READ NEXT: The best hair removal creams you can buy Philips Lumea IPL Advanced review: How does it work? But they feel quite different as the Advanced is slightly smaller and much lighter than the Prestige. That’s because it works on mains-power only, whereas the Prestige has a rechargeable lithium battery inside to use it cordless as well. It weighs 560g, but it’s perfectly balancedand comfortable to work around your body. Both devices work in the same way. Place the window flush against your skin and press the flash button. After it flashes, move it the height of the flash window to the next spot and flash again. You can keep the flash button pressed for continuous flashes as you glide the window along your skin.

Firstly, this model is very lightweight and has been designed to sit comfortably in your hand. It comes with a more extensive accessory kit than the other IPL devices we’ve tried, with two extra heads: one for the face and the other for your bikini line. As IPL uses intense flashes of light and no bulb lasts forever, the flashes you can get out of each Lumea are limited. The Advanced reviewed here is rated at 250,000 flashes (as is the Prestige) and the Lumea 9000 lasts 450,000. While that is a big difference, we did the maths and you’d have to do 544 full leg treatments to get through 250,000 flashes, or 22 years’ worth, so don’t let this put you off.

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However, the speed of flashes between the two devices is very different. And sessions are considerably faster with the Prestige. I score all at-home devices 5-stars for lamp lifetime when they give enough flashes for 15+years of monthly whole-body sessions. They get top marks because it’s many more flashes than you’ll ever need. So, although the 450,000 flashes Prestige sounds far better than the 250,000 flashes model, in reality you’ll never run out with either model. Again, this is where the patch test becomes more important. There’s no SmartSkin sensor to recommend an intensity level on the Lumea Advanced, which means you have to make that decision yourself to avoid slight discomfort. Effectiveness Both the Advanced and Prestige have flash windows to match different body areas. The Advanced models come with flat attachments in different sizes and they do a good job. Advanced:The large 4cm2 flat body and small 2cm2 face flash window with integrated red filter do a good job.

The setup is easy: simply plug the corded machine in, press the on button on the head of the device and choose from five intensity settings. That’s understandable. However, bear in mind ALL the Prestige models come with more than enough flashes for decades of use, even with the 250,000 flash bulb. This gives you enough flashes for over 15 years of monthly whole-body zappings. But for most people, you won’t need them that frequently. That’s because once you’ve done a year of maintenance top-ups, your skin stays smooth for several months at a time, and even up to one year. So, it’s more probable you’ll need top-ups just a couple of times per year. Therefore, it’s very unlikely you’ll use up all those flashes! Objective studies show up to 85% hair reduction in as little as 3 treatments***. The first 4 treatments must be carried out every 2 weeks, after which you should already be able to see the desired results. To maintain your results, simply touch up every 4 weeks. After just 8 touch up treatments you can enjoy hair-free smooth skin for at least 12 months**. Fast Treatment: Treat only every two weeks for the first 6 weeks (vs. weekly of other brands), then touch up monthly to maintain the results.To put this into perspective, the Lumea 9000 flashes once every 2 seconds – that’s nearly double the length of time between each flash with the Advanced model. When treating small areas of the body like the armpits, this won’t make a huge difference, however, it took me a whopping 27 minutes to treat one leg using the Lumea Advanced, compared with 18 minutes using the Lumea 9000. The Prestige is one of the lowest effort home IPL devices for large areas and whole-body sessions. The Advanced is much more effort for larger body areas, so it’s better suited to your face and smaller areas. Lumea Prestige vs Lumea Advanced summary Both these at-home IPL devices from Philips are top quality. However, the Prestige has several additional features and functions which make it easier, safer and faster to use. The Advanced is a decent choise for zapping your face and smaller body areas if you have fair skin. But for legs, torso or whole body sessions you’ll spevnd far less time zapping with the Lumea Prestige. Alongside this, the Lumea Advanced is corded, which means you lose out on the cordless convenience offered by the Lumea 9000. Still, the cord is 192cm long, which is plenty enough to manoeuvre around your body during treatments. It’s also much lighter than the cordless version, weighing nearly 200g less than its cordless counterpart.