The old Tria thread is getting pretty long with speculation and technical debate, so I thought I'd start a thread focusing on actual experiences. Hopefully this will help others determine if it's right for them.

For those that haven't heard about it, the Tria is a home laser hair removal system which retails for around $1000:

http://www.triabeauty.com

I've put more overview details at:

http://www.geocities.com/vulpresults/tria.html

Years ago I had commercial laser on my arms and legs which gave me permanent results. I purchased a Tria in July to do my chest, stomach, shoulders, and other areas, after weighing the cost of having these done professionally (around $200 per session, per area).

My hair is dark brown on Type III skin. When I shave, hair becomes noticeable stubble within 12 hours, and if I wax, it regrows in 1 week.

It's been 3 weeks now since my my 3rd chest session and I have what I feel is completely bare skin (at least for now). A couple of hairs have grown here and there which I attribute to previously dormant follicles.

One of the nicest things about the Tria is that you can treat hairs the moment you notice them growing. No more waiting for a clinic to squeeze you in for a touchup or your next appointment.

My stomach, shoulders and lower back have responded the same way. My underarms look like they'll need 5 sessions to get bare. I'm trying not to get too excited in case these results aren't permanent, but it's really encouraging.

I'd also like to quickly comment on Tria customer service. They checked up on me a week after my purchase, and when I called about a possible issue, they sent a FedEx pre-paid return box. Once they received my suspect unit, they overnighted a brand new one (covered by their 1 year warranty). I've never had such a great customer experience with a company.

So, my results so far are that if you use a Tria on its highest setting, and you have dark hair on light skin, you will see long-lasting hair reduction after 3 - 5 sessions.

I'd also like to point out their 90 day money-back warranty. Considering how great their customer service has been, I wouldn't see a problem buying a Tria for a trial to see how your hair responds.

If you're using or have used a Tria before or have questions about it please post.

Vulpes, your not worried about using emla too often? How would you know if your doing damage to your liver? How large is a 35 sq patch? 6x6 inches, and that would take about 25 mins to do with tria?

Do people actually use emla on there entire chest or back?

I would not advise doing both at the same time, but one is usually ok.

I hope your happy with the product a year or two from now. Your one of the few who have posted a positive review.

Yes, what really matters is observing the area one year after the last treatment. Thanks for your report, but I'll be anxious to hear about your observations one full year without doing anything.

Dee

The permanence test will take years I know. The nice thing is that, even if it's not permanent, the Tria makes a compelling alternative to waxing. You don't have to wait for hairs to grow back like with wax, you just zap new ones if you see them grow, for a perpetual waxed-like appearance. From this point of view I'm pleased.. so it's a big bonus if it turns out to be permanent.

And yes, boy, I've gone through my share of Emla and other Lidocaine alternatives. I'm 128 lbs and use at most 60 grams of Lidocaine 4% or Emla. With the Tria, you'd do a full chest and stomach in 2-3 sessions at first, so only 30 grams are needed at a time.

Speaking of which, I strongly recommend a product called Lido 4%. It works very similar to Emla, but is about half the price. Emla is $1.07/gram, and Lido 4% is $0.50/gram (if you order in pairs, use Buddy Code FOX483, and Coupon SAVE3443):

http://www.hairproducts.com/view_product_BEA-LID100.htm

Like Emla, the worst side effect is skin blanching (turns skin red temporarily) and sometimes slight tongue numbness for a few hours.

As far as positive reviews, I haven't seen that many reviews period (in English anyway), which is why I'm hoping to get some posts here. Two of the reasons I've seen such promising results might be because I have dark hair, and I've only been using the highest setting. Other reviews I've read have stuck to level 1 or 2, but even these seem to be promising, for instance:

http://triabeauty.wordpress.com/

vulpes..

When you purchased the TRIA laser..did UPS ship it in a brown box with the colored one inside..or just the colored one?

Actually it was FedEx, but yes the Tria arrived inside its carrying kit, which was inside the colored Tria box, which was inside a protective plastic bag, which was packed in stiff foam inside a plain brown box.

For me at least, FedEx required an in-person signature for it. So, be sure to have it shipped to your workplace, have someone at home to sign for it, or be ready to pick it up at your FedEx/UPS center.

