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Tria Beauty Hair Removal Beauty Laser 4X Review
As a woman, nothing bothers me more than my body’s odd habit of growing hair where I don’t want it. What drives me even more nuts than the hair itself is the fact that I have spent so much time and money dealing with the issue.
Just like others, I have come to accept the routine of shaving my legs, bikini line, and underarms as a part of daily life. However, my biggest issue is the rapid and unsightly growth of hair on my upper lip, which seems to have been inherited from a lumberjack.
After spending some time searching for a solution, the art of hair team of Groom+Style decided to test the Tria Hair Removal System. Here’s what happened.
Side note – for alternatives to the Tria see our complete guide linked below |
The Tria Beauty Company has a Solid Reputation
Before scheduling a hair removal appointment or spending money on any beauty product, it’s always wise to research the company and the product thoroughly. Many of us have been disappointed by expensive beauty products that failed to deliver results, and it’s not uncommon for some companies to be nothing more than a shady operation out of a post office box in Boca Raton, Florida. Given the high cost of the Tria Beauty Laser Hair Removal System, it’s reasonable to conduct a detailed investigation and read product reviews before making a purchase.
I found that the company, Tria Beauty, actually exists. Tria was started in 2003 by Tobin Island, a Stanford graduate who is one of three people credited with inventing the first home hair removal laser. The company has multiple patents for its laser technology and appears to be a leader in the field. In short, it’s a real company started by a real person – a graduate of Stanford, no less. I wonder if he is married…but I digress.
The Tria Laser Hair Removal Device
So, just what is this hair removal methods? The Tria Hair Removal Laser 4X is pretty much exactly what the name suggests – a laser for zapping unwanted hair on your body. The Tria works by applying a laser tip directly to the skin. When activated, it sends brief pulses of energy directly into the hair follicles under the tip of the device.
The Tria device uses a diode laser, the same tool used in dermatologists’ offices, to zap the follicles of the hairs you target. When you apply the laser tip to an area of the skin, it sends pulses of energy down into the follicles. The energy targets the melanin at the base of the follicle, deactivating the hair so it no longer grows. The pulse is strong enough to impact hair growth, but not strong enough to damage the surrounding skin. The laser is built into a device I can only describe as looking like a hair dryer. With the Tria, however, there is no nozzle for hot air to come out. Instead, the nozzle is replaced by a cone that tapers down to a flat point roughly the size of a penny. This is where laser pulses leave the device, hitting the area of skin you want to treat.
The Tria Hair Removal Laser 4X Product is FDA Approved
You probably know (or could guess) that there are a few million beauty products claiming to produce just about any result you could hope for. You probably also know that unless the product has been tested and approved by the FDA, the promises are as likely to be kept as those made by the charming, cute guy at your best friend’s wedding reception.
That is why I was pleased to see that, unlike some products supposedly “certified” by some agency you’ve never heard of (and which may not even exist), the Tria is certified by the United States Food and Drug Administration. In 2008, the FDA approved the Tria hair removal laser as the only certified over-the-counter laser hair removal product available in the United States.
In 2009, the Agency gave further clearance to the same 4X product I tried in this test. In granting the certification, the FDA reported:
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The FDA certification was enough to entice me, so I purchased the Tria Beauty Laser Hair Removal System to see if it could solve my lip hair problem once and for all. While I was at it, I wanted to try it on the usual spots where we all need to remove hair – the bikini line, legs and underarms. Here’s how things went.
How To Use the Tria Beauty Laser Hair Removal System
I ordered the Tria Laser 4X online without any problem. When the product arrived, it came in nice white packaging, roughly 10 inches high by a couple of inches in diameter, and in good shape. Opening the box, I found the laser pre-assembled with a short set of instructions. Batteries were included with my order, which made things convenient. I’m not the most technologically advanced person in the world, so I was really happy to find the Tria Laser is very easy to use, and the included instructions were precise and correct.
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The goal when you use the Tria is to create an overlapping pattern of circular pulses on the desired area. Think of your skin as a piece of paper and a drinking glass as the laser. The process is like dipping the glass into water and setting it down on the paper, making a circular mark – then picking up the glass and setting it down again so that the second mark overlaps the first and extends out into a fresh section of the paper – and so on. At the end of the process, the paper would be covered completely by overlapping circles, just as the treated area of your skin will be “covered” by the overlapping circles of the laser pulses.
Tria recommends the following number of pulses for particular parts of the body:
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It’s important to note that this is not a “one treatment” device. I noticed no changes after my first session and was really disappointed. Then I broke down and actually read the manual completely, which said it would take two to three sessions at the highest power level before any change would be seen. Sure enough, my lip hair started to disappear around the third session, which seriously improved my mood.
