ok - ive done my upper lip twice. The first guy quoted me at an hour and a half. I have fine blond hair with some darker but not black or coarse hair. there is a fair amount btu its not crazy at all. already had a major thinning out in a half an hour session with first guy
today, i felt the woman did not remove that much copmared to other guy (both using thermolysis) i know that weve discussed hair removal rates. but what would one expect in a half hour on upper lip?? THere are many many greysih longish hairs left and i was hoping for more. To her creidt i was sensitve- it hurt badly!!! but she said she would rather send me home than lower the current because otherwise I wouldnt get permanent results. I respect her for that but its hard to know if that comment is some sort of strategy. seemed like she didnt remove much at all
I am concerned that she says it doesnt matter what growth stage hair is in - you can always kill it - she is a certified teacher. is this right?? and she didnt know what flash was
she said the other guy i went to is famous for tweezing and using too low current so as not to kill hair - she said go to anyone else i want, but not him. ( i did feel a lot of hair seeming like it wasnt being killed but rather pulled out - he said it was’distorted follicles " but i dont think i have any bc my hair is fine and never ever waxed or tweezed) plus he never realy made eye contact when i asked questions… he seemed shady but i thought maybe he was shy. if he was tweezing that would explain a higher clearance rate
im just surprised to have so much (albeit fine and blond hair) left after anhour of treatment
I think it is very unprofessional to talk about other electrologists like that. Perhaps find out more about this. Is the 1st guy really bad, or is the girl worried about her share of the market? Are there other electrologists around that you can try? Would the girl recommend another electrologist besides the 1st guy? Does everybody have the same opinion of the guy? Do either of them have testimonials or previous clients you can talk to? Oh, and follow your gut instinct.
Sometimes it is not safe to completely clear the upper lip area in one sitting. It is just too much work in a too small space, and to push it is to risk excess swelling and scabbing. (Especially using thermolysis rather than flash) Some electrologists have a 15 minute limit on the upper lip.
if you felt plucking with the first person, then it was probably not done correctly. thermolysis can remove 5-10 hairs per minute, depending on how skilled the electrologist is. I would say 5-6 on average or so. Half an hour on the upper lip can be excessive. The second lady is right that you cannot overtreat and the upper lip usually can’t do more than 15-20 mins, sometimes 30. It’s better to go in twice to remove everything and keep healthy skin, than overtreat and possibly cause scarring.
where are you located? how did you find those electrologists? are there are recommendations for your area on this site? did you run a search?
thanks for the input- I did like her - i dont know how many hairs she did, there are just so many darksih ones left - it looks similar but i know thats not scientific so i can be assured somethig got removed. Maybe her eyesight is so so?
I may try someone else first or go back to her. I would like to find someone who does flash and she didn’t even know what it is.
I’m curious about overtreating. I had already taken two aleve prior. It was manual thermolosys and the pain was so intense, my entire body responded in like a pain reflex. NOt just local but whole body. It felt like when the nurse accidentally jabs you internally with a syringe, or as if it were in the bone. Very painful. Last time wasn’t nearly as much, but mayeb the current wasn’t ‘strong enough’. She said most people aren’t as sensitive as me, but that if I hurt too much she’d just send me home. She didn’t want to lower the current bc then it would be ineffective and she’ d just be ‘taking my money’. Which again I respect, but it was SO PAINFUL I was vicegripping the mat and breathing laboriously just to tolerate it.
I can deal, but I don’t want to cause any permanent damage - I’m guessing it wouldnt since she always used that current but I read something about vertical ripples showing up a few months later as scarring?? is that a concern?
I found people initially through the sites you listed … then this woman maybe through the internet? NO recs on this site but i’ve emailed a few people. Trust me as soon as I find someone I like, I will post for all to see.
i agree its not very professional. It seemed like she was trying to protect me since she said “go elsewhere , you dont have to come back to me, but don’t go to him” . I dont know I dont trust him , adn another poster didnt trust him either. I will try other electrologists though.
thanks for the input… im just wondering about hte pain issue now. also, she didnt know what flash was and insisted that it doesnt matter what stage the hair was in .
