We haven’t heard of any celebrities having had a bad experience when it comes to hair removal treatments, unlike other cosmetic procedures that are readily available to them today.

Unlike you and me, celebrities have every inch of their bodies scrutinised by us, their adoring fans. Photographs never lie and can be very unforgiving as we scan the pictures to find a hint of an imperfection like upper lip hair, eyebrows merging together, not to mention hairy legs and armpits!  So it would stand to reason that celebrities have all traces of excess hair removed.  After all, their pictures can be flying around cyberspace in minutes, landing on every newspaper and glossy magazine editors desks the very next day.

As a more permanent solution to waxing, threading or shaving who wouldn’t opt for laser hair removal?  In their never ending pursuit of the ‘body beautiful’, laser hair removal specialists have almost certainly been added to a celebrity’s entourage of personal stylists.

Laser Hair Removal was once a procedure that only celebrities could afford in a Harley Street Surgery.  The cost of such treatments varies from £350 for a 6 course ‘Under Arm’ procedure to £1000 for a course of 4 treatments for the ‘Lower Legs’. It will come as no surprise to learn that with the advancement of technology, home treatments are now widely used as they are not only safe but are now effective and very affordable.

www.so-smooth.co.uk stock a range of complete systems that start from just £99!  

Rio Laser Scanning Hair Remover

Fortunately for us, Rio Laser Scanning Hair Removal System is just one of the available home treatments available at www.so-smooth.co.uk  Considerably cheaper than high end salons, it’s a system that offers a ‘pain free’ treatment with fantastic results.  

This treatment works over a number of weeks, as hair grows in 4 week cycles it will be necessary to repeat the treatment to ensure that the hair has been permanently eradicated. (This treatment is not effective if used by Afro-Caribbean or people with grey hair).

So what parts of their bodies these celebrities have treated the most?

The men would typically opt for ear hair, eyebrows and quite possible excess neck hair treatments, all parts that are visible to the cameras laying in wait just to catch a celebrity who’s not as well groomed as they should be, that inevitable ‘faux pas’. Others will go the whole hog and have chests and backs treated too.

As for the girls, eyebrows, legs, bikini lines, arms and upper lip, just about any part of their bodies visible to the naked eye would be the order of the day for them. 

www.so-smooth.co.uk stock The IPL 8000, the latest product from Rio the pioneers of laser hair removal at home in the UK.  With a spot size of 35mm x 15mm the IPL 8000 uses Intense Pulse Light technology to target up to 180 hairs within seconds, reducing the amount of treatments needed to leave skin hair free.  The IPL 8000 is a very easy and effective system to use at home.  See our Press Release here on the blog for more indepth information about this product.

Beyonce Knowles is a great example of someone who looks as though she benefits from laser hair removal treatment.  After her appearance at the premier of her film two years ago, the singer was snapped sporting hairy armpits.  There hasn’t been a single photograph since then of the beauty’s’ hairy mistake!  Not a single sign of razor burn or a red spotty rash in sight, a real indication that a hair removal expert has since been assigned to her.  Other celebs in this unfortunate hall of fame include Julia Roberts, showing of her hairy armpits at the 1999 premier of Notting Hill, Gillian Anderson, Drew Barrymore and even Paris Hilton.

As all these stars have found out to their peril, every unwanted hair is captured on camera and posted to every news agency on the internet.  Therefore the pressure on celebrities to be picture perfect is tremendously high so it’s no wonder they opt for every laser hair removal treatment available to them.

Silk’n IPL Laser Hair Remover is a light based laser treatment aimed at long term hair removal.  This system is quick, easy and very effective as a home treatment.  Using this system will result in permanent removal of unwanted, excess hair.

The availability and effectiveness of home hair removal systems provide excellent results without the celebrity price tag.  I wouldn’t mind betting that even celebs have their own home systems, albeit with a member of their staff operating it for them!

Now everyone can have celebrity smooth skin with the help of

www.so-smooth.co.uk

Laser Hair Removal Treatments Featured

Rio IPL 8000 Hair Removal System

Rio Laser Scanning Hair Removal

Silk’n IPL Laser Hair Remover

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

For more information about any of the Hair Removal Systems featured here, please visit www.so-smooth.co.uk

SILKN HAIR REMOVAL SYSTEM

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

If you are a man and want to remove facial hair the most common method would be to use a razor.  However, after years of using a razor the skin becomes leathery and aged.  Many men turn to electric razors as their skin has become uneven over the years.

Women Facial Hair Removal: Do not Shave!