If you are like me you probably will not read the instructions carefully, so let me cover the important stuff here. You need to perform one session a week for each area you are targeting. You must do this for three months straight and at the highest power level. If you need to turn down the power level, you can. Just understand it will take longer to have an effect.
Did the Tria Laser 4X Work?
Overall, I would have to say I am pretty happy with the results. As I mentioned, my main problem is my upper lip. My skin is fair and I seem to grow these “alien” dark black hairs there. Using the Tria laser, I zapped the skin across the top of my lip from one end to the other once a week for three months at the highest intensity. Now, the hairs are gone. This alone makes the Tria a gift from Heaven as far as I’m concerned, but I also used it on my underarms, bikini line, and legs with mostly positive results.
The armpits proved to be a bit of a trouble area for me. The laser appears to work, but the sensation was too much to take at the highest power level. I had to drop it from five to three. I noticed no change in hair growth for the first two months, but am now starting to see small changes after three months. I’m going to keep going with the treatments for another month to see how things progress. If you can stand the higher intensity, the three-month treatment period would most likely work for you.
The effect on my bikini line was a nice surprise. I expected the Tria would work, but thought it might be a bit intense since that’s such a delicate area. But it worked like a charm and was so much better than waxing. If you hate shaving or waxing your bikini area, you are going to love this handheld laser.
As for my legs, the product definitely does the job. After three months of treatments, I would say 90 percent of the hair on my legs is no longer growing. That’s a very good thing since the sessions can be a bit of a drag; you have to be prepared to spend as long as an hour if you are going to do both legs properly, from the bikini line down to the ankles. I just do it from the top of the knees down which takes about 25 minutes.
Things I Liked about the Tria Hair Removal Laser 4X
Okay, let’s cut to the chase. Having completed the initial three-month treatment program, what things did I like about the Tria? Well, the most important thing is it works. This isn’t really a surprise considering the FDA approved the product. Still, I’ve spent more money than I want to admit on useless hair removal products in the past, so it is nice to find one that actually works.
The second thing I really liked about the Tria is how easy it is to use. When I say easy, I mean you can literally pop it out of the package, turn it on, and have it. There are no lotions, strange directions, or anything. I can’t figure out how to get my DVR to record my favorite shows half the time, but I have no problem using the Tria.
As odd as it may sound, I also really like the price I paid for this laser. It certainly didn’t seem cheap – until I thought about how much I was paying for professional treatments for my lip hair issue. Depending on who I went to, I had to pay $375 to $500 for “permanent” treatments, which were never permanent hair removal. On average, I was spending around $1,000 a year to get my Tom Selleck mustache removed. For less than half that amount, my Tria now does the job. To me, that’s a good deal. My armpits are very sensitive, so I also looked into getting them treated by a professional. The cost was $1,200! I could buy three Trias, and have one for each arm plus one for my lip for the same price.
Things I Didn’t Like about the Tria Laser 4X
Is the Tria Laser 4X perfect? Well, there were a few things I wasn’t so crazy about.
The first issue is this is a laser and works by attacking the follicles of your hair, so the high-power setting can be a bit intense at times. The only place it really bothered me was under my arms. You can turn down the laser intensity, but then you need to plan on spending an extra month or two treating the area. I’m a bit of a wimp, so you may be able to handle the highest power setting without any problems. Still, you should be aware this is a laser and there will be some discomfort. I would guess the pain was about 90% less than you experience when waxing, though.
The second issue is that the sessions can take a good amount of time, particularly on your legs. The laser only covers about a quarter of an inch of space, so you can expect to spend 25 to 30 minutes on just your lower legs each session. You only have to do one session a week, but this is going to take more time than just popping into the shower to shave your legs. Batteries can be an issue. The laser needs energy, and a 30-minute session on the highest power level can wipe out the batteries.
I have fair skin and tend to grow darker hairs, so the Tria works fine for me. However, the box clearly states the laser isn’t as effective with darker skin colors. If you have dark olive skin or are African-American, you probably should look into this issue further – see alternatives in the Top 5 Best Home Hair Removal Devices Review.
Conclusion
The Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X proved to be a valuable investment for those seeking a long-term solution for hair removal. Although it can be intense at times, the laser’s powerful technology is easy to use and gives you effective results, making it a top choice for both men and women.
Our real-life trial showed that the Tria Laser helped reduce hair growth significantly in just a few uses. Moreover, the cordless design and portability make it convenient for on-the-go hair removal.