Thanks alot..would you honestly say its working effectivly? I am light skined and have dark hair so i am a good canidate for laser hair removal..the reviews ive read on forums seem somewhat skeptic that its not powerful enough to actually work, but the hype of this product from TRIA's website and press releases make it hard to shy away from...so from your experience, would you say it works as well as you previous laser treatments and recommened is as well?

I was skeptical too as you can see from my older posts. But, after seeing and feeling (yow!) it in action, I can honestly say it has the ability to stop hair from growing (at least for a few months so far). I can't make any promises for permanency yet.

To the benefit of the laser clinics out there, I'll be honest and say that the Tria can't treat the wide range of skin/hair types that a a commercial laser can (e.g. lighter hairs), and the Tria is battery powered, making it very time consuming for large areas (e.g. 10+ sessions for a full leg).

Just like a commercial system, you'll likely need a lot of pain cream if you have dark hair like me. So figure in some $15-$30 per session for anesthetic. I don't recommend using a lower setting on the Tria.

If you're thinking of trying it bmm, remember they have a 90 day money back guarantee. You should see some results 2 weeks after your first session on its highest setting, so 12 weeks should be plenty to get an idea if it fits your skin/hair combo.

We are lucky to have you vulpes. Thanks for your observations so far.

Dee

Aren't you concerned with the possible damage your doing to your liver with using pain creams so often??

I would be very cautious - one time a month, fine but every few hours or for days in a row could be very dangerous...

It might be better to just deal with the pain.

thanks for your response vulpes...i really think i am going to purchase one..keep us updated!!!

I also bought the TRIA around 3 days ago. So far I have used it on my chest,lower back, and now starting towards the stomach. (i am male)

I will say this... The TRIA has introduced some of the worst pain in the world to me. I do NOT use any kind of cream and I have dense black hair on my chest. It feels like burning hot needles are going inside your skin. If this is a permanent reduction of pesky hair however, it is worth it. I will post conclusions of how the TRIA fared on my body after Ive had more time using it.

P.S. I've heard using ice packs on the area before using the laser will reduce the effectiveness... why will it reduce the effectiveness?

With ice packs you are cooling the area. This makes it harder for the laser to heat up the hair to eventually end in burning.

ahh.. common sense. Is there any home remedies to numb the skin besides ice to make the pain less? or cheap options besides that expensive $37 bottle of 60g of lidocaine thats on the internet?

p.s. is it true keeping the TRIA plugged in 24/7 will help the battery last longer?

About often use, I haven't experienced any problems using lidocaine for daily treatments and see no warnings against it.

And yes, if you've never had laser before, you're in for probably the worst pain of your life if you don't use pain cream. It's just not tolerable for me without it, and I've just bitten the bullet on the cost. You could try getting a prescription from your doctor or dermatologist for 4% or 5% Lidocaine in an aqueous base (none of that petroleum stuff) and see if your health insurance might cover it.

The battery is an NiMH, which is said to lose its charge gradually when not plugged in. The Tria documentation says to leave it plugged in, probably for that reason.

Look forward to hearing how your results are coming Coolness! You should notice some bare patches in 2 weeks mixed with regrowth.

Daily use of anesthetics can cause sluggish bowel movements, or constipation. It can also cause nausea. Your kidney won't be too pleased with you either, but most Americans kick their kidneys to death all day, everyday anyway, so it won't know the difference.

I do not plan to use anything for daily use. However I would use it the first time on only my abdomen because that is where my hair is the most course and my skin is the most sensitive. A one time 60g application of lidocaine will not harm me.

P.S. Do you think it would be most effective if i did the same area maybe 2-3 times over to ensure maximum hair removal with the TRIA or just wait the 2 weeks so see what I got. Doing the same hairs over and over can't be harmful--only more effective, correct?

James is right that you should use caution and you might have some side effects. Take it easy at first and wade into any kind of daily treatments until you know how your body reacts.

And Coolness, going over the area twice or three times is a very good idea. Once the area is numb, I usually just go over the area until the battery runs out (and the Tria auto shuts off). If you're planning to do your whole abdomen though, you might only get to make a partial second pass before the juice runs out. It's a real shame they didn't make this thing plug-in-able.

