Electrolysis overtreatment concerns or am I good?

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hello,
I would like to request some feedback on my current situation. After reading various posts on here, I can’t determine if my session #2 caused overtreatment or if this considered normal and looks ok. I am seeking opinions so that I can determine what the next step in my journey is.

Background:
Female, late 30s - I have hormonal imbalance. I’ve done medicine before but nothing now. Plucker for decades (I know, huge no no) and wanted to see how I would react to electrolysis after reading about it and wanting to do it for years.

So:

First session, Electrologist #1
I did my first electrolysis session on Jan 28th for 15 mins on some of the neck area and some on the top of the chin. This person was conservative in their approach, IMO, wanting to see how my skin reacted. The only setting I was told was thermolysis at 30%, insultated probe. The only concern I had was that I could frequently feel tugging on the hairs. My skin recovered in a week after some white postules on the front of the chin.

Second session, Electrologist #2
In wanting to get a second opinion, I went to another person on 2/8 and the below images are what has resulted. They did Thermolysis, and all of the settings I remember were ‘18’ (but I don’t like to go above 15, they said) and ‘60’ (but I don’t like to go over 59, they said) and ‘going to use a bigger probe’, after trying one that didn’t work they said. It was a 45 min session. I could hear the sizzling on some of the insertions, but no tugging (like #1). My recovery on the chin has been inflammation, swollen (left side more than right), hot to touch, scabbing, redness. It’s a mix of all kinds of ‘recovery process’… My concern though is that this was too high of setting and overtreatment on the area (which I now reading after the fact, the chin is sensitive and shouldn’t have gone so aggressive).
Some of the insertion points on my cheek look like mosquito bites - but I see every point that was treated on the sides of my cheeks as a mosquito bite (no pics posted of that yet).
I tried witch hazel and aloe vera - but it made the redness even worse the afternoon after I had treatment that morning - so I stopped. All I have done is wash gently with neutrogena acne face wash, not even putting the cetaphil cream my skin gets after every wash on. Limiting what goes on the area. I have been doing icing for small amounts of time on the chin area.

Could you all let me know what you think?

Not sure whiI’m ready for the comments and opinions of the forum. Looks ok - keep at it, don’t go back, too high of settings, you’re in trouble now, eh you’ll recover - which do you say? Could you kindly share your thoughts?

[let me know what other info might be helpful]

thanks in advance

Night Before (what the Electrologist worked with)
Imgur

Right after treatment (car ride home)
Imgur

60 hours post treatment
Imgur

#2

Im not a professional but I’ve been having my chin treated for many months now. I have an amazing electrolygist and have never had any scabbing or bloody spots like that on my face after electrolysis. I’ve had redness, swelling, and some bumpiness, especially after the first few clearances, but I’d be worried if I saw that much scabbing after my treatments. At this point, I walk away hairless and looking like I’ve had no treatment done at all. Good luck!!

#3

Hi All,

I went back to the same electrologist, one week later.
They lowered the settings (I saw a 12 and a 49% on the machine)

You can see my chin is still red from the treatment a week ago.

This week we did the neck area. I am starting to see the red bumps like I had last week (on the side of my face) - even though the settings were lowered.

https://imgur.com/cb4Bf1i (this is 12 hours post treatment)

I wanted to try this person again with lower settings.

Does this look in line with treatment or should I consider the redness of concern?

edit: session was only 15 minutes.
My concern is that it seems every insertion site results in a red mark that is larger than most due to the coarseness of the hair… Thoughts from anyone?

#4

Hi,
Anyone have any comment on the continued redness? It seems that every insertion point is left red - even at the lower settings. I’ve tried to look for old posts that talk of this, but can’t find anything.

#5

Can you post another picture?

I will tell you that the first 4-6 months into your hair removal journey is the hardest. Your hairs are very sturdy and your practitioner needs enough energy to make the hairs slide out. You will have some skin reaction. It is temporary. If you get cleared, then wait six weeks for another clearance, this is one plan that works well. If you need treatments every two to three weeks, that will work as well. Expect skin reaction! We are destroying tissue that makes hair grow. It will heal.

Edit: If you dab with tea tree oil once a day for 3 days and you use COLD Aloe Vera gel liberally for 3 days, this helps calm the skin in a most helpful way.

2 Likes
#6

Hi Deedra,
Thank you for commenting.

I went back for another 45 minute session to have chin/neck and sideburn area worked on.

Below are pictures 24 hours post session.

https://imgur.com/p1nfCg6 (without flash on camera)
https://imgur.com/zwHpb5w (with flash on camera)
https://imgur.com/UKi4gJI

I completely understand it being tough on the skin as treatment is started.
My electrologist is working with me to determine settings that work due to my coarse hair.

My question remains though if my skin just does not like electrolysis and the redness at every single inserted site at the heat level that is being used isn’t the recommended way to proceed. I am just worrying about damaging my skin even more as it just doesn’t look like it reacts well to the treatment plan I’m currently doing.

Again this is thermolysis, 2 beeps per insertion, the #s I see on the Apilus are 15 and 49% with a 6 probe. At 59%, my skin was not happy at all (see the original posts of my chin) so we avoid going that high.

The side of my face was treated with a ‘PICO’ setting? That resulted in raised white mosquito like bumps (which I’ve seen on the forum here as normal reaction)…

I am also not seeing any large areas of clearance. There are alot of hairs, don’t get me wrong, and I plucked for decades… But shouldn’t I be able to see atleast some patches of no coarse hair after a treatment (that I requested to my electrologist)?

If this is just keep going, it’s normal reaction, I would treat the same, then that is totally fine. I’m just looking for comment that there aren’t concerns that what I’m currently doing is not in the direction that would be recommended and I should look for another opinion.

Appreciate the comments. Have read and re-read threads over and over on the board to find previous experiences but haven’t found any that react like my skin is doing.

Thanks again.

#7

I see some things of concern here. I’m concerned with the amount of scabbing, that shouldnt be happening with an insulated probe.Picoflash can be done with a strait stainless probe but an insulated one with a good insertion will do a better job of killing the hair without needless skin reaction.
I think it will heal but I’m concerned that the scabbing once it falls off might leave some hyperpigmentation , which does fade eventually with time.