It is a recommended product for anyone looking to achieve smooth, hair-free skin.
Does this make the pop and then smell like the burnt hair? I’ve experienced this with professional treatments. Also do you shed the hair a few days later like professional treatments?
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for the question.
So before using the Tria laser (or any other laser hair/IPL removal device) you want to shave the area first. What I have found is that if I have missed a few hairs while shaving I experience more of the “burnt hair” smell, so effective shaving is the key to reducing this. Having said all that the “burnt hair” smell experienced with the Tria is much smaller than with other models.
There is no “pop” sound when using the Tria laser (there is a beep to tell you to move to the next treatment area), but I have experienced the “pop” when using some of the other IPL devices referenced in the review linked below.
https://groomwithstyle.com/art-of-shaving/5-best-home-hair-removal-laser-devices-reviewed/
Hope this helps.
Kind Regards,
Lisa
Hi. I am a 51 year old female. The older I get the more black whiskers I am developing on my face and chin. Some have a tendency to become ingrown so I am looking into purchasing an at-home laser hair removal device to permanently remove the whiskers. I also have some annoying patch fuzz. I dont see anywhere does the Tria say its okay to use on the face and neck. I understand it only works on dark hair so with that being said can I use it on my face, chin, and neck to help with the black whiskers? Also…while treating them any luck peach fuzz might reduce at the same time? Thank you
Hi Lori,
Thanks for the question.
Yes, the Tria laser is safe to use on the face and neck and will work effectively on the darker hairs.
Unfortunately, the peach fuzz is unlikely to respond to the laser treatment – electrolysis is very effective long term solution for stubborn lighter hairs.
Good luck, and I hope this helped.
Kind Regards,
Lisa
Hi, i have just bought this trivia laser removal and i can’t wait for the result. Do you know how to mute the sound for trivia? when i start to turn it on, the voice is so loud. thankyou so much
Hi Livi,
Thanks for the question, unfortunately there is no way to mute the sound on the Tria Laser – I think it is there as an important safety feature.
Could you play some music while performing the treatment to drown it out? 🙂
Kind Regards,
Lisa
I’m a guy using the tria. I only want to thin out the amount of hair legs.
Does letting the hair grow out again fully reset all the progress you’ve made trying to kill the hair?
If so how would I know if I’m happy with how the amount of hair that’s been thinned unless I fully let it grow to see what it looks like?
Any ideas?
Hi Kyle,
I was actually one of the test “subjects” for the Tria Laser and have found a definite thinning of hair on my legs after a 6-week session with the Tria. I have fairish skin and hair, and did a weekly session for 6 weeks and then stopped. My leg hair is thinner than it was 12 months after.
All hair follicles grow in different cycles so it will be difficult to deactivate all of then in a 6-week cycle – so I would suggest you follow a similar protocol i.e. do a 6 week cycle (4 weeks if you are being conservative or have the ideal dark hair and light skin), allow the hair to grow after that and repeat as needed.
Hope this helped, and do let us know if you have any follow up questions.
Kind Regards,
Pierce
Hey! I have ingrown hairs like everywhere where you would shave but they are the worst under the armpit and bikini area…. I’ve been to the dermatologist and they recommended for me to try laser treatments but I’m wondering how will the unit work if I can’t shave a hair trapped under the skin? I do exfoliating both physical and chemical to free the hairs but still suffer from this problem all over. Thanks for your help!
Hi Lauren,
Thanks for the great question. Hopefully, there will be some helpful ideas for you below.
Firstly, let me confirm that laser hair removal sounds like a brilliant idea for you.
– Key suggestion is to use an electric shaver rather than a manual shaver to minimize/avoid the occurrence of ingrown hairs. Please read these articles for detailed information about how to prevent ingrown hairs.
https://groomwithstyle.com/tips-to-choose-shavers-for-ingrown-hairs/
As you have probably realized, the laser will not be able reach the hair follicle, if the hair is trapped under the skin. However, the good news is that laser hair removal (whether it is at home or professional), as you would have read, is a process and takes a number of treatments over a period of time. And as you perform treatments it is likely that not all hairs will be infected at the same time etc, and you can just continue to perform treatments until all follicles have been deactivated.