I can usually double laser a 6x6" area if I don't overlap too much.

If cooling causes decreased results when using the TRIA this should be a clear sign to everyone that the machine is not able to cause permanent hair reduction.

If the TRIA works, there would be no reason to go over the same area multiple times. Once the hair has been thermo dessicated multiple applications in the same sitting should not be necessary.

Only time will tell but I really hope for all of the users of TRIA, that they are not causing more growth and problems for themselves.

Can someone who uses the TRIA please take a picture of an area treated immediately post treatment. Thank You.

Goodluck.

Hi there , can anyone give an overview regarding these devices home use , because i bought A rio saloon hair removal 2 months ago , and i used it many time without result.It would be grateful if you couild give me feedback .

Regards
ventdusud

I think you already got your feedback - what you saw is pretty much what everyone else who tries it sees. If the Rio worked, I would buy it myself instead of spending money on expensive professional treatments.

I bought this about two weeks ago and used it for the first time last Saturday on my bikini line.

The bad news:
It was pretty (ok, extremely) painful - that's a sensitive area with fairly dense growth, but I was determined to use the highest setting so I just stopped every few beeps to recover. I'll definitely be picking up some lidocaine for next time. I divided the area into 1" sections and tried to go over each section with overlapping as described in the manual; I definitely didn't get in the full 35 beeps per section, probably more like 10-15. Ouch. I also used it on the middle setting on my underarms, but didn't really cover it heavily. At that point I was tired of being in pain

The good news:
I didn't expect to see results for two weeks, but I've already seen a HUGE difference on my bikini line. Much better than I expected after a single treatment. Where I used the laser, I probably have an 80-90% reduction; some hairs are still coming in but it's waaaay less than the areas I didn't use it on. And the laser definitely hurts less on areas with less hair, so I'm hoping it'll be less painful when I do it again. Also, some of the hairs that are coming in are really loose - when I tug on them they slide right out.

My underarms - where I used the second highest setting and didn't overlap - seem a tiny bit lighter but not significantly. I think you really have to suck it up and use the highest setting.

I have pretty light skin and dark blonde hair (darker on my bikini line.. wow its weird to be discussing this on the internet!). I really bought the laser primarily for the bikini line, so I'm completely satisfied with the results. I don't know how long they'll last and if they'll actually be permanent, but frankly I don't really care - if it starts to grow back I'll just laser it off again. Anything's better than having to shave that area.

Just to clarify that you're not seeing a "reduction". At this point, you're seeing the treated hair shed. That doesn't mean that they were all killed. If the settings were high enough, then hopefully a bunch of them were killed. However, with the 600ms pulse setting, it's doubtful that any hair can be damaged permanently. But it seems that you are fine with that.

Keep in mind that blond hair is not supposed to be affected. It sounds like yours may be more light brown. It needs to have pigment to be affected by laser. If you're seeing shedding, that means it does, so it's not technically as blond as you think, or the roots are darker than what you see on the outside.

Here you go

http://www.imagebam.com/image/c6e52013865284

And from the comment on pain, it's incredibly painful without anesthetic. Emla from Canadapharmacy now ships from England and costs twice as much as the Lido 4% which is what I switched to.

is it true you can't use this device on your face? has anyone tried it on their face? why would they not create this to be used on a face? that's one of the most embarassing places a woman has hair growth. is it just to cover their butts if someone accidentally lasered their eyes or burned their skin on their face? higher powered lasers at clinics can be used on the face.. or have all these places been doing wrong ?

I would venture out and say to avoid lawsuits due to eye damage and permanent scarring from burns etc.

Vulpes,

Any news on how the results of your treatments with the tria? Would you say it has worked so far? Do you have any photos of your results from the tria?

Vulpes, your skin should react stronger to proper treatments. The skin should be red, the follicles should be raised and the skin will be slightly swollen. It will look/feel like a mild sunburn for a couple of days.

tt_wa84 please update on how the skin looks after the hair has shed? and for how long have you been hair free?

