Silk'n Story Part I

Before receiving the home light based hair remover, Silk'n, I had to answer some questions that were reviewed by a physician to make sure that I was a candidate to use the system. My questionnaire was approved, and then came the package, which I couldn't wait to open and give it a good look over.

Using Silk'n

Although zapping away was my first inclination, A DVD and instructions booklet comes with the kit. Since I happen to be a very visual person, I watched the DVD first and then read the instructions so I knew exactly what I was doing, for safety and to get the best results.

My goal was to zap away at my legs and underarms, so I shaved them right before using Silk'n and made sure my skin was dried off well, following the instructions. You have to avoid removing the entire hair follicle like with waxing or sugaring six weeks before using, otherwise the light won't have hair to target.

Plugged it in, turned it on and Silk'n was ready to go. You place the device on your skin and press the head of the device down fully and then press a button, it beeps and lets off a bright light like when you take a picture. When the applicator tip was in place, I would just turn my head before pressing the button, so as to not see get the full glimpse of light. While the system is on it gives off a humming sound similar to a hairdryer.

The Speed of Light

Silk'n was very easy and fast to use by placing it on an area only once. The head of the system gives off the light and heat is fairly large (about 1" x 1 ¼") which translated into my entire legs finishing in about ½ hour, and my underarms in less than five minutes. Very fast! Temporary impressions lasting about 30 seconds from the head of the tip are made into the skin to let you know exactly where you've hit, so you can easily go to the next section, without overlapping.

Does the Home Light Based Hair Remover Silk'n Hurt?

Silk'n has five settings, going from lowest to highest in the amount of heat and light it gives off. For your first 50 shots, it will only allow you to use the lowest setting, and I didn't feel a thing. After the first 50, the next 200 shots will only go up to level three. I didn't count shots, so as soon as the setting would go up to three I changed it. Everyone is different, but to me, the zapping was absolutely painless. I could feel some heat and light snapping on my skin, but there was no pain or discomfort involved whatsoever in the first three settings. I'll let you know how it goes when using the highest setting, number five.

Does It Work?

After about two weeks the hair started to eject out and continued to do so. I'm going to use Silk'n every two weeks for my first four sessions (as suggested) and then the instructions booklet says to treat again when hair starts growing back. Usually, sessions five to seven are typically four weeks apart. I'll be sure to keep you updated on my ongoing results, get the latest through my hair removal newsletter.

Update. Read more about my results using Silk'n in Part II.

As is common in the beauty industry, the writer was provided with Silk'n for the purpose of reviewing it. The system will be returned back to the company when she's completely done with doing all of the necessary treatments. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.