Electrolysis London?

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Can anyone recommend a good electrolycist either in North, East or central London?

I’ve been going to my current electrolysis person for 3 years (45mins a week) for my face and chest. Unfortunately, I still get loads of regrowth and i’m accepting that despite my commitment and money spent, it’s been pretty unsuccessful :frowning:

I’ve been putting off finding a new one as the person i’ve been using for 3 years was listed on the British Institute & Association of Electrolysis website. So I don’t know which research to trust!

Appreciate any suggestions :slight_smile:

#2

Mairi Hawks

#3

Thanks - looks like she’s based in Scotland though, slightly too far :stuck_out_tongue:

#4

Sunshine, it may seem like "45 minutes per week for 3 years,’ however what you’ve stated was, at best, hyperbole. Quick math on your description would be 112 hours on your face and neck. At the ordinary rate of $100 per hour, you have spent more than $11,000 on your electrolysis? And you are just now asking questions? No Bueno!

Clients do this all the time, "I’ve been coming to you for 6-years and it is not working!’ However, checking their file usually indicates substantial lapses … a year or more … in their treatment schedule. I have a 10-year-client with no more than a couple hours of actual treatment time.

For a full beard on a man, I’ve never exceeded 100 hours (common time). Most male back/shoulders/neck … comes in around 100 hours (normal for all zappers). So, if you really have spent that much "time and money,’ you have an out-of-control hair problem (that exceeds normal human limits), or one insanely abysmal technician that has been tweezing.

Scotland too far? My London client traveled to see me (I live in California) and was finished-up in 3 visits. I suppose it’s your choice: continue for the next "3-years’ or get on the train and go North. But, sorry to say, I’m not "buying’ your story.

There is not one electrologist on the planet that would spend that much time on a client and not think, "Oh my God, something is really going wrong here.’ Additionally, I don’t "buy’ any client that would spend $11,000 and be too burdened to travel a bit to get the job done.

#5

Not sure the extent to which my experience is ‘hyperbole’… but to give precise details of my sessions, initially I did 30 minutes a fortnight for 2 years (bar going travelling for 4 months during that time) and for the past year i increased that to 45 minutes a week. I go consistently. Because my electrolysist was listed on the BIAE, I just assumed I was in good hands and it was normal I guess.

Also, if i knew i would be finished in 3 sessions, I’d of course travel wherever. But not sure about travelling 6 hours each way to Scotland every week for months when there must be good practitioners in London!

#6

The Parkside clinic has a good reputation. I am not sure where in London they are located.

#7

Well, I’m glad to see your story has changed. You originally said you were having 45-minute treatments EVERY week for 3-years. Now, you say 2-years of 30-minutes every fortnight and then increasing to 45-minutes every week for another year.

Treatment on the face always plays-out as a normal "bell curve’ and what you’re describing has to be erroneous. Or, if this actually is the case, you need to see a physician immediately … not an electrologist.

For all facial work: Treatments, at the beginning, are of short duration and then (as the person stops plucking or shaving), treatment time increases dramatically, i.e., to the top of the bell curve. And then, (at about 5 to 6-months or so) treatment frequency begins to "increase’ … that means, more-and-more time between treatments … and simultaneously, treatment time becomes less-and-less.

What was once-per week, becomes once-per month, then once every 2-months (all with less-and-less treatment time) and so on. If you actually take the time to graph all your treatments with mathematical accuracy, it will look like a perfect "bell curve.’ Not "sometimes’ … but always!

There is always a "bell curve’ if the person stays with the treatment. Total treatment time varies, but a completed treatment duration for the face is always about 12 – to 18 months AT MOST. Therefore, "2-years of 30-minutes every 2-weeks, and then INCREASING to 45-minutes every week for another year?
Well, something is seriously not right … basing this only on normal human biology.

For prospective electrolysis clients reading this tread, please understand that what has been alleged as a treatment experience does not, and cannot, happen unless, perhaps, there is a serious medical condition. You cannot have treatments for 3-years and still require 45-minutes every week … without a break.

#8

Additionally, it’s just too easy to “blame the electrologist” and recommend somebody else.

Those electrologists reading this thread should address what this lady is talking about … in detail.

Just recommending somebody else (with whom you probably have no direct experience) is not helpful, and somewhat confirms the notion that the patient was getting sub-standard treatment.

Those of us with decades of experience should address the notion of “3-years and no progress,” in fact, an INCREASING hair problem (based on what has been stated). Just recommending somebody else does not seem appropriate.

#9

I answered her query about getting laser on another thread, which also included her disappointment with electrolysis after three years.

Originally Posted By sunshine27

A few years ago I was getting IPL on my upper lip but this eventually triggered fairly coarse,long hairs on my lower cheeks, chin and neck.

[color:#FF0000]I have personally seen this happen with some of my clien[/color]ts.

Originally Posted By sunshine27
I then started going to electrolysis 45mins per week which i have kept up for around 3 years. Loads of dark hairs still come back though which is disappointing after being so patient!

[color:#FF0000]This is absolutely ridiculous.[/color] Forty-five minutes per week, on an upper lip, for three years!? There has got to be more to the story.

Did you get cleared of bothersome hair each time?

Did you do any threading, waxing, tweezing or sugaring while you were having electrolysis? A brilliant electrologist once said to only tweeze the hairs you want to keep. If there is any pulling whatsoever, then you will never finish.

Have you had medical exam, with blood work to check out the hormones? Do you ever feel tweezing when getting electrolysis? Perhaps the IPL has messed up your hair growth cycles, thus making it hard to predict a happy ending to electrolysis.

