It used to be the case that laser hair removal was a treatment reserved for those who could afford a professional service that was spread over numerous sessions and thousands of dollars.
Thankfully technology has developed to the point where we can perform these permanent hair removal treatments safely at home at a fraction of the price.
The Tria Laser Hair Removal 4X is one of the most popular home laser hair removal devices, and with good reason.
In this review we’ll take a look at the device in depth and help you to answer any questions you may have about whether this device may or may not be for you.
Before we dive in, lets have a look at some general pros and cons of Tria hair removal 4x:
The Good
+ First FDA approved home laser device
+ Clinically proven
+ Digital Display
+ Usable on the whole body
+ Convenient Cordless Design
+ No cartridge replacements
+ Works faster than other laser devices
The Bad
– May be painful
– Small head size
– Only usable on certain skin and hair types
– Expensive
check price and reviews for the tria laser hair removal device
Tria 4X Hair Removal Device – What’s in the box?
tria hair removal laser 4x review
Inside the boxyou will receive:
The Tria 4X Laser Hair Removal Device
1x Power Supply
1x User Manual
Design and Features of Tria Hair Removal Device
tria laser hair removal device
The Tria Hair Removal device
This is to be expected considering the price tag, but nevertheless Tria clearly put time into making sure the product was both effective and easy to use whilst still looking good.
FDA Approved Laser Hair Removal Device
The Tria 4X is the first FDA approved laser that is available for home use.
This is a huge deal for both the industry, and for our trust in the product. It’s big for the industry because it paves the way for future devices and future iterations of this device, allowing for more and more improvements.
We feel like this approval makes us far more comfortable using the product. The fact that experts have deemed it safe for consumer use, wipes away any worry that we have.
Before FDA approval, the fear was that the lasers used are capable of burning your skin if you use it too frequently or at too high an intensity. Basically, if you don’t follow the instructions then you might not only burn unwanted hair, but also your skin.
There are 2 strong reasons why the FDA approved this product:
It requires online/telephone activation – before you can even turn on the device you have to answer some questions about your skin to make sure you will be using the device safely.
The skin sensor – additionally, once the device has been activated you have to press your skin against a specially designed skin sensor so that the device can assess whether your skin tone is safe for use.
(This system actually can be bypassed, but we won’t post those details here as we believe you should be as careful as possible. These are lasers after all!)
Professional Technology
The creators of this product were actually the same people who developed the laser hair removal machines that are used professionally in clinics around the world today.
This was a huge plus for us as it means that we are likely to get the same level of safety and efficacy that you would in a professional setting. Or at the very least, the scientists behind the Tria Hair Removal Device have the experience needed to translate a hugely successful technology into a home use device better than anybody.
Skin Tone Sensor
As you may or may not know, home laser hair removal can only be used on certain skin and hair types. Due to the way that the technology works this product cannot be used if you have darker skin, or hair that isn’t dark in color.
The ideal candidate is someone with pale skin and dark hair.For professional laser hair removal for dark skin, there are other options.
This is because the laser targets the melanin in hair, which is the pigment that gives hair and skin its color. The laser then proceeds to heat up the melanin and burns it until it has dissolved. If you have darker skin then the laser will do the same to your skin resulting in burning!
The Tria 4X, for this reason, takes safety very seriously and has a built in skin sensor on the device.
You’ll need to place the part of your skin you intend to treat on this sensor to ensure that the device unlocks and is useable.
Digital Display
On the head of the Tria device is a very useful digital display.
See the image below for what each indicator means (and no that’s not a wifi signal!):
tria laser reviews
Pulse Counter
Your Tria Hair Removal device should technically last you around 90,000 pulse in total. After that point it will start to die, but thankfully that’s a heck of a lot of pulses.
Just look at the recommended amounts for each parts of your body:
Upper Lip 25 pulses (2-3 mins)
Underarms 100 pulses per side (4-5 mins)
Bikini Line 200 pulses (8-10 mins)
Upper Leg 600 pulses (25-30 mins)
Knees 600 pulses (25-30 mins)
So even if you had unbeatable hair on your knees you could zap them 150 times the recommended treatment before the Tria 4X would start to slow down.
The Pulse Counter on the display is a super handy notification to have, especially when you’re following guidelines such as those above. It helps you to determine whether you should be spending more time on a certain area or if you’re overdoing it to the point of it not being effective.
