Or are they all totally useless?
Sorry, I just saw I posted it in the wrong forum.
The long and short of it is this:
Some of the mail order things can be successfully utilized to achieve slow, but permanent hair removal.
The less experience you have, the more you need better equipment to make up for your short-comings on the skill side.
The More experienced you are, the more able you would be to do good enough treatment with one of those primitive units, but the more experienced you are, the less willing you would be to settle for such equipment.
I always compare it to a race between you and Mario Andretti where you get your choice of Indy 500 or NASCAR vehicles and Mr. Andretti must drive a Yugo GV. You will be in the lead until you crash and burn because you don’t know what you are doing in that car. Andretti finished the race cursing the 3 speed lawn mower he is forced to stick shift.
I guess I had better update my analogy to say John Andretti. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
Hehe. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
But I have to admit that the thought of being able to permanently remove annoying hair at home with such a device which doesn’t even cost much is really attractive somehow.
I think it would be fun and it would also be satisfying to remove hair and to see that it also doesn’t come back. I did some research about this E-Pen and most of the reviews were negative. People were very disappointed and frustrated. And the only positive comments were most likely from the E-Pen staff because the very same comments are all over the net. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />
Is there a machine which you could recommend and which is safe? Can you somehow cause damage with such a device and burn yourself or get scars or something else?
one thing you can consider is buying a used real electrolysis machine, which would only be a couple hundred dollars anyways. check out the Do It Yourself section on this forum to see what other non-professionals are using and how they are liking it.
Can you scar yourself?
You don’t want to see what some people present to me in “the mature area” when they give up and come for some pro work. I sometimes have to hold back tears, and I am not the kind of guy who cries. Lets just say I would not want to be the guy who had to show and explain to a lady what I have seen on some people after their home experiments. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />
Wow, this sounds scary. Does this mean that harmless looking devices such as the E-Pen simply do not work and those which actually do work are dangerous?
Or does the E-Pen work? Because if it worked I think I would give it a try. I have hairs on the cheek and also next to the eyebrows which are really annoying. It totally disturbs me. I tried plucking them but they all came back. I had hoped that I had at least destroyed a few of them because some really hurt and the skin even bled after plucking the hairs. Some of them even had their root and I thought that this means that I destroyed the follicle but obviously it’s not that easy.
plucking doesn’t kill the hair as the follicle is not destroyed when you do that. we all wouldn’t be here on these forums discussing electrolysis if it did. if you only have a few hairs here and there that bother you, you can easily get whatever you need done with a professional electrologists in under 15 min treatment. then you’d probably need to come back once every month or so to get those hairs for about 9-12 months also for only 15 mins or less (cost for that is around $20-30) and you will be done without any scarring, given you find a good electrologist.
You probably can’t hurt yourself with the E-pen. Also, you can’t get any permanent hair removal from it.
You will need a device with a needle (probe) to perform permanent removal. There is one device called the One Touch which does that. Also, it is possible to abuse this device and do permanent damage. Some tips to help avoid this are at http://www.geocities.com/hairfreethere/
While, as a starting DIYer, I appreciate advice for caution on these matters. I think its a bit unjustified for such stringent warnings against the One Touch.
For a device than can take up to 5 minutes to remove one hair, it’s difficult to over-treat and basic cleanliness will address most infection issues. To call such a toy dangerous is overstating a bit, isn’t it?
That said, Electroysis is not a simple art. You can do it yourself, but it takes dedication, time and money. While the One Touch does work and is quite cheap, it won’t give the same results as professionals on professional equipment.
Read everything you can find. Be preprepared to spend money, and seriously consider whether it’s really worth the aggrivation of putting yourself through school (BY YOURSELF!) just to save a couple of bucks.
Above all understand what you’re getting yourself into.
J.
SpaceMunkee,
You obviously have had no first hand experience with the One Touch. If you were to turn the dial up to full and treat a hair on a delicate area with shallow roots, you could easily start to do damage after 10 seconds. I’m talking about a burn that will leave a permanent scar. Hardly overstating the need for caution.
Even at low settings, I’ve rarely gone over one minute on any hair. To treat any hair for 5 minutes at the low setting could most certainly also create a burn.
If used properly, it WILL give the same results as professionals (basically the permanent removal of hair with no scars). Electrolysis is basically a simple art, it just has to be done correctly and with care (it’s simple enough for some pros to do 1200 hairs per hour, so I’ve heard).
I taught myself through careful application and have removed thousands of hairs first hand. Doing it yourself is definitely not for everyone. I believe statements made on the forum should be correct so that those seeking to learn about their options can make proper decisions.
Perhaps I should state it more bluntly. I have seen burnt pits with darkened pigmentation on the penises of clients who attempted to perform self work with the one touch. It is one reason I don’t turn away people looking for this service.
I am not saying that scarification is the only possible result, but this undertaking should not be looked at as if it is like falling off a log.
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> pits are bad.
I have tried the One Touch and it works but it is not easy and yes it can make a pit quickly that takes a long time to heal. I will only use it on an occasional stray hair that I can access easily. I would never use it near my face.
If you can’t master it, then definitely don’t use it on your face. I’ve removed a few stray hairs on my face with no problem, but I certainly didn’t start there.
Most electrolysis schools start students out on fruit like oranges before letting them lose on even their own skin. (Oranges have lovely indentations that mimic follicles and are curved like faces) Once a person shows some promise with the spread technique and inserting on the orange, or whatever, they are coached on some techniqu and assigned to work on their own leg. This gives them good feedback on their insertion technique, as it allows them to feel both what the practitioner AND the client feels as they work. There is no better way to reinforce “This is what it feels like when you mess up” than to have the person doing it to themsleves with good instruction on what the do’s and don’ts may be.
Once good insertions on the legs are more likely than not, the student is usually allowed to work on someone else’s legs, and then will work their way up the body to the face. FACE IS THE LAST PLACE A SCHOOL INSTRUCTS A STUDENT TO WORK. Until you can do body work, no reputable school will let you touch a face. It is their insurance on the line, you know.