About 4.5 months of Electrolysis

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

So here’s my story:

I am 22, soon 23 and I have been going to see an electrologist since about Mid August 2018. It is now the end of December 2018 so that’s 4.5 months. I started going to get work done on my upper lip. I was born a preemie baby, a twin, and it has caused me to have excess hair pretty much all over. It wasn’t necessarily bad everywhere, but as I we went through puberty it did get worse. My face has always been okay except for my upper lip, but it really wasn’t bad. They were baby hairs and at the corners some were just darker.

I was fine with it, I was only teased about it a handful of times throughout my school years. When I was graduating high school I started birth control and over the course of the next 4 years I was needing to try different ones because one was actually causing other health issues for me. I am now currently using the IUD, so there are no hormones I’m adding to my body with birth control.

I don’t know if my birth control journey was causing me to somehow feel like my darker baby hairs were more noticeable but when I could look at myself in a full wall mirror across a larger room and notice it I, of course, became even more self conscious about it.

The internet irks me in many ways, one being that SO MANY SOURCES say threading and waxing REDUCE hair growth. So I took myself to get my lip threaded. This was around January or February 2018. it was all downhill after that. Literally the next day, pretty thick black hairs started sprouting up. WTH. I immediately bought a bleach creme and couldn’t find that to work. I started to then need to be waxed like weekly. I would buy the DIY at home wax strips. I waxed at home on my own about twice a month, with a little bit of tweezing between.

So the waxing only went on for 6 months before I knew this was not working and I sought out other options. With electrolysis being said almost everywhere that it is permanent I said YES let’s do it. I live in the twin cities area in Minnesota, so my list of electrolysis options isn’t exactly huge. I found a clinic that was profiled on the news for being completely licensed and was trying to promote others to make sure they were seeing licensed professionals before getting work done. So I set my consultation up.

My technician told me since I had only been waxing for a short period of time, my case would be fairly straightforward. When I asked roughly how much time it would take I wasn’t given an estimate but only told that each person is different and it depends on how often a client comes in. I was also told that regrowth would happen. I also asked if my tech had ever seen this treatment NOT work, the answer was “no, not really”. I made an appointment for the next week for 20 minutes. I have not tweezed or touched a single hair on my lip since starting this process. I have gone every week, or every other week, for the past 4.5 months. For the past 6 weeks I have gone weekly, 20 minute sessions. This brings me to 4.75 hours total. She is using the blend modality.

I have not seen a reduction in hair. I get regrowth in spots she worked about 2-3 days after an appointment. I was originally thinking some of it was thinner, but if it is it doesn’t seem like it because I feel like I haven’t seen improvement in about a month. She works the corners on each side each time, and there’s enough regrowth that she ever barely has time to thoroughly work in the middle. How can I get these hairs treated at each appointment but they keep coming back? Today was my most recent appointment, I had a few pesky black hairs that she treated. I feel like it’s only a matter of time before they are back. I do not drink caffeine the days I go, but I make sure I drink plenty of water.

I do feel a slight tug after each hair she zaps, but she has like 30 years of experience, and the clinic has great reviews. I expressed my concerns with her today about feeling frustrated. I think she might be confused also because she told me before my next appointment (1 week from today) she is going to have a conversation with the clinic owner about my situation. Every time I go to see her she says it’s looking good, but I feel like that’s not the case because I have been putting more make up on my face every day to cover them up.

Is it at all POSSIBLE this isn’t working? I have seen somewhere that electrolysis most certainly doesn’t have a 100% success rate. I just don’t want my hairs to get worse, so if this isn’t working I’d like to stop spending time and money. I unfortunately do not have a before picture, but I can post one of today, with 4.75 completed hours of treatment.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Sorry for so much info.

#2

It’s absolutely possible that it might not be working if you’re feeling tugging after each zap. Same thing happened to me 10 years ago, went to an experienced electrolygist for about 9 months for my chin and jaw with no results. Didn’t realise at the time that I was paying just for my hair to be plucked.
I found another electrolygist recently who has pretty much cleared the area, it does take a while though. For me around 12months. The difference in skill level of the electrologists is amazing, don’t let the 30 years experience fool you, it doesn’t matter unless they know how to kill the hair properly.
I would try another one just to see, it can’t hurt. I tried four until I found the one that worked for me and I started to see results.

#3

Should it matter that I didn’t start with an initial clearing? I feel like she has cleared the corners plenty of times with the focus being the corners on each visit.

For about a month I’ve been considering going to check other electrolygists out to get a consultation. I think it’s time I act on it.

But it would only not be working if she isn’t doing it correctly?

#4

It’s very normal to not see a ton of improvement during the first 4 1/2 months. It’s actually only maybe a month past that, that we see the results from our FIRST treatment.The hairs take that long to regenerate. ?hairs seen 1 wekk, 2 week, 3 weeks after clearing an area were going to grow anyway, they arent the same hairs you treated.
That said, the advice you have recieved saying it’s not right to feel tugging with every single hair, well they are right.
I wouldnt lose faith that it is working , but I would if possible see another electrologist to compare treatments . I usually recommend people try out 4-5 electrologists if possible,before settling on one.We all work a little differently.

