Whether it’s the bikini line, underarms or legs, if you have unwanted hair the chances are you have done some pretty painful things to those arms in an attempt to get rid of it. The SmoothSkin Bare is a pain free long-term treatment that can be used to help reduce the overall regrowth of the hair. The Bare is a IPL device (intense pulsed light) that knocks out 100 flashes per minute that can be used on the whole body, legs, bikini line, underarms in roughly 10 minutes, it is also gentle enough to use on the face. Sadly, it is not suitable for everyone, very dark skin tones (check the website for details), recent naturally or artificially tanned skin, a history of skin cancer, tattoos, moles, warts, dark birth marks or varicose veins are a no-no.

The IPL treatment works by transferring light energy through the skin’s surface which is then absorbed by the melanin present in the hair shaft, the absorbed light energy is converted to heat energy, which then disables the hair follicle preventing further growth, treated hairs naturally fall out over the course of a few days to 1-2 weeks, a treatment of this type doesn’t immediately leave you with hair free skin so you will need to continue shaving or whatever your preferred method might be whilst using the Bare at the same time. It comes in an attractive box and is simple to use, with one button operation, no need for gels, the device checks your skin tone before each flash and will only activate if it’s safe to do so, there are two modes to choose from, Glide or Stamp mode.

The Glide, as it sounds, lets you hold down the button and continuously glide along your skin between each flash, best suited for large areas and the Stamp Mode, best suited for smaller areas, is used by placing the device on your skin each time you flash for maximum precision. Unlike some of the IPL’s on the market the Bare has unlimited flashes, so you don’t have to worry about running out. SmoothSkin claim during their tests they saw up to 92% hair reduction after just 4 weeks of treatment, now I couldn’t give you a percentage, but I did notice a significant hair reduction, and the hair that was there seemed finer. It is advised to use it once a week for 12 weeks, then top up as required. As a lazy person I found it difficult to remember to do it but if you can fit it into your routine somewhere it becomes a habit. All things considered, it is as straight forward as it can be, nicely made and simple to use and if it can reduce the amount of hair I’m pulling out with wax strips, then its worth a go in my eyes. RRP £199

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4.5 out of 5

Pros

Pain free

Easy to use

Noticeable effects in 4 weeks

Good construction

Unlimited flashes

Two modes

Cons

Expensive

Initial 12 week treatment, time consuming