair removal units recommend that you shave 24 hours prior to treatment to ensure that the maximum number of hairs are in the growing phase.

The wide range of home laser hair removal units including IPL units can be purchased from our main website, www.so-smooth.co.uk.

New Tria

On our so-smooth main website we have included for your information a table with comparison criteria for four of the major home hair removal units.

We have compared the No No, Tria, Silk’n and Rio Units.

Click here to read more …..

Silk'n actual cost per shot

In buying a home laser hair removal product you are choosing to save money on expensive salon fees. However be careful which home laser hair removal product you buy because not all of them will actually save you money!!

A brand new Tria can be purchased for £675, a Silk’n for around £415 and a Rio x60 for £295.95. I have used these valuations for the following calculations.

The new Tria (February 2009) emits 90,000 shots in total. After 90,000 shots it can no longer be used. This is a cost of 0.75 pence per shot. If it takes 50 shots to treat an area 3cm x 3cm it would therefore cost 37 ½ pence to treat an area of this size (3cm x 3cm) with a Tria laser.

The Silk’n IPL laser emits 750 shots per bulb and is sold with two bulbs.  Therefore you get 1500 shots with your Silk’n IPL laser purchase. Each shot therefore costs around 28 pence. If one shot treats an area 2.4cm x 2.4cm it would take just over one shot (1.23 shots) to treat an area the same as discussed above with the Tria (3cm x 3cm). The cost when using a Silk’n laser is therefore around 34 pence for each 3cm x 3cm block.

In summary to treat an area 3cm x 3cm with the new Tria (February 2009) it would cost approximately 37 ½ pence and with a Silk’n laser a little less at 35 pence.  However, what also needs to be considered is the different time taken to treat each area.  It takes a Tria 50 shots and a Silk’n 1.23 shots to treat an area 3cm x 3cm. So it would take a Tria far longer to treat a 3cm block whereas it would be very quick with a Silk’n.  To read more on the comparison of time taken for each treatment click here.

However once the Tria has emitted all its laser shots it can no longer be used. The Silk’n replacement bulb costs a mere £45.00. This is another 750 shots for only £45.00. This works out at ONLY 6 pence per shot, or around 7 ½ pence per area 3cm x 3cm.

When you consider that the Tria costs around £250 more than a Silk’n it seems more sensible to choose Silk’n as the preferred choice for a home hair removal unit.

Meladine finishes off the little ones!

Meladine can be used prior to using any home laser hair removal product such as the Silk’n or Rio x60. Meladine has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA as an “Accessory to a Surgical Laser treatments used for Hair Removal”. Meladine is a not a drug, but a lotion that is sprayed onto the area that requires treatment. It has also been registered with the FDA as a cosmetic preparation. Meladine’s ingredients are natural, non-toxic and hypo-allergenic.

Meladine needs to be applied prior to each laser treatment. The suggested time differs depending on which type of hair you have.

Meladine is best absorbed into the hair when just after shaving. In fact, it is recommended that the area be shaved daily for optimal absorption. It is important to apply Meladine as instructed for optimal results. Keep in mind that the goal of using Meladine is to create a melanin deposit that is dark enough to be effectively targeted by the laser hair removal products. If several applications are missed, you may consider adding more applications or extending the Meladine treatment for several days in order to make up for the number of treatments missed

After applying Meladine, you need to wait about an hour before showering or putting on any other types of lotion. Meladine is colorless and dries without any lingering odor. You need to keep the skin clean and free of any other types of creams or lotions, which may affect absorption of Meladine.

One bottle contains approximately 720 sprays, which may be enough to cover several pre-treatment regimens for a lip or chin, but may only cover one pre-treatment regimen for a full face. You will require more than one bottle for treating larger areas such as the legs.

The amount of Meladine used will depend on the type of hair to be treated, the size of the area to be treated and personal preference. Coarse hair will require longer application time. Some people think that a thicker application is better and may use Meladine more liberally when applying.

Meladine does not stain the skin or change the appearance of hair above the surface of the skin.

More information can be read in the Meladine Information Leaflet which we have uploaded for your information.

Meladine is available from www.so-smooth.co.uk/meladine for £65.00. There will be special offers available for bulk purchases.

Setting up the Silk’n took a matter of seconds. All I did was plug it in, wait for the beep and then started zapping. There’s a 3.5 second wait in between pulses, which was about the right time for me to move the wand from one area to the other. I managed to do my left leg (from the knees down) in about 15 minutes. This was some 4 weeks ago. My lower left leg has now has slightly finer hairs than my right leg, however there is no huge difference as yet.

After the first session I felt no discomfort and carried on with what I had to do. I didn’t see any hairs fall out, but maybe they just came out in the shower without noticing. Although Silk’n state that no eye protection is needed when using the Silk’n I did find that I had to look away when the laser pulse was being emitted.

All I did to prepare my leg before treatment was shave. I did this the night before so that the hair follicles are in their growth phase as recommended by the instructions.

This was the first time that I used the silk’n and I was impressed at how quickly I was able to treat an area and that there is no charging required before use. The first 50 laser pulses are emitted on the lowest setting (number 1), the next 200 pulses are emitted on level 3. Once the device has emitted over 250 pulses you can set the level to number 5. This is what I did. Forthcoming reviews will detail how I get on with more Silk’n sessions.

New Tria

The new Tria boasts a quicker pulse rate, however it is the time taken removing the Tria from one area to the next that delays the process.  Also the Tria’s previous pulse rate was already extremely fast at less than a second.

The new Tria treatment area is identical to the old and works in much the same way.  However it does have an improved battery that can perform 300 shots per charge with a total of 300 charging cycles.  This is a total of 90,000 shots which is nearly 30 thousand more shots than the existing Tria. A more in-depth technical specification can be gained from reading the instruction manual which can be downloaded in PDF from here, (pending link).

The additional pulses with the new Tria subsequently increase the total area that can be treated during its lifetime before becoming obsolete.  The new instruction booklet with the new Tria explains the treatment differently by saying that approximately 25 shots are needed for an area 1 inch x 1 inch (or 2.5cm x 2.5cm). This would indicate that the newer Tria needs slightly less shots per area than before. However this is not specified and is unclear due to the amount of overlapping that is required when using the Tria device.

It seems that the new Tria takes the same number of shots to treat an area that the old one did.  The total area that can be treated with the additional number of shots per charge increases the total treatment area to a square approximately 127cm x 127cm. (This is an approximation).  Although this area is reasonably impressive it is unfortunate that once a Tria has completed its 300 charging cycles it cannot be used any more. This alongside being one of the most expensive home laser hair removal products indicates that either the Silk’n with its larger treatment area, no overlapping and endless lifetime or Rio x 60 would be a more sensible purchase.