Got Hair? Try a Tria!

One of the more charming effects of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the extra hair a woman sprouts in all the wrong places. Most often this hair is found on the face, but for me it also grew on my legs. Nice long, thick black hair, from my ankles to my backside, front and back. Getting into a bikini was an all-morning chore. I say 'was' because after about the age of 24, I got sick of dealing with it, so I rarely put on a bathing suit.

But all women have hair where they don't want it, and now there is a permanent cure! It's a nifty little gadget called Tria. It removes hair using laser technology, put right in your own hands. There are a few laser hair removal systems on the market right now, but this one got the best reviews I could find. One caveat, though -- it will only work on fair skin with brown hair (rather than blond or white). There is a sensor that must be used on the skin first to test and see if you have the right skin and hair type, and only when you pass the test will the Tria turn on. If you fail, it won't turn on, period. So darker complected women will not be able to use this.

I and my two daughters are using it, so far with good results. On my lower legs, after one treatment, I would say that 1/2 of the hair was gone, and that treatment took about 1/2 hour. After that amount of time, the unit must be recharged. Among the reviews I read, some users complained that the treatment area (the small area from which the laser is activated--the yellow part in this picture) is too small. Personally, I think it's fine. I just settle in with an episode of Law & Order and have at it. In my estimation, with all the hair I have, it may take 25-30 treatments in total to zap all the fuzzies, or 12-15 hours. This seems a small trade-off for permanently getting rid of my 'coat'. Heck, I can find a way to waste 15 hours any week of the year!

You can certainly pay full retail --$449--if you're rollin' in the dough, but for those mere mortals out there, I would suggest looking for a 'gently used' unit on eBay or Amazon. Just look for one that was bought by one of those women who found the treatment too tedious and gave up after using it a few times. If you can just be patient with the process yourself, your persistence will then pay off. I bought ours for $280, and I can always sell it when we are done. Tria says it will last for 300 charges, which is more than plenty for all of us, and probably for the next person who buys it, too.

If I'm feeling ambitious, I may post some before and after pics. I didn't take a picture before I started, but pics at this stage would still give an idea of the effectiveness.

For more info, visit the Tria website.