#5

Having an initial clearance and being cleared each time would speed up the process but isn’t alway possible or even desirable in the lip area due to pain or possible over treatment. A thinning approach targeting the darkest hairs first worked well for me, and keeping up weekly appointments.
From my experience and now my daughters, electrolysis definitely works when done properly.

#6

Thanks for your response. I am in the process of setting up visits with other electrolygists. One that I may be seeing stated on their website that when treating the hairs the client should feel no or LITTLE tugging. Is the small amount of tugging information reliable?

I’m trying to not lose my faith in this process.

#7

How long did you do the weekly appointments? I’ve been doing them weekly and am really hoping I can reduce to just every 2 weeks soon…

#8

you shouldnt feel tugging. Tugging indicates insufficient treatment to destroy the hair

#9

Indeed, there should be no tugging or even a little tugging. If an electrologist feels a little resistance, she or he should reinsert the probe into the empty follicle and deliver another small burst of energy for good measure. We feel those small tugs and so does the client, so the electrologist should reassure the client that they realize there was some resistance felt and they are are treating the follicle another time to remedy that.

Finding someone who uses professional eyewear (surgical loupes or a stereo microscope) is helpful. Being focused on individual follicles and reinserting, if need be, requires an excellent field of vision. I wouldn’t want a surgeon using Sam’s Club 2.75X readers to do my vascular surgery and thus so, consumers should expect electrologists, who perform microsurgery on follicles, to see very well and hit the target with precision.

The first 4-6 months are the hardest. Stay on a schedule and you will be able to space your appointments farther apart after that. This is a process that takes 9 to 18 to even 24 months, depending on your special situation. Be a dog. Stay loyal and you will be happy and content.

#10

It depends on how much hair and area you want cleared. For my daughter we did weekly appointments for the first 9 months from Oct 2017 to June 2018, this was moving around the face, lips, sides, chin, jaw and neck in a thinning approach depending on her pain tolerance and hair growth.

During this time we also started stomach to fill the time when facial hair was minimal. Now she is going fortnightly or monthly, face is looking good. So it’s been about 14months and I think we’ll continue for a few more months to pick up any hair that comes through.

For me I did weekly appointments for the first 2 months on chin, jaw and neck having less hair I was worried about. Now can go every 2months for about 10mins to clear a few strays.

It’s really good to keep the regularly appointments in the beginning to get rid of as much hair as possible early on. It makes a big difference and keeps you motivated.

FYI our electrologist uses the Apilus machine with Syncho most of the time, sometimes pico. Works well and is able to get through a lot of hair quickly.

#11

MelB77, How long were the weekly appointments for your daughter? I have hair problem in the same areas as your daughter and I am going twice a week for a one hour session at a time but dont think i will be able to continue the hour long session anymore because of the pain.

#12

I totally felt like you are feeling at this point in treatment. I did weekly for the first six weeks and then every other week until four months. I remember feeling like there was absolutely no improvement and sometimes felt like there was more hair than there’s ever been during that time. I just now at month ten am feeling like there is very noticeable progress. My provider has been in the business for 30+ years and is recommended on this site. I have been doing monthly sessions for the past five months and will probably be spacing them even further apart pretty soon.

#13

She is usually able to do 45mins, sometimes an hour. EMLA, having lots of water, nurofen helps take the edge off a bit.

I will say that in my experience you do become a bit more used to the sensation over time and are better able to tolerate it. In the beginning I would stay with my daughter for moral support and to talk to her - she was only sixteen at the time. Now I can sit in the waiting room and read my book. She also has a good bond with our electrologist who is sensitive to her needs.

The important thing is not to lose heart, stay committed and do what you can each time. If the sessions are too long, cut them back a bit. You’ll still get there it might just take a bit longer and that’s ok, go with it.

That’s been our strategy and at 14months we can do monthly appointments now and are nearly there. It’s worth it.

#14

Thanks for your reply. I’m hoping I’ll make it to every 2 weeks soon. I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt this way, I feel like I see so many stories where they say they saw changes within 2 to 4 treatments so I was feeling discouraged

#15

I will ask my current electrologist about the reinsertion, thank you! And I’ve started setting up consultations with other electrolygists to get to feel how their method is. I’m just nervous I won’t be able to find somewhere with no tugging.

#16

I’m hoping I’ll be able to find someone who doesn’t tug. Thanks so much. I wish there were electrolygists like yourself in my area who could work on me. I will continue my electrologist search.

#17

Thanks MelB77 for the reply, at the start my pain threshold was quite high but it seems to be getting worse and worse for me eventhough the settings are still the same. I use the generic version of EMLA called numit but it doesn’t seem to be helping much. This time around I will try EMLA and see if it works.