electrology questions

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

This forum has been such a help, thanks to everyone!

I am starting electrolysis and have a few questions for the pros out there. Forgive me if these have been asked before.

I am starting with the face but will need other areas eventually.

On the face area, what should I do to prepare for the best results?

On the other areas, I was considering laser. I seem to be a candidate, dark hair + light skin. I know that, even if it is successful, I will have to finish with electrolysis. Are there any drawbacks to doing laser first?

Are there any drawbacks to other methods (shaving, waxing, epilating) before electrolysis?

Thanks much
Connie

#2

Hi Connie,

Although not a “pro”, I have been getting electrolysis on my face done since April so I can share my experiences with you.

There is nothing you need to do to “prepare” before your treatments apart from drinking lots of fluid (James is a huge advocate of this) for at least several days prior to treatment. Avoid caffeine as this heightens sensitivity. I take a pain killer a couple of hours prior to sitting as I find this tends to dull the pain a little.

Your electrologist will prepare your skin so there is nothing you need to do in that department. However, avoid wearing makeup etc.

When you have finished your session, keep the area clean, makeup free and use Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera. I use a great aloe vera gel that dries on the skin and creates a barrier which prevents all the nasties from entering. It’s an Aussie one called Natural-Synergy Pure 98.6% Plus Gel by Chem-Care Pharmaceuticals. It’s also available on the net if you don’t live in Australia. James also advocates tea-tree so give it a shot.

Have a good read through this site and this forum about laser. Personally I am against laser as we do not know the side-effects and there have been varying results at best. It seems a waste of money for something which only says you’ll have a permanent reduction. Why risk your health when electrolysis is permanent removal and safe when done by an experienced practitioner. Proponents of laser usually have a financial stake in it.

Best of luck. Tell us of your progress and remember to take before & after shots!

#3

Hi Connie,
I’m not a pro either, but I know enough to say don’t wax!! It distorts the follicle’s shape (making it harder for the electrologist’s probe to reach the follicle) and many pros here say that waxing can make hairs get stronger (thicker roots) making them harder to kill. Don’t epilate either.

You can shave or trim with scissors before a treatment. Just make sure you’re giving the electrologist some days of growth to work with. They will need to be able to see the hairs and grab them with their tweezer-like tool.

good luck,
susie

#4

Thanks for the answers.

I’m still not sure what to do. It has been suggested, elsewhere in this forum, that waxing or epiliating after starting HRT can reduce the overall density and regrowth. It has also been suggested that laser can be cheaper for large areas. Of course there are others, like yourselves, that say the opposite.

My goal is to reduce the amount of electrolysis that will be required.

This can be confusing

Connie

#5

what’s hrt? also, i don’t think anyone here has ever suggested waxing after you’ve started electrolysis. i’ve tried a few electros and “no waxing” is always one of their rules.

how much of your face are you doing? i wouldn’t necessarily consider the face a large area.

laser can be more efficient for large areas (legs, man’s back, arms, etc)—not as painstaking as working one hair at a time. (you will have to finish up with electrolysis anyway.) but i don’t know if it’s cheaper in the long run or not. if you have a fast, competent thermolysis practitioner like James or Fino Gior, flash thermolysis beats laser. But you’d need a really good practitioner.

if your goal is to reduce the amount of electrolysis needed, then your only other choice is laser. No other method even gives you a shot at permanently removing any hair. Read this from hairtell’s sister site:
http://www.hairfacts.com/methods.html

#6

laser is good for larger areas and areas with coarse dark hair. I am getting great results on bikini and underarms with laser, but getting electrolysis on the nipple area.

do not use any hair removal methods that take hair out by the root since the root needs to be there in order for any method to kill the hair. in addition, once you pull it out, it may take up to 6 months or so to grow back in due to hair growth phases, so getting rid of all hair will take longer overall since some hairs won’t be visible to be treated.

I think I’ve had great results on bikini with laser because I waxed and then let hair grow out for about 1.5 months (only shaving) before having the first treatment. So all of the hair was in its anagen growing phase, the only stage where it can be killed.

#7

Hi Connie and V-Susie.

HRT means hormone replacement therapy. It is prescribed by a physician for different reasons.

Permanent hair removal is a tough gig. As an electrologist, I have no problem with giving new clients their options for hair removal during a consultation and frequently, I mention laser as an option for a large area if they appear to be a good candidate. There would be nothing wrong with you considering laser with a backup net - electrolysis. I have mentioned here before that I have seen great results on arms, bikini line and underarms with laser and, but I have never observed total removal of all offending hairs. That’s where electrolysis is helpful. It doesn’t take long to get the remaining hair.

If you find someone who uses flash thermolysis with good speed AND they own an up-to-date POWERFUL epilator that can actually give a good punch to very coarse, deep hair, then you are on your way. Some equipment is not suitable for delivering the amount of current that some hairs need.

I would not encourage you to do a large area with a practitioner that uses a slower method of electrolysis. Go for the electrologist that has quality equipment, know how with good levels of flash thermolysis and speed and you will reach your goal. Otherwise, you may want try combining laser and electrolysis. Either way you choose, you’re still dependent on those hair growth cycles and you must be patient.