Advice for a beard

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hi, i’ve often read this forum but never posted… I’m french sorry if i make mistakes…

Ok so i’ve been plagued by ingrown hairs since my puberty (i’m now 22) and i would like to remove the hair on my upper cheeks.
Actually i don’t know what to do… if i dont shave it looks dirty (unless i have the cheeks well shaved) and if i shave the day after my face is like a pizza…

Waxing give me good results for 10 days then i develop ingrown hairs that last for weeks sadly…

I divided between laser hair removal (but i’m realy afraid of the patchyness) and electrolysis (but its hard to tell wether it’s effective or not)

How long does it take to see a difference (not to have the hair completly removed)?
Is this better than laser and will i developp ingrown hairs during treatement like the one i had while tweezing?

Thank you :slight_smile:

#2

Electrolysis is definitely the best if you want to have the hair not completely removed, but rather thinned out. A good electrologist should be able to get rid of the hair in this fashion by giving you partial clearances when you come in. Some people do experience ingrown hairs during electrolysis treatments but they should be minimal and will be thinner hairs.

Make sure you give a approximate location or run a search on this forum for good electrologists near you.

I don’t think laser will work if you are using it on your upper cheeks. One it is too close to the eyes, and two it is usually an area with less dense hair.

#3

Both electrolysis and laser are effective in GOOD hands. So it’s important to find a good clinic.

In your case, electrolysis would be best because precision is needed to shape that area properly and naturally.

#4

Thank you for your answers!

I think electrolysis is a good choice after all but i’m afraid of getting those bumps a get post tweezing…
They take a long time to heal…

I’d like to hear more concerning the bumps I could have post electrolysis please…

I really need your help on what to do i’ve a huge depression concerning this problem…

#5

Healing time is something that is really… difficult. Sometimes healing will take longer because the eletrologist you go to doesn’t listen to you when you tell them that their settings are too high. Sometimes healing takes a while anyway, because your iron intake is too low, etc. Sometimes you use the wrong aftercare and end up with white pimples. I think, though, that having red or pink dots or small white heads shouldn’t be much of a big deal in the short term, if in the long term you have a lot more confidence in your appearance and have to deal with less ingrowns, etc.

But I hope if you do go to an electrologist, you will go to one who is certified by a board or very experienced and capable in the field of eletrology, and you will find that their knowledge combined with what you find out on this board will help you to have a better experience.

#6

Ok, in order to give you more details here are some picks of my cheeks (i circled in red the area I want to go away).

It’s not very dense but an electrologist who does at the same time LHR told me it’s to long for electrolysis and i should do LHR first…

Is it playable, regarding the pictures?

#7

A good electrolysis provider would give you smooth skin and clear this area in no time. If we were just working the circled areas, I would probably be able to do both cheeks in 60 - 90 minutes or less. After that, the reclearances would take less time, and the area could be maintained so that it just looked clear all the time. I can treat hairs before they are noticeable to the casual observer.

#8

Are you kidding me? This hair could be cleared in one session in the time frame James mentioned. Thereafter, we are talking about clearing the areas as new hair emerges over the next 9 to 12 to 18 months, with fewer and fewer hairs popping through the surface as the months go by.

This electrologist wants to use her laser device. It’s easier for her because it is less technical, takes less time per session and thus, she will make more money for less effort. Laser will affect some? most? hairs, but you will still electrolysis at some point. Combining the two modalities would be okay, but the advantage of electrolysis is the preciseness it offers and the hair is treated and lifted out right on the spot - no need to wait for shedding to occur in 1.5 to 3 weeks, dark hair gone - great.

If she has a mediocre electrolysis set up, then it will take her longer to remove your hair. A modern set up where one uses the best thermolysis modes available today speeds the process along nicely to assured permanent hair removal within 18 months. After a first, full clearance, you can see the electrologist every 4-6 weeks to treat the NEW hair and SOME regrowth that comes to the surface, thus keeping the hair cleared of hair until there is no hair left to treat. Electrolysis works well and has worked well since 1868. You have a choice to make, but for such a small area where you need precision, I would urge you to see a competent electrologist with up to date training with the better tools of the profession. A competent electrologist can also remove the hair successfully with older technology, but may get less hair removed per minute with more skin reaction and sensation, so don’t poo poo that electrologist, just know there are differences.

