4 hours of electrolysis yesterday removed 1,481 chest hair, 806 stomach hair and 872 shoulder and neck hair. My 4th (I think?) chest clearance, 2nd stomach clearance, and 2nd time on the back of the neck.
Honestly I don’t know how many of you folks can do this without lidocaine shots. I must have received 30-40 or more lidocaine injections … she covered a really big area yesterday. I don’t like the shots, but wow - you feel nothing when they insert. As soon as she strayed outside of an anesthetized area, OUCH! It’s almost unbearable. For the isolated few hairs left on my shoulders, of course she applied ice packs, but it still hurts like the dickens.
Anyway the results are fantastic, even though complete hairlessness still seems to be a ways off, and it’s worth every penny and even the pain.
Q. What gague needle is the tech using? 30G? Is he/she also using a bit of Bicarb? The use of this is worth asking about/trying. The simple addition of 0.5 bicarb renders the injection painless … I mean virtually nothing! See, it’s the PH of the lidocaine that hurts … NOT the needle! (This was the suggestion of Dr. Welsh who is our State’s examiner.)
Please correspond via my private email to avoid the potential “Krieg from the ‘brainwashed’!” … (as Dee says):
Keep us posted. I’m curious to know how much hair you’re getting killed after 2nd clearance. From some posts on hair tell, 2nd clearance can produce 50% + hair reduction. (I can dream that I’m getting that too.)
I just finished a clearance on chest and shoulders but I can only handle an hour per session because ice packs is the only option for pain management. The outer chest on sides closer to armpits is brutally painful for me. The collar bone area is also sensitive but manageable. Sometimes, I wonder if these marathon clearings will ever end before I start balding anyway? lol
You may think this is a bit weird, but I’ll have a hard time getting those answers. The doctors and electrolysis practitioners in Thailand do not have a very high level of fluency in English. Their English is actually pretty poor.
I go to Yanhee Hospital, which is noted in Bangkok for cosmetic treatments. The electrolysis center is staffed by four doctors and a number of electrolysis technicians and nurses; surprisingly it is the only serious electrolysis provider in Bangkok (there are a couple of small, local clinics that also do it).
I asked earlier on if they were using galvanic or thermolysis, but they didn’t understand what I was asking. I’m sure they know in Thai but technical English is too difficult. So, while it may seem strange, I have been going back (now about 7-8 times) simply because I trust what they are doing and the results have been very good. I am frankly thrilled with how well it works.
As to the pain - well, as I said in my first post, the very first time I went I refused the lidocaine injections, as was only able to tolerate 2 hours of treatment, which covered less than half my chest area. Since then, I have been a great fan of those injections. It’s wonderful feeling to hear the machine go “beep” and see a hair tweezered out, without feeling a thing. I would love for it to be pain free without injections, but I don’t think I can cross the technical language barrier - and frankly I think if there was more that they could do to help, they would.
I don’t think it’s the lidocaine pH that’s bothering me, it’s the needle going in. I don’t feel anything when he’s injecting the liquid. It’s partly psychological - that syringe looks like something out the “Three Stooges” - it must be ten inches long! Anyway, I can manage, it’s not that bad, although it takes about 15-20 injections to totally numb my chest area and, yeah, that’s a bit unpleasant!
I’m not surprised at all. Immediately, when physicians (surgeons) administer local they pick up a 3.5 inch 22.5G needle (used for spinals). HORRIBLE! And, totally not necessary. No wonder you feel this “Three Stooges” approach. (The 30G needle is actually difficult to see!)
My physician friend (and next-door neighbor), Dr. Sullivan, is leaving for Thailand (Bangkok) for a 2-week stint and educational seminar at a local Bangkok hospital (it might be “yours?”). If you wish, I think I can set up a meeting with you or your “team” … perhaps this could be (at least) interesting? I could send him over with some “samples?”
Michael, you didn’t mention if your physician friend’s trip is related to electrolysis or not. There are many big hospitals in Bangkok - Bumrungrad, Samitivej and Piyavate to name three. Yanhee Hospital, where I go, is mainly focused on cosmetic treatments. The hair removal center details are here: http://www.yanhee.net/treatment-procedure/hair-removal
If you click on “Our Doctors” you can see details of the four doctors that work in the Vein and Hair Removal Center.
Unfortunately I am leaving Friday night for a business trip to the U.S. for a couple of weeks, so I won’t be around!
I don’t think he’s on an “electrolysis mission” … he’s also an expert on tropical diseases so I’m assuming it has something to do with “you know what.” (You know, the “new one” at the moment.)
Needles are made in Japan (and commonly used).
I will find out about the machine from my folks in Japan … answer for you in a couple days or so. Machine looks like a good solid unit.
I can’t really tell what the % reduction “per clearance” is. I’ve done my chest 3 (or 4?) times and stomach twice, and the reduction is enormous. The little bastards still come back, though, so I’ll return for a chest-and-stomach clearance at the end of December. But the number of hairs is way, way, way down. Unfortunately I expect the doc will still have to shoot me up with 30 lidocaine shots because the area involved is big and I CANNOT stand the pain, but the result is amazing.
You’re the first person on Hairtell being treated by that Japanese machine. You should feel special. I remember reading about that machine in an electrolysis textbook. The needle design is peculiar. Too bad Japanese brands haven’t made it to Western markets of electology.
Back under the needle today. Did 3-1/2 hours: cleared chest, stomach, shoulders (very little left), back, neck, and that little area right above the bum. Only 3,120 hairs in all, which is nothing compared to when I started.
But the total area covered is very big, so I needed about 100 lidocaine shots. Even so, she strayed into un-injected areas quite a lot, so today was a killer pain-wise. It wasn’t a fun day … but you know how it is: the end justifies the means!
Here’s a couple of pics right after treatment. Looks horrible, but it heals up very fast.
The lidocaine shots make your skin a little flabby. Normally I have a little better definition than in those pix above. Here’s a pic from a couple days ago (you can’t really make out the hair, but it was 2-3 months since my last clearance, and there WAS quite a lot that had grown back in).
