Could you give me some electrolysis advice?

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hello everyone, after a few months of being a silent user, today I decided to ask you for some advice.
In advance, I would like to apologize for any spelling mistakes I might make, since English isn’t my first language.
I have struggled with body and facial hair for as long as I can remember, but out of everything, what bothered me the most, were my sideburns.
After spending a few months of searching the best way to remove them, I found out about laser hair removal. Although I spent a while searching for the pros and cons about it, unfortunately, when it’s searched in Portuguese, there’s no trace about the possibility of induced hair growth and how facial and neck areas should never be touched by laser, due to being an area the hormones play a huge role.
So a year later of searching to what I thought was enough about laser, and although hesitant, I decided in June 2017, to have my first session. After having a few, with only one month spaced in between, I thought I was seeing good results. So I made the mistake of also starting to do underneath my chin and top half of the neck. One month spaced in between turned into two, and then two and half months. And that’s when I started noticing something was wrong. After having 8 laser sessions and a year later, not only my sideburns were almost the same size they were before, the hairs on my chin and neck grew more than the triple of the size, darker and thicker. They were never this bad, I was devastated, and since I wasn’t seeing good results, I stop having laser completely.
5 months passed by, without doing anything to the areas mentioned, I decided to give electrolysis a chance. Throughout these months, I found out about this website, learned about what happened to me with laser, and how electrolysis, when done efficiently, could actually help me to get rid of my facial hair.
So here I am, I have had 3 sessions in total, and I’m afraid my electrologist is over treating my skin. I’m someone who’s been fortunate enough to struggle with mild acne and although I’m aware skin takes time to heal whilst having electrolysis, I’m not quite sure if mine is reacting the best way possible. In almost every hair follicle treated, I get whiteheads on the next day and after a week, all the red dots barely fade away.
This last Friday, the lady told me she would have to wax my sideburns, since they were really grown out, I would be wasting money if she treated the area before with electrolysis (even though she did electrolysis on my chin and neck, and the same situation applied, but oh well). I understood and although hesitant, I said ok and I let her wax them. She then proceeded to say that I would have to come every week, so she could remove them at their best phase.
I’m now starting to regret it and I’m afraid my skin will start to look like a hot mess. In my opinion, since I have no rush, I think it would be best for my skin to take time to heal, and for now, only work on my chin and neck, and then after these areas being almost done, I would start the sideburns. What do you guys think? Are my neck and chin being over treated or I’m in a good path towards getting rid of the hair?

The first picture shows the induced hair growth by laser (5 months of growth):

The second shows how my skin looked like at night after having my first session of 37 min:

The third shows how my skin currently looks like after 4 days of having my third session:

Here’s the time of my sessions:
1st - 21/09/2018 - 37 minutes
2nd - 28/09/2018 - 23 minutes
3rd - 12/10/2018 - 24 minutes

My aftercare is washing my skin with only water and apply Bepantene in the morning and at night.

P.S- I’m so sorry for the huge text, I think I got a little carried away trying to explain everything ahah. Thank you so much in advance if you took your time to read my story and concerns, I really appreciate it.
I also forgot to mention that I’m 21, female, with fair skin, so every pimple that comes in takes a really long time for the scar to fade away.

1 Like
#2

I can’t comment on what happened with laser, or the efficacy of your electroysis treatments. But a couple observations.

First, I do not recommend waxing at all, that is, if you want to achieve permanent results with electrolysis. Waxing is counter-productive. Waxing = bad idea.

Second, you have no “overtreatment” from electrolysis. You do have a few post-treatment pustules that are not problematic. Use soap and water to wash your face and reduce the bacteria on your face. (Not just water!)

“Pop” the pimples and wash them away … there is zero reason to fiddle with pustules and “keep them.” The myth of not removing the type of pustules you have is just that … a silly (ignorant) myth. If the pustules bleed a little from your washing … that’s a good sign; the body loves blood and hates dead bacteria and pus. Go for it!

Use an over-the-counter antiseptic that is recommended for the skin. Use it before and after your treatment and don’t be afraid of good old “soap and water.” Basically, everything looks just fine … no worries.

3 Likes
#3

I’ll just say that I dont think much of your electrologists advice.She seems to be promoting an anogen only theory from her actions, and although not uncommon has been thoroughly discredited at this point. Waxing the hairs only serves to make them unavailable for treatment until the next growth cycle.
Furthermore, the white pustules, tend to indicate contamination of the area of some kind So either she isnt wiping the area thoroughly enough, is using contaminated probes or implements, or you or her are putting something ont he skin to cause these whiteheads (which are basically infected follicles) .
Any chance of travelling from Portugal to spain? There’s a top notch electrologist there who can definitely help you, actually 2 I can think of off the top of my head.

Dont worry about overtreatment, worry about UNDER treatment.

1 Like
#4

Gotta get off my fat butt and do a video on this omnipresent issue. (Anagen … not “Anogen.”)

#5

I struggled with a very similar issue for the first few months of electrolysis. I was very vigilant in protecting my treated skin from any bacteria. I won’t get any pustules after a treatment now – though there are now much fewer follicles to treat and therefore fewer opportunities for bacteria to find its way in.

What helped for me was using an alcohol swab before a session, after a session and twice a day for a few days following a session. It might dry your skin out a little bit, but I didn’t find that to be the case for me. The result was no or very few pustules.

#6

Most of the time I use Betadine (iodopovidone) instead of alcohol which can burn or irritate skin

#7

Thing is, with most post-electrolysis pustules, they are “sterile.” Meaning that the pus is from dead tissue left in the follicle (and not possible to remove); not necessarily from bacteria or non-sterile instruments. (Betadine would Certainly work to kill off the bacteria … sort of messy.)

1 Like
#8

Thank you so much to everyone who replied.
Hello Michael, the only area she did wax were my sideburns which are yet to be treated with electrolysis.
I do am aware that in order to get permanent results waxing is a big no no. I personally have never touched my sideburns when it comes to hair removal, so this was a first for me. Hopefully I won’t get even more unwanted growth than I had previously.
I do remember reading a post from here that said to put the minimum stuff on the face whilst having electrolysis, including not washing my face with soap, so that’s why I was only washing with water, but good to know that it’s ok to do with soap too.

#9

Hi Seana, I personally would never wax my sideburns but at that moment I didn’t know what to do besides trusting her and let her do it. Since I struggle with social anxiety, it was my only way to get out of the situation and move on, but now I definitely regret it.
I honestly don’t know why I’m getting the white pustules, I don’t know if it’s because my skin is sensitive and oily or if it’s because of the cream I apply or something else. I know laser is different from electrolysis, but my skin would heal surprisingly well after a week and a half.
Unfortunately, travelling to Spain is impossible for me. It would end up being way too expensive, although I’ve “heard” really good things about Josefa, sadly I don’t live near the frontier of Spain and Portugal.

#10

Hi @melb_aussie, I actually have Betadine at home, I didn’t know that it could also be used for electrolysis aftercare. Thank you so much for the tip.

#11

I have one more question, there are treated hair follicles which are already poking out with a few millimeters of length. They still have the red dot around them, is it okay to do electrolysis on them once again or the red spots will be harder to fade away and eventually disappear? I’m sorry if it’s a dumb question, I’m still oblivious of a lot of things about electrolysis 😅

#12

No problem to treat the red spots with new emerging hairs.

#13

I’m with Michael. Shoot the red dots if there is a hair emerging. It will healjust fine, minus the hair.