I'm finishing up the 5th round of sessions today. Some areas have been mostly touch ups since the 3rd round, and right now I'd say I have 95% inhibition in the areas I've done.

I'm going to leave everything untreated for at least a month and take some pictures then. There should at least be some hair that hasn't been in their cycle yet, so I'm sure I'll have to catch those as they grow.

It's a pretty liberating device, and I can see this kind of thing become really addictive. I've done areas I never considered getting done professionally due to the hassle, embarrassment or cost. For instance my armpits, which I was never inclined to shave, have been 100% smooth for several weeks.. its so weird feeling (in a good way!).

Vulpes have you had professinal treatmets done prior to Tria?

Yes See:

http://www.geocities.com/vulpresults/

Make sure you keep us posted Vulpes. I am curious to see how this works out for you.

Hey Vulpes, I have a question: When you did your professional laser treatments, how low were the fluence settings that your hair responded to?

I've done a lot of professional treatments at pretty high settings with only mixed results (I have coarse, dark hair and pretty light skin) and am thinking of getting the TRIA for touchups, but I am worried that it may not be powerful enough, since a good amount of my hair hasn't responded to even professional lasers.

Thanks in advance for the info!

Hey everyone!! I have just ordered my TRIA and I am so excited! I'm trying not to have crazy expectations but I have to admit, I'm hoping this works for me. I decided to buy the product after looking at every review I could find. It seems like the people who have the best results are fair skinned with dark hair - and that fits me exactly! I am so over razor bumps and not being able to have a smooth bikini line all the time, so I figured I'd give it a try. I spoke to a customer service rep before purchasing...she assured me that there are absolutely NO restrictions on the 90 day money back guarantee. If you return it within 90 days, you get your money back. So, here goes it! I'll keep everyone updated on my results...maybe even post some pictures! Wish me luck!

Good luck RUgirl! Just be prepared for the pain, it does hurt so you may need to purchase lidocaine. If you have an extremely high pain threshold though maybe it wont bother you.

It's been over 3 weeks now since the 5th session on my chest and underarms. I've actually been treating many areas, but I'll use them as an example.

I would say that about half of the hair on my chest has come back in, but much lighter and finer. There are really no hairs that even closely resemble the original black hairs that were there (sorry I haven't yet had time to take pictures).

My armpits (which were darker and coarser) are practically unnoticeable (velous hairs?). I was under the impression my armpits were completely clear of hair, when in fact the hair was just too hard to see or feel.

My evolving impression is that the Tria (on its highest setting) will significantly diminish coarse black/dark-brown hair, and will completely stop some particularly dark hairs, but that it is probably not powerful enough to destroy fine/light hair.

This could be beneficial to men because, I think, many of us simply prefer more "normal" looking hair.. rather than completely bare skin. The Tria results are self-limiting to this effect (e.g. as a hair gets lighter and finer it will respond less to treatment).

Those with light-brown, soft hairs will probably not benefit much, and those with large areas or seeking complete removal should expect to get professional laser followup(s) at a higher fluence.

To brassmonkey: My pro lightsheer sessions started with a fluence in the low 20's and ramped up each session eventually hitting the low 40's to kill the last, light hairs.

RUgirl, keep in mind that professional treatments for bikini line cost around $100 per treatment and you need around 6 treatments. If that's all that's bothering you, it's actually cheaper to get professional treatments which are a lot more powerful.

brassmonkey, settings vary across machines. Can you provide details on the machine used and joules, pulse and spot size?

Vulpes,

Can you post pictures of your chest before treatments and what your chest looks like now?

Keep in mind that Vulpes has had professional treatments done first. See his website listed above, with pictures.

Vulpes,

Do you have any picture updates for us yet?

Vulpes, any updates?

I think this could be a major thing. Its was only a matter of time until powerful lasers became available for home use. I know this is not good news for practitioners on here, but for the customers this is great news.

Im well aware the 'Tria' is not upto the standard of a Pro with a Gentlelase, but the very fact you can give your self unlimited treatments at home make up for that disadvantage.

After reading Vulpes website, he appears honest and clued up on the subject.
I personally think he will get good long lasting results as he has very dark hair, so things can only get better really.

