Customer Reviews

Silk'n Personal Light-Based Hair Removal Device for Home Use

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

There's been a lot of back-and-forth about the Silk'n device online. Some folks say it works great. Others say it doesn't work at all and is a total scam. Maybe it's because I used the device under a Doctor's supervision that my expectations and results were more realistic.

Like all light-based and laser removal methods, the Silk'n works best on lighter skin with darker hair...think of a pale "Italian" or "Spaniard" for an idea of what the ideal candidate is...and it works for those folks pretty well. If you're blonde-haired and blue-eyed...don't waste your money on this or any hair removal method other than electrolysis.

I am a white male. I have a lighter skin tone. My hair is brown to dark brown, depending on where we're talking about. My arms are lightest...my chest and stomach are darkest. I used Silk'n on my chest and stomach and nowhere else. By all measures I'm a good candidate.

How does it work? It works well at killing hairs that are there. Most of the active hairs do fall out and you have several weeks of smoothness, just like waxing. They do grow back eventually, but if you're using the device regularly, you're slowly widdling away at the growth cycles of the hair, so it appears that less hair is growing back, when it actuality it's all growing back but you're just interrupting the cycle so often you don't notice. After a while, you just do it every few months and you're fine...but you'll never stop using it. Once you get into that "groove" where the hair is reduced, it's really very nice.

LET THIS BE SAID FOR CLARIFICATION: IF YOU STOP USING THIS DEVICE, ALL OF THE HAIR DOES GROW BACK eventually. It takes a while, but you're not permanently killing anything...you're just slowing down the cycle and constantly zapping the hairs that are there...since this is at home and not a salon, you can get it under control easily and zap the hairs as they come along. This is EXACTLY the same results I had with professional laser/IPL removal in a doctor's office....NOT PERMANENT. If you're looking for permanence, get electrolysis and take 15 years under the needle.

All in all, this is a great alternative to waxing for me. The results last longer and it's far cheaper overall than going to the salon. I also can do it at home. I also noticed a pronounced reduction in my ingrown hairs on the treated areas.

No one promised me a permanently hairless body, but I was assured a reasonable reduction. This is much easier than shaving, waxing, or going to the salon. The cost of the bulbs doesn't even come close to what I would be spending on waxing.

I just got the Silkn hair removal system and tried it on my arms, legs and bikini. I started off with the lowest energy setting as recommended by manufacturer. I increased it to the 4th level of intensity (5 is the highest)and felt a little burning sensation for a split second, but nothing after that. My skin type is olive, and hair is dark, so I am hoping for good results. The machine makes the noise of a blow dryer, and when you zap each section it makes a slight pop sound. Nothing scary about this device. I was bummed when i read the manual, and it stated that u can't use this machine on your neck or face. My husband wanted to use it on his neck and eventually for his beard. I will see what type of results I have b4 i attempt it on his neck (against manufacturer's advice). The manual tells u not to overlap sections that you have already zapped, but its hard to tell exactly what you already zapped, so I tried my best.

I will update this review after a few weeks, when i hopefully have some results to brag about...lol

1st update
Its January 3, i have used the laser 3 times on various body parts, and have begun to see some results. My arms have shown the most hair loss, where my legs and bikini area have missing spots of hair. I was hoping for faster results, but that is unrealistic. I am content that the product is working thus far, and am looking forward to my next treatment!

2nd update April 22, 2009
I am about to start my 8th session, and I am really impressed by this machine. The most dramatic results so far appear to be on my lower legs and arms (I emphasize on that area the most). From the start, I kept a log and recorded: date, intensity level (which is always 5 now), and the body parts I do at that time. I get lazy sometimes, so I will only do a few parts at a time (by reviewing the log, you can get a perspective on your hair loss). My bikini area, which was the most dense has also shown lots of improvement. I have gone through 4-5 cartridges already (but I am covering a large area each time..if u only do small areas each time, it will last longer of course...i am aiming at having little to no hair by the summer), which has been pretty pricey, but it is well worth it.
I am in the privacy of my own home and have the convenience of doing it anytime I am available. One review stated that it was not worth it bc it was too expensive, and he recommended going to a laser center. That was not an option for me. I am a mom of 3, and have no time to go do daily errands, nevermind scheduling laser appts. In the long run, this machine will pay itself off, and you will be pleased with the results.

