can electrolysis give you ingrowns

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hi, (First time poster - long time reader.)

I will try to make this really concise.

I have PCOS, had the blend for approximately 5 years with two different electrologists. ( I moved - so I switched.)

The 2nd electrologist switched to thermolysis about 1 1/2 years ago. I don’t pluck - haven’t pluck in years. What’s the point of plucking if you’re going to an electrologist, right? Anyway, I’ve been having a weird discoloration & ingrowns (for several months). So, I decided to go somewhere else. I am really happy with my new electrologist, but here’s my problem:

How did I get ingrowns? - apparently, tons of them if I haven’t touched a tweezer there in many, many, years. Also, I maybe plucked between 10-15 hairs(when I did years ago). Now, I have 10 times that.

Is it something I did? Why didn’t my other electrologist say something? Other than plucking, waxing, etc. the hair -can you give yourself ingrowns?

The hairs now are mostly fine, but dark. I do have curly, wavy hair. Also, I didn’t like the Tend Skin, but I used Pore Effects from Dr. Brandt. It was more gentle on my skin. It seemed that I had a weird reaction to the Tend Skin. I know a lot of people here like it, but to me, it was like putting acid on my face & neck.

If anybody can tell me what they think, I would truly appreciate it.

#2

it’s possible to get ingrowns, but you should be getting a lot less than if you would be plucking.

my other question would be, are you taking anything for PCOS to control NEW hair growth? have you been getting treatments for 5 yrs and 1.5 years on the same areas?

#3

7 years total. Long story. I lived in Canada received no help there. Very hard to find a doctor or get a referral for a second opinion. I lived it. I went to electrolysis for my face & neck. I knew plucking & waxing were bad. Wonderful lady. Did a nice job on my face. My neck didn’t have an ingrown hair problem. Just a few here & there.

I’ve been back in the U.S. for almost three years. I can’t take the BCP. Three years ago, I was going to some one she put me Glucophage. It worked. However, she wasn’t a OBGYN. I was going to her for Lyme Disease. Was having very scary periods. I stopped taking it. Continued to search. I went to a “specialist” who wanted to put me on the pill. I explained to her the BCP blinded me in 7 days in my right eye. It never return. I continued my search.

I finally found a terrific doctor. He put me on Glucophage. My periods have returned, my weight has dropped, & my hair problem has gotten much better & the dark patches have disappeared. The only place with discoloration is my neck. I thought it was due to my PCOS. I just have this huge ingrown hair problem.

I would ask the electrologist I was seeing here. Is it getting better? She would say “not really.” She never once told me about the ingrown hairs. I just cannot understand. Is it my fault? Is there something other than plucking or waxing that I could have done to create this problem?

I started with the blend in Canada. I also had the blend here for the first 1 1/2 years. The past 1 1/2 have been shortwave or thermolysis.

I feel like I have wasted a lot of time & money.

I am seeing a new person now. I really like her a lot. She makes me feel good about myself. I can’t say the other person did. She got worse over time. I guess I should have left a long time ago. I guess I wanted to know what cause this problem. I was trying to be patience.

I have totally moved on in my mind. I just really want to know if I did something. That’s really all. I don’t want to repeat any mistakes. Also, the new person I am going to I researched. She comes highly recommended by an Electrologist on here. I can see why. Thank you in advance.

#4

ingrowns are not something you caused. some hairs might be getting thinner and having a harder time poking through the skin. exfoliating can help a bit with that. You can buy an exfoliating wash at any drug store. an experienced electrologist would be able to remove the ingrowns when they’re doing work on you. the reason i asked if you were on medication to control the growth is because if you’re not, nothing can really prevent the new hair your body will develop as electrolysis only kills the hair that’s currently present. sounds like you’re on medication that’s stabilizing, so that should be ok. yes, it’s very important to find someone experienced to do this.

#5

Family physicians and general internists are totally qualified to prescribe Glucophage and they do everyday. You don’t have to be an OB/GYN.

Glad Glucophage has helped you.

As far as your asking whether electrolysis can give you ingrowns, the answer is, yes it possibly could, IF the electrologist is not using proper technique and is not using the proper amount of heat and timing to destroy the bottom portions of the hair follicle. If the hair breaks off under the skin and the tissue that grows the hair is left intact, the hair keeps growing side ways and other ways, after the the top part of your skin has healed.

You can use a product like TENDSKIN which chemically exfoliates the skin you or you could mechanically exfoliate with a BUF-PUF, too, so that the hair comes closer to the surface. Don’t try to extract an ingrown if its too deep as you will scar yourself most likely.