This could be a god send for many of us, and i will be watching this thread and hope vulpes keeps us updated. Or anyone else for that matter.

The main concern in the industry is that the pulse is 600ms vs 3ms on a machine like GentleLASE. That's a huge difference. SSLHR here already agreed that Tria can likely give pretty good temporary results, but he stated that he doesn't believe it can permanently disable the follicle at 600ms and only 24J as a diode. LightSheer diode on light skin types is used at 35-45J and 20ms and below.

It's now been 6 weeks since I last shaved and used the Tria on my abdomen. This was after using the Tria initially for 5 sessions on the highest setting spread over about 2 months.

After my 5th session, I had gotten to the point of no immediate regrowth in this and other areas such as my armpits. The essentially bare skin lasted for almost 3 weeks after treatment before I could notice hairs were growing in (compared to 1.5 weeks with waxing).

After 6 weeks of leaving the area alone, there's now a very noticeable amount of hair that's come in:

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/3194/compare1qv5.jpg

The good news it that the hairs that have come back are much finer and less coarse, and a few haven't grown back at all. The growth rate also seems slower, or was at least initially.

The bad news is that, as you can see from the picture, a majority of the hairs still grew back in eventually.

When I had commercial laser on my arms, nearly all of the hair grew back initially after the first few sessions (spaced about 10 weeks apart), but was also lighter and finer each time. So, I'm not trying not to get too discouraged.

http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/256/armlasergh6.gif

My impression is still that the Tria slows growth and makes hairs finer, but has a very low efficacy for disabling hairs completely. It has to be used for many, many months to achieve noticeable results, may still not be permanent, and some hairs (especially lighter ones) may never respond.

For now I'm going to perform sessions 6 - 9, then wait and see again. I probably won't have much to report until early February.

Hi Vulpes,

Looking at the photo, I would say you have had a 50% reduction (give or take 5%) in the number of hairs in that area. The hair in the right hand side picture (6 weeks after session 5) is about twice as long as the hair in the left hand side picture, so it looks like there is "more" hair on that side.

Also, the hair is definitely finer.

Thank you for documenting your results

You should really give it 12 weeks to judge the reduction. 6 weeks is not enough. At 6 weeks, only some of the hair is out.

Also, hair first appears finer, even after waxing. You need to give it a significant amount of time to judge whether it will remain finer.

SILK'N BEAT TRIA on GOOD MORNING AMERICA, NOVEMBER 6TH, 2008!

It's cheaper, faster, more effective and physician-recommended!

Check out this clip and visit silkn.com to find a doctor near you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YJg4merJVs

There are no ads allowed on this site. Thanks.

Also, you can't tell results right away, so it can't really show anything on one show. Why don't you post studies of effectiveness over the course of a few years instead?

Hi Vulpes,

I notice you have had Tria for 4+ months now (since July), but only had used it on your abdomen for a period of 2 months. I am just wondering if you have longer term experience to share regarding other parts of the body.

Also, you mentioned that you have 5 sessions within a 2 months period. Isn't that too little time between each session?

Thank you in advance. Sorry for lots of questions in my first post :p

Well I've had it since early July. I didn't start treating until mid-July, and then in mid-August my unit had a glitch and had to be replaced (which was quick and free, including shipping both ways), and for the past month and a half I was just waiting to see what the regrowth looked like. So yes, only about 2 months of solid treatments.

I spaced them about 1.5 weeks apart because that's when I typically finished shedding and could see what was actually regrowing (a diminishing amount each time). I stopped to wait and see once it was down to no immediate regrowth.

The results in all areas are pretty similar. The most remarkable change is that every hair I've treated is now "limp".. even the previous coarse, curly ones.. they have no "firmness" to them anymore, so they're much less noticeable to the touch and lay flat against the skin. However, they're still visibly dark and long.

If the hair was affected, you wouldn't be seeing "regrowth" at 1.5 weeks. At that point, you should only be seeing spots that were missed where hair would be growing as usual. It takes longer than 1.5 weeks for NEW hair to develop and grow out. And if this device is affecting the roots, it would have damaged the hair is touched under the skin as well. So it wouldn't have appeared only 1.5 weeks later...