Bad reaction to electrolysis. Need encouragement

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Please, I really need some help and some encouragement. I just had a very bad reaction to electro and I don’t know what to do. I’m really feeling down right now. I have noticed that in the last month or so my skin has been reacting more negatively to electrolysis. It started as a scab or two here and there, a smattering of little whiteheads or dry, tight skin. I didn’t have anything major though. Then I started noticing more scabs. However, I have never experienced anything like this before. Read on…

Two Fridays ago I had my regular electrologist use her Apilus Senior II on my chin. She usually does blend on me with a Clareblend. She used the Apilus on me once before and I liked it ok. Lately, the cost of all of this electro has been a big issue for me and I wanted her to clear more hair in a shorter time so we used the Apilus again instead of doing blend. It was very painful and I noticed that she had to zap many of the hairs 2-4 times. After the 2nd zap they really hurt! I didn’t like how the hair felt like it was being pulled out (not tweezed but really pulled) as opposed to when she uses blend and the hairs just slide out. I had her switch back to blend for my lip because I was not liking the feeling of the Apilus. A few days later I noticed a lot of scabbing where she had used the Apilus.

The week after that (this past Thursday), I went to a different lady that does thermolysis using a Clarblend. She has cleared my chin before quickly and without any major side effects. She worked on my chin Thursday and did my upper and lower lip on Friday. Yesterday I awoke to find all of the skin on my upper and lower lip were crusted over with tons and tons of little scabs. I had them on my chin too. I was so embarassed because I was away for the weekend with friends and there was no way they didn’t see my mouth/chin full of scabs. Last night when I washed my face a lot of them started bleeding. I’m home now but I am terribly distraught and discouraged. I just can’t explain the sudden and increasingly extreme after effects. Nothing has changed. I still drink plenty of water and use tea tree oil and aloe gel for after care. I don’t know what to do. I don’t even want to go to work tomorrow. To make matters worse, I have scabs all over my mouth and chin and new hair sprouting up all over. How can I go for another session this week when I have so many scabs? I can’t shave with them and I don’t want to walk around with a face full of black hair either. I just want to cry!

Is it possible that my skin is beginning to reject electro? Can anyone explain this or just offer some encouragement? This really sucks.

#2

First off, you must allow your skin to heal. No more electrolysis with anyone who is incompetent until your skin is healed. The act of electrolysis is not your problem. The machines or modalities used are not the problem. I guess that leaves us with the practitioner as an explanation as to why your face looks like a crusty pizza.

Sacramento must have many electrologists. After you log a formal complaint with these electrologists, go on the hunt for someone new. I don’t for the life of me understand why an electrologist would use a Clareblend for blend and the Apilus for what??? flash? microflash? This sounds like supreme inexperience to me, but I am saying this from afar.

You will heal. Use good aftercare. Take tomorrow off from work. Take pictures or go in and show the electrologist the outcome of her work. No more electrolysis until your skin returns to normal. You can clip the hair with cuticle scissors until you can shave again.

I agree with you that this really sucks. This is what an incompetent electrologist(s) can do and this is why YOU must shop around for an electrologist that knows her equipment, has good vision equipment and lighting and most importantly, has the smarts and skill to remove hair safely.

Dee

#3

I don’t understand what you mean. Can you explain?

Ugghh. I feel even worse.
Tomorrow will be better, tomorrow will be better, tomorrow will be better…

#4

What Dee doesn’t understand is why someone is using different machines for various types of electrolysis when Apilus does all of them. There is no need to use several machines when she has an Apilus. So it sounds like she may not know how to use it properly and is maybe practicing on you. It sounds like she didn’t adjust the settings properly considering how you describe the hairs not coming out well.

In terms of your skin reaction, can you share whether you used makeup after your treatment? What is your skin routine? Do you use anything with chemicals on your face while your skin is healing like face washes, makeup, makeup removers, moisturizers, etc? It sounds like overtreatment. How long was the treatment? Did both electrologists treat the same area? Did all the areas heal completely before treating them again?

#5

Wnen I started months ago I did use makeup right after treatments without any problem. I would apply tea tree oil and then my Vaniqua followed by some dermablend and mineral powder. At night I used Vaniqa and a rx bleaching cream. Sometimes I use a Wexler serum with MMPi. In the morningn I would wash, apply Vaniqa and bleaching cream and after they settled I applied moisturizer with SPF 30. Then my dermablend and powder. In the last month or so since I have been having more problems, I now give the Vaniqa and bleaching cream a rest for at least 2 days following treatment. Everything else is the same except that now I give my skin some time to calm down before applying anything but tea tree oil and aloe gel.

Each treatment was an hour long. The thermolysis treatment with the Apilus Senior II was approximately 30 minutes on my chin and under the chin. Then I asked to switch to blend for my upper lip. She does blend with a Clareblend Ultrablend. (I didn’t know the Apilus Senior II could do blend.) She spent 30 minutes on my upper lip.