Having said all that, what I would suggest is that you stop shaving the desired areas for a few weeks before you begin your treatment to clear as many of the ingrown hairs as possible. Focus on one area at a time if you do not want to be “hairy” “all over”. The day before you plan your treatment you will need to shave. Now, this is the critical part for you. I would recommend that you shave with an electric shaver (https://groomwithstyle.com/art-of-shaving/5-best-bikini-razors-bikini-trimmers/). Shaving with an electric shaver is much less likely to cause ingrown hairs. As soon as your skin has recovered from the shaver (if you have easily irritated skin), you can proceed with the laser hair treatment (which also means there should be minimal time for ingrown hairs to develop). At this time the hairs will be short enough to allow the laser to travel down the hair to the follicle. Also, I would also suggest trying to “dig” out the infected hair before laser treatments (don’t pluck the hair as you need it attached to the follicle).
It might also be advisable in your case to get some professional advice at a laser hair removal clinic.
Alternatively you can read the article below for details of the best at home laser hair removal options.
https://groomwithstyle.com/art-of-shaving/5-best-home-hair-removal-laser-devices-reviewed/
Hope this helps a little bit – good luck with everything, and do let us know if you have any additional questions.
Kind Regards,
Lisa
Thank you Lisa for responding so fast! That was very helpful advise! I can’t wait to try it and I know I’m a prime candidate with my fair skin tone and black hair that grows in extremely fast and thick (I could sneeze and have hairs pop out…seriously lol) … so even if I shave it still looks like I didn’t. I was using a 72 tweezer epilator and after awhile I believe it traumatized the hair follicles to become ingrown. I’m glad to know that I could just pop it out (I use a glucose diabetes tiny finger needles to get them out) but how long would I need to wait to shave and then do the laser? I would definitely want the home laser and not the other lights that some of the other units have and I really appreciate the detailed reviews on them!
Hi Lauren,
I think you will have to use your judgement regarding the length of time to wait, and maybe a bit of trial and error?
Note – epilation, as I am sure you are aware, pulls our the hair follicle from the root – so you will need to wait a few weeks for the hairs (and their follicles) to grow back before starting laser hair removal i.e. the laser needs to damage the follicle for the process to work, so you need your hair follicles to be in place.
So the rough plan would be to rescue as many ingrown hairs as possible (over a period of a week or so, this really depends on how many ingrown hairs you have? – and do continue a healthy skin care regime appropriate for the skin surface, exfoliate gently and moisturise etc. to get the skin and hairs as healthy as possible), then once the area has settled down (redness and any infections), shave with an electric shaver (or the other option is to use an electric trimmer, which trims very, very short), and the day after your electric shaver you should be good to try the laser treatment.
You would want to avoid the laser treatment on any infected hairs, broken skin or infected follicles – other than the fact this would probably hurt more, you would needlessly be exposing yourself to a greater risk of skin damage. If you have one or two infected areas, and really want to start treatment you have the option of covering them with a small plaster, and just not lasering that area. The tria laser head is very “focused/small” so this approach is more than possible. You can then just go back and treat that area when it is healthy.
Once again, hope this is helpful. Good luck!
Kind Regards,
Lisa
Hey Lisa,
I just got my Tria and tried it out already tonight. I will definitely look into the electric shaver you suggested to help with the ingrowns. Thanks for all of your advise I really hope this works out!
Fantastic news, enjoy the process!!!
Kind Regards,
Lisa and the G+S Team
I have a question. Can I have the hair on my legs permanently thinned, but not gone forever.? So instead of the maximum amount of sessions to permanently remove the hair(for example 10), I go to fewer sessions(for example 7) so that hair remains, but is thinner.
Hi Alex,
This is definitely possible, as the laser hair removal process is a longer term solution than say shaving or waxing i.e. not all hair follicles will get damaged and deactivated at the same time. Hair grows in cycles meaning that some hair on you legs/body is newer and some is older depending on their individual cycles etc. Laser hair treatment will work most effectively on the younger hair follicles i.e. these are the hair follicles most susceptible to the laser damage. This is why laser hair removal requires multiple treatments over a range of time so you can zap the different hairs at different phases of their growth cycle.
Also, some hair follicles will eventually repair themselves and “reactivate”, although the hair will grow back finer and lighter.
As for the exact timings of the treatments and how you should modify this that is not something we can really advise on as it will be specific to your hair colour, skin colour and hormone levels i.e. you will have to judge this for yourself. A good place to start might be to half the recommended treatments and see how your body responds?
Hope this helps a little bit.
Kind Regards,
Pierce
Hi Lisa,
Did you have to shave your upper lip for this to work?
Thanks
Cate
Hi Cate,
Thanks for your question.
Yes, you want to be cleanly shaved before you perform the (Tria) laser treatment.
