An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 23 Review)

Observations

(Session XI)

Immediately:

The skin is a bit warm and dry as it has been lately. I'm positive it's the cold weather taking a toll.

The Next Day:

Skin looks and feels completely normal. Nothing nothworthy.

Three Days Later:

Wow! This is the smoothest my skin has felt since starting the whole process. I'm not hairless by any means, but it's nice to be able to see results, especially when I compare it to my other leg that hasn't recieved any IPL.

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 22 Review)

As I begin my eleventh session, I feel like Remington has brought me halfway to where I want to be in the hair removal process. As I noted in my last i-Light post, my leg is relatively hair free. I do find some lingering hairs here and there, but it is nothing too obvious. The skin is relatively smooth, even when you run a hand over the skin. There is the softest and faintest tickle of stubble. Again, nothing overtly bothersome. I can see tiny pinpricks of light black hair right underneath the top of the skin. It is nothing blatantly obvious if you aren't looking for it.

The underarm and leg sessions go like clockwork. There is nothing special to report about my underarm. It is smooth and as hairless as can be. I do see pinpricks of hair underneath the skin here too, but I haven't seen any real growth here since my fourth session. The Remington is doing its job keeping the hair growth at bay.

My leg is almost hair free on one side (the side that doesn't require awkward bending) but still peppered with hairs here and there on the side that requires me to bend myself into uncomfortable positions in order for me to position the handset correctly. The rubber band stings on my lower leg have gradually decreased. It's not entirely gone, but I feel it less and less with each passing session.

The most bothersome part of the entire process is now the cleaning of the handset. The amount of burnt hair I find on it always varies after sessions. Sometimes, there's barely anything. Sometimes, there's tons of hair soot. Today, there was a ton of hair soot. It takes me longer to clean the handset than it does to complete an underarm and leg session!

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 21 Review)

Observations

(Session X)

Immediately:

Warming sensation where the handset was applied. Slight discomfort in areas that had active hair growth. Skin looks dry afterwards. No sootiness left behind, but I can see some singed hairs here and there.

The Next Day:

The leg feels nice and smooth. The skin looks kind of dry. There is not much else to be noted. 

Three Days Later:

Very very small and slow hair growth? Can't feel anything yet, but can see tiny spots of black on the leg.

 
All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.
 

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 20 Review)

My tenth session! Two whole months of continuous IPL. I admit I didn't always manage to keep it to strictly one week intervals. When I got busy or too tired, I skipped the day I was supposed to restart my session and used my IPL machine the next day instead. Overall, I always managed to do one session a week.

My underarm is virtually smooth with the exception of a short hair here and there. I am not seeing or feeling any new hair growth. I am truly amazed at how well it worked on this part of my body. The only way I will be able to tell if there will be any future growth on my underarm is to stop using the i-LIGHT completely.

Looking at my leg, I can honestly say that it is mostly hair free. Running my hand over the skin, I can tell I have new growth. Very fine. Very subtle. It is soft, not coarse or prickly. I can see my leg remaining this way if I continue my weekly Remington sessions. If I stop now, it is definitely not permanent. The question is if the hair with remain the same or be finer than before. I often wished I never started shaving my legs so my leg hair would still be super soft and fine. (No one ever listens to their mother about this.) Even if IPL doesn't permanently remove hair, maybe it can turn back the clock.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 19 Review)

Observations

(Session IX)

Immediately:

It must be the weather because my leg looks dry afterwards. Nothing else noteworthy.

The Next Day:

Overall smooth, but I am still seeing areas with slightly long hair. The spots I repeatedly missed! Sometimes I examine my leg immediately after my IPL session and apply the handset directly on the stragglers... Though I probably don't do it consistently enough to have as much effect as with the rest of the leg that is exposed to IPL weekly. 

Three Days Later:

I see pin pricks of black, but as with before, I am not sure if this is old growth being pushed out or new growth coming in. I have to say they never really make it pass the skin. By the time it emerges, it's time for the next weekly IPL session and the Remington reduces it to soot.