This product DOES NOT WORK! I have light skin, dark hair, used it as instructed and it did not do a thing!
I recommend you do not buy it. Now... if you are incredulous about the reviews and you have to see for yourself, do yourself a favor and buy it on amazon. I made the mistake of buying it directly from the so called SILKN STORE, and let me tell you I still think about them months after the ordeal. They say they return your money, but they do everything in their power not to give you a refund. They lied, said they had sent me a check, etc, ended up giving me a partial refund (this all happened from Feb 2010 to Sep 2010- that is how long it took them to return part of my money). Well, now it is Nov 2010, and I just found out they are typing in my credit card info, making fraudulent charges without my authorization. This is just the kind of company they are, stay AWAY!

I got the Silk'n a few weeks ago. I had been doing professional laser hair removal on my lower legs, underarms and bikini, and i decided i wanted to try and finish off those areas plus do the upper leg and arms and stray hair with the Silkn. From a pricing point of view, it makes sense. At roughyl $625 it's the cost of one to one and half professional session for multiple body areas. So i figured, while expensive, it made sense to try.

I have had 3 treatments so far with Silkn, and the treatment does work, but it is not as strong as professional laser treatment, so it will require more sessions to achieve similar results. I overrode the low pulse settings as i had being doing laser already so i didn't feel i needed to start on the low settings. The highest setting didn't burn (i have light skin and light brown hair), just gave a small sensation. Much milder than professional laser. Instructions to override the initial settings are in the booklet.

Even requiring more session than professional laser, Silkn is still cost effective. I did upper legs, arms, underarms, bikini, parts of lower legs 3 times and the bulb is now 90% used. So the reports that one bulb barely lasts one session seem incorrect to me. So on average, as you use up bulbs, the bulb cost for each multiple area treatment is around 30$ per session (rounding up), which is great.

I am happy with the product. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because i wish it was a little bit stronger.

"Cb" says more guys should post a review. OK, I'm a guy so I'll post a review. If you take a little time to do a bit of reading and web research (e.g.,[....] ) before dropping [....] on a hair-removal product, you'd find out that it is NOT permanent, but it DOES work very well. You just need to understand the limitations. It's not powerful enough to permanently destroy the hair follicles but it does disable a large percentage of them for, in my experience so far, at least a few weeks.

So far I've done 3 treatments on chest, stomach, backs of hands, and face (in spite of the manual's instructions not to). Please note I am impatient and wanted results so I did these treatments 1 week apart, not two as instructed. I figured I'd hit these areas a week apart a few times, then go to every other week for a couple treatments, then reduce as I see more results. I ordered for this same price from another web site that includes 4 bulbs instead of 2 so I'm set for bulbs for a few more treatments.

At this point I'm thrilled because it works fabulously on chest, stomach, and lower neck. Saw no results at all for the first week but towards the end of the second week I started seeing shedding (the hair falls out). Into the third week, the hair is coming in much more slowly, is very easy to shave, and for the first time it doesn't even look like I shaved afterwards (I have very fair skin and thick dark hair so if you looked close before you could see the stubble under the skin). I skipped treatment last week and now at the end of the 4th week since my first treatment, the hair is barely growing at all and is quick & easy to get a perfect shave, even with an electric razor.

It has had very little if any effect on the backs of my hands, no idea why, and no effect on my beard at all. I think it's just not powerful enough for these difficult areas.

This product is perfect for me at this time, even though it's not permanent. I plan to have pro laser hair removal when funds are available, but that might be a while. At least in the area where I live, any competent clinic or spa will charge at least [...] thousand for a package of treatments on the areas I want done, on which I'm currently using Silk'n. Yes, it'll be permanent (or mostly so) and I won't have to keep buying [...] bulbs, but I just don't have that kind of money right now. Using Silk'n in the meantime gives me much better results than I've had with anything else I've tried, the price is reasonable, and I can do it myself at home. If you take just a little time to do your research before you buy, you'll understand whether this product is right for you or not. On hair removal forums it seems as though there are many light-based hair removal at-home products on the market but so far only Silk'n and Tria seem to really work.

It is rude and disingenuous to give a good product a 1 or 3 star rating because you couldn't be bothered finding out the facts before buying it, only to find it doesn't do everything you dreamed of -- when no one claimed it did. That is YOUR fault, not the manufacturer's, so don't punish them and try to prejudice others away from a product they might love.