That is different than what I’ve read here, so I’m a little hesitant
would flash be less painful than manual ? If so I’ll look for flash
Yes, for most flash is less painful than thermolysis. It is the same type of current just quicker. People have different pain tollerances and even perceive the sensation differently. Did she provide a topical anesthetic? Try breathing slow, bringing in good (slow) music, and relax before she starts. Stay away from caffiene and nicotine. Be very well hydrated and she may be able to turn down the current because the current will travel faster in the hydrated skin.
Perhaps she said that it doesn’t matter which stage the hair is in because in the beginning the goal is to get the first clearance, get rid of all the bothersome hairs right off the bat no matter what stage they are in. In subsequent treatments it will be very important that the hairs are actually growing and “fresh.”
Vertical pleating can be caused by overtreatment. Basically the young supple connective tissue and cologen get damaged and fine wrinkles are the result.
thanks! I will look for flash- this overtreatment. Obviously I don;t want collagen or skin damage
do you know how to avoid it? For instanc, Id like ot go in at least once a week to get clearance, bc i havent yet . So far no bad skin reactions would make me think its not overtreatment, but I want to be proactive adn avoid it!
i do like her, but she sort of treated my being well -informed as a little silly or worrisome which, realy, is just insulting. I am askingher about hair growth stages, healing and probe types. It pisses me off that I get treated like a sillly little hypochondriac for askig questons about things which she knows nothing about (flash)
I will try someone else but def keep her in mind
if you know how to avoid overtreatment /aging damage I am all ears!
upper lip is one of the most painful areas, so it’s pretty much painful no matter what if the treatment is effective. they can adjust the setting somewhat, but you don’t want it to be ineffective either. that’s where microflash can help because the current is quicker, so the pain doesn’t last that long. still, upper lip is rarely comfortable. you might want to consider using a numbing cream if you can’t stand it at all.
you can technically kill the hair in telogen, but it’s more difficult. it’s easiest to kill it when it’s new and weak.
p.s. you would know if you were overtreated right away. if the redness doesn’t go down within a day and you have a lot of puffiness, the treatment is not very good. also, make sure to use witch hazel for a few days afterwards to help healing. going once a week should be fine. and you won’t need to go that often after a few clearances.
Well, because you are in a bit of pain while working on the upper lip I would bet that you call it quits before anyone is able to overtreat you. But, they could use a current that is to powerful. An old post brought up recently talked about hearing the currents effect on your skin. If you are constantly hearing a popping, crackling, or any other sounds be wary. Most of the rest is what your electrologist does or sees. They should not see any blanching or lightening of the skin around the probe. In fact they should not really see anything of interest happening around the probe.
Thanks for all the tips!! I guess I"m not overtreated - it just scared me that i could end up with aging without knowing it
im still surpirsed that i really dont see my self close to clearance after an hour of treatment… Maybe if i did one more hour id be close but the hairs are very long and blond and some darker and its not what most poeple have
point- im not asking for downy vellus to be removed
anyway, im taking into consideration yoru ideas about skin comfort and vision equipment and will keep this in mind and i keep loooking!
You should also keep in mind that in a place like the upper lip, the more of the thicker hairs we remove, the more you notice the thinner hairs that were not noticeable when you had thicker ones taking up your attention.
I didnt hear sound effects upon the current, but i could swear i could hear a weird sort of puncture sound a few times the probe was going in… i can almost compare it to something else, except i cant place the sound. She was doubtful I could hear the probe going in.
anway…I have scabs! I dont know what to think and dont know where to host pics…but I am unhappy because it hurt SO bad , and I mean, it felt like when the nurse accidentally jabs you INSIDE your arm during an injection… and your body shivers …I felt a whole body reaction on every insertion - I truly had to brae myself and historically I have a very high tolerance for pain
So I’m upset that it was so painful, I alerted her, and now I have scabs. Then again, she said a lower current wouldnt be permanent.
