Electrologist recommended laser...

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

After a few months of electrolysis on chin, upper lip and cheeks, my electrologist recommended that I get laser hair reduction. I do have pretty dense growth due to years of plucking (I’m in my 30s, started plucking in my 20s) and my electrologist suggested at the outset the job would take 2-3 years.

I am super discouraged. I do have PCOS and will be seeing an endocrinologist this week but don’t know if there’s any medication or otherwise that can help stop/slow the hair growth.

I had begun shaving my chin between electrology sessions and noticed the hair getting thicker and darker and I felt I could deal with it… until I was told to get laser…I’ve seen a dermatologist who told me I was a good candidate and could clear me up in 6 sessions or so and that it was much faster than electrology. I’ve been scared of laser after having read of instances of occasional induced growth and of laser being an impermanent form of hair removal but I don’t feel like I have much choice now. To make matters worse, in a fit of anxiety, I tweezed my whole chin…which hasn’t seen tweezers in months due to a commitment to not tweeze during electrolysis treatments. I’m sorry I did it because I know it just encourages more growth and messes up my skin but I guess I was just feeling powerless and looking to get some semblance of control…

Just wondering if anyone has any words of advice? Feeling pretty discouraged at the moment and not sure if I should heed my electrologist’s advice…or find another electrologist…

Thanks!

#2

Laser will only help you if the hair is very dark and coarse. Density is not enough. Yes, there is a risk of induced growth which means that though there is some chance that you may reduce the thick, deeply rooted hairs, you may end up with more finer hairs or the current finer hairs will become thicker.

I can only see its use for chin cases, where women have extremely thick, deeply rooted hairs. I would still prefer electrolysis. I recommended the same to my aunt who had this exact situation and a year and a bit later, she is almost done. Initially she did keep asking me if Laser would be better (especially when she had issues tweezing between treatments at the beginning) but I asked her to be patient and electrolysis would prove itself.

If this electrologist is scared by this amount of hair and does not believe in her work then find a new one. Someone who can help you devise a plan to tackle the hair and within a decent time frame. Yes, you will have more hair than the average woman who only wants to clear her upper lip but that doesn’t mean you should need much longer time overall - you just need to put in more time during the period to remove the hairs.

As for the PCOS, birth control can help with the hair but it can take a while to find the one that works. This is something your doctor may discuss with you. From what I know from others with the condition, it only works as long as you take it; it does not ‘fix’ the situation.
Many women find that going on a low carb/G.I diet (as for type II diabetics) they lose the weight associated with PCOS and the hair situation improves. There is a lot of information on the internet about PCOS and the wikipedia page is a good place to start to understand it.

However, this should not mean you cannot remove the hair you have now. A skilled electrologist can rid you of all this hair. The only ‘problem’ may be that you need some short treatments every year after to remove new hairs caused by the hormonal stimulation.

#3

I agree with stopit, you need to find a more competent electrologist. This time have several sample treatments to enable you to make comparisons on modalities and skill levels.