If you are a woman that needs to remove facial hair do not under any circumstances use a razor.  Although this may seem the quickest method of hair removal the hair grows back quicker and stubble can soon be felt a day or so later.  Whether you are removing hair in between your eyebrows, lip, chin or sideburn area you should consider a more gentle method for removing hair from your face.

Women should use Tweezers

A very common method is using tweezers to pull out the hair from the root.  This is a very easy process when you are removing only a small amount such as eye brow hair.  For larger areas using a depilation cream or waxing can be very effective at removing hair.  However the hair ALWAYS grows back.  Using a depilation cream or having the area waxed is not a permanent solution for removing hair.

Threading

What is Threading?

Threading is a method of using cotton or similar that is twisted and rolled over hair. This twisted cotton and rolling action pulls hairs out from the root. The method is quite difficult to master but is becoming an increasingly popular method for removing facial hair. It is not very effective at removing hair which is a bit thicker such as bikini hair.

What about Permanent Hair Removal?

For a more permanent solution you may want to consider electrolysis or laser hair removal.  Electrolysis targets an individual hair.  This can be compared to using tweezers but with a more permanent result.  In some cases electrolysis can be used for eliminating those occasional hairs that erupt out of a facial mole.  If you are considering electrolysis for removing the hair from facial moles I would recommend speaking to your local salon prior to treatment.  If your mole has changed shape or color recently you need to seek advice from your GP.

Facial Moles and Hair

Do not under any circumstances use laser hair removal units on facial moles!  Even if you use sunblock on the mole prior to treatment you must never use laser hair removal units on facial moles.  This is because the laser will have an adverse affect on the pigmentation of the mole.  All home laser hair removal units come with this warning.

What Permanent Hair Removal Units can I use at home on my face?

For permanent hair removal results in the comfort of your own home, therefore avoiding salon fees and embarrassing salon visits you could use the Rio x20, Rio X60 or the Tria. All of these laser hair removal units can be used on the face, however the Tria has been recommended for the lower half of the face only.  I am not sure whether this is because the laser in the Tria is too strong to be that close to the eye area, however the warning is in place for the Tria only to be used on the lower half of the face.

The Silk’n is not suitable for the face because of its larger treatment area.  The larger treatment area in the Silk’n prevents the unit being flat against the skin on the face.  As a safety precaution the Silk’n will only emit a laser pulse if it is pressed securely against the area.  This is not possible when treating the face.

Therefore the BEST laser hair removal units that to be used on the face would be one of the Rio units, either the Rio x20 or the Rio x60 or the Tria.  Both the Rio units can change the treatment mode which enables you to treat one individual hair if necessary or 60 hairs at once!

All units are available from our main website:  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

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.

Meladine finishes off the little ones!

As I mentioned, Meladine is fairly simplistic.  It is a product which you spray onto the area you want to treat.  It just increases the amount of melanin in the hair so Laser Hair treatments are more effective and blondes and other non-pigmented haired patients can receive treatment.

In addition to allowing people with blonde, grey, and white hair receive laser treatment, Meladine is also useful in the treatment of the finer and lighter “laser-resistant” hairs that commonly remain after the fourth or fifth treatment.  Some laser centers have reported as much as a 30% increase in their patient base since they have made Meladine available to their patients.   More information will be added shortly about Meladine.  Meladine is available from www.so-smooth.co.uk.

Silk'n is a bit famous already!

Silk’n hasn’t been in this country for very long. Many of you will not have seen a UK TV advert or have read any UK based articles on the Silk’n. We know there is a lot of interest in the Silk’n so here at So-Smooth we have gathered a definitive list of the most popular Silk’n reviews from America. We will add all UK based reviews when they appear in the media, until then we hope the American viewpoint will suffice.

Many articles have been written about the Silk’n. We have listed six very popular articles in the following list. We have uploaded the articles for your information so please feel free to click on the links to view the full article:-

June 2008: Dematology Times “Light-Powered Device for Hair Removal”

May/June 2008: Allure Magazine “Fuzz Zappers!

September/October 2008: MedEsthetics “Silk’n Home-Use Hair Removal”

2008: Instyle Magazine “Pulse Light (IPL) Hair Removal Intense”

Skin and Allergy News: “Pulsed-Light Device Allows for Home Hair Removal”

W Magazine: “I really do think the future is light and electricity”"

Silk’n has regularly appeared on television programmes in the states. Three TV features of note are as follows:

Firstly Silk’n appeared on City News:

Secondly Silk’n appeared on The Today Show:-

And Thirdly Silk’n appeared on Good Morning America:

More reviews will be added to this blog when they appear.  If you hear of any articles that you think we would like to see please add the URL’s to the comments section.  If you would like to purchase a Silk’n you can do so from our main website, www.so-smooth.co.uk.

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.