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When I first showed you the DermRays V8S Laser Hair Removal Device in a skincare stash update post, the requests for a review were overwhelming. Even people I know in real life approached me, curious about my experience and whether it was worth the money. I absolutely get it—who wouldn’t want a long-lasting, easy solution for smooth, hair-free skin? I know I have experimented with a ton of different things like waxing, epilating and IPL in the past, but never was 100% satisfied.

 

 

The original plan was to use it for three months and then write my review, but to be honest, after that period I didn’t see any reduction in hair growth or changes in hair thickness. So I figured it might need more time and kept testing it.

Until now, seven months later – make sure to stick around till the end for my before and after pictures!

 

 

What the DermRays V8S Laser Hair Removal Device claims

The DermRays Laser Hair Removal uses a concentrated light beam to precisely target and permanently disable hair follicles, addressing the root cause of hair growth. Compared to IPL, our laser hair removal is more efficient, reducing the need for unnecessary repeat treatments and allowing you to enjoy smooth skin for longer while eliminating the hassle of ingrown hairs.

 

 

Facts about the DermRays V8S Laser Hair Removal Device

Prize and size

There are three different devices available, the DermRays V4S Laser, the DermRays V6S Laser and the DermRays V8S Laser.

The V4S Laser is marketed at sensitive skin, the V8S Laser I have is the one claiming to be the strongest and the V6S laser uses a different wavelength than the other two, 1064 nm as opposed to 810 nm, being specifically made for deeper skin tones.

Despite having different color schemes, all three look the same in general design. The V8s Laser is available for 599 $ on the website here, the V6s Laser comes at the same price here and the V4S Laser is the cheapest for 499 $ here.

 

 

What is the difference between Laser Hair Removal and IPL?

While IPL is often referred to as “at home laser hair removal”, there is a distinct difference between laser and IPL.

Laser uses a single wavelength, in this case 810 nm, that delivers a targeted beam, whereas IPL uses different wavelengths and targets a larger area.

The basic principle of how they work is the same though: The melanin in the hair follicle absorbs the energy of the light impulse, heating up and damaging the follicle, sending the hair in the resting phase. The benefit of doing that with a laser means you get more heat in the follicle because it is targeted, the downside is that you don’t get as many hairs simultaneously with one flash because again, more targeted.

Lasers can also be adapted in their wavelength to carter to deeper skin tones.

When looking online you’ll often see the claim that „laser is more effective, permanently destroying the follicle„, but while that might be the case for in office treatments that are done by a trained professional, it isn’t necessarily true for at home devices. Here, whether it’s laser or IPL, safety is the top priority. As a result, the energy levels are designed to be low enough to prevent permanent damage to any area the device is used on. After all, laser burns are no joke.

 

 

What can I expect when using any light based at home hair removal device?

The heating up of the follicle leads to the hair moving into the resting phase, the phase where it sits dormant in the follicle, not growing back. Over time hair growth will slow, get less dense and ideally halt altogether, leaving you with smooth and stubble free skin for prolonged periods, with only an occasional touchup needed. The frequency of these touchups generally speaking seems to be reduced when using laser as opposed to when using IPL.

How good the results are that you as individual get depends on how well you are suited to this kind of treatment, meaning how high the contrast between your hair and your skin is. Pale skin with thick, dark hair works best, while darker skin and light hair will not see the same results.

I personally am not the ideal candidate because my skin is pale, but the hair on my body isn’t black, but more of a brown. Or increasingly grey. The DermRays website has a checkmark on grey as suitable hair color, but from the mechanism by which this works – targeting the melanin that isn’t present anymore in the grey hair – and by personal experience with both laser and IPL I can assure you, your greys will not respond.

But within individual differences a realistic experience would be a noticeable reduction in hair loss and an increased time span between necessary hair removal sessions. DermRays specifically claims up to 82% of reduction in hair growth within the first 8 weeks and after the initial treatment phase only a monthly touchup to keep the results.

 

 

How to use the DermRays V8S Laser Hair Removal Device

The DermRays V8S Laser is suitable for all body areas you typically experience hair growth: forehead, temples, mustache, chin, back, chest, arm pits, arms, groin, bikini zone, pubic hair and legs. The only place they caution you to avoid is the skin directly on your genitals, the part that is naturally darker than the surrounding area and much more sensitive.

Before using the device you need to shave the area you want to treat. Yes, it has to be shaving, other forms of hair removal will compromise the results. If you shave the hair, you cut it off at the skin surface, leaving a pigmented strand of hair leading down to the follicle, able to transport the heat absorbed from the laser. If you pluck the hair, you remove it in total, meaning there is no melanin to guide the energy to where it needs to go.

If you, on the other hand, don’t shave and leave your hair as is, it could in theory heat up on top of the skin and cause damage there.

After shaving, you plug in the device – it needs to be plugged in to work – press the “on” button for two second – a beep will tell you it is ready – and then use the same button to pick your preferred intensity. There are six different levels available and it is recommended to start with a low setting at first and work your way up to the highest you can tolerate. Now I am not particularly sensitive and was able to use the highest setting everywhere I tried it, even on the more delicate body parts.