Specifically:
– The Tria guidelines recommend you stop waxing/plucking/electrolysis/epilation 6 weeks before you plan to perform the treatment (the laser needs access to the hair follicles to be effective, so you don’t want to be removing it). Also, do not wax /pluck /(perform)electrolysis /epliate etc. between treatments.
– Also, if this is your first at home laser hair removal treatment, perform a test on a patch of skin that is not visible to everyone, at least 24 hours before your treatment (test a variety of power settings to see what you are comfortable with). Check the results after 24 hours and make sure you have not reacted badly to the test – if you are happy you can continue treating a more visible area such as your upper lip.
– Try to avoid the sun and do not use any tanning products 4-6 weeks before your treatment – the treatment will be more effective on lighter skin.
– lightly exfoliate 3-4 days before the treatment
– You want to shave before, at least the day before, the actual treatment. Only continue with the laser hair removal treatment when you skin has recovered from the shave i.e. you that you do not have razor burn/sensitive skin etc. For some people this will be 24 hours and others it will be a touch longer. Removing the surface hair ensures the laser treatment is less painful, and ensures the laser light can reach the hair follicle.
– On the day of the treatment, use a light (non-perfumed and non-abrasive) cleanser to ensure the surface of the skin is free from cosmetics, lotions and creams etc.
– Then you should be ready to go.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any follow up questions.
Kind Regards,
Lisa
great post, I think tria 4x is worth every penny! 🙂
Hello,
I am a 52 year old woman. I have light skin and dark hair. I have been shaving my upper lip and chin for years, which causes me great self esteem problems. I want so much to get rid of this hair permanently. I have also started to see dark spots on my upper lip. Should I be afraid to get a Tria in case it worsens this skin discoloration?
Hi Sheila,
Thank you for contacting us, and very sorry to hear about the hair on your upper lip. I know it won’t provide much comfort at this point but this is actually something that a lot of women have in common. All the instructions in the Laser Hair Removal and IPL products are very clear about covering up moles and skin blemishes before using their products. I would suggest in your instance, that rather than trying to treat yourself at home, you start by contacting a professional clinic and get their opinion – they would deal with this type of situation all the time and will be able to tailor a treatment plan just for you.
All the best.
Kind Regards,
Lisa
Hi, is the effectiveness of this based on how dark the “root” of the hair is? I paid for laser treatments and, after minimal changes in hair growth was told my hair roots were too light to absorb the laser thus, being less effective. I have not been able to find any disclaimer or clarification about that with this product, please help. Thank you!!
Hi,
Yes, laser hair removal and IPL treatments work best on people with dark hair and light skin. Please read our sentence above “…I have fair skin and tend to grow darker hairs, so the Tria works fine for me. However, the box clearly states the laser isn’t as effective with darker skin colors…”
Also, you can read more about this on our page linked below – towards the bottom of the page.
http://groomwithstyle.com/art-of-shaving/5-best-home-hair-removal-laser-devices-reviewed/
Kind Regards,
Lisa
I been doing some research on at home devices for spider vein removal and this product continues to pop up. Wondering if it indeed works for spider veins. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Hi Linda,
Thanks for the question. Unfortunately, this is not something our team has experience with. I would suggest consulting your doctor – the resources below might be of some help.
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/features/no-spider-veins#1
https://www.realself.com/question/Sclerotherapy-vs-laser-vein-therapy-which-is-best
Kind Regards,
Lisa
Awesome post.
Appreciate the recommendation. Let me try it out.
I like what you guys are usually up too. This type of
clever work and coverage! Keep up the amazing works guys I’ve added you guys to my own blogroll.
Hi, I am currently reviewing it too. Would love your comments and Feedback, please take a look at my ongoing Progress. Girls against fuzz haha XD
https://triareview.wordpress.com/
Thanks Kate. Your journey looks awesome and both me & Pierce will be following it closely.
We generally dont allow link dropping on our comments-to keep the section more topic relevant than encourage spam seos but this had to be an exception to the rule
-Lisa
Hi. Thank you for the review. I purchased the Tria for my upper lip area too. I have a question. Did you shave your upper lip or not? I’ve had the Tria for a few months but have been to afraid to shave that area. Thanks 🙂
Renee,
Each area on the body has a recommended pulse count so you can make sure that you’re giving it the perfect amount of exposure (ie. Upper lip requires about 25 pulses per session which will last about 2-3 minutes, the upper let requires about 600 per side). The device does come with a handy pulse counter so you can easily keep track of what you’ve done.
-Lisa
This product is impressive. I hope it works 100 percent effective. Thanks for sharing a good info.