In September we revealed to you the Philips ReAura, the first ever product that brings Fraxel like technology to home devices and got to have a small play with it. 2 months on and we can now bring you a definitive review, as we have had a tester religiously using the device- 2x a week for 8 weeks.
The ReAura promotes collagen production in the skin and helps decrease fine lines and leads to a plumper more attractive appearance that's refined and radiant. The ReAura sends thousands of microscopic laser beams into the epidermis and the dermis which is designed to trigger cell renewal.
Our tester was unhappy with the texture of his skin (yes, it's our resident metrosexual) and didn't like the fine lines on his forehead and mouth. He had previously been a smoker and thought that this contributed to the ageing he was finding and wanted to get a more youthful, smoother appearance. This is his diary...
[In typical man fashion he has bullet pointed it]
Treatment 1- 21/08/11
• Nervous after trying on arm and lots of red / bobbleness on intensity 2
• Slight confusion with instructions and how long I was supposed to do treatment for - Should have read instructions more but they are too long/boring
• In the end, I just did the complete area twice. Took about 5 mins altogether.
• Hot / tingling when doing treatment, red after but died down after 3-4 hrs.
• Forehead only done
Treatment 2 - 24/08/11
• Intensity 2 all over face
• Took about 15-20 mins - still getting the hang of it (right speed + right angle)
• Did it for correct duration this time - waiting for end of treatment tune for each area.
• Skin has gone red and tingles/stings. Just stung during treatment
• Red face, looks like severe sunburn
• Hoping the redness goes soon.
Treatment 3 - 28/08/11
• Intensity 2 all over face.
• Shaved immediately before hand - Treatment felt same as before.
• Skin went as red as last time
• Redness and slight puffiness went away quicker than before
• Might go for level 3 next time
Treatment 4 - 31/08/11
• Intensity 3 all over face
• Again shaved immediately before
• Slightly more uncomfortable when using but still manageable
• Face went noticeably redder than before
• Redness lasted longer - did at around 8pm lasted until following evening
• Still have not 100% got the hang of it but getting quicker
• Noticed a few areas much less red than others. Maybe because I'm not perfect at doing it
Treatment 5 - 04/09/11
• Getting faster at doing it now.
• Less gel is better
• Still not sure how close to eyes I can go because the laser is a lot narrower than the tip of the machine
Treatment 6 - 07/09/11
• Didn't get round to doing treatment until late
• Decided to do it on level 2 as I had meetings the next day and didn't want to be red- also was slightly less red then three but still noticeable until the next evening.
Treatment 7 - 19/09/11
• Inadvertently taken a week's break
• Straight back in with level 3
• Still a bit annoying I can't do it perfectly. Once I have done whole area both vertically and horizontally I smile and look at the lines smiling makes and then focus on those areas.
Treatment 8 - 28/09/11
• Much easier to do if you move face and keep machine still
• Above top lip particularly sensitive
• Still feel quite painful, especially afterwards the pain gets a bit more intense
Treatment 9 - 02/10/11
• Still painful
• Find that I am going over the easy areas more so these get a bit more red than the others.
• Getting compliments on better skin recently
Treatment 10 - 07/10/11
• Now can do it pretty quickly without the laser being intermittent
• Stinging is most painful about 5 mins after
• Still red following day more than I would like
Treatment 11 - 14/10/11
• Did without shaving - not as difficult as I thought - bit more irritated afterwards
• Redness is more patchy after shaving - I think some areas did nto get enough.
• Will definitely shave beforehand in future
Treatment 12 - 18/10/11
• Treatment starting to get a bit monotonous now.
• Starting to focus on particular areas especially crows feet
• Still getting same amount of redness as when I started
Treatment 13 - 21/10/11
• Got the hang of the treatment now
• Quite efficient at getting it done quickly and thoroughly
• Still need to do it starring in the mirror though - I think this will always be the case
Treatment 14 - 28/10/11
• Am trying to get closer to eyes as I always think I could have got closer.
• Nervous about getting too close and don't see much change from previous treatments
Treatment 15 - 1/10/11
• Getting a bit bored of doing it now.
• A little annoying how long it seems to take
• Upper lip is still very sensitive during the treatment.
Treatment 16 - 7/10/11
• Impatient - seems to take too long to get to the end of each program
• Still feeling it burn especially few mins after but not quite as much as before
• Would like the redness to die down quicker as it is still visible the next day
Overall, our tester fed back that he was happy with how his face looked after use. He was pleased to get compliments in his skin and thinks he will do some follow up treatments in the next few weeks.
On the downside though, he found it frustrating to need a mirror and that his face went quite red and it could be a little painful. Part of me wonders if a woman would have this trouble, as I'm sure I'd have done it on a lower setting. Though pictures don't really display the effect well, I've seen his skin transform into something softer and smoother and I do feel he looks younger as well.
Would you try this?