Here are photos and descriptions by Michael.
Before the third clearance:
“First clearance was 50 hours.
Second clearance was 27 hours.
Third clearance was 13 hours.
Now, the guy is at least 99% hair-free for ever.”
Bravo! Predictable is the word that best describes the results of Electrolysis!(This is what I’ve added ;))
Thanks again Jossie, I color-corrected these and put a sharpen filter to them so you can better see the hairs and scabs. Copy and paste and these will enlarge nicely. SCABS!
Michael,
In these clearances are you treating both the terminal and the underlying vellus hairs? or just the darker and more noticeable terminal ones?
Hi tr3, thanks for your question.
This guy is a near total “conversion” in that nearly all the hairs are up to terminal stage. In a way this makes it nicer because now I can just zap everything.
He still has a potential on the shoulders and will probably grow more hair there (the entire back is going to be hairless forever) … I could zap the tiny hairs on the shoulders, but I really dislike doing that. It seems like nothing is being done.
I will still go to the consult but the whole wax thing turns me off, as I’ve been told many times that waxing can damage the hair cell and makes electrolysis harder to do effectively.
I could do a patch area as you suggested - but if the wax thing is any indication, I would assume she would do other things wrong.
That narrows things down a lot. That really only leaves the ultra-expensive place that said it would take three years to treat.
Michael, I would definitely do as you suggested - but first I need to find a place that is even plausible enough to begin testing. She sounded fairly adamant about the wax thing.
I don’t mind telling them how I want to do the treatment, but some people can take this as me telling them how to do their job (which I kind of am). For example, the first lady I had a consult with, on first impressions, I doubt she would take kindly to that.
Anyway I’ll see how it goes on Thursday.
Okay … I do get it!
Defenses go up pretty fast, as you will discover. You might “kindly” ask her if she would mind doing this experiment for you (with no waxing). You might even give her pause to re-evaluate the situation later on. You could say, “Mike Bono told me so,” … and then after you get up off the floor, try another approach?*
The problem with “waxing and electrolysis” is that you have erased any easy marker to determine if she’s really removing hairs. She could go on for 6 months, or much longer, and claim that the hairs returning are “only hairs coming back from the waxing.” (I’m NOT saying that this is her intention! … See comment below.*)
I DO understand her strategy and in some way I could defend it. However, NOT for a guy’s entire back. Treatment could go on for YEARS and you would remain “in the dark” about the real progress. It’s a bad deal (okay, not THAT bad … see comment below.*)
*I’ve been “taken to the woodshed” today (or if you’re from the South: I “got my plow cleaned,” from the “Hairtell Obermeisters”) … so, this post is the NEW “kinder-gentler Mike Bono.” Is it working? I really am trying! No more “snarky-ness.” he he he
In the words of Henry James,
"“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”
Now I’m going to go watch “Mean Girls” . I love that movie. All turns out kindly in the end.
Just prior to my consult tomorrow, would you guys say getting the wax is a bad thing, or is her reasoning valid?
thanks
In my opinion, it is a visual thing. While I understand that starting with a cleared surface, be it from shaving or waxing, allows a practitioner to work only on hairs in growing state, and furthermore, reduces the amount of hair in the treated area, it more serves the client’s desire to see a clear area, instead of seeing a bald patch the size of a quarter, or scattered work that leaves nothing looking cleared out.
You may have a bit of an argument on your hands, if this is the way this person likes to work, and you are asking her to come out of her comfort zone and do something else. Of course, you are the one paying for the service, and it is you who must be pleased.
Heck, I tell my clients to lay off the caffeine, increase hydration and electrolytes, and when they ignore me, I still do the work anyway… I just put in ear plugs so I can better ignore their screams of pain and invectives questioning the circumstances of my birth. 
Lol
I went to the consult today, this is the most hopeful of the three I’ve been to. Perhaps you could advise me if it sounds worth pursuing.
She explained that there are ‘terminal’ hairs and non-terminal hairs. Terminal hairs being the type on eyebrows, scalp and the type of hairs I want removed on my shoulder/back.
In amongst those hairs are non-terminal ones, that are small, fine, almost invisible hairs.
She said she waxes the area first, careful not to wax the non-terminal hairs as much as possible so as not to stimulate growth in them. Then after a week or two, or whenever the hairs begin growing through, she starts the electrolysis on the appearing hairs, to get them in the Anagen stage.
Then as more hairs start growing through a week or two after (or whenever they do), she continues getting them with electrolysis, repeat, until the process is complete after I think she said between 3 – 9 months.
The very fine non-terminal hairs are easily removed as they are quite weak she said. If I wanted the area to be completely smooth.
She recommended doing it section by section. Eg; just do a section on the shoulders first or something similar.
Regarding the waxing – she said for large areas if she did electrolysis without the waxing she would get a lot of the hairs after the Anagen stage and it wouldn’t be effective. Waxing first ensures the hairs growing are in the Anagen stage.
The other two places I went to I’ve scratched off the list – one because the price she quoted times the amount of sessions she quoted would have been close to $50,000 over three years.
The other was quite set on me doing IPL instead of electrolysis (which I’ve had in the past with no results).
There are other places but they seem to be 90% beauty parlor 10% electrolysis, so I haven’t gone to any consults with them.
Opinions?
In my humble opinion, I think it would be worth seeking out an electrologist who feels comfortable treating hair that are past the growth stage. Even if it means traveling.
“She said she waxes the area first, careful not to wax the non-terminal hairs as much as possible so as not to stimulate growth in them.”
“ … she said for large areas if she did electrolysis without the waxing she would get a lot of the hairs after the Anagen stage and it wouldn’t be effective.”
Okay! … you will be getting a lot of feedback on these two notions. And, I agree with all of the forthcoming (and above) statements. This place is where you are getting the right answers. You are doing a good job here of searching out the “right place.”
Keep looking “mate!”
Oh, by “this place” I mean Hairtell!
bump
Oops, I just posted this on the wrong thread … so here it is in the right spot … I hope!
Just wondering …
There are many electrologists that, for one reason or another, prefer to work only on anagen hairs. Depending on their overall strategy, this is not “incorrect.” A few “dynamite” hair zappers have made this a trade mark, and that’s fine. I could make a case for this strategy myself (although I use a different one.)
Your electrologist that “wants to wax,” could continue to treat “anagen only” but follow a much better protocol. Instead of waxing, she could have you shave the area a week or so before your scheduled treatment. (Anagen hairs grow faster and are therefore very easy to differentiate.) Maybe you could suggest this to her?
In this way she would be sticking to her “only anagen” beliefs and not getting you into the whole waxing “difficulty.” As has been said here, waxing is not the preferred way to do this.
I mean, she is right there in your area and this could work for both of you very nicely?
Cheers (and CD)
