Electrolysis clearance timeline - which approach is the best?

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hello all,

I’m a cis female with laser stimulate hair and in the process of starting electrolysis (currently speaking with and have consultations with some electros in my area). One main question I can’t seem to understand is this: I hear some electrologists say to clear the area every 6-8 weeks, I hear some say clear an area every 3 months, I even see some that clear an area every 1-2 weeks but say that the client won’t see progress until 3 hair cycles (which I hear growth cycles happen every 3 months, so this would take around 9 months). Anyway, which of these is the right approach? If a person needs to go through at least 3 growth cycles, then what’s the point of clearing the same area every week or even every month? Why not slowly get an area clear every 3 months? Wouldn’t this be less money and less chance of scarring over time anyway?

I’m planning to do full back, so I feel like regardless, I will have to rely on the method of clearing the area once every 3 months approach. Would love some feedback on all this, and hear which of these is the best approach for clearing large areas.

Also, on a side note, I feel like nowadays there are less electrolysis pros on this forum. I’m a newcomer and basing my observations on the activity I’ve seen from lurking on posts from a few years back, maybe my observation is incorrect, but I do hope everything is ok in the electrolysis universe and that this method of hair removal is indeed still a gold standard! :heart:

#2

I think one reason there’s so few of us responding is that we’re all so busy. I don’t know of any electrologist who isn’t working near capacity. I imagine this is because a lot of older electrologists chose to retire during or following the pandemic, which then funneled a lot of clients to those of us remaining. Depending on location, there’s also a lack of quality training options, so there’s fewer people entering the field.

The approach is going to depend on the electrologist, the area being treated, and the time and finances of the client. Whether you clear the area every two weeks or every three to four months, the important thing is that the area is being cleared according to those hair cycles. I have clients who are happy to wait three months between treatments. I also have clients that would rather clear the area every two to four weeks. It doesn’t bother me either way.

The difference in cost isn’t so large, it’s more a question of a larger payment every few months or smaller payments every few weeks. It should work out to be roughly the same either way. Scarring shouldn’t come into the equation if the electrologist is treating a different patch of skin each time. It’s important to give the treated skin a few weeks to heal between treatments. In particular with body work, any scabbing should be resolved and the skin should be smooth by the time of the next appointment.

#3

Out of all these options, you’re still stuck with treating X amount of hairs over a 9-18 month period as hair cycles dictate the timeline. There are no shortcuts to the process. You either spread it out over weekly, biweekly sessions or do marathon sessions every 3 months.

The 3x clearances every three month approach is not used by majority of electrologists, as they require marathon sessions of dozens of hours in matter of days or weeks, and this strategy is limited to body hair, not facial hair. In the end a lot of people require 4th session to clear up all visible hairs and this strategy is still over a year period so as a client you’re not saving money.

Getting a complete clearance Within every 6 week period is a general goal so you maintain a proper schedule to catch hair cycles so you’re on path to the 9-18 month completion schedule.

In the end it depends on what strategy your electrologist likes and appointment availability they have.