DO I need to be in dire pain (and like it said, its not local. or a prick, its ridiculously painful and causes a pain response head to toe. ) and get scabs on my upper lip???
Ideas please!! If you tell me how to host my pics, I will post
ps . the first treatment with someone else did hurt, but not even as close to as bad, and no skin reaction after the initial pink skin subsided, however i did sort of feel the hairs being removed, so maybe they werent killed??
pss. I know in theory I should talk to my electrologists, but i really did not feel my questions were welcomed and even in response to basic questions like, “what kind of probes do you use” the answers were cryptic or defensive, so I hesitate to ask anything else because I dont have any reason to think I will get a helpful answer
This is a perfect example of why we advise one to get as many consultations and sample treatments as possible before making the choice of who will do all your work.
The obvious answer is “No, it doesn’t have to hurt that bad, nor leave your skin that damaged to get good work, however, someone who can’t give you better service will try to convince you that blasting holes in your upper lip is normal, just as what happens when one misses the follicle completely due to poor vision equipment is also considered “normal” by such a person.”
Thanks for the reply James!!
I am definitely consulting whoever I can get an appt with who sound reasonably knowledgable.
I will call around again tomorrow- but to clarify , so I can continue to choose wisely
why would she say a lower current wouldnt work ?
2)If someone uses a less painful current and doesnt leave me with scabs, how do I know its effective??
one of the scabs fell of and a little hole is underneath _ will this cause scarring or will it totally heal over? its literally ahole and im pissed
The treatment that will kill your hair has to do with how much energy is needed to transform the salt water in your follicle into either steam energy, or chemical energy enough to cause effective treatment. That magic number doesn’t change depending on what machine one is using. Unfortunately, some electrologists still believe that the way to create a treatment setting is to find out how much pain you can tolerate, and go a little bit higer from there.
Newer machines can make the same energy feel more comfortable than older machines, so if one made a setting based on making you feel pain, one would be dialing up a setting that was many, many times more treatment energy than that used on a corresponding older system.
You know treatment is effective because you have fewer hairs. Unfortunately, that takes you taking a before, during and a year later, after picture, and comparing them. It takes a year to know just how well the treatment you had today really was.
Without seeing this “hole” I can’t say what you should expect, but most temporary things are healed and forgotten in 3 months or less.
thanks james, I do hope to find someone with a newer machine
honestly,
Im discouraged. The ones I have called around here use blend, but removal has been so slow up to this point that I am really hoping to find someone who uses flash
the hole looks like when you successfully remove a blackhead adn then the pore is open. that is what i tlooks like, the other scabs are mostly gone a week later, but red spots remain and i hate discoloration so i am unhappy
i will call around and perhaps someone i havent seen or heard back from will pop out of the woodwork
are you using aftercare after your treatments? do buy witch hazel at a drug store and apply daily for a week after each treatment. that helps healing. you can find someone who won’t cause scabs on those areas on the face. it looks like you should keep looking.
you said someone injected you with something? what were you talking about?
im using clindamycin which is an antibiotic. I have to be really careful what i use because my skin tends to breakout. I imagine my antibiotic would be a good move and i use great nonsoap cleansers, stay out the sun, etc,
nobody injected me, i was describing the pain… if youve ever been accidentally poked or the nurse has bumbled while taking blood or doing vaccines, and you know that inner poking feel… that makes your whole body squirm… thats truly what it felt like. SO PAINFUL. but she was saying that any lower current and it wouldnt work. and that most people feel pain , but they are ‘motivated’ so they deal with it
seems to imply if i were to leave , then i wouldn’t be ‘motivated’ i didnt like that. Anyway, i do agree that the pain was truly over the top and scabs are not good, although a week later they are mostly healed, there still are light pink spots from the scabs which i hate.