Also note that in the manual there are easy instructions to disable the limitation on the power levels and start right at level 5 if you choose to (as I did). The manual also says not to use it on the face, and it goes on to explain it's because on a woman's face, most of the hair follicles are inactive. There is a possibility using Silk'n on a woman's face could actually activate more follicles and cause you more hair growth.

I love the product because it's seriously reduced the amount and thickness of hair I have to shave, and it comes in much slower (and I've only done 3 treatments so far). Also, this product is NOT a laser. It is a pulsed light device, which is generally not considered to be as effective or permanent as any good professional laser treatment. I still recommend the product as long as you understand these limitations.

At first I was very happy cause I did see some hair loss, but some weeks later the hair that had fallen started growing back. It was supposed to work very well in my case, because the manual says that if you have very dark hair and very white skin, it should be more efficient with the burning of the folicules.

In sum, I used it every 15 days for 10 months, experienced some hair reduction during this time, but then it all grew back. So I have to say I am very disappointed with the product.

I just bought Silk'n and used it for first time, so I cannot say if it works in a long run, yet. I'm going to update my review later when I see the results. As far, I can say that it's not painful (well a little bit on the highest setting. When you first turn the unit on, it sets automatically to the lowest level for the first 50 pulses, then, for the next 200 pulses (flashes) you can adjust power for up to the third level of intensity. And after these 200 pulses, you can adjust the power up to 5th (the highest) setting. I belive it's done to make sure we don't start using Silk'n at the highest power level for the first time, though, it did not feel like you can burn yourself even at the highest power level (but maybe other people have more sensitive skin than I :) ). The cartridge (lamp) is desposable - it works for 750 flashes (you can treat arms, full legs, underarms and bikini,together once). The unit comes with two cartridges - one installed and one spare.
The manual said that hair has to be shaven before treatment, but I did not shave everywhere, and the hair that was not shaven burnt a little bit at the highest power setting (not completely, though).
Silk'n is quite noisy when turned on - reminds you of a very noisy vacuum cleaner. Did not bother me, but you probably won't be able to watch TV when using it.
The cord that connects the handpiece to the base is quite long, so you can reach pretty much everywhere without a problem.
The area that can be treated with one pulse is 6 square centimeters. I did my legs, arms and bikini in one hour.
The verdict so far: easy to use, almost painless, and seems doing something to the hair. I'll update later to let you know if there is result.
P.S.: in the manual it says that to see the final results it can take 18-24 months of constant treatments. But I hope if there are results, they will be seen before then.

I have used it consistently for months, following the directions, i.e. 6~8 times (I lost count) without any appreciable reduction in hair. I have very light skin and medium dark hair, and professional pulsed-light hair removal has been very effective for me, so I should have been an ideal candidate.

After reading a few of the review's I had to wonder if these people have ever had laser hair removal at a Salon? Before you complain about a bulb lasting through your whole body and half of your wives, you should know that to laser your arms it costs about $1,000 (for 5 visits)...legs are about $1,200 (for 5 visits) and sometimes they throw in 2 free passes on your armpits...$80 lightbulbs? Much better option and no embarrasing positions with a stranger (for the private parts)!

Well let me start by saying I am a male. A hairy male. Damn-near every male on my father's side is hair and I didn't want to be. I spend years looking for something to handle it. But always went back to shaving.
When I heard about the Silk'n I knew I'd be getting it.
Now some of the reviews I've seen on here don't strike me as being too fair. Some reviewers are saying that the Silk'n won't work on the thick hair of men. Not true! My hair is pretty thick. Maybe they just weren't lucky like me to be a light skinned Spaniard.

But here are the down sides as I see them:

*It will take multiple treatments. I'm about 2 months into using it every other weekend.

*The more darker parts of your body you use it on will have a slight burning feeling for about a day at most (be sure to read the warnings about skin tone).

*AND the actual size of the area that gets treated w/ each flash is smaller then I thought. As a result I can see patches of hair on some areas that I guess were getting missed. I think this is another reason why some people aren't happy w/ the Silk'n -- they're not treating the same spot everytime. It (The Silk'n) looks like it only covers about a square inch of skin. But the areas that I know for a fact have been treated everytime have NO hair growth.

All in all, I'm really really happy w/ the Silk'n.