Just to let you know, I took your advise and booked some more consultations in my area as this board advises to see as many electrogists in the area as you can. The first one I saw had over 20 years of experience and stated that she did 75% electrolysis. She did a test patch which I was quite happy with so I decided to book an 1 hour with her. The bad news is when she actually started the treatment I could feel alot of the hairs be pulled out and then she confessed that she did get a few wrong hairs out as they were so fine and so close together on my face! I stopped her after about 35 minutes and got out of there fast before she could do even more damage. She stated that the needle she used was too big for the hair-it was a 0.3 sterex needle and stated that she needed to get a size 2 ballet. You would think that she would have all the right equipment and tools considering she had so much experince. The other electrogist I saw also had about 18 years of experience but she was one of these individuals who also did everything else under the beauty umbrella-so she was a big no no. So I have decided to stick to my old electrolgist and James you are right there is a jungle out there. Just because someone states they have been qualified as a electrolgist since dokey’s years does not mean they are a good electrolgist. I really do appreciate my old electrolgisit alot more now. She may only have 10 years experience but she does do 90% of electrolysis. Can I just ask what the difference between the needles are?
And is it true that sometimes you can feel a slight tug on the hair with shortwave???
Alas, it is true that some people can spend a lifetime making money at something, and yet never become an expert at it. This is why we advise everyone to consult with every electrologist they can in their area. If you find like you did, that the one you started out with is the best in your area, then at least you won’t be wondering what you may be missing out on. You can also save someone else the trouble by sending friends to the person you have found to be the best. After all, isn’t that the most frequently asked question on this forum, “Who is good in My-City USA (or UK, or Australia etc).”
Although there is a difference in probes, Sterex being flexible wire, and Ballet being a more ridgid single piece of formed metal (polished like a fine jewel, I perfer Ballet Gold myself) the big difference in what you experienced was the electrologist’s lack of good visual aid. If one is using a circle lamp, one needs to use smaller probes to guesstimate the follicle opening without poking the tiny follicled client. Smaller probes have a hotter point effect, though they may not give the strongest treatment. With a good visual system, larger probes can be used, and inserted more comfortably. They will also give better treatments because they are in contact with more surface area in the follicle. The average circle lamp only doubles the image being seen. I don’t know about you, but I need more than a target of 2 to 4 microns in diamiter.
What you feel when the hair is epilated should feel somewhere from nothing, to a slight popping out. If you have not experienced the “pop” it is hard to describe. I can tell you however, you should never feel what you feel when you pull an untreated hair out. Now that is a feeling we all know, all too well. As long as you did not feel that kind of plucking, you are ok. Hairs in the shedding phases are dryer, and some have round balls on the end instead of long shafts. These are being pulled through the small tunnel above them and pop out much like the hard core of a zit when it pops its way through the opening of a previously blocked pore. You can experience this feeling in Blend, Galvanic and Thermolysis unless your practitioner simply blasts a hole in every follicle that makes every hair drop out with a good stiff breaze. (Yes, that would be overkill.)
I tell people who come to see me first that they should do consults with other electrologists in the area so they can be sure about comparing and choosing the best person to trust their work to. Many look at me like I am nuts. Some have said, “No thanks, I saw what my friend looked like after her treatment, and what I have here is nothing like that, so I will pass on the Electrology Roulette Game.” Your consultations have shown that it is true that you can not just go to the phone book and pick the person with the most this, or that largest that, or the one who charges the most (or least) because none of these things really tell you anything about their work.
There was a practitioner who I tried out when I was in college who had all sorts of stuff on the walls. Years later, I went back because I could not remember why I traveled 75 miles to see the person I went with after my initial search. So I went back years later and did my second hour with this person… I walked out in 30 minutes! Not only was the treatment excessive, but it was horribly SLOW! I was reminded that the reason I went 75 miles away instead of 10 was that I would have spent 4 times the money to get what I got 75 miles away, and would have suffered a thousand deaths to get it.
Without seeing them in person, and getting a sample treatment done, you know nothing about what they have to offer you towards your goal of smooth hair free (dare I say, scar free?) skin.
[ March 06, 2003, 05:06 AM: Message edited by: James W. Walker VII, CPE ]
My old electrolgist uses size 2 ballet. Should I question her about using a larger probe like the one you talk about. She also has a round circle lamp with a light around it, however she does’nt work through this but uses the light to make her insertions. Sorry about all the questions.
Questions and answers are what this board is all about! Any question you have, is one someone else has as well.
The largest probe that comfortably fits in the follicle should be used. That way you get the best most comfortable treatment every time.
I would never probe a follicle with my naked eye unless it was a leg, or a male face with VERY BIG follicles. One needs the exact location of the follicle, and the angle of insertion. This is hard to find on most people without good visual magnification.
[ March 06, 2003, 02:11 PM: Message edited by: James W. Walker VII, CPE ]
Thanks for the information James, much appreciated. After your response I have cancelled all my appointments with my previous electrologist and I again looked at all the listing of electrologists in my area and by chance rang up one of the main trainees in the area. She recommended me two people who she said she would trust. I have just been to one of them who only does electrolysis and is very experienced. She did a test patch and boy was I impressed. She works through a magnifying glass with lighting and also stated that she would never work through the naked eye. I did not feel the hair coming out once and the pain was also manageable. She stated that she only will be able to offer me 40 minute appointments each week and will work on the sides of my face one week and then the next week on my lip and chin and will rotate this way due to my skin type, as she does not work on the same area each week. She said she is very busy and will increase the time when available if I need it I am asain with olive skin. Is this the advise I need to hear???
Hi hm-- This is a classic case of how important it is to shop around and do your homework-- there are widely varying skill levels among hair rmeoval practitioners. In most areas that are a couple of people who are considered the best, but they can often be hard to find.
Best of luck with your new practitioner-- sounds like a good move!