No Cartridges or Ongoing Costs
An advantage of a laser device over an IPL device such as the Remington iLight is that there are no bulbs or replacement cartridges to deal with.
This means that there is no ongoing cost involved with the Tria Hair Removal Device. Once you buy it, you won’t pay anything more.
With an IPL product you can buy the base model but when the bulb has been used up you’ll have to buy replacement bulbs and of course those costs can mount up.
If you’re looking for a full comparison of all the top laser and IPL hair removal devices, check out this article.
Usage & Impressions of Tria Hair Removal
Does it actually work?
Professional laser hairlaser treatment
There are numerous studies (Gold MH 2007, Wheeland 2012) that prove the efficacy of laser hair removal, so the fact that it has been applied to home hair removal devices is really a wonderful step forward in hair removal.
tria 4x laser hair removal review
Where can I use it?
The Tria Laser 4Xthe entire body
It is designed to work anywhere from the upper lip downwards. This is due to sensitivity of the skin on the face and in order to avoid burning and permanent damage.
There are other areas where we cannot recommend you use the Tria laser hair removal device, and these are areas where your skin is darker or more sensitive.
Sorry ladies but if you were hoping to get a full downstairs permanent hair removal solution we can’t in good conscience recommend it.
The main reason for this is that in the pubic region, especially on the labia, skin is often darker and far more sensitive. The last thing we want is to say you can use this device down there and have people permanently scarring themselves.
If you do want to give it a try, please consult your doctor or dermatologist first.
When should I expect to see results?
With laser hair removal, time and patience are key.
Tria suggests using the device once every 2 weeks for 3 months. Around this period you should expect to see some results, though for the body in around 6 weeks you should notice a difference and in 4 weeks for anything facial.
Tria claims that in 3 months you should see a 70% reduction in hair growth.
Pain!
Some people liken the experience of using the Tria 4X Laser to having an elastic band snapped against your skin.
The pain really varies quite drastically between people depending on their skin sensitivity, their tolerance to pain and of course the setting they are using with the device. We find that these devices are definitely less painful than a professional session.
You should always start on the lowest setting and slowly move up until the pain is too much for you.
But remember, if you don’t feel any pain then you didn’t hit a hair!
We’ve written an extensive guide on pain reduction tips for epilating, and some of that applies here too.
If all else fails many people have found help in a numbing cream or simply an ice pack on the area before starting.
Battery & Charging
The Tria 4X Laser is a handheld device that runs on a rechargeable battery. This is perfect and exactly what you need as cords are annoying, especially when you’re trying to target tiny hairs with precision while operating at odd angles.
The Tria will run for approximately 40 minutes before needing to be recharged, and then takes a couple of hours to fully recharge again.
Charging tip: sometimes the cooling fans will turn on when the device is charging and this is normal. If you prefer for this not to happen then you can activate “quiet mode” by holding the power button for a few seconds while it is charging. This will result in the device taking a bit longer to charge.
Small Sensor Face
One problem we had with this product is that the sensor head is quite small. It is only able to treat an area about the size of a quarter per pulse. This is a disadvantage you’ll experience in comparison to going to a professional.
Anything larger would probably require a larger battery and therefore a larger overall device, so its probably for the best.
One thing to note when using the device is that the face has 3 points around the edge. If all 3 of these points are not touching your skin then it will not flash. This is, assumedly, to protect your eyes from the flash so make sure you keep this in mind when using the Tria.
Cost
So of course we have to mention the price tag.
This is not a cheap solution to unwanted hair. However, you should think of it as an investment.
Instead of paying money for razors, waxing sessions, replacement bulbs etc for years to come instead you’ll be paying a lot now and never needing to pay anything again.
When you think of it in those terms, the Tria 4X Laser Hair Removal Device is actually a great value.
Are there any risks?
If you follow the guidelines here: Tria Beauty 4X Instructions for Use then you should be just fine.
Remember this product is FDA approved and as long as your skin isn’t too dark then there won’t be any problems.
Final Thoughts on Best Hair Removal Device
Honestly this is by far the best home laser hair removal device on the market.
If you were on the fence about which brand to go with what could be more convincing than these 2 points:
Its made by the creators of professional laser hair removal technology.