One week later I had an hour thermolysis treatment with someone else who also uses a Clarblend Ultrablend. She spent an hour on my chin and under my chin. She didn’t have time to get the lip done but I was going out of town and wanted a clear lip so I went in the next day to clear the lip. She spent an hour on my lip doing both the upper and lower lip. I think she spent roughly 30 minutes up top and 30 on the lower lip. I did have a lot of hair on both. She may have spent a little over 30 minutes on the upper lip though.

To be honest I don’t really know if the skin was 100% healed between the last week and my latest treatments.

#6

I guess I’m complaining about 3 separate issues. I’m really, really upset about how this last electrologist massacred my face. It is so hard emotionally to be an otherwise fairly attractive girl trying to hide a major hair problem, but to then have this happen to me when I am trying to actually confront and deal with my problem is devastating.

I’m also dissapointed that my regular electro who I think is at least competent when it comes to blend gave me a crappy thermolysis treatment with her Apilus and ended up giving me more scabs than the normal crop that seems to gradually be becoming the norm for me.

The last issue is that I am confused about why I am gradually starting to have more and more problems with electro when all things seem to be pretty constant. I used to be able to tolerate a lot of electro with no problems. I have actually slowed down a little because it was getting too costly and time consuming for me to go 3 times a week for 1-2 hours. I admit I go very often and probably more often that I should. I would say every 4 days I treat the same areas for at least an hour (never more than 30 minutes on my upper lip). I just don’t understand why I used to be able to handle this schedule and now I can’t. My skin used to heal completly within 2 days or 3 at the most. I never had so much scabbing. The last lady that worked on me obviously did something very wrong because I have never been this scabbed up. The only reason I went back to her was because she was fast, efficient and I didn’t have any bad reactions the first time I saw her about a month ago. I did take pictures tonight of what she did to my face.

The thing I don’t understand is that putting aside this last horrific experience that left me tremendously scabbed, when my regular lady does blend on me just like we’ve been doing for the last 3 months, why am I all of a sudden getting gradually more scabs and after effects? I feel like giving up since I still have SO MUCH black hair growing in SO FAST! I literally have to go every 4 days because that is the longest I can allow the hair to grow. My face looks good the day of treatment and maybe part of the next day but then new hair starts to appear and it grows in fast and furiously! By the 4th day I am hiding my face in scarves from my co workers. I guess I will have to start shaving my lip but I don’t want to shave my chin because I have a lot of hair on it that I don’t treat because it is very fine. I don’t want those to grow in feeling stubbly and prickly.

#7

I am strongly urging you to physically go in and show them your face with pictures in hand. Asking for a refund is up to you. They must know this so they can self-correct, at least they will do some self correction if they are smart and want to continue having an electrolysis practice.

The same area should never have been treated every four days. Healing needs to take place and seven days minimum is the rule, more time is required if the area is not totally healed.

Many things have gone wrong. With a professional electrologist that is well-trained and continues her/his education, this would not happen. With proper use of epilators, especially the the best computerized epilators on the market today, this wouldn’t have happened. With proper probe size and proper insertions with proper intensity and timing selection, this wouldn’t have happened.

Hold people accountable here. Many electrologists could handle this fast hair growth and leave your skin with barely a hint that you are doing anything in regard to permanent hair removal. It’s done every day, but unfortunately it’s up to you to find who is the best practitioner to do this without slamming you backwards.

By the way, all that aftercare stuff you were using was simply not required. Were you not given specific instructions for aftercare from the electrologists? Also, where were they trained and how long have they been licensed, just curious?

#8

Hi Caligirl, indicative to me by your testimony in text i’d say shallow insertions without noticing the blanching occuring which caused the excessive scabbing. You must keep this area covered until it all heals. either the tea tree or a good ointment continously reapplied after getting the area wet. Under no circumstances should you allow any of the scabs abrate away unnaturally. I vote shallow insertions over excessive current because excessive current would have had you smart each time or ouch. Using different equip is tells me there’s a lack of confidence by your Electro person. Post care should be minimized & nix the makeup. Furthermore never wipe these scabbed areas but blot to clean only & apply your medicament to shield from bacteria. Pearl…

#9

Caligirl, I’m reluctant to say this but I feel I must. I’m betting you’re in for some scaring on your lips. Best emergency care now to slow the release of these scabs as long as possible. Please keep us informed with your progress. Pearl…

#10

I just called over there and left a message with the daughter and partner of the lady that did this to my face. I stayed home from work today because I am too ashamed to leave my home. I took pictures last night and they are on my computer. I think I will just show up and show her what she did.

