Hello,
I’ve read that Electrolysis destroys sebaceous glands aswell and I want to ask about it.
How bad is it? Because the function of sebaceous glands is to lubricate and protect the skin, So it means it can cause an aceleration of the aging skin progress?
Is your skin “less” protected after a finished electrolosys treatment?
Not bad at all.
You have “tons” of sebaceous glands not associated with hair follicles. Dr. William Montagna (a true research pioneer in dermatology) stated that sebaceous glands are “remnants of human evolution” and are not needed at all. WOW!
So, what were these glands for? … To provide our “distinctive human smell!”
Sniff sniff … “hey Joe it’s YOU, what’s up?” YIKES!
Oh, by the way, I don’t actually agree with Montagna, and we had some good conversations about this subject years ago.
See, the medication “Accutane” was used summarily to “cure” acne. It works great, but the side effects are intense. The medication is still utilized, but must be very closely monitored.
One “intentional” side effect was to completely shut down the sebaceous glands (and thus eliminate the acne). The result was incredibly dry skin that was nasty. So, my point was that skin without the natural lubricant “sebum” is nearly intolerable.
Anyway, Montagna agreed with me … sort of. Remember, science is all about inquiry … it’s NOT about fixed ideas. All ideas are challenged. That’s the nature of the enterprise.
(You know what? We all still debate “why we have hair” too. Universally, people in all cultures don’t like hair in the “wrong places.” I find this extremely intriguing.)
Recalling hearing the anecdotal story about “electrolysis destroying the sebaceous glands” but not so sure about that. Perhaps in the days of hair blasting that did happen, but electrologists today have better techniques prevent blasting the pilosebaceous unit away.
If you like to study the skin, here is a good page: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Human_Physiology/Integumentary_System
“Hair blasting?” Yikes, what kind of electrolysis is that?
Yes, as you say Barbara, people have conjectured about sebaceous glands being destroyed by electrolysis (in writing too). Indeed, there is a LOT of conjecture and “off the cuff” supposition (plus mythology and silliness) in our venerated electrolysis-trade.
There has never been a single study on this topic; so nobody really knows what effect electrolysis has on the sebaceous glands. But it is interesting.
I will say that during the time I did hair-transplant surgery with Dr. Perkins, I examined thousands of follicles (looked at them under my microscope), and it’s pretty hard to surmise that any electrolysis method (even the good old “hair blaster”) would do much to take them out.
These glands lie well outside the follicle and are much larger than depicted in drawings. My guess is that they are left intact. I have never, by the way, encountered anyone who ended up with “dry skin” after electrolysis. I didn’t!
Maybe this conjecture comes from the fact that when a follicle is treated successfully with electrolysis, can never form a comedo in its interior (previous step of an acne lesion).
Seborrhea can not invade the follicle because it is sealed forever. The sebum flows into the infundibulum and from there will be expelled outside. Maintaining its role in the lubrication of the skin.
I have always wondered about this. I have a lot of vellus hairs on my face and extremely oily skin. Does this mean that removing vellus hairs will lead to less clogged pores?
Many of my acne clients who commence with electrolysis therapy, comment sometime after the six month mark that their acne has been greatly subdued. They ponder if electrolysis had a role in this near miraculous transformation. I just smile and say, “maybe”.
Yes, for sure … Dee Dee and Jossie,
This skin improvement, of which you speak, is something we all see over-and-over. Even in extreme acne cases, removing the hairs helps.
Why this is? I could only make a few (different) semi-educated guesses. That’s not so good, is it?
To address the original question. I would say NO … electrolysis does not cause dry skin and does not lead to premature aging of the skin.
If, after more than 100 years and millions of patients, this “side effect” were real, it would have been well documented by now. I just doesn’t happen.
One of the areas of my face that presented the most challenge, was my chin. This area was wall to wall hair, and wall to wall hair follicles. I spend DOZENS of hours zapping this area alone, more than any other part of my face. Some hairs were dark, others grey.The skin quality on this area was horrible!
I am now 4 months into removal on this area. A picture today compared to that of 4 months ago is night and day. Skin quality has improved 500% even with the massive amount of treatment ( and mistreatment) over the last 4 months. I still get occasional bits of regrowth, but the clearing of this area on a regular basis has brought the skin back from the dead. HUGE difference.
Seana