Hello. First post on here. I have consistently been getting 20 minute electrolysis treatments on the underside of my chin, every 2 weeks for what will be a year in April. The hairs are dark and coarse, but in a small area. There are probably 20-30 hairs being cleared at every treatment. I have read on here before that if there is any resistance or plucking sensation, then the hair follicle has not been fully treated. I’ve read they are supposed to slide out with no resistance. After a few treatments where I definitely noticed that some of my hairs were being plucked, I asked my electrologist about it. She told me that she has to treat my hairs on a lower than regular setting, a “2”, because my skin “can’t handle the current” at higher settings. When I first started seeing her, I was left with scabs and red discoloration that lasted over 2 weeks, so she started treating me on a lower setting. She told me that I was feeling a plucking sensation because the setting was so low, but the hair was still being partially treated, it would just take longer. After about 10 months on this “lower setting”, I feel like I’ve made very little progress. Based on other people’s accounts, it seems like my hair should at least be growing in at a slower rate where treatments would be farther apart, right? Because treatments are every other week, I feel like my skin is in a constant state of redness and recovery that is more noticeable than it was when I just had black specks from hairs coming in. I asked her what method she uses, and she told me it is an alternating current. I probably would have tried somebody else, but she is the only electrologist within 100 miles of me because I live in a rural area. I should mention that I tweezed my chin for about 3 years before starting electrolysis, but haven’t since I started electrolysis. I’m starting to feel like this is a waste of my time and money, and maybe I should just drive 100 miles for better services. It just seems like such a small area (about 1 square inch) would at least have drastic improvement by now, after over 20 treatments. I would love some feedback on if my situation is normal or my electrologist is just not doing a great job.
Does she use only stainless steel or insulated and gold probes? What does she mean by skin can’t take it? Yes, if she admits to under treating you because she is afraid of swelling and redness then you will be seeing her for years. Hair follicles are challenging to destroy as is and working with weak settings for a full year without much progress is a red flag.
If you have the means to travel 100 miles to sample another electrologist, I would strongly consider that.
I can relate to your frustrations and hope you will find a solution.
Warning: You arent going to like some of what I have to say. So warned:
I often feel that my estimates of timeframe should be triple in length of time of treatment, and in hours of treatment, as soon as a client has plucked.It has that much of an effect. Most pronounced is that the client does NOT know the extent of their hair problem.They always believe the “10 hairs I see” are all they have or ever will come in. When someone plucks, for years, prior to electrolysis they set the growth cycle of those hairs along with their plucking cycle.
While plucking sensation is not a good sign, later growth stage hairs will tend to seem more like a pluck due the dessicated nature of the hair root. That dried up little grain of salt that accompanies a telogen hair indeed often feels plucky, even when it isnt.
I have to admit, I’m losing my enthusiasm for the extreme pluckers. I remember a prior co-electrologist I worked with telling me “that client is going to be high maintenance” when one particulary anxious daily plucker came to see me last summer, and warning me that it would be trouble in the end to not put too much faith in the client. Well, 9 months into treatment, and down to the few on her chin once a week, after months of support outside her appointments every week, this client left my clinic yesterday to announce they were going somewhere else. I’ve taken her from a chin full of ingrowns to the same kind of average as you, in 9 months of weekly treatments but decided to go see a different electrologist instead. I remember that coworker saying " They’ll never get it." She was right because they definitely didnt.Nothing about time frames or expectations I said sunk in All those hours spent answering last minute emails from them, and they still dont get it.
So forgive me if this recent experience, colors my response to you. When I see statements like “I was plucking up to three years beforehand” accompanied by a an analysis of why you dont think the treatment is working, then, honestly I jump to one conclusion. You shouldnt be doing electrolysis until you are ready.Ready to listen to what the practitioner is saying about time frames and expectations, about how much hair you REALLY have.
If you are seeing constant reductions as you seem to be indicating, then the electrologist is doing it just right.
My next statement is going to seem equally as tough and as cruel. Skin reactions happen. Scabbing? Redness? Yes this can and will happen with regularity.So What? The skin always returns to normal in fact better than prior. There is a long healing process , actually mike bono’s video here tells it well:
But the story is always the same.So skin reaction, happen. They are inconvenient for a while.Suck it up and get past it.
None of this is your electrologists fault. She did not take a pair of tweezers to your face for 3 years prior to your getting electrolysis, you did. I find pluckers are always looking for the shortcut, or the way to blame their electrologist for their issue that they, themselves caused, an have not come to terms with.The only way you could be made to realize the severity of the hair issue is if someone took away all your tweezers and waited a year for all the hair to come in. Only then, would you begin to see the amount of hair that has come in. You dont notice it because its “only 30 at a time showing” Every single hair you plucked got 4 months prior to that, counts in the tally.
Stop micromanaging your electrologists treatment would be my advice.
Seana
I am going to agree with you that your recent experience has indeed colored your response to me. I am aware that tweezing prior to electrolysis can prolonge results because of how it affects hair and root growth. I understand that I chose to tweeze my own face, and I would not have done so if I had the knowledge then that it causes increased growth. I asked for help from this forum because I am not an expert and am genuinely seeking advice, not criticism from somebody telling me I don’t know something. I know I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking. I think any consumer of services should ask questions if it feels like something is off. I didn’t go into detail about the redness and scabbing from when I first saw her, but that first visit left me with permanent pitted scars that have faded in color, but not depth. I think you may have misunderstood my post. I am NOT seeing constant reductions in growth. i look the same as a year ago. I don’t mind redness and scabs if it is ultimately going to lead me to a hair free chin, but I do mind it if that’s not the case. I assure you I was very polite and respectful to my electrologist when I asked her what the plucking sensation meant. I am not a micromanager. I am just concerned, have read other stories where people were plucked for years with no results, and want to make sure I am being a responsible consumer. If everything I’m experiencing is normal, that’s great! Thank you for the video. I will watch it. It sounds like the woman who chose to see somebody else did not deserve or appreciate somebody who cared as much as you do. It also concerned me that My electrologist did not know what blend, galvanic, or thermolysis were. She told me she didn’t know what type, just that it was alternating. As an expert, does “alternating current” fall into one of those categories?
