Does this seem reasonable?

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

I have now had ten clearances with electrolysis on my underarms. Each treatment has been 7-10 days apart, with complete clearance each time. The first clearance was blend, but most of the rest of it has been thermolysis.

I am wondering how much regrowth I should be seeing after this many clearances (and I realize that’s a question that may not have an answer). I still have a lot of regrowth between treatments, but it is definitely sparser with thinner hairs for the most part. I’m getting tired of the electolysis sessions and considering trying a laser treatment or two and then picking up with the electrolysis again. I guess I’m just wondering if I just didn’t have proper expectations with the electrolysis…I thought I would not have this much growth anymore after this much time, and would not have to go in this often anymore. I don’t really want to go in once a week for another five months!

If I do decide to do laser, how much time should I wait after the last electrolysis? The handout my electrologist gave me said a month.

#2

Mildred: I don’t know what you mean by saying that you had 10 clearances. Are you saying that each time you went to the electrolysis, he or she removed all of the hair under your arms/ If that is what you mean,you must only have had about 60 hairs to begin with. I am a male who had all his underarm hair removed and it took many sessions to remove it all. I think girls have just as much underarm hair as a boy…maybe more. There is no way it could be cleared each session. In fact if you need another session to reclear a prior session,it was never done right.How many sessions did you have before the hair never came back.

#3

What I mean is that each time I have gone for a treatment, she has removed all the visible hairs. There has not been a point where the hairs never came back. I know that it will take longer than 3-4 months until that happens–I just wonder if the treatments I am getting are effective since I still have a lot of hair to remove each week. Is it normal after ten treatments to have a lot of hair still showing up, or should I be seeing a relatively sparse amount of hair after having this many treatments?

#4

You are only in the beginning. You should still see what looks like lots of hair still growning. Even if you are cleared completely, you should have enough new growth to make you think that it all is growing back at this point. As you get closer to 9 months (if you keep your treatment schedule on track) you will start to see less, and have less frequent visits.

It is always best to take a before picture. That way, when you take your progress report pictures, you will see what a difference the loss of the hair makes.

#5

James, I see other electrologists talking about 6-10 hrs total for underarms, where you sound like years of treatment. Why?

#6

Thanks James.

I was a bit concerned that maybe it wasn’t working, but reading your response, I assume all is on track and I’ll probably just keep on with the electrolysis rather than doing any laser.

Am I likely to need weekly treatments for quite some time yet, you think?

#7

I have been thinking of getting electrolysis for my underarms since hearing that laser can have negative results on that area…

So James is saying that 9 months of weekly treatments is normal? That sounds really expensive and painful!

#8

Let me clear something up here.

Some electrologists perform 6 to 10 hours of treatment spread out over 9 to 12 months and achieve permanent removal in that time, because they can remove all the hairs each and every time, and schedule the appointments so that they don’t miss many hairs to the revolving cycle of growth, shedding, rest. This treatment however is at odds with the average client’s desire to be bare during and after treatments. In this case, keeping the client happy with bare skin requires an electrologist to adhere to a shcedule that allows removing hairs before they become too easily noticed.

On that schedule, the electrologist would be working anywhere from once a week, to once every 3 weeks.

You can get permanent hair removal in 6 hours spread out over a year, but you can believe that you won’t have that “I don’t grow hair there” look during the treatment process. If you want to have electrolysis be the only hair removal method you use from hear on out, you will be going at least once every 3 weeks for a while, until you are done.

[ June 26, 2003, 11:05 AM: Message edited by: James W. Walker VII, CPE ]

#9

Thanks for the clarification, James! That makes a lot more sense now.

You can shave in between treatments, right?

#10

Your electrologist would recommend shaving in between treatments, as it does not have any negative side effects that will lessen the effectiveness of your treatment. In fact, one could have treatment just a day or two after shaving.

In electrolysis we have a saying, Only pluck the hairs you want to keep.