Female with fine to coarse hair ALL over my body. About 5 years ago did Laser on my neck/chin area and lower legs.
I went from about 50 odd coarse hairs on my neck and fine (but long) hairs on my chin to…hundreds of hair on my neck and my fine chin hair turn coarse and also tripled!!! Looking back electrolysis was a MUCH better option but I did not do any research…just followed the hype!
My legs on the other hand did better. I don’t quite recall a % reduction (I still have LOTS of thick coarse hair on my legs) but I do know I have a somewhat easier time shaving and my legs look a little better to the point where I actually where shorts now.
FIRST ELECTROLYSIS CONSULTATION
Went for my first consultation exactly 10 days ago. She used an Aphilis machine and used Thermolysis (sorry for any misspellings).
She did a test area right on my jawline of about 10 hairs. The hair were very coarse, very tough - some of them she had to zap 2-3 time before they came out. Is this normal???
When those hairs finally came out they had a very thick bulb that traveled up the hair shaft! At the end the area was red and there was a large puffy red bump where each hair was pulled out.
24 hours later the overall redness went away but there was still a puffy red bump where each hair was removed. Those bumps did not start to go down for a full 48 hours. 10 days later I can still see about 2 bumps but they are just tiny dots…no redness.
Overall I was comfortable with her, she has been doing this for 15 years, very clean office, etc…
BUT is my reaction normal? Should I continue to see her? Is there anything I can use to speed up the healing process? I only did the witch hazel.
I am really antsy about starting my full treatments and actually want to go see her today! She should be able to do a full clearance of my neck/chin area in a 1 hour appt. Just not sure about it bc I don’t think I can go out in public with a neck full of puffy red bumps!
Any advice/suggestions would be highly appreciated!
Properly performed electrolysis is always a better option for facial and neck areas. Hair is zapped and lifted out. No need to wait or hope for shedding. Visually uplifting immediately.
Keep going forward with electrolysis. The first thing I would do is tell your electrologist about you healing outcome even if she doesn’t ask, which she should ask about, by the way. I am not at all alarmed by redness and bumps that lasted 48 hours. Those are normal TEMPORARY skin reactions from damaging hair follicles that are nuturing huge, sturdy, well-fed hairs.
I like witch hazel, cold 100% aloe vera gel and small dabs of tea tree oil at bedtime for the first three days. You might be pleasantly surprised how nicely you will heal.
Do let your electrologist know about your concerns so she can make adjustments on that Apilus epilator. What model is she using? The beginning treatments are tough because your skin is getting use to the current(s) and the electrologist is trying to figure out levels that are best for your particular skin type. Give her a chance as the first sessions can be tougher.
The best way you can thank our contributors for their advice is to pass on the name of your electrologist if you are very satisfied with your treatments and the end results. You will be doing a wonderful act of kindness for those who are looking for a real professional, modernly skilled and equipped electrologists in their hometowns.
If you haven’t already, please purchase witch hazel at a drug store and apply a few times a day for several days after the treatment. Icing the area also helps with redness and puffiness. And avoid using makeup, anything with chemiclas (like facewashes, moisturizers, lotions, etc) until the skin heals.
Your skin will also get used to the treatments after a couple of them. And once the hairs gets less coarse, it will be a lot easier and faster to remove. As long as you’re not feeling the hair being plucked, you should be ok. It wouldn’t hurt to try sample treamtents with another electrologist or two to compare your skin reactions.
If you still have lots of coarse hair on your lower legs to remove, I would encourage you to read our Laser FAQs below so you can find the best clinic with the best machine and most experience to do this. I’ve had amazing results on this area after only 3 treatments.