If it is true that your electrologist does not know the difference between blend, galvanic or thermolysis, then you should immediately stop rewarding this hack with your money. It raises questions about her education, training and competency. Knowing these basic concepts is rudimentary for electrologist professional.
But alternating current is HF/Thermolysis. Galvanic is DC- direct current and Blend is combination of AC/Thermolysis and DC currents.
Alternating current is one of the ways thermolysis is referred to.
I’m pretty much in agrement with fenix that if you have made no progress and continue to feel plucking, then you should look elsewhere.
One of the keyest things an electrologist can do, is get you to understand the process and accurately estimate time frames and costs. They cant do that if they can barely know what method they are using.Unfortunately, many rural electrologists seem to fall in this category.
Seana
Thank you both for your feedback. I know that she attended school for electrolysis and completed her hours to get certified. She has been practicing for over 20 years, and I was hoping her experience would translate into expertise, but it does not appear that way. I also wonder if people continue to see her despite lackluster results because she is our only option in the county. That’s why I didn’t try somebody else when I first had questions. I don’t get the impression that she puts a lot of energy toward continued education, training, or updated equipment. When I asked about timelines in the beginning, she told me there is no way of knowing because everybody is different, and she has no way of knowing if she destroyed the hair follicle when she inserts the probe because she can’t see below my skin. Thinking maybe she would have a better idea after a year of treatment, I asked again and received the same answer. It wasn’t until I asked her specifically about the plucking and asked her if the lower setting meant it would take longer did she volunteer any of that information. On average, it takes about 15 minutes or less to completely clear my entire chin, and that’s including the time it takes to prep the area with alcohol and do cataphoresis and put aloe Vera on at the end. She is a kind woman in her 60’s, and I have been patient and tried not to question her. But a year in, it is starting to feel like this is not adding up. I am feeling more certain that the hassle of seeing a different electrologist would be worth it.
Using your figures (15-minutes every 2-weeks), that would be about 5 – 6 hours over the last year … on your chin. Your electrologist is balancing between killing off the hairs and not upsetting you with visible scabs: it’s no easy task.
Saying, "I have 6-hours invested in this’ sounds better than, "I’ve spent a whole year at this.’ Facial hair removal is usually like this … frustrating for both client and electrologist. Indeed, there are many factors to consider before you assume the therapist is doing a bad job.
I just read Seana’s comments and, well, all I can say is that I stopped working on (most) woman’s faces about 20 years ago. YES! give me a beard, a PCOS case or a man’s entire back. These cases go “fast,” and always end up with super-happy clients and zero questions or complaints. (It’s all about TWEEZING!)
Note: this statement has nothing to do with the original poster AT ALL! So, don’t anybody get offended … okay? This is a general statement. I have to say, however, that Seana learned FAST!
Having been an electrologist for 37 years, I can tell you that both Seana and Michael are 100% correct in their assessment. My statements are based on almost forty-years experience and thousands of clients, so I am not going to apologize for what I have to say. Many “extreme pluckers” show up at the electrologist’s office in a state of mania over their hair and tweezing ritual. Once they start treatment, they drag the electrologist into the mix. It never works out. Some clients need help, but all we can do is cosmetically improve their appearance through permanent hair removal. At times, the issues run much deeper than just unwanted hair.
I agree with Michael about the troublesome nature of treating women’s faces, primarily the pluckers. Getting the true scope of the hair problem across is next to impossible. Not sure I can continue doing it with the exception of large cases.
Thanks everyone! I watched some of Micheal’s videos about the healing process, and that provided me with a lot of perspective on the range of normal skin reactions. Also, thinking about it in terms of cumulative hours spent is helpful. I was still frustrated that my electrologist had not conveyed to me that a very low setting would prolong my treatment process, but I was able to communicate with her. I told her it was more important to me that the follicle be fully treated than it was to avoid scabbing. I had a session with her yesterday where she used a slightly higher setting and treated each follicle until there was no resistance from the hair. I definitely have some light scabbing today, but I feel more secure in knowing that this should speed up the process at least a little. The scabbing from yesterday’s treatment is nowhere near as extensive as when She initially used a very high setting on me. Does anyone have any recommendations for products or supplements that are helpful in aiding the skin’s healing process? I’ve been using aloe
Today I performed a second treatment on an extreme tweezing case. Her first treatment was for 60 min and the treatment today (1.5 weeks later) was for 30 minutes. After going over the average treatment time frame, the hair growth cycle, and explaining the extent of treatment involving a tweezing case, today she announced that three treatments will be all she will need. Where did she get the idea that she will be finished with electrolysis in three treatments? So, now that her expectations (of her own doing) are unrealistic and nothing I said today changed it, it’s just a matter of time before the relationship I have with this client blows up. Who will be blamed? I will. I will also become part of a heavily skewed story about how electrolysis did not work and it was my fault. Short of not taking on extreme tweezing cases in the future, I will discourage clients like this from even starting electrolysis and will tell them why. It’s just not worth the aggravation.