Originally Posted By sunshine27
Do you think it’s worth re-trying laser with a different machine? I.e real laser not IPL? I’m sick of having to clear my face every week with electrolysis and feeling paranoid in the sunshine!

[color:#FF0000]I don’t feel [/color]laser or any light-based treatment is necessary for facial hair. A professional electrologist, along with a compliant client, can achieve upper lip hair freedom within a year, clearing the area each time for a total of 8-15 clearings over that period of about a year. Remember, laser CANNOT SEE smaller hairs no matter what the color. The upper lip presents with all hair kinds of hair structures, all colors of hair and colorless hairs. Electrolysis CAN SEE any hair structure, any color of hair on any color of skin. Laser CANNOT. Does that answer your question about whether you should try laser?

Spend your effort and money looking for a competent electrologist. Can anyone offer sunshine a recommendation?

Michael,
[color:#FF0000]I’m not sure[/color] that all electrolysis care is competent and I’m all for the consumer checking out the local talent and beyond, if they want to. I’d like to think every electrologist (everywhere) is fabulously wonderful, but what if there are some that are not? I don’t want to shame the consumer automatically or the Electrologist because I don’t know the details of the encounter on either side.

In addition to being an Electrologist and an unpaid “psychologist”, sometimes I wear my detective hat on HairTell trying to get more details, in order to figure out where things may have gone wrong. It’s worth a try. I see no disadvantage trying to understand each side. I hesitate to stand firmly on one side or the other because I don’t know what really happened.

#10

I meant to tell this story several days ago, but I got distracted by life/clients while writing it.

Last spring, I had a client , I’ll call D, come in with some fine blonde facial hair. I tried at the time telling her that the hair was super un-noticealbe and there were better ways to spend her money, all light blonde, fine, and only showed up in bright sunlight as a “glow” but she would hear nothing of it.IT bothered her and she wanted it off. I agreed to do the work.

I will say it was not my best work. My insertions starting out were sloppy and slow and she had the finest flllicles and milky white skin ( a bit like a porcelain princess) . She also had discomfort issues and never exceeded a 10 minute session every week ( early on ) or 2-3 weeks) later on).I was worried about these difficult hairs, I assumed my treatment wasnt good enough. I would bend f1 probes, f2 seemed really big for these fine hairs.

I still see her every 2-3 weeks. For 10 minutes. We only ever address maybe 1 or at most, 2 hairs on upper lip. The rest of the time I have now branched out to clean up a few hairs on the upper cheeks or eyebrows to fill the session. The lip hair is gone. It’s not regrowing. After about 11 months.

So, what is the difference between your case, and D’s hmm? Why would the same process ( admittedly less than the best treatment) be so much more successful than you at 30-45 minutes over 3 times as long without progress?

I’m with Dee, I dont automatically jump on the “You’ve been undertreated find someone else” bandwagon unless its really justified. Michaels disbelief is about on the same level I think.

Upper lips are about the easiest place to kill hairs (though eyebrows are pretty simple as well) . You have the evidence to tell you everything you need to know.You dont even need us to tell you, what you already know.

Seana

#11

Good points Dee and Seana,

With a home remodel going on, no time for a new video … but more is coming.

I want to show patients how they must keep accurate records of their own treatments: photos before, document what the professional says can be accomplished within reason, and then write down every date and duration of the treatment.

What may seem like “years of treatment and hundreds of hours,” is usually an overstatement. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING and have objective data. It’s the only way …

There are reasons clients never do this (record keeping), and that’s also a subject that needs addressing. And, I will.

Point: making any assumption always gets you (the client) in trouble. Assume nothing; write it down and keep records.

#12

This is what I do for my clients. My epilator spits out statistic sheets after each treatment which lists number of insertions done on a particular area and the minutes required to accomplish the treatment, complete with subtotal, tax and total. It also keeps a running total of all insertions and time from all appointments. I give the stat sheet to every client after every treatment to keep. When I’m finished , I can also print a stat sheet for myself. This client had 8 sessions over a year for her upper lip. I printed this out yesterday to post here.

So, her last treatment was in 2016 and it took 8 clearances, almost 5,000 insertions and a little under six hours, spread out over a year to give her permanent hair removal on her upper lip. I have pictures as well, but I’m too sleepy to locate them now.

#13

Hi Sunshine27,
There are a number of excellent electrolysists in London and many of them are listed on the BIAE website.
For me personally, it is very important to have my clients trust me and I don’t start with a new person until they’re ready to put their trust in me. Because in the first 4-6 months before my client starts seeing the difference and “knows” the treatment is working, their trust in me is the main motivation to stick to the treatment plan.
Clients lose their trust in their practitioner for a number of reasons, but it often is down to poor communication. So, I wanted to ask you have you discussed your feelings/fears or your progress with your practitioner?

#14

Well said, dear Geri. You are one of the best. Thanks for helping on this.

#15

Thank you so much for all your valuable responses and advice.

I’m surprised my hairs keep popping up after my consistent sessions and reading how effective electrolysis tends to be on most people!

Still a bit apprehensive following my experience but i will be trying someone new.

#16

Remember, hair is TOUGH enemy, much like weeds in a garden.

You have got to fasten your seat belt and put in the time.

No tugging.

No tweezing.

Stay on a consistent schedule, where hopefully you are getting clearance each time for all bothersome hairs.

#17

I see Geri has responded and I would totally recommend you get in touch with her. She’s amazing but you will have to be patient because you will not see results straightaway. I recommend Geri to everyone - it’s just a shame she is too far from me to go and see weekly.

#18

I would second Geri also for anyone in London/outskirts. She is lovely.