CurrentBody Skin Laser Hair Removal review: Powerful and properly painless

For many years, laser hair removal has been exclusively available in salons, making this permanent treatment an inconvenient and costly option. That is, until the CurrentBody Skin Laser Hair Removal Device was released. 

This device is the first of its kind to be available domestically. Following in the footsteps of IPL hair removal devices, which use high-frequency light to damage hair follicles, laser hair removal instead uses lasers to achieve the same hair-free results. Since lasers are more powerful than high-frequency light, the treatment is designed to provide more permanent hair removal. 

Having tested the CurrentBody device for a solid six months now, and comparing it to six other IPL devices I’ve tested before, I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the results. The treatment is completely painless, incredibly fast to complete and the results lasted a good four months longer than IPL did in the same areas. That being said, the device wasn’t completely foolproof to use.

CurrentBody Skin Laser Hair Removal review: What do you get for the money?

The CurrentBody Skin Laser Hair Removal device costs £579 – around the same price as a high-end Philips IPL machine. Considering the device packs in more powerful laser diodes, this feels like a fair starting price.

The device is shaped like a gun, with a long thin handle protruding from the centre of the chunky round barrel which houses all the tech. For this reason, it’s a little top-heavy and takes a bit of getting used to. Without the wire plugged in, it only weighs 506g though, so this shouldn’t be too much of a problem. That is especially true since the device has a super fast flash rate and a generous-sized treatment window, meaning that you can get treatments done in record time. More on this later, though. 

Like many IPL and laser hair removal devices, the laser has six intensity settings, represented by six annoyingly faint indicator lights on the back of the device. The setting you choose will depend on your skin and hair colour, and how comfortable you find the treatment.

CurrentBody has tried to keep things simple with controls, too. The device has just one button on the back of the handle, which is used as an on/off power button, to set intensity levels, and to switch on the laser after a skin suitability safety check. 

Sadly the device doesn’t have any precision attachments for treating smaller areas of the body like the face and bikini line. You just have to work with the large 30 x 10mm treatment window, which I found easy enough in my tests.

Other than this, you’ll get the wire, which is 260m long and has a chunky AC adapter halfway along. This chunky addition is common in IPL and laser hair removal devices since they require high power levels. However, the placement of this AC adapter slightly restricts the movements of the device during treatment, which can be especially annoying if you’re sitting on a chair with a brick-like adapter on the floor.

CurrentBody Skin Laser Hair Removal Device review: How does it work?

Laser hair removal works in a similar way to IPL. The only difference is that it uses high-intensity lasers, instead of flashes of light, to stop the hair from growing. Over various treatments, the hair follicle becomes damaged by the light, so it can no longer grow new hairs. 

The controls of the CurrentBody Skin Laser Hair Removal Device are different from IPL, too. Instead of triggering flashes with a button, you engage the laser and it flashes automatically, emitting a “beep” sound with every flash. Hair follicles then absorb the light from the laser, which damages the follicle and prevents the hair from regrowing.

Since light colours reflect light and dark colours absorb it, the treatment works best on those with dark hair and light skin. Regardless of which IPL or laser hair removal device they use, those with blonde or grey hair won’t see the best results. More importantly, though, darker skin tones are not suitable for these hair removal treatments. That is because the melanin pigments in their skin will absorb the light flashes, which can cause irritation, hyperpigmentation and even burns. 

Thankfully most laser hair removal devices, including the CurrentBody Skin Laser Hair Removal device, have a handy colour chart online which will give you an idea about your skin’s suitability. Furthermore, all reputable devices come with a built-in safety sensor that will prevent the device from flashing if the skin is too dark. 

The device also comes with a 90-day money-back guarantee, which allows you to return the device for a 90% refund if it isn’t effective or is unsuitable for your skin tone. The 10% charge is a restocking fee, which covers returns administration – I would prefer for this to be a full refund, but I suppose 90% is better than nothing. 

Before treatment, users will need to shave the areas they want to treat. This gives the light the most direct access to the hair follicle. You may also choose to wax or epilate the area, but in this case you must wait a few days before treatment to allow the area to heal.

