Electrolysis treatments confused and needs help

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hi,

i have been doing electrolysis on my upper lip and between my eyebrows for 2 month now, ( 3 treatments in total, 2.5 weeks between treatments, 30 minutes treatments ).

After treatment my skin gets irritated for about an hour, then everything is fine after that,i am told to put neosporin at night at the treated area after cleaning it. the next day i do have scabs on the treated areas, ( no white heads , just scabs ) i keep it clean, i try my best not to be in the sun at all and if i am in the sun i put a big hat on my face ( so i do not have to put sunscreen on the treated areas. ) the cabs are usually there for at least 2 weeks , this is why i tend to have treatments every 2.5 weeks , i usually wait for the area to heal before the next treatment. Is it normal to scab ? i know the books says no but from personal experience do people scab on the upper lip and between the eye brow ?

when i told my electrologist , she said it is normal and not to worry about it , if i do not touch it it will fall by itself and no scarring will be there ? is it true ? because sometimes after the scab falls i still have a red spot , with time the skin goes back to the normal color but sometimes i do feel that the skin has like a missing layer , i am not sure if we can call it indented just because i have to be close to a mirror to see it. will this skin go back to normal ?

i have read several places that it takes between 6 to 9 month for scars and especially indented one to show , is it true ? i am terrified that i run the chance to have those scars show later on . are there any signs to watch out for that can tell me that i might have those side effect later on ?

I have notices that every treatment hurts a little bit more, i have no issues with pain i can tolerate it but when i asked her she said that she needs to put the current higher a bit so the hair can die otherwise i can be doing electrolysis for a very long time.so in other words this will save me time . Is it true?

She is very reputable, a lot of people go to her and say that they have had great results over the years, she does use the blend method ( i think it is , because i have to hold something in my hand during the treatments ). My hair is not coarse or dark , it is just too long and thin.

Also, i had my underarm done with laser a while back so i did with her only one treatments of electrolysis for the remaining hairs. it was very painful but i had no scabs whatsoever , this is what worries me the most , because from what i have read it is normal to see scabs on the body but not on the face ???

Please give some advise , professional and from personal experience.

#2

First, I’m a avid DIY’er and not a pro. I do however have some extensive experience at this point, but I may miss some things and dont always agree with the pro’s on everything.Just so you know where I’m coming from.

I can tell you from experience that some scabbing is normal and heals fine with no scarring taking place. Extensive scabbing, is not normal. If your lip is covered with scabs from every hair removed, that would be too much. It would indicate the levels used are too high for you but you still may not see any scarring from it.I often get scabs on my upper lip, but I also tend to use high amounts of blend energy just like your electrologist does. Notice I’m not too concerned about my scabs or the amount of energy I am using?

I have not heard of any incidences of scarring or pitting taking place months later from galvanic or blend. Pitting like that tends to happen more with thermolysis because the underlying tissue is damaged by heat. This is not to say pitting cant occur from blend, it’s a checmical reaction though and less thermolysis is used than in a strait thermolysis method, usually not enough to damage the underlying tissue you are worried about. Scarring and pitting from blend is more likely I think to appear immediately, rather than months later.

Your electrologist is right that the more treatment energy used now the less the chance of a high regrowth rate there is ( all things being equal and the electrologist assumed to be working with high skill level) . It’s a trade off though, at the higher treatment levels the risk of scarring does increase proportionately. You are right to ask to reduce the levels if you feel they are too high for you or it’s outside your tolerance level. It’s your risk to take or not, not the electrologists.

I would be less concerned about the surface than UNDER the surface damage tot he skin. Skin is constantly shedding the outside layer. Damage tends to be inside, not on the surface. If you arent seeing damage or pitting now from the inside you arent likely to see it just start to happen 4-9 months later.

The two week healing period from scabs is pretty normal. I dont personally like neosporin, and prefer Teatree oil for a day or so instead. Aloe vera helps and can always be used, not just in the first few days. Washing with regular water is more important than any other aftertreatment.

Honestly, it sounds like you are doing fine. If you are concerned about the AMOUNT of scabbing, and if the electrologist does not take this concern seriously, then go to another. It is your face, your choice, and your risk to take.

Seana

Please, before anyone gets on my back, I am NOT knocking thermolysis nor saying anything is a “BAD” method. All methods can be safe in the right skilled hands. The assumption here is that this person is seeing a professional that is restricting that treatment energy to within the follicle. If there were any damage to the underlying tissue, it would be apparent before now with blend. While anyone is welcome to disagree with me, this has been within my limited experience.

#3

Facial scabbing that lasts for 2 weeks is not typical. Would it be possible to post a photograph?

#4

Agreed a photograph would tell us a lot more.
I rarely get the few scabs that I do see, gone in the week that others seem to think is the appropriate time though. 10 days, maybe, two weeks and they are certainly gone.I think it largelly depends on your own bodies healing process and timing.

Seana

#5

Thank you for your responses, it has been 2 weeks since my last treatment so most if the scabs have shed already, I tried to take several pictures to show the scar that I mentioned earlier but I can not get the right angle , I will have someone try to take it for me tomorrow.
I have another question, what did u meant scars from the inside if the skin? And how can I recognize those scars ? I am having pinpoint scarring showing up in the areas treated but not necessarily where scabbing is .
Any idea if this should be alarming ? Should I just ask her to lower the current and see if it us any different ?
Thank you

#6

No you should not be alarmed about this. It’s not likely to happen.
Ugh. For sure someone is going to get upset with me for answering this, which is why I didnt give more information in the first place . Let me preface by saying I HAVE NOT done any thrmolysis and dont have immediate plans to. So this information comes gleaned from places like the web. Take that for what it’s worth.I havent done extensive research into the causes of pitting but I have done some, and some of that information I viewed MAY BE WRONG.
You spoke of “pitting” showing up some period later. Usually when this happens it’s because the flesh underneath the skin is changing due to trama. That trama is sometimes associated with heat from thermolysis. Essentially you end up with dessicated tissue underneath the surface of the skin, somehat alike to beef jerky. As that tissue changes it is uneven, and causes the pitting you spoke of. That dessication, sometimes occurs from heat energy related to thermolysis electrolysis being performed too deep ( IE the practitioner would have had to puncture the bottom of the follicle and delivered the treatment energy to the lower tissues for this to have occurred)
Now blend has minor amounts of thermolysis used. Usually ( but not always) blend consists of mostly galvanic, with just enough thermolysis to heat up