The TRIA Trial: Session one

My Tria has finally arrived! Here is feedback after session one completed on 12 June 2010:

How am I going to use it:

I am going to trial it on both my armpits and bikini line over the next eight months. If it is successful I will then trial it on my legs.

How often will I use it:

According to the instructions I will use it every fortnight for the first three months, followed by a monthly treatment for 3 - 5 months. Apparently I should start seeing visible results after my third treatment if not before.

My concerns:

I opted for the Tria over other more well-known and cheaper devices such as the Phillips Lumea or Boots Smooth Skin due to the fact that it uses the same laser technology as the professionals, is cordless (unlike Boots Smooth Skin), doesn't require messy gels (unlike Boots Smooth Skin) and claims to be remove hair permanently (unlike the Phillips Lumea which only claims a possible permanent reduction not removal). My only concern with the Tria is whether I will have the ideal skin tone and hair colour for successful permanent results. Tria claims it works well if you have pale to medium skin with dark brown or black hair. I have the pale skin but my hair is more light to medium brown. I did enquire with the Tria team (www.triabeauty.com) whether it could be successful and if I could have a refund pas the 30 day refund rule if it doesn't appear to work. The team confirmed to me that they have themselves had success with my colouring so I am feeling more hopeful! For those who are interested I do believe the Phillips Lumea and Boots Smooth Skin devices can be used on lighter brown or dark blonde hair as it uses a different type of laser, but none of the devices will work on blonde, red or white hair.

Session one:

After doing a patch test 24 hours prior to treatment with no ill-effects I excitedly settled down in front of the TV for my first session. during the patch test you need to start by using teh lowest of the 5 heat settings and work your way up to the highest as long as it is tolerable. on the lowest setting I didn't feel a thing but as I went up I experienced a stinging type sensation - however, in my opinion is it far more comfortable than waxing or using an epilator. You hold it on the area of skin for a couple of seconds until you hear two beeps before moving it along to the next part of your skin. To start with on my bikini line I used the highest setting but as I went on I eventually turned it down to the medium high setting (number 4), as it felt a little more uncomfortable. This is however meant to get less and less painful the more you use it so I will stop being a wimp on my second session and switch it up to high! I did find the armpit area a little more sensitive so remained again on setting 4 (high medium). The full treatment took about thirty minutes.

My next session will be in two weeks (26th June) so I will keep you posted. I should start to see results, according to the leaflet, after my third session. In the meantime I welcome any comments, questions etc. Lets hope I am on the way to having beautifully smooth skin forever!!