Have you checked out the “Mature Section”? There’s a bunch of threads in there in case you didn’t see it.
I’m also doing a full Brazilian right now and also have a diary. I’ll comment and answer your questions below:
This is completely normal but don’t be! Remember that professional electrologists do this type of work all the time. Especially on females, this is a pretty common request. For males, it’s a lot harder because unfortunately many electrologists choose not to work on males in that area.
1) how many hours you’ve put into it to date/how many hours it took for one clearance/how many hours it took until complete hair removal (I know these answers will vary for a ton of reasons, but I’m still interested in individual experiences as case studies)
You can check out my electrolysis diary but it’s kind of hard for me to nail down time on the Brazilian specifically. The reason why is because I am also doing other areas and all the time kind of blurs together. I can tell you that it took roughly 13 hours to really hit 100% first clearance on everything. For me, this includes: Underarms, <10 Facial hairs, ~40 Leg hairs, Some nipple hairs (maybe 40?) and full Brazilian. However, keep in mind that I was going 2 hours weekly and that each session she would start by going over areas that had been done previously and then starting new area after that. So really, I’ve gotten cleared multiple times in some spots at this point. The work is progressive… if that makes sense?
If I had to guess at how long first clearance could be done in one shot… I don’t know… somewhere between 6-8 hours for the Brazilian alone? That would be a pretty loooong day, though…
Other people have asked a similar question and I recall other people saying that their Brazilian took about 4 times as long as their underarms. My underarms were less than 2 hours for first clearance, so that’s about right.
Keep in mind that I’m Asian and have coarse hair but relatively low density. For example, I do not have ANY hair on my inner thighs and my “happy trail” was like 5 hairs total. On my legs I had a total of ~40 hairs last session and most were on my knees.
2) how much money you put into a complete clearance
Try to get an estimate of hours from the electrologist and then just multiply by the hourly rate. Some electrologists have discounts for packages. Some electrologists are more able to provide a rough estimate up front than others. Some may need to complete a full clearance before they feel comfortable estimating time remaining. Some will not be willing to provide an hour estimate at all…
The [Fino] Gior Brothers website has some time estimates although I’m not sure if their entry for “Bikini” means full Brazilian or what…
3) how you spaced the sessions (could you withstand 2-3 hours of electro at a time? I’d love to get it done quickly, but the pain…)
I do 2 hours at a time. I’d say I could stand up to about 3 hours on average if I was using numbing. Even with numbing, I just get bored.
4) how it compared, pain-wise, to waxing (or any other reference)
If you can handle waxing/tweezing then electrolysis should not be an issue. I’d say it’s a bit more painful than either of those things. The main concern with electrolysis is just the duration. At least with waxing it’s over relatively quick.
5) most painful regions for you and whether ibuprofen/lidocaine was worth it
For males, the shaft and “creases” (like along your thigh) are the worst. The perianal area closest to the anus were difficult too. For me, the pubic mound area was almost a non-issue, though.
I was told that for females the worst were the lips.
6) whether you preferred one modality over another
My electrologist uses various forms of thermolysis. I don’t really have a preference between them. The practitioner should decide what is working best for them.
7) any tips, advice, or other information that you’re willing to share
Most importantly, find a good electrologist.
Secondly, relax and let them do their job.
Third, take a couple ibuprofen before your session.
Fourth, if you still have significant pain use a liberal amount of 4% lidocaine 90-120 minutes before your session.
[u]Also, a couple of questions specifically for the electrologists here:
- is it worth telling an electrologist that I don’t care about removal of vellus hair and they can just leave it or would that make things too complicated?
[/u]
Yes, you can tell most to focus on the more visible hairs and ignore vellus hairs if you want.
2) do you prefer it when your clients stay as quiet and still as possible or do you like having conversations during the sessions?
I’d try to not move the area being treated because it can mess with their insertion. But for Brazilian, it’s less of an issue (compared to your face for example).
3) Is there a certain hair length that is easiest to work with?
Responses to this varies by practioner.
All that I will say as a consumer is that it’s probably best to find a good electrologist and just let them do their thing and go along with whatever preferences they feel most comfortable with.