I know that I am going to have some bad hyperpigmentation from this. I already suffer from that problem. I chose blend before I started this process specifically because I was afraid of hyperpigmentation if a bad electrologist worked on me with thermolysis and caused a lot of scabbing or pitting. I should have stuck to blend. My biggest fear has now come true.

Dee, the electros I have been to either told me I didn’t need to do any special aftercare except for keeping the area clean and dry or they recommended aloe gel. I was using the tea tree oil based on recs from this forum. Aside from the tea tree oil and aloe, the rest were things I was already using before I started electro. I try to use moisturizer with SPF every day. The Vaniqa was to help my hair growth problem. The bleaching cream was prescribed by my dermatologist to correct already existing hyperpigmentation on my lip and chin from years and years of agressive plucking. The derma blend is a concealer and mineral powder is makeup. It is supposed to be very clean and pure and you only need a tiny amount to even skin tone.
After I started electro, I needed the bleaching cream to minimize hyperpigmentation to my lip and chin from the irritation caused by electro and to maintain the progress I had made in the last several months of using it. I especially needed the moisturizer with SPF to protect the treated skin from harmful rays because that can cause excessive pigmentation. I felt I was using a lot on my skin but I felt all of the products were necessary. What would you suggest?

#11

It sounds like you were definitely overtreated. That is a LONG time to be treating on the upper lip (most people can’t handle more than 20 mins) and then going back and treating the chin again only a week later for another hour. Also, I would avoid bleaching altogether at this point. Waiting 2 days is not enough. Vaniqa also has lots of chemicals and can be attributing to the overall impact. Is there a reason why you’re not just shaving and clipping your hair?

I think from now on, you should really just stick to the gentle witch hazel and tea tree oil (this one in moderation as it’s very potent) for at least a week until your skin is completely healed and shows no signs of redness, scabbing etc. Also, wait until there are no signs like this before treating that same area again. Shave in between. Don’t use any moisturizers on the skin that hasn’t healed yet either. It’s chemicals and it clogs pores (causes breakouts and infection) and make it heal slower.

Being aggressive is good, but you’re not doing your skin any favors by overtreating. And using as little on your face as possible is really a good bet when your skin is still healing. Treat it as a scrape.

#12

Thanks lagirl. I am going to take your advice and cut out the lotions and potions. I’m also going to cut down the amount of electro I’m doing. I do think I am doing too much. I didn’t want to shave or clip because I thought I could just keep doing electro and getting the hair all off that way. I have to face the fact that I will have to start shaving my lip. I just can’t bring myself to shave my chin. I guess I’ll cut those with cuticle scissors.

I went in to see the lady today to show her what she did. She claims it is normal!!! She said everything was the same as last month, a #3 teflon insulated probe with even lower energy levels than the last time she treated me. I am still drinking a MINIMUM of 64 ounces of water per day so she couldn’t blame it hydration levels although that was the first thing she tried to blame it on. She said it happens sometimes and that she will have to adjust the current she uses on me and the amount of time she spends on my lip area. She sort of acknowledged that she spent too much time in my lip area. Obviously, I’m never going to her again.

I will allow myself to heal but this was a major bump in the road for me. To make things worse I think I’m in trouble for missing work today. I already cried last night and today. Hopefully this is the worst of it.

#13

Pat on the back for going in to see the electrologist. Your employer may have sympathy for you if you are brave enough to explain what happened. I know a lot of women are very secretive about hair removal, but if this would get you out of trouble, then tell the truth as you see fit.

Find the purest aloe vera gel you can and apply it religiously until you are healed. Apply tea tree oil at night(small dabs), and all should be well soon.

I swear to you caligirl, if you were treated by a real professional, that knew how to use the best equipment available today, you could have gone for longer sessions with very few, if any side effects. You would be cleared and would have stayed cleared with all the hours that you have logged so far. I’m sorry that your trust was betrayed. That part hurts the most and I’m sorry that excuses were made about this being normal healing.

Now, where do you find an electrologist that knows what the heck they are doing??? Can anyone help caligirl find a competent electrologist in the Sacramento area?

Would you be willing to go to the San Francisco area? I know of someone that has done work on one of my clients and my client who was very pleased.

#14

Thanks Dee.
I am reluctant to travel all the way to SF only because of the cost and my schedule. Gas is SO expensive these days and I drive a gas guzzling SUV. Also, electro is draining all my $$. I also work a 8-5 and my Saturdays are booked until the afternoon. However, I might just give it a try. Let me know who you recommend in that area.

One last question. I thought that I would only see a big difference after about 5 months. I went religiously to sessions not to see faster results, but to keep my face clear of hair. Are you saying that with all the hours I have put in over the last 3 months I should not be seeing hair growing after only a few days?