Dee

#6

She didn’t know how to handle my problem. She didn’t want anything to do with the “area”. She told me to find a specialist or OBGYN. She didn’t mind prescribing the Glucophage. She just didn’t want to handle the exam, testing, etc. about it. It wasn’t easy to find a doctor who wanted to prescribe the medication & handle the other part. I’ve been to others pushing the Pill. I did find a wonderful doctor, and for me, the Glucophage works. He explained everything. The first doctor told me nothing really at all.

Thank you for answering my question regarding the ingrowns. I just thought it was strange that I had 10-15 & now I have 100. She never told me I had ingrowns. I thought the discoloration was do to the PCOS.

I have always exfoliated the area. I just don’t like TendSkin. I had a bad reaction to it. I started a new product yesterday. I like it so far.

I should have change my electrologist a long time ago. I don’t think I have permanent damage, but I did waste time & money.

Unfortunately, you get emotionally involved. Somebody is working on a problem that is very personal. You think they understand because they have or had a similar problem. Sometimes people are very hard on themselves regarding their appearance, and they can reflect that problem on to you. Also, answering the phone, talking on the phone & working on you at the same time doesn’t help either.

Once again, thank you the answer, I do appreciate. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

#7

Oh, you are very welcome!

Some people are allergic to the aspirin content in Tend Skin. Would you be willing to share what product you are using now and do you think it is helping?

I am assuming that your ingrown hair problem, being that there are 100, is caused by poor electrolysis. Keep doing your thing to bring them closer to the surface. If you can find a skilled electrologist that can gently bring them totally out when the time is prime, he/she could them zap them permanently. It will take some effort, but that is the only solution for now.

I don’t have experience with what a LASER can do for your situation. Maybe another consumer or tech could share any information they have about this.

Dee

#8

I did find a great electrologist. I have read a lot of posts here, and another electrologist on here recommended someone very highly. She does a great job.

The topical I am using is In-grow gold. I am not sure how easy it is to find, but so far, I like it. I’ll keep you informed if you like.

Also, I use Organic Tea Tree Oil for the first 2 days. I really like that as well.

My NEW electrologist does a great job removing them. It is just time consuming, and apparently some are very deep. I was just horrified when she told me I had so many ingrowns. I hadn’t plucked in so many years, so I was surprised.

I’ve used Pore Effects by Dr. Brandt - it has Salicylic Acid (I think), but it has other things too that soothe the skin. I am not using it on my face & neck right now. I use it on my arms for KP (Keratosis Pilaris).

I was very apprehensive at first to post on this forum. However, I am glad I did now. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

#9

I recently purchased some In Grown gold. to try. Haven’t given any to clients yet as no ingrowns have presented themselves.

Some people are allergic to sal. acid and it goes into the system. I never liked tend skin.

I purchased IN grown Gold for wax clients. The active ingredient is Resorcinol, a superficial exfoliant. I am sure it is a low percentage.

Please keep us posted as how you like it. I would recommend not to use a day or two after treatment. FYI this company makes two products. One for pre treatment, one for post treatment. They are marketed for waxing. The lables read the same the other product is in a larger not so attractive jar. I’ll reread and post names and ingredients when I go back to office. Non of the harsh alcohol in this product.

I had some hesitation to this product because when used as a chemical peel, resorsinal coagulates and crusts over before leaving a fresh new surface. The other ingredients and low percentage probably prevent this in IN GRow Gold.

I am sure this is a great alternate to Tend Skin and like harsh alcohol and Sal acid products.

#10

I’ve been using the In-grow Gold now for about a month. I love it. My ingrown hairs for the most part have released, and the discoloration I had on my neck has improved very quickly.

The first two days following treatment I use Organic tea tree oil. On the third day, I use the In-grow gold.

I had about 100 ingrown hairs on my neck from my former electrologist. She would put that Tend Skin on my neck, and it would look & feel worse.

It is expensive; however, it is worth (for me) every penny. I don’t really use a lot, so the little container goes a long way. It is a great product, & it is totally worth trying.

I am so happy that I found an excellent person who suggests worthwhile skin care products with great electrolysis. I was at my wit’s end. Now, I am very positive about the whole thing.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

#11

I am sorry I forgot to add:

I have never had any crusting problems. I did once have a little peeling in one area. Similar to Retin-A Micro but much less severe. I used an Enzyme Exfoliating Masque, and it was gone.

99 percent of the time, it has left my skin feeling very soft.

It could be possible the peeling could be from the Organic Tea Tree oil, but I am not sure.

I hope this helps.

#12

If you overdo either Tend Skin or Tea Tree Oil, you get flaking, pealing skin.