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 18 Review)

As I start my ninth session, I have to note that parts of my skin has reached a point where nothing will grow back while I am still actively using the IPL system. I suppose I could keep this up long term and never have to shave, wax, or epilate again. I could just have weekly IPL sessions since the discomfort doesn't really bother me.

For my long term IPL goal, I think I will keep up my weekly IPL sessions for a couple of months after the recommend stop period to try to instill longer lasting effects before I stop using my Remington completely. Then I might stop to see if or when and how long it takes for new hair to grow back.

My underarm goes over smoothly without any issues as usual. While the rest of the session with my leg goes quickly too, the lower part of my lower leg (around the ankles and lower calf) still experiences the snapping rubberband sensation. The stinging area is smaller compared to last week's so that is good news. I can only feel a soothing warming sensation over the rest of the leg.

The handset is kinda of sooty afterwards. It takes a long time to sit there with the cleaning towel to wipe off all the hair-soot. Though this step is important and vital in keeping your IPL system working in pristine condition.

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 17 Review)

Observations

(Session VIII)

Immediately:

My underarm is fine.

I am puzzled by the pain on my lower leg. I didn't experience any pain there after the first session, but the last 3 or 4 sessions have been uncomfortable in that area. Examining my leg carefully, I can see that the lower area has longer hair, but they are not clumped closely together nor is there a lot of it. I wonder if I will even get to the mystery of the little jolts.

The Next Day:

My underarm looks and feels the same. My leg looks a bit dry. I can't tell if that is from the weather or from the IPL heat, but it's nothing that a bit of lotion can't fix.

Three Days Later:

Looking at my underarms it looks clean, but closely examining it shows dark roots still. Running my hand over my leg, I can barely feel anything. Even the stubble is very soft. It doesn't feel prickly or rough.

 
All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 16 Review)

I have finally reached my month and a half mark! Two more weeks until the two month mark. To be honest, I feel that noticeable results have plateaued since my fourth session. There are very minor differences here and there with each session, but they are extremely hard to capture on camera.

My underarm has made remarkable progress. I still have some baby stubble here and there, but I am optimistic that my remaining sessions will zap it all away.

My leg is another story. I didn't experience much discomfort in the beginning, but halfway through my journey the lower part of my leg started to experience the burning snapping rubber band sensation. I can't make heads or tails of it. I have been going along with the assumption that there is more hair or new growth in the area that the IPL needs to target.

As it has been lately, the eighth session is extremely fast. My underarm goes without a hitch. The only blip is when I feel a bit of discomfort on the lower leg area, but even that goes by quickly. Not much singed hair leftover on my body or handset.

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 15)

Observations

(Session VII)

Immediately:

My underarm and leg feels pleasantly warm (aside from the lower leg area that stung). Traces of hair-turned-soot found on my leg.

The Next Day:

My under arm feels and looks relatively smooth. The front side of my leg feels and looks relatively smooth. The back part is where I still feel minor stubble.

Three Days Later:

I am seeing fine hair growth all over the smooth side of my leg. The IPL sessions prevent them from growing out completely, but I believe it looks finer than the original hair. Especially compared to the one or two stragglers I can't seem to completely zap away. Rubbing my hand over the skin, it feels fairly smooth. Only a few areas where I can feel stubble.

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 14 Review)

I am almost a month and a half into my IPL sessions. This post marks my seventh session. I'm going to hold off making any assumptions or remarks about the effectiveness of Remington's i-LIGHT until I reach the two month mark. Until then, I will continue posting about my results and immediate aftereffects.

I know I've said it before, but I feel that it bears repeating, I have not used any other form of hair removal on my underarm and leg since I started using IPL. My underarm is fairly smooth. At the most, it has bits of what most people would mistake as new stubble. My leg has a smooth side and a stubble filled side. The smooth side has areas where it looks like extremely fine hair is growing in. The stubble side looks like I haven't shave it for a couple of days.

