Hello all my hairy... or not so hairy friends. I recently purchased the Tria Laser and since I had a hard time finding a thorough review from a man, I decided to write one. Hopefully this will help in deciding whether or not to buy the product... or if it works, help ladies convince their male counterpart to lose some fuzz. I basically look like Chewbaca if I don't at least trim or shave, and I am sick of it!
This post will hopefully be my longest; I have much to report on at this point. I will not be providing the specs of the machine because they can easily be found elsewhere online. What I will do is mention my observations as I use the product, and of course tell you if the darn thing actually works.
For the purpose of this review, I will be analyzing Tria's effectiveness on my chest/stomach, shoulders, triceps, hands, and feet. That's right, I do look like Chewbaca :)
Since using the product, I have worked out what seems to be a decent system to zap the crap out of all these body parts. I know what you’re thinking… why do you need a “system?” Why not just work from one part to the next? I’m so glad you asked! Here’s the short version. The battery doesn’t last very long and I can only treat so much of my body at a time and must therefore break up my body into parts to treat at a time (of course not literally). For you detail oriented people, the next paragraph has the long version.
The Tria takes two hours to fully charge… I have read different numbers which I assume relate to the older model. I have their newest product (aka the one with 5 “comfort” settings). Depending on which comfort level you select, the battery lasts appx. a half hour if a pretty good pace is maintained. The higher levels, especially 5, take an extra second or 2 in between zaps, probably for the purpose of keeping the machine cool enough to function. Hence, even though more battery is used per zap at level 5, the slower frequency of zaps evens out the time it takes to drain the battery. Whats more, the treatment head is quite small (1/4 inch I believe) which means a lot of zapping is required to complete a relatively small area. I have thus developed a system of 5 treatments every 2 weeks. Each set of 5 covers all the previously mentioned areas: 1) right side of stomach 2) left side of stomach 3) right side of chest 4) left side of chest 5) shoulders/hands/feet/triceps. Wow, am I really putting myself through all this? Yep!
So now that we are on the same page with the process I am taking on, lets discuss some shinannigans you wont find on the infomercial. Earlier I mentioned a small treatment head, which sounds like a bad thing. Small head means many more zaps.
However, I have a theory that the small head makes this whole process somewhat bearable. This is my first experience with laser treatment, and perhaps this is not the case for everyone, but it HURTS! I have noticed that it hurts a lot more in areas that are especially dense with hair. Lets assume this is because the more melanin that is being destroyed, the more pain we feel. Makes sense to me but I’m not a scientist or a specialist in skin care. However, assuming my conclusion is correct, a larger treatment head would mean more melanin is destroyed at at time. Hence, a larger treatment head means greater pain intensity.
No matter how you slice it, the Tria hurts. You may read that “you will only feel a little prick, its not that bad” or “it feels like a rubber band snapping on your skin.” Both of these statements are quite deceptive. While one pin prick or one snap of a rubber band isn’t that bad, 300-500 of them over a half hour period is not very pleasant. To be fair, I understand that pain is not a problem with the product itself but rather the fact that a laser is killing cells.
On another subject, if you are skinny or boney, using the Tria can be frustrating. I have a thin-athletic build and have a couple areas that are more difficult to treat. The treatment head must be flat against the skin (i.e. if the head picks up light, its not gonna zap) so my fingers, toes, a little bit of my hand and shoulder, and my collar bone have required a little creativity. I basically mash all the skin together until the light is hidden from the head. However, it isn’t THAT bad… I am able to treat the areas. But if I had skinny legs/arms, I can see how it would be much more work getting around the shin or forearm.
I must say that I had higher expectations for the Tria Laser. In all fairness, they did a great job of marketing the product to sound like the magical hair-removing fairy from the comfort of my own home. I fell in love with the idea without looking at the reality… we are trying to remove something that wants to exist. Its gonna take time, work, money, and its gonna hurt. Rather than blame the product, I blame myself for setting unrealistic expectations. If you are thinking about buying the product, I am not discouraging you from doing so. If it produces results, it is well worth the sacrifice in my opinion. However, if you are buying the IDEA of being hair-free without fully considering the REALITY of what it takes to remove hair, you will be gravely disappointed. The only blame I give Tria is to their marketing/advertizing department. They do a great job of making a daunting task seem as minimal as possible while still disclosing that it will take time, work, and pain. And money. Man advertisers are brilliant!
Alright forum people, now its your turn. If you have any questions or special requests for this review, feel free to ask. I’ll take some pictures once my hair grows back in… right now I’m baby-smooth! 
I will address a few things in my next post. 1) the weight and handling of the device during treatment. 2) the “after effect.” 3) you tell me!
