SmoothSkin Gold IPL At-Home Hair Removal
The following content includes gifted products (*) and referral links. Read my disclosure policy for more info.
My very first experience with an at-home permanent hair removal took place many years ago, with the Tria laser. As someone with a light skin tone and very dark, coarse hair, I was never able to get away with going a few days without shaving my legs- especially in the summer. The model that I had was one of the first ones to come out. I remember seeing results after about 6-8 weeks of use, but there were two things that eventually led me to discontinue the use: one, it was very time consuming and unless I set a reminder for myself, I’d simply forget to use it; and two, it seemed that once I stopped using the device for a few weeks, hair would simply grow back.
Since this summer, I’ve been putting a new gadget to the test: SmoothSkin Gold IPL*, and I’m now ready to talk about my results. One of the first things I immediately noticed when using SmoothSkin Gold*, was that the area or a “spot” that I was able to treat at once was much larger than that with Tria. This also means that the whole process is a lot less time-consuming since you’re able to treat a fairly large spot at a time. A laser light consists of one wavelength going in one direction- this creates a single beam of light. IPL devices, on the other hand, like the SmoothSkin Gold IPL* produce a wide range of wavelengths of light. This pretty much explains why the coverage of IPL hair removal devices is greater than laser hair removal devices, and why the treatment is usually quicker.
Both laser and intense pulsed light use heat to light the hair follicle and prevent regrowth- so, they both work on the same principle. Both also provide a long-term solution for hair removal. When it comes to at-home treatments, both with a laser, and IPL, they might not be suitable for very dark skin tones or those with very light hair- you can check if you’re suitable for treatment with SmoothSkin devices right here.
The SmoothSkin Gold IPL* device itself is pretty easy to use (you can watch this video tutorial to see it for yourself). You prep your skin by exfoliating and shaving, plug in the device, power it up by enabling the ready mode, and firmly press the device to your skin to activate it once it detects a valid skin tone. From there, you press the activation button to treat your skin.
You can use either the “stamp” technique where you press the activation button and “stamp” the device to your skin or the “glide” technique, where you continuously hold the button and glide the device on your skin, pressing firmly. The preference will depend on the area you’re treating- I find the “stamp” technique works best in smaller areas like underarms, and “glide” technique is easier to use in areas like your legs.
What SmoothSkin says about their Gold IPL Hair Removal Device:
“SmoothSkin IPL offers long-lasting hair reduction in the comfort of your own home. Like laser, Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) uses light to break the hair growth cycle and prevent regrowth. Our devices are FDA cleared, safe and easy to use on your body and face.
SmoothSkin Gold delivers a powerful, personalized IPL treatment based on your unique skin tone, maximizing your results safely. After following our 12-week regime you can continue with top-up treatments as required to maintain beautifully smooth skin, around every 4-8 weeks.”
What I love:
-Of course, the actual results is what I was most interested in. I was able to see results after only 3 treatments, which I thought was VERY impressive. At first, it was just a patch here and there where the hair growth has reduced, and with continued use, those hair-free areas kept getting larger.
-I think that the price point ($299 at the moment) is pretty fair, considering the results. I paid around $500 for my previous at-home hair removal device and the lack of results and the time-consuming factor resulted in it currently sitting somewhere at the bottom of my closet, collecting dust.
-the process itself isn’t painful or uncomfortable, it just feels a little warm.
-the device has a gentle mode that reduces the power output, which you can use if you find the treatment to be a little uncomfortable. I’ve used the gentle mode on my underarms and bikini line and still experienced great results.
-while initially, I was surprised that SmoothSkin Gold IPL* didn’t come with a rechargeable battery, I think that the fact that the device needs to be plugged into a power outlet is actually a big plus. I remember my at-home laser hair removal device dying mid-treatment, simply because the treatment would take so long. The cable is also fairly long so you can easily move the device around, depending on which area you’re treating.
-you can treat areas on your body (legs, arms, underarms, bikini line) and face (cheek and jawline).
What I don’t love:
-after the first couple of treatments, I started getting in-grown hairs all over my calves- something I’ve never experienced before. I stopped using the device for a few weeks and got in touch with the guys at SmoothSkin Gold and was advised to try exfoliating after shaving my legs. This seemed to help A LOT. I usually exfoliate before shaving, never after. Trying both worked nicely for me (I use my Salux before and a gentle scrub after shaving). I also used the Tend Skin Solution after shaving and restarted my treatments with SmoothSkin Gold once those little bumps healed (Amlactin helped me a ton, too)- the combination of the two solved the problem.
-after the initial 12-week treatment, you do have to use the device once a month to maintain your results. This, however, is to be expected with any at-home hair removal/reduction devices. It’s also important to note that results will vary from person to person- I loved the results I got, but that doesn’t mean that I was able to give up shaving for good. After the 12-week treatment, the hair growth (especially on my legs) has reduced drastically though- I’d say as much as 70%.
-again, the results you get will depend mostly on both your skin tone and hair color. Having a fair/light skin tone with very dark hair makes me an ideal candidate for using devices like SmoothSkin Gold, so that is why I was able to get such impressive results.
Overall, I have to say that I LOVE the SmoothSkin Gold IPL* device and the results that I’m getting. Now that I am done with my initial 12 weekly treatments, I noticed that in addition to a significant reduction in hair growth, any hair growth that does happen is much finer and lighter. Definitely, a thumbs up for me, I’d highly recommend it especially if you have skin tone and hair color similar to mine (since you probably understand the struggles of dark hair being very visible on a light skin color).