I have kept the IPL setting consistent for each part of the body. Level 3 for my underarm. Level 4 for my leg. The underarm session goes by in the blink of an eye. It take a minute at most. There is nothing left on the skin but the smell of slightly burnt hair. The leg is still surprising me. The lowest part of the lower leg area still experiences the rubber band sting sensation, though the rest of the leg area is painless. I wonder if this is because I still have new hair growth around that area. Or if I am going over spots I previously missed. I only feel a nice warming sensation on the rest of my leg. (A very welcome feeling on a cold night!)

Unlike the last session, the handset is only moderately covered in singed hair. I did find lots of "soot" on my leg though which is much easier to clean up than on that left on the handset.

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 13 Review)

Observations

(Session VI)

Immediately:

My underarm is mostly smooth. The front side of my leg is very smooth. The back part still looks and feels a bit stubby. Though all areas look like they may have new hair growth coming in.

The Next Day:

My underarm is nice and smooth. Random hair here and there. The front of my leg looks good. It looks almost as hairless as my underarm, but with a handful of tiny missed spots. The underside of my leg seems to be progressing a bit slower than the front. It feels like the front felt about 3 weeks ago. I must remember to be more careful angling the back areas.


Three Days Later:

I haven't engaged in any form of hair removal since I've started my IPL sessions. I wanted to see the real life aftereffects. My underarm always looks like it's been a day after I shaved. The tiniest hint of emerging hair lingers there. The front side of my leg is smooth. The back side of my leg has what looks like day old stubble.

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 12 Review)

I've been swapped with work, so I started my sixth session a day later than usual.

This time I tried to focus on the areas where I keep on finding little stragglers. I grouped my handset flashes to be closer and tighter together than before. I figured a tiny bit overlap is better than an inch gap missed.

My underarm was quick and fast. Nothing new to report.

I was surprised to find that I still experienced the same level of discomfort on my lower leg that I experienced during my fifth session. Still not much sensation on my upper leg. Other than the leg feeling mildly sensitive afterwards, I have not experienced any other aftereffects.

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 11 Review)

Observations

(Session V)

Immediately:

I can't see any difference. There is not even much singed hair left compared to the last session.

The Next Day:

My underarm is nice and smooth with some stragglers here and there. My leg looks the barest its been since I've started these sessions. I notice a line of stubble up my leg about a fourth of an inch wide. It must be an area I've been consistently missing since I started.


Three Days Later:

The front side of my leg is 65% hair free. The backside of my leg still has stubble. I assume this is because I can't see or angle the handset as well in that area.

Hair free on the front side. Notice the little straggles at the top of the photo? That's the beginning of the back of the leg.

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 10 Review)

My fifth week of IPL brought some surprises. My underarm's reaction has been consistent throughout treatment. It can only handle IPL level 3 on that area. Regardless of the lack of IPL intensity, the hair rate on my underarm has slowly dwindled away. 

I expected to be able to use the i-LIGHT at the highest IPL setting of 5 for my leg this time. But when I started with the usual setting of 4, I felt a higher level of discomfort than anticipated. The feeling stayed concentrated around my lower leg. I must have more hair growth there than I guesstimated. I didn't feel anything but warmth on my upper leg. So that area must have little to no growth.

As expected, since I have a rhythm down now it was extremely effortless. Based on the IPL sensation on my skin, I would venture to say that my hair growth has slowed down significantly. The hairs also appear weaker. They instantly crumble into a sooty mess onto the handset. Before the hair would be singed, but there would be very little on the handset to clean up. Now I am regularly finding bits of burnt hair on the handset. (And they are a pain to clean up!)

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 9 Review)

Observations

(Session IV)

Immediately:

The singed hair seem to fall off right away. Perhaps it's because the new hair growing in is weaker than before. I won't be able to tell the exact results until tomorrow.


The Next Day:

About 50% of my leg is bald. I'm wondering if the random spots of hairs are stragglers that I keep missing with the handset. I am really starting to see the difference.