#9

Thank you so much you don’t know how much depressed i felt for 3 years because of that i feel so happy to can speak with professionals of the domain… This forum is a real gem :slight_smile:

Ok if i have understood we have 30% of hairs in anagen phase. So in each session we kill 1/3 of the hair. But some hair have to be destroyed 2-3 times so i can expect a 1/9 reduction each full session?

So 9 month for the full cleaning…

I will ask my electrologist (the one who accepted to do that) for the setting she uses and post it beacause when she did the test on a small area it was not painful at all, less than a vaccin sting… But the hair was removed without resistance and i had no redness at all… That’s why i’m a bit skeptical.

Is each month a good interval?

Thanks!

Edit: i’ve just seen dfahey’s post: thank you so much! I think i’m convinced for electrolysis. Furthermore, i’ve very very thin hairs above the area i want to treat and i’m afraid of the stimulating effect of the laser…
I’ll keep you informed :smiley:

#10

Hi :slight_smile:

I’m going to have my first session very soon: what kind of setting do I have to ask her?
I imagine its not as setting-dependent as LHR but is there something else aside from electric energy?

#11

Space3000 you’re wrong. There are about 80% of hairs in anagen phase in the beard of an adult male. Your beard has not yet been fully completed. The development will be completed between 25/30 years.
In the area surrounded by red, the ratio of anagen / telogen is approximately 60% / 40%.

Nor is it true that hair has to be destroyed 2 to 3 times to delete forever. A good electrologist has very little percentage of failure.

If you start electrolysis as shown in the second picture (hairs of 1 cm), the proportion of hairs eliminated in the first clearance is 6 of the total of 10.

A month intervals is well between the first and second clearance. Then you must wait 6 / 8 weeks.

En français:

Il y a environ 80% de poils en phase anagène dans la barbe d’un homme adulte. Votre barbe n´et pas encore pleinement rempli. Le développement complet se produira entre les 25 et les 30 ans.
Dans la zone entourée par rouge, le ratio d´anagène / télogène est d’environ 60% / 40%.

Il n’est pas vrai que les cheveux doivent être détruits 2 à 3 fois pour les supprimer définitivement. Une bonne électrologyste a très peu de pourcentage de repousse.

Si vous commencez à l’électrolyse comme il se montre dans la deuxième image (poils de 1 Cm), la proportion de poils éliminés dans la première session est de 6 d´un total de 10.

Un mois d’intervalle est bien entre la première et la deuxième “clearance”. Ensuite, vous devez attendre 6 a 8 semaines.

Bonne chance!!!

#12

the proportion of hairs eliminated in the first clearance is 6 of the total of 10.

Really? :o
If what you say is right, why do we have to wait for 6 month to notice some results? I’m not sure but that’s what i heard

#13

You don’t have to wait 6 months to notice results. However, since the hair cycles in, you notice how it seems like “all the hairs are growing back” every 6 weeks, UNLESS YOU COMPARE TO YOUR BEFORE AND DURING PICTURES. One has to have 50% fewer hairs growing in order to have a difference the eye will notice without side by side pictures to compare. While the treated areas will show the work done during the same time NEXT YEAR when those hairs WOULD HAVE been in phase, you will not reach the poing where the lack of shedding phase hairs has been reduced to the point of making a difference in how many hairs are on your face until about 6 months out. Since those hairs were removed in Anagen growth phase, what was usually 6 growing hairs, and 4 to 7 shedding hairs, will now only be the 6 growing hairs and no left over shedding hairs, because they were not allowed to finish their cycles before being permanently removed via electrolysis.

Understand now?

#14

Space3000, James explained it perfectly. Maybe I can contribute a little illustrating the words and sure you’ll understand.

antesydespuesR.jpg1024×768

There are 3 months apart between these 2 images. There is only one clearance. Do you see any difference?

In the second picture I have framed a hair that was not the first photo. This is one of the hairs that were not present when it became the first clearance (shedding phase).

R2.jpg1024×768

#15

To be honest, I’m not really understanding why you want or need to remove that hair as it seems completely normal and not out of place in any way. Definitely not something to be depressed about! You probably have less facial hair than the majority of males out there. :slight_smile:

Electrolysis would be best in this case as mentioned. There aren’t that many follicles to treat.

As mentioned, you will go in and clear the area once every 3-4 weeks. The hair will only “look” like it’s coming back every month, but it’s just new hairs from the next phase of growth. In about 9-12 months, nothing will “return” and you’ll stop treatments.

