The Lumea Advanced is the most affordable home hair removal machine from Philips, though you may want to consider spending a little extra to get the model with more head attachments.
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Pros
Affordable IPL machine
Claimed 85% effectiveness after three treatments (though see our notes, below)
No replacement parts, bulbs or gels needed
Cons
Not cordless
Cheapest model in series only has single head attachment
Face and “Precision” attachments bundle take the price up considerably
Cannot be used on very dark skin or very light hair
With the Philips Lumea Advanced, you can get a quality home IPL hair removal machine for well under £300. But, the cheapest model in the Advanced series is light on attachments, which may make it worth spending more (or opting for the pricier but cordless Lumea Prestige).
As with most home “laser” hair removal devices, the Philips Advanced is in fact an IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) machine. This tech is safe for home use, and with regular sessions, can indeed lead to successful permanent hair reduction.
Breaking Down the Manufacturer Claims
Philips claims that tests of the Advanced’s effectiveness show 85% hair reduction after three treatments. These tests were conducted on 45 women who used the device on their legs. According to Philips, two thirds of test subjects (30 out of 45) reached this 85% or higher hair removal rate after three treatments.
Philips also claims that after 12 treatments, you can be “hair-free for at least three months”. Delving into the stats here, they’re based on a study that found a median 71% hair removal across 48 women, who used the device on their legs only.
Demographic breakdown of the test subjects wasn’t provided, but given that the tests were conducted on women in Austria and the Netherlands, a fair assumption is that the majority of test subjects might be fair-skinned (which is ideal for higher-strength IPL settings). Additionally, leg hair tends to be less coarse than hair in armpits or the bikini area, which can require further sessions of IPL or laser treatment.
Is Laser Hair Removal Permanent? See our full explainer guide
In short, the stats shared by Philips sound positive, but have caveats to consider. Your own success with home IPL use will be affected by factors such as your skin colour, hair colour, the life-cycle stages of your hairs at point of treatment, the areas you are treating, and your correct usage of the device.
Features and Extras
Now, here is where we’d strike a note of caution. While the Lumea Advanced is the cheapest IPL machine from Philips (costing as little as £200 when on sale), this price is for the base model which comes with only one main attachment.
This main head attachment has a large 4cm squared light window – ideal for faster sessions when doing both legs, or other large body areas.
But, you’ll need to spend more to get an Advanced bundle with additional head attachments. These are the “Precision” head attachment with a smaller 3cm squared light window – recommended when being used on more sensitive areas such as your face; and, an additional Bikini area attachment which targets coarser hair.
By the time you’re looking at these options, you’re likely spending well over the £300 mark. At this point, we’d recommend instead considering the higher-end Lumea Prestige model. As well as coming with the full range of attachments, the Prestige is cordless (unlike the Advanced), which can make it more practical to use.
To help you stick to a regular schedule of usage, Philips encourages you to use its Lumea IPL app for iOS or Android. This lets you set a calendar, itemised to the body parts you are targeting, and the app will give you prompts and reminders when you’re due an IPL session.
Skin and Hair Type Suitability
Like many home IPL machines, the Lumea Advanced cannot be used on white, grey, light blonde or red hair. Philips claims it will happily work on black, brown or “dark blonde” hair types.
Unfortunately, this product isn’t suitable for very dark skin. Philips claims it will be fine for “dark brown” skin tones, but we’d caution that even in such cases, you’ll be limited to the weaker settings and may not get as impactful a hair removal result.
Verdict - Should You Buy It?
If you’re happy to stick with the base Lumea Advanced model, which has only the one head attachment, then it’s a great value home IPL machine to use on areas such as your legs. If you’re considering the Advanced "bundle" with the additional attachments, then we’d argue it’s better value to opt for the higher end Lumea Prestige model.
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