Tria Laser 4X Test

[Guest Jenn348]

I'll test the Tria 4X so you all don't have to I have not started hormones, but will hopefully be starting them next week, so keep that in mind when reading the results.

So far, I've been using it for about five weeks. The instructions recommend weekly treatments for about 3 months, at which time the hair is supposed to be gone for most people, with some touchups needed. For any remaining hair, they recommend treatments every two weeks after that until desired results.

I don't have any experience with the previous Tria laser, but this one is supposed to have double the battery life (good for 600 zaps or so), a more powerful laser setting at the top level, and less time between individual laser firings.

My basic strategy at this point is to use it for face, chest, belly and bikini area over several days each week. I do the face one day, the chest and bikini area the next and then the belly day 3. I usually do this Wed, Thurs and Friday.

Each day's treatment takes 20 minutes or so.

Week 1 - At top setting, it hurt like hell every single zap on every treatment area. I almost dropped it several times, and when I flinched the laser would come off the skin prematurely and the device would "grunt" in disapproval to let me know I didn't keep it on long enough. I swore and yelled a couple of times, but got through it.

No immediate change of any kind for growth (as expected), but I did notice that the hairs didn't seem as firmly 'planted' in the skin right after treatment, making them feel softer. My wife confirms this. Also, the bikini area would get severely irritated every time I shaved because my pants are somewhat tight there, but the irritation was drastically reduced from the first treatment. Later in the week, the razor bumps would return and start itching/hurting, but subsequent treatments always gave me several days of relief.

Subsequent weeks - Each week the hair growth would slow slightly and small bald spots have started to appear. The results for chest, belly and bikini area are much better so far than the face, so on week 3 I started double treating the face (zapping each area of the face twice on the treatment day). Now, a couple weeks later, the face is improving more rapidly.

Pain reduces every week, and the pain is now very bearable. There are still a few spots on the face that are hurting more than others, but not nearly as bad as that first week. On other parts of the body, pain is negligible or gone for most spots.

Current results (5 weeks or so):
Facial hair has slowed to around half of the old rate and is much more patchy. The small bald spots are getting bigger and my face stays smooth to the touch for the entire day until bed time, but is more noticable by the next morning. I shave every other day now instead of daily.

The other parts of the body are responding more favorably. If I shave my chest in the morning, it still feels very smooth in the night most days (my wife really likes this). I shave less often for the areas.

Irritation on the bikini area from pants is nearly non-existent. During times in the past when I shaved regularly, that area always had problems, but now it's very comfortable.

I'm very happy so far with the results, and hopefully will get what I need from this system and save a ton of money This is far-and-away better in result than anything I've tried before (waxing, chemical hair dissolvers, sugaring, sanding).

I'll update here in a month or so to give the results, and then again at the 3 month mark to give everybody an idea of how well this $450 contraption works. As I said in the beginning, no hormones yet, so if there's a sudden acceleration of results, that may partly explain it.

[Guest Robin Winter]

I look forward to future updates, I was considering this machine myself when I saw it on the shopping network.

[Guest Jenn348]

Just over two months in now.

Facial hair is probably 80% reduced for everywhere on the face except for the chin and mustache areas. Those aren't thinning out as quickly as the rest. Chest hair is probably 60% reduced, belly hair somewhere around 50% and the "bikini" area is down probably 90-95%.

I'd recommend the Tria to anybody, but with a couple warnings.

First, don't rush the treatments. Be thorough. For the first month or so, I wasn't very thorough and didn't overlap the treated spots like I should have, leaving lots of gaps between spots and rows when the tip of the device shouldn't move more than half its width between zaps and only a half-width over when going to a new row.

I wasn't using the proper overlapping pattern, and wasn't getting the results I should have. Duh. But, now that I am doing it properly, I am getting better results.

Second, don't expect overnight results, and don't get discouraged if you have a sudden burst of new hair. Hair comes in cycles, and just because you fried one batch of hair, it doesn't mean the device isn't working when the next batch comes in. There have been several times where I've had a week of very little hair and suddenly I'm ape-man again the next week.

I'll post here in another month or so with the 3-month results. I'm guessing that I will not have female-normative 3-month results, but that if I keep using the laser I will eventually be hair free.

Even if there isn't 100% removal, I've already gotten rid of more than half my facial hairs, which would make electrolysis or pro laser treatment much cheaper. The device has already paid for itself several times over

[Guest Kaylee234]

I'm not familiar with this device. Does it have similar limitations as regular laser hair removal?

~ Kay

[Guest Jenn348]

I'm not familiar with this device. Does it have similar limitations as regular laser hair removal?

~ Kay

Yes, it does. You need to have relatively light skin and relatively dark hair for it to be effective.

They have a chart on this page: [Link Removed]

You tell it what skin color you have and how dark your hair is, and it tells you whether they'll guarantee results or not.

Edited May 12, 2013 by Jenn348
Link removed as per ToS rule #23

[Guest Seanna]

Jenn,

Thank you for sharing! I've been looking for more affordable alternatives to electrolysis/laser and am seriously considering buying this. I never know what to think about online reviews because companies can easily post fluff reviews to make their products look better, so I'm looking forward to hearing more about your experience. Keep us posted!

<3 Sheala

[Guest Seanna]

I just got my Trial 4x in the mail and the box says it's not for use on "male" facial hair because it can damage the skin when used on such coarse hair. Is it safe? Has it just not been FDA approved for male facial hair yet? Has anybody else here used it? I'm hoping for more than one positive experience before putting my face in possible danger.

Thanks!

~Sheala

[Guest Seanna]

Well, I decided to test it on a small portion of my face a few days ago and have seen no adverse effects, so I'm going to do the rest today and see how it goes. I guess I'll be Guinea Pig #2. I'll let you all know how it works.

My experience so far...it hurts! Especially where the hair is thickest. I can barely feel it on my arms, though. Let's just hope the pain is worth it.

~Sheala

[Sakura]

I have not used this as i do not need hair removal. I have seen it advertised in some of my beauty mags. After reading this artical i went and looked for reviews. from what i can tell about it, from reivews amature and professional alike . is it is mostly junk . While it does work to some degree. many who used it noted that it was "not worth the pain and money for such a little reduction in hair " and at a price tag of 5-700 bucks one must ask if it is worth it to them. i mean i am sure there are those that it worked wonderfully on, but considering one can spend a few hundred more bucks and get a proven result via a professional lazer treatment. if i needed hair removal that would be the route i would go for.

[Guest CassieX]

I have not used this as i do not need hair removal. I have seen it advertised in some of my beauty mags. After reading this artical i went and looked for reviews. from what i can tell about it, from reivews amature and professional alike . is it is mostly junk . While it does work to some degree. many who used it noted that it was "not worth the pain and money for such a little reduction in hair " and at a price tag of 5-700 bucks one must ask if it is worth it to them. i mean i am sure there are those that it worked wonderfully on, but considering one can spend a few hundred more bucks and get a proven result via a professional lazer treatment. if i needed hair removal that would be the route i would go for.

Well considering that professional laser treatments cost quite a bit more than a tria, (several thousand dollars for treating body areas v $450 for a tria), I would say that the tria pays for itself in no time. I see a dermatologist once a month for laser on what black I still have left on my face but have started to use my tria for the body areas. I don't know about others, but personally I would rather have a professional work on my facial areas, especially my lip area as it does smart a bit when doing it.

And of course, lets not forget that electrology is the only permanent way to remove hair so I get that on my face too twice a week.

Cassie