But be aware that you’re still young and will need touchups when your body develops new hair.

#16

Thank a lot for all those explanations I think I’ve understood how it works :wink:

To LAgirl:

I know I don’t have so many hair but the problem is that almost every hair (exept the mustache area) become ingrown or induce an inflammatory reaction with redness and oedema around the follicule when I shave against the grain. If I shave with the grain I don’t look shaved at all because my hair is quite thick.

The beard really not suits me 95% of the time (in summer times I like to grow it for a few days but certainly not regularly) so I have to shave and put up with the bumps… I had to find a balance between the bumps and the shave it was hard… And my self confidence was a lot affected.

If I want to do only this area it is because i’ve ever tried and that’s good because I can look very clean shaved even if i shaved the areas left with a trimmer or an electric shaver without stretching the skin, because my cheeks are clear.

And if I decide to grow a beard it’s not that impossible with the areas left…

I don’t know if you have another idea (maybe about the form?) but I have really tried everything: 1,2,3,4,5 blades, electric shaver, trimmer, magic shave, bump fighter razors, tend skin…
When something doesn’t give me bumps, it doesn’t give me a “clean” shave neither…

Waxing (with tweezers) was different, I had wonderful results the first 10 days, then a lot of breakouts (those kind of pimples doesn’t leave with tend skin within 2 days because they are deeply ingrown, not the same kind of ingrown I had when i shave)

That’s probably unbelievable but due to this issue i developped a severe depression and Obsessive–compulsive disorder with my skin… I lost everything from my girlfriend i used to love so much to my 2 last years in the equivalent of “college” in france…

You can’t imagine how much this forum helped me! :slight_smile:

#17

I’m understanding the issue better. Thanks for explaining it. It does sound like it’s more of an impact of OCD, i.e. really giving it a lot more thought than anyone else ever looking at you. I would advise considering some OCD treatments in addition to taking care of this issue with permanent hair removal. The reason I say this is because that OCD often moves on to another area of your body after you tackle the one that you currently concentrate on. So it’s advisable to deal with the underlying issue as well.

#18

Ok i’ve my first appointment wednesday. Is it ok if i shave closely saturday? I mean for the lengh?

Otherwise i’ve another question: :slight_smile:

When i used to tweeze my cheeks, hairs that grew back 10-15 days after, producing ingrown hairs where the ones i removed or the new one from adjacent follicules?

In fact, our hair grow and fall then a new one is going to grow. But i’ve never had ingrown from “new” hairs popping because that would mean i can have them sometimes without shaving/tweezing.

So, according to me it is the regrowth post hair removal that can induce ingrown hairs on my cheeks.

Since electrolysis is not suppose to let the hair regrow (i mean not from the follicule treated) can I expect no or few ingrown hairs during the year of treatement?

I know nobody can predict those things but can i expect at least fewer ones than when tweezing?

edit: i ve only tweeze my cheeks 2 times, are my follicules already distorded and unable to be treated? :frowning:

#19

Hi! Some news :slight_smile:

I’ve had my first clearance this morning. The electrologist used Blend (wheras during the demonstration session I was treated by Thermolysis, and it was not the same person of the center).

It was a lot more painful (don’t know why?) and I finished with a lot of “mosquito bites” on the area.

But i couldn’t feel any plucking sensation so i suppose the session was effective. Do you know how long lasts this reaction?

#20

No amount of tweezing would make your beard unable to be treated, what does happen is that one needs higher treatment energies, and therefore it hurts more, and the work goes slower than it would otherwise. Two full teezes of the face would cause some increased thickness and distortion, and maybe increased depth of follicles, but would not make a huge difference to getting electrolysis done. You should be fine.

Blend hurts more than thermolysis because the action of the treatment lasts longer. Even after the probe is removed, the chemical reaction continues in the skin.

Although it is easy to see that the fastest thing is thermolysis, you should do what ever that practitioner is best at delivering, as you want the best work that person is capable of doing.

this is why some find it best to travel to get work done, as they get farther in a shorter time with someone a little distance away, and then, later, maybe they finish with the local person, as it would then make sense to go to the local when the difference between a full clearance in thermolysis and blend is the difference between 15 minutes and an hour. At that point, the travel time off-sets the treatment time.