Angry looking skin after electroylsis

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

I have been considering different forms of hair removal for a while now. After doing some research online and discovering this website, I decided to get electrolysis on my side burns from providence RI. Had my first treatment two days ago with an insulated probe, thermolysis from an epilus unit.She did half hour one side and half hour the other. I return in two weeks to get the remaining hair zapped. I am pretty excited about the treatment but am concerned about the scabbing and swelling especially on my left side burn. It is painful and I can already tell I am going to get a lot of pustules there (see attached pic). should I be worried ? I am washing it and using witch hazel. also applying aloe.

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#2

Here’s the right side burn which has scabs but no swelling. i am not worried about this side.

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#3

From what little I know of thermolysis, this looks pretty normal. From having experienced thermolysis by a pro, I can say I didnt see any of the red dots you have when I had my upper lip treated, but I’ve seen plenty of pictures that show exactly what you have there.
If you do see pustules, treat them as you have said, or you can also use teatree oil. You could also consider having the electrolysist use a thinning approach rahter than clearance. That can stop the skin from heating up as much in one area. If they had done this when you first went in you may not have as significant a reaction as you do now.
One thing my electrolysist did the last time i went in that I had never had done before was something called Cataphoresis. I’m not really sure if the objective is just to make the skin feel better after treatment, or if it helps to prevent reaction, so maybe one of the pro’s could weigh in on that? What I do know, is although red and warm after treatment, I had almost no surface skin reaction that wasnt gone within a day .Basically they reverse the polarity on the galvonic side , put some damp gauze over the treatment area, and use a roller to go over the area. It was done in a few seconds.

Seana

#4

I personally think this is too rough and I would not want my clients dealing with these scabs on their face. Does each scab represent a coarse hair that was treated or were the hair structures treated, much finer like the ones I see in your picture?

I don’t necessarily scatter my work and I don’t use cataphoresis and I don’t get these kind of scabs. A good set up helps achieve a better outcome, along with great skill. Show your electrologist your skin outcome so she can change her strategy if she is so inclined to do so.

Pustules mean the follicle was treated beyond necessity. Tea tree oil dissolves and prevents pus formation. Putting aloe vera right over the the dabs of tea tree is recommended.

It is hard to walk around with large scabs on your face. Please inform your Electrologist and maybe she can do something else.

#5

I hope you realize that you won’t be done after that second treatment. She did a consultation, right? Explaining the hair growth cycles?

Please do let the electrologist know about the scabbing. They should see the pictures, too. There could be some epilator tweeking that could improve this.

The thing I wondered viewing your pictures is about the irritation on your left side. Is there any possibility you use the phone on that side? The irritation seems to be in the spot that my phone rests when I talk… OR…was the left side done first and you laid on it while they worked the right side?

Your skin should heal just fine, but it is important to keep it clean. The swelling and pustules at this point seem unusual, as the scabbing has already formed… Dee has given you some good advice.

#6

estee dee was one of the pro’s I was hoping would pipe in. I’m really hesitant to say " that’s overtreatment" because I’m still learning and often wrong, so keep a certain amount to myself until I’ve heard their opinion first. She’s right though that that’s a little rough for the face.

Seana

#7

Thank you everyone for your input!

The treated hair is very fine and even the electrologist commented that i may not be as satisfied with my results as, say someone with really thick hair, since i don’t have a lot to begin with.

My skin is very sensitive to temperature changes, light, and touch (me squeezing a black head=zit. artificial heating=red skin, me angry=red skin, me embarrassed=red skin). I use my phone on the right side due to hearing issues so we can rule out the phone factor.

The left side( angry looking one) was treated five minutes longer than the other and it’s treatment felt a little hotter than the other side so maybe she used a higher setting there which led to overheating of my skin.

She’s heading to a conference in New Orleans later this week so I have to wait another week to meet her.I am afraid to take another picture because it is still as painful as yesterday :(. I’ll grab some tree tea on the way back home.

Do i have a reason to doubt her competence? or maybe a better question is at what point do i doubt her competence and look for someone else? I have a large demographics to choose from (both MA and RI).

#8

You can probably accomplish alot more by communicating as you have here than instantly searching for another practitioner. Most descent electrolysists keep very good notes on what levels they used where and when as part of your chart, if she did use a higher setting on the left than the right she will likely have noted it and correct for the next time.
When there is overtreatment the upper level of the skin is affected, such as the red dots you see in your pictures.Dee is right that you should show her these, communcation is key. Thin vellus hairs generally require somewhat lower settings than do thicker terminal hairs. Turning down the thermolysis setting may well help.

Seana

#9

I get a very similar reaction to yours. A week passes and it goes away, and my skin looks amazing. It’s a good idea to let your electrologist know, but you’ll be fine

#10

Thanks for your input brenton. I got a Dr Haushka cleansing starter kit from whole foods along with tea tree oil. Used both last night and this morning. Will take pix of my face tonight as i have no idea how it looks like but it feels a lot better and much less painful/swollen. I am hopeful that this will heal by my next appointment.