After you picked your desired intesitiy, you double-click the same button again, which locks in the setting, and the light at the side of the device will turn green, indicating it is ready to go.

You are able to change the setting during the treatment by pressing the button again, something that really annoyed me as with the way I hold the device, I often accidentally pressed the button, going from intensity 6 to intensity 1. But maybe that was just me being clumsy.

Unlike the IPL devices I have tried you do not need to press the button to get it to flash, it will start when in contact with the skin. You can either stamp it over the area you want to treat or slowly glide it along the skin. Both work, but I prefer stamping. It makes me feel like I am more in control.

The device itself is about as heavy as my IPL devices. You’ll feel the weight after a while, for example when you treat larger areas, something to keep in mind when you have low upper body or grip strength.

To prevent discomfort from the heat produced, there is a cooling mechanism build in the head – you can hear the fan like sound start a few seconds after turning it on. Even if used on the highest setting it never felt uncomfortable or painful for me, the only times I felt something like a rubber band zapping my skin was when I had missed hair in the shaving process. Another good reason to be diligent with the shaving process beforehand.

 

 

How often do you need to use the DermRays V8S Laser Hair Removal Device?

Following manufacturer instruction I used the device three times a week for the first two weeks, and then reduced frequency to twice a week for the next two weeks. According to the manual it should be sufficient to use it once a month after that, but as I didn’t see the results I wanted I increased the frequency to three times a week again and kept that up for the whole period of testing. This is what the brand recommends when not satisfied with the initial results, as the results vary based on our skin and hair type and color.

 

 

Technical details of the DermRays V8S Laser Hair Removal Device

According to the manufacturer they use a diode laser with a maximum energy output of up to 9 J/cm² in the V8S and 7 J/cm² in both the V4S and V6S. That paired with the treatment area comes to a maximum energy of 27 J per pulse in the V8S and 21 J in the two others.

With Diode lasers used in professional settings like a doctors office, the Fluence or the J/cm² are for Fitzpatrick Type 1-2 between 25 to 40 J/cm², gradually reducing in intensity for deeper skin tone. But even for Fitzpatrick V-VI it would be 10-25 J/cm². Compared to that, the 9 J/cm² of the DermRays are quite low, especially when used on light skin.

The treatment area is 10 on 30 mm². While the brand claims that you can treat the whole body in 15 minutes, I don’t think that is possible. I did my husbands back for example and that alone did take 15 minutes if you were mindful of covering each area. Still it is quite quick to do.

 

 

My results after six months of using the DermRays V8S Laser Hair Removal Device

This is a picture of my left armpit before starting the treatment. I used the device exclusively on the left, leaving the right armpit without treatment so I would notice slight changes more easily.

I already told you that after the initial 8 weeks, I didn’t see any changes in hair thickness or regrowth, so I decided to keep it up for eight weeks longer. As I still wasn’t seeing any changes in my hair, I kept going with the higher frequency on maximum intensity for another eight weeks, making it a total of six months of consistent and frequent treatment on the highest intensity setting.

Then I stopped and let the hair regrow for two weeks to take the after picture.

The only change I noticed was that regrowth was slightly slower on my left armpit than on my right, meaning I didn’t need to shave every other day for a clean shave, but every third or fourth. That was something I observed when treating my husbands back as well, the hair seemed to regrow slower, but in terms of amount of hair or hair thickness there was no difference.

 

How does it compare to…

 

 

Philips Lumea Prestige IPL Hair Removal device

I have used the Philips Lumea Prestige IPL device a few years back and wasn’t entirely satisfied either. Quite a few years back as you can see from the picture above…

The most obvious difference is of course that one is IPL and the other one is a laser, but preparation and how you use them are very similar. The Philips device is a little heavier and you have to press a button to make it flash, but that didn’t really make much of a difference when handling the two.

I stopped using the Philips one because back then it wasn’t worth the effort for me (my son was still very little, so taking time to shave and shower was often a struggle, let alone do anything else afterwards) and because the results I had weren’t what I had hoped for. Looking back now, they were slightly better than the ones I got from DermRays, with regrowth so slow that I shaved every 5-7 days, but again no patches were regrowth had stopped completely.

You can read my full review of the Philips Lumea Prestige IPL Hair Removal Device here.

 

Would I repurchase and which skin types do I recommend the to?

Now I stated before that while I am suitable for at home laser hair removal based on my skin type and hair color, I am not the perfect candidate as my body hair is brown, not black. Your results may vary based on your hair color.

Still, I am more than underwhelmed with the results after six months of consistent use and can clearly state that I would certainly not consider them worth the money.

If you decide to try the DermRays V8S, set yourself a reminder, as they offer a 90-day money-back guarantee—just be sure to check the terms and conditions to see if any specific requirements apply. That way you can send it back if your results are as underwhelming as mine.

 

 

Shop DermRays here

 

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