Blend & thermolysis/diathermy questions

Hair Removal Methods Do-It-Yourself Electrolysis
#1

so i got me sterex blend machine about 2 weeks ago and i think its one of the best purchases i’ve ever made!
but i’ve got a few questions for the electrolysis-wizzes…

I’ve read quite a few times that ‘Thermolysis is not as effective as blend’ but what does this mean exactly…?? how is it less effective? is hair likely to come back more with thermolysis?

i know it’s alot faster than galvanic & blend so i prefer using this method - but is there any reason i should stick to blend??

also does thermolysis ‘damage’ the skin? i read in a thread somebody noticed it weakened the skin elasticy, i was thinking of using thermolysis method on my legs…so would that be okay or should i use blend? - i mean thermo saves alot of time(!) btw i get scabs slightly if i use thermo, but its okay because they get healed, right? :confused:

after treating hairs, i’ve noticed that most times they come out without any resistance complete with the bulb thing on the end (which is a good thing! :slight_smile: ), but i’ve noticed two things:

  1. Sometimes when a hair comes out it has a white bulb at the end of it(!) (my hair is dark), does this mean i’ve just treated a dead hair & that it will have to be treated again later??
  2. I’ve also noticed that if i squeeze a pore sometimes after a perfect kill(with the black bulb still attached) more black stuff oozes out! just a tiny bit, but why is this & need i squeeze it out? i mean its likely to stay in the pore forever isn’t it if i don’t??

the sterex manual says ‘‘always keep the thermo in the lowest range’’ , no more than 4(which isn’t very high) when blending…, but it doesn’t make a difference to me unless i have it set on at least 12-20, then it feels like its blending well with the dc(which i have set on about 40-50), but is it safe to have the thermo set so high?? because at 4 it just feels like galvinic treatments(i have to treat hair for at least 50 seconds, whilst on 12-20 i only need 15 seconds), i don’t see why it suggest i have to keep the thermo low…
i know i might as well just do thermolysis if i’m already keeping the temp so high while blending, but i think blending is safer as it doesn’t scab as much…

i hope my questions make sense… :slight_smile:

#2

Take our advise, get a copy of Mike Bono’s The Blend, READ IT FROM COVER TO COVER, start with Galvanic, when you actually get good at that, move up to Blend, then, when you are good at that, find out just how much you still have to learn when you start trying to do thermolysis.

When correctly performed, thermolysis is just as effective as the rest. Thermolysis is, however, the mothod that is MOST dependent upon your skill at insertions, and treatment energy settings. As such, there are a lot of people who think they are doing it right, who are not. There are others still who are doing a good insertion, and have a correct treatment setting, but are not co-ordinating the treatment energy burst with the the correct depth of insertion. That is to say, their rhythm is a little off.

To put it plainly, starting with thermolysis is just a bad idea. Well performed thermolysis doesn’t even have to scab.

#3

Both thermolysis and blend are effective when performed properly. However, in terms of skill, blend is more forgiving. Also, during treatment with all other things being equal, you could do more damage with thermolysis than blend. It is recommended that people start with galvanic, once you get good at that move up to blend, and then move up to thermolysis.

It sounds like there are pieces of bulb or hair left behind. You don’t need to squeeze the follicles (and shouldn’t), the pieces of hair left behind will be pushed up and out in time.

The recommendation of keeping thermo under 4 during blend sounds normal. My epilator actually complains if the HF is set over a certain threshold during blend, and asks you to verify that you mean to exceed it before it will continue. I will let the pros offer more specific advice, but I increased the DC as much as I could before upping the HF beyond that threshold and that strategy worked well for me.

#4

It is very difficult to teach electrolysis over the internet. If you possibly can, enroll in a training program and make it your first or second career. Read Bono’s book and even then, stick to your legs so you don’t scar yourself. What was said about thermolysis is untrue. One can scab with blend as well. It takes hard work and a lot of reading to understand how to do electrolysis correctly.

#5

“also does thermolysis ‘damage’ the skin? i read in a thread somebody noticed it weakened the skin elasticy”
Is there any truth to this?

#6

The answer is - No. Proper and skilled electrolysis care does not weaken the skin’s elasticity. Can you link us to the thread where you read this?

#7

Please be very careful with treating yourself without proper training. It really takes years of experience to perform proper insertions and not cause scarring.

All methods are effective. Wherever you’re reading something different, it’s usually by someone who’s NOT unbiased and is pushing whatever THEIR method is.

1 Like
#8

I would like to adjust one thing here. With proper training, it does not take years of experience to perform proper insertions and not cause scarring. I would hate for someone to not go to a recent grad out of fear. The treatments may be slower, but in so many instances, a new electrologist may be better than the veteran.

#9

That’s a good point - years to perfect the speed and correct insertions simultaneously :slight_smile:

#10

I’ve stumbled on this person question and really interested what the pro think about it.
Should this “remnant black something’ be squeezed out? If it would be left, is it possible that it would be embedded after the skin will heal and this remnant black piece will stay in the skin forever?

#11

With naturally occurring cell renewal, we lose the upper layer of dead skin cells. The tombstone hair will work its way up and out, on its own.

If you want to speed this process up, use an exfoliant or treat yourself to a professional facial and they will do extractions for you, in a way that will not damage your skin.

#12

Thank you for your answer! But it still seems to me some worrisome that if not to squeeze this black remnant black pieces immediately, when it is easy to do it, in future they will stuck and it would be a problem to extract them.

As far as understand, professional electrologists never squeeze anything immediately after treating the follicle even if they see that some debris still left in the treated follicle?

#13

I don’t squeeze. Very rarely do I need to lift out a remnant of a root sheath that has peeled back as I was removing a newly treated hair. I can usually reach the debris with the tip of my forceps and lift it out. Sometimes I will take the blunt end of my forceps and very gently press down near the follicle opening in hopes that a loose piece will pop out. If I can’t get the remnant, I tell my client that it will come to the surface in due time and fall out same as a wood splinter would if it were stuck in the skin.

#14

Thank you very much for your reply!

#15

Another effective method I have found for removing tombstones, once they have worked their way up near the surface of the skin, is to use one of those biore nose strips that are meant to remove blackheads and gunk from pores.

It is best to do it directly after a hot shower or after steaming your face so the pores are open. Also the area should be shaved before doing this else the strip won’t stick correctly.