Like IPL, laser hair removal takes time. If following the CurrentBody treatment plan, which involves doing three treatments per week in the first three weeks, then weekly treatments until you have the desired results. You should see a significant reduction in hair growth after eight weeks. 

Having tested the laser hair removal device, at first, the hairs will grow back thinner and slower than before, then bald patches will start to appear. Eventually, the area will be hair-free and you’ll only need to do top-up treatments every year, depending on how stubborn your hair growth is. Also, some areas of the body will take longer to treat than others. For example, the thicker hairs at the underarms and bikini line tend to take longer to stop growing – this is true for every IPL and laser hair removal device.

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CurrentBody Skin Laser Hair Removal Device review: What’s it like to use?

Ease of use

As mentioned previously, there is only one button on the device. The simplicity of this was both a blessing and a curse in my tests – I had to rely on coloured flashes from the laser, faint indicator lights and mysterious beeping noises to set the device up. 

To set the intensity level, you simply press the button quickly to cycle through the six intensity levels. The indicator lights on the back of the device show which setting you’re using. To begin treatment, you need to complete a skin suitability test, which involves pressing the laser window onto the skin you’re treating. If the treatment window flashes blue, the device is safe for your skin tone and you can double-press the button again to initialise the laser and start treatment.

Since there was no “flash” button to control flashes and the laser flashes don’t produce a visible flash, as you get with IPL, it was initially hard to know if the laser had been set up properly. Once I got my head around the confusing setup instructions, the treatment itself was plain sailing. 

All you need to do during treatment is set the device to go, press it against the skin and it automatically flashes without you needing to trigger a flash button. Since laser hair removal doesn’t create clearly visible flashes, like IPL, the device emits a loud beep every time the device flashes. While this is clear, and I was able to tune out of the constant beeping after a while, it can be annoying if you listen to a podcast during treatment, like I do. Thankfully, the device isn’t loud enough to hear throughout the house, so my partner could find respite from the beeps in other rooms.

The flash rate of the device was also blisteringly quick, with a flash being emitted every 0.84 seconds, in my tests. That’s the fastest flash rate of any device I’ve tested, closely followed by the SmoothSkin Pure Fit, which flashed every 0.86 seconds. 

Despite the lack of precision attachments in the box, I found the CurrentBod Laser Hair Removal Device could treat all areas of my body with ease – even in more awkward areas like the armpits. Not having to waste time trying to get the device to flash around the bonier areas of my ankles, together with the speedy flash rate and large treatment window, meant I could treat an entire leg in 6mins 53secs. Compare this to the Philips Lumea IPL 9000, which did the same treatment in 18 minutes, and you can see why the Current Body is well worth the extra cash. 

Pain levels

While I don’t think IPL hurts at all, it does come with a slight snapping sensation at high intensity levels. Thankfully, this isn’t something I experienced at all with the CurrentBody Laser Hair Removal device. There was no pain whatsoever, even when treating thick hairs in sensitive areas like the underarms and bikini line. The only feeling I experienced was a warm sensation if I accidentally flashed the same area twice in quick succession. This makes it the perfect choice for anyone who has a low pain tolerance. 

Effectiveness

The CurrentBody Laser hair removal device has been highly effective in my tests. After just four weeks of treatments, I noticed bald patches and far slower hair growth. Once I had completed 12 weeks of treatments, no leg hair remained whatsoever. 

Better still, the results have lasted flawlessly for six months after finishing my tests, even without top-up treatments. That has allowed me to be smooth-skinned and hair-free all summer long, which has been a delight. The only problem with this is that I might not be able to review any more IPL devices for a long time, but that’s a fairly unique problem to have.

CurrentBody Skin Laser Hair Removal Device review: Should you buy it?

If you want to invest in laser hair removal but don’t have the time to travel to the salon, then the CurrentBody Skin Laser Hair Removal Device is an easy recommendation. The treatment is the fastest on the market, completely painless and it’s the most permanent at-home option. You also won’t have to bare your bits to a stranger if you want to treat your bikini line, which is a big win.

The only downsides to consider are the confusing setup, awkward wire and the incessant beeping noise. For the quality of the results, however, I find these issues easy to look past and I think £579 is a fair price to pay compared to similar, slower and less permanent options on the market.