Three Days Later:

My leg has definite bald patches, but I can also see the tiniest hint of new hair growth in all of the areas (or is it dead hair roots?). The incoming growth appears to be thinner and finer.

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 8 Review)

Remington advises users to have three sessions biweekly for a month. (Tangential observation: I'm not quite sure how they worked the math out on that since three sessions biweekly means a month and a half....) So I was super excited to start my 4th session. I figure this would be the turning point where I would really start to see results since I've zapped almost all the active follicles during their growth cycles.

I have imposed a hair removal ban on the areas of my body where I am testing the Remington i-LIGHT, so I can see real results as it progresses. My underarm shows progress - mostly bare with areas of stubble. I have bald patches on my leg and patches of stubble too. It is half and half at this point. The areas where new hair is growing back is much finer and sparser than before.

For my 4th session, I put on my sunglasses and started to work as usual. Underarm first. Leg next.

It was quick and I almost debated changing my leg setting to the highest level this time. I barely felt anything on my leg. I think I will try the higher setting for my 5th session. The areas where there is no hair has no sensations to the IPL. It was only the parts that had more stubble that I felt the hot rubber band snapping sensation.

There was the usual burnt hair, but I feel like they are also much weaker or easier to burn since I started my IPL sessions.

Fine hairs and hairless areas.

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 7 Review)

Observations

(Session III)

Immediately:

No change noticable change. No tenderness. I could see a few burnt hairs here and there.

The Next Day:

Still no visible change. Though it looks like the remaining hair on my legs are growing out slower than before.

Three Days Later:

It looks like the bald patches are regrowing hair! At the moment, it looks like finer and thinner hair than before. Maybe a couple more sessions will get rid of it entirely....

You can see all the variations here. Stubble, wispy new hair, missed areas, bald patches.

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

 

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 6 Review)

My third IPL session started exactly on my third week into using the i-LIGHT.

My leg has bald patches here and there. I would say that perhaps about 30% of my leg has no visible hair. I also noticed tiny little black roots under the skin in these areas. I am waiting to see if this is new hair growth or old hair roots that need to be pushed out. The Remington manual advises that hair grows in cycles of 18 to 24 days, so there may still be active follicles to zap.

Now that I have developed a system, the sessions are extremely fast and over with in about 5 minutes. My only concern is that I feel like I am missing parts of my leg. All four corners of the handset must simultaneously touch the skin to activate. Since the contours of the legs are naturally curved, sometimes it is hard to activate the handset on certain areas of the leg.  I also didn't use white eyeliner on my leg because I didn't want to go through all the trouble of marking up my leg for each session.

The pain level has slowly lessen over the course of each session. The zaps are starting to feel more like rubber band snaps now. The sensation has not lessen to the point where I would feel comfortable turning up the light intensity though. It definitely hurts more where there is more hair too.

The grossest part is finding and cleaning the trace amounts of singed hair from the handset area.

To be honest, I'm not sure if the before and after photos help. At the 3 week mark, my leg still mostly looks like it did 2 weeks ago.

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 5 Review)

Observations

(Session II)

Immediately:

No change. There was no redness or tenderness that accompanied the first session. 

The Next Day:

Taking a pair to tweezers, I tested the hairs on my leg again. They were clearly still attached to the root. Parts of stubble have been singed off.

Three Days Later:

I haven't touched the hair on my leg except with the i-LIGHT so all changes recorded are natural reactions to the IPL sessions. Patches on my leg now look like hair have fallen out. My underarm looks noticeably more hairless. On the other hand, I can still see little black roots of hair that haven't broken the skin yet. I am left to wonder if what I am seeing is hair that is slowly disappearing or if it is new hair starting to grow out.  

On the way to hairless?

  
All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.

An IPL Journey with the Remington i-LIGHT (Part 4 Review)

I started my second session exactly a week after my first session. Despite the initial redness and tenderness on my leg, all symptoms were gone within two days. More importantly, after a few days, it seemed like the stubble on my leg had been growing! Remington claims that after the first couple of sessions hair will appear to be growing, but in reality is being "pushed out" from the skin.