Israeli company Home Skinovations Ltd. has received FDA approval to market its Silk’n hair removal system, a device that works via company’s proprietary light therapy, dubbed Home Pulsed Light™ (HPL™). Designed to be used by the patient, but with physician guidance, the system promises both efficacy and privacy.
The Silk’n is intended for removal of unwanted hair by using selective photothermal treatment. The device is generally indicated for dermatological use. The Silk’n is specifically indicated for patient removal of unwanted hair by using selective photothremal treatment under the direction of a physician, after training by a healthcare professional.
The efficacy and safety of Silk’n™ was tested in a multi-center clinical study involving 4 medical centers in North America and Israel over the last 12 months. A total of 150 patients self treated with Silk’n™ in physicians’ offices as part of the study, and the initial hair count as well as the post-treatment hair count of these patients was monitored by the investigating physicians.
An average reduction of 50% in the hair count was monitored three months post three bi-weekly treatment sessions. No adverse effects were noted in the course of the study, and the users of Silk’n™ recorded an extremely high level of satisfaction with the device and their results.
Patient Comments as taken from www.hairtell.com forums
“My results have been great so far. I have only had it almost 4 weeks and done 2 sessions. I am wondering if I should have waited a little longer to do my 2 round. Waited until it started to grow back in, but I did it exacltly 2 weeks after the 1st time like the manual suggested.
Are you talking about the back of your neck? Or near you face? I have seriously been considering doing my face because I have very course dark hair, and it is even more noticable now that my chest as smooth. But I am afraid of doing damage to my eyes. Because the light is designed to penetrate thru your skin and damage the hair follicle, which leads me to beleive it could possible reach nerves around my eyes as well. But trust me, it is very tempting. But I wouldnt recommend it.“- TommyW
“I recently purchased a Silkn and I’ve been getting great results so far. I’ve been testing my left hand and fingers. I shave both hands and only treat the left with the Silkn. It seems to take a week and a half to notice any results. But the regrowth on the left hand is dramatically less than the right which i’m very pleased about. So we’ll see how it progresses in coming months.
I wish other posters would leave off the depressing “you just need to accept yourself” speeches. We’re here to talk about hair removal, specifically the Silkn system which only 2 of us on this thread so far have actually used, both with positive results.
I’ve learnt to live a rewarding life regardless of my excessive hair problem. But it’s still a problem and if i can find a reasonable solution, i’ll use it and encourage others to as well. So far Silkn has delivered good results.” - Freedom
This device applies Home Pulsed Light™ (HPL™) technology, using optical energy to disable hair growth. The hair shaft needs to absorb this light energy and then transform it to heat.
Who Can Use It?
Those with a naturally dark skin color cannot use Silk’n because burns, blisters and/or changes in skin color can result.
Dark hair responds the best to this laser treatment. Shades of brown will also respond to the laser, but typically require more treatments. Because the laser is targeting dark pigment (melanin)- white, gray, or blond hair will not benefit from using the system. Red hair isn’t totally ruled out here, but possibly may benefit from hair removal treatments.
Does Silk’n Laser Hurt?
The feeling can be likened to a slight sensation of heat. Everyone has their own tolerance to pain/discomfort, but other factors come into play. You might feel more pain if you have sensitive skin, or very dark or thick hair. The first time using the laser is usually the most uncomfortable, and then subsides with further uses for most people.
Silk’n has 5 settings that you can adjust to your sensitivity. Using the highest setting will also produce more heat, and give you better results.
This is probably one of the best home based devices available. However, for most individuals with thicker patch of hair this would greatly complement your laser treatment at a clinic and should be done in between your sessions initially. Individuals with light-moderate density of hair may benefit more using this as a sole treatment.
Some benefits of this light based system:
- Treats an area of 3cm x 2cm per flash, 40 x larger then other home use products and 100 x more powerful.
- Silkn is a product that can be shared with other family members – reducing the cost even further
- Physician Recommended
- Easy to use
- Cost effective – as it would greatly complement your clinic laser/IPL treatments
- Safe – However, longterm studies are not available as this is a new device but the preliminary studies sound promising.
- IT WORKS.
What should I look out for when buying a home laser system?
All home lasers use some form of pulsed diode laser although some more recent product combine pulsed light with an acoustic effect which is cooler on the skin.
So what should you look out for in a home use laser for hair removal?
• How many hairs does it treat at a time? – This varies from laser to laser some will treat only 1 hair at a time whilst others treat multiple hairs. Obviously the more hair that it treats the quicker the treatments.
• What is the spot size? – This is the size of the area that can be treated at any one time the larger the spot size the faster the treatments.
• Battery or Mains Power? – Some home laser units work off a battery the advantage of these is that they are far more portable and easier to manoeuvre. If you prefer the portability of the battery operated laser you need to know the length of time the battery will last at each of the levels available on the unit. If it is a mains operated machine you do not need to worry about how long the battery will last but it is less manoeuvrable.
• Price – The price of home lasers for removal of unwanted hair varies dramatically from the single hair lasers at below £100 to the most sophisticated lasers which can cost up to £800. As with most things you pay for what you get with the faster results coming from the more expensive machines. Before you buy read all the available material on each home laser and choose the unit that suits your needs best.
Dr. A. F. Haq
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