#15

No, at three months, you will still have hair growing in very fast. These are hair growth cycles at their meanest levels and they come fast and furious for some cases of facial hair. It is impossible to gain the upper hand, for some cases, in less than six months, so, that’s where patience and trust is required. It does pay off and the electrologist needs to firmly assure the client that these hair growth hurdles will be overcome, so hang on! I see this all the time. The euphoria of the beginning sessions is overtaken by doubt as those hair growth cycles click in, followed by the light at the end of the tunnnel at months 6-12. I say all this, assuming that a professional electrologist is in control of your case.

San Fran may not work for you, so continue your search in Sacramento. When I get to my office, I will get the full information about the electrologist that my client had positive feelings toward in San Francisco.

Be strong and move onward with a new electrologist search.

Dee

#16

Hi:

I think you would be best off limiting your hair removal to
once per week or once every two weeks in order to give your face time to heal. You can shave in between sessions depending
on how fast your hair grows, as long as the hairs are long enough on the day of treatment to be seen and grasped with tweezers. I found 2 weeks between treatments worked
well for me.

You should probably limit the amount of makeup you use.
I don’t wear any foundation, and that dermablend stuff you mention is pretty thick stuff. I don’t imagine it would
let your skin breathe properly.

Using aloe and tea tree oil at night is probably a good idea,
but pure tea tree oil is pretty strong. Vitamin E cream is
also good. You probably want to avoid strong soaps.

One thing I found was that it was good to keep a good
line of communication open with your electrologist.
It takes time to know you and your skins reactions to the
settings. If you are getting scabbing then you need to let
them know right away. If you find a good electrolgist stick
with them, even if it means missing a couple of weeks while
they go on vacation.

Alicia

#17

Another thought for you Caligirl. Don’t walk but run to a Dermatologist & perhaps a plastic surgeon & get advice as to impede any infection that may arise from your crusty scabs & an opinion of how to handle all of this. [color:#CC0000] [/color] STAY OUT OF THE SUN.Pearl…

#18

I think I posted a long list of potential electrologists in your area in the near past. It’s a big area and I’m sure there is someone great. I still think it sounds like you overdid it just a bit. Shaving and clipping in the beginning is really necessary if you have a lot of hair since you cannot treat the same area before it’s healed and you cannot overtreat it with very long treatments on the same small area either.

The good thing is that if you take care of it well, it’ll all go back to normal.

Good luck. Sorry you’ve had a bump in the road, but you’ll be back on track very soon.

#19

The 2nd electrologist should not have treated areas that were showing irritation from the previous treatment with electrologist #1. I’m sure she didn’t think there would be a problem, but it was still a big no no.

The fact that you had treatments earlier without problems leads me to believe it is definitely product overload. Were the prescriptions (Vaniqa and the bleaching product) prescribed by the same physician? Vaniqa can be harsh on the skin, causing the dryness and tightness you described. Adding a skin bleach (hydroquione 4%???) could increase skin sensitivity. The active ingredient on the Wexler serum is salicylic acid. This will definitely cause drying, tightness, and peeling. Dermablend, as someone else pointed out, is heavy and requires more than soap and water to remove. A good quality mineral makeup for some people can improve their skin, I’m living proof. But, using it over Dermablend is a waste. It never touches your actual skin.

Adding electrolysis on top of all that just caused your skin to rebel.

Lay off the products. I wouldn’t even bother with the Vaniqa if you are going to have electrolysis. To me, it seems it would only delay the electrolysis results. Be kind and gentle to your skin. You may want to research vitamins, minerals, nutrition, etc., that can help you skin heal from within.

#20

My dermatologist prescribed the Vaniqa and bleaching cream before I started electrolysis. I went to her to try to fix the damage and pigmentation I caused to my skin by aggressive tweezing and digging for hair over so many years. She actually discouraged me from trying electrolysis because she said the trauma to my skin would cause even more hyperpigmentation. She recommended laser!!! I would NEVER let a laser touch my face after reading through this forum.

I’m definitely laying off the products. I got some medicated tinted lotion that is for use after electrolysis that I will use if I need to even my skin tone for work or interaction with clients. I’ll use that, witch hazel, tea tree oil and aloe gel. Nothing else besides under eye cream at night. I’m also going to limit my sessions to once a week even if it kills me to do so and prevents me from having a social life.

The really good news is that most of the scabs have fallen off. I think most came off in the shower this morning and my mouth looks 95% better than it did Sunday and Monday. I have some pigmentation and I know it’s going to get worse before it gets better. The skin around my mouth still feels tight. I’m just glad the scabs fell off so quickly. I ended up using neosporin because I recently burned my arm pretty badly and I used neosporin religiously and it seems to have really reduced they hyperpigmentation as compared to a scrape on my arm a month ago that I was not religious about applying neosporin to. (Yes, I’m a total klutz) I really appreciate your comments, suggestions and support. I had a really rough few days there but I’m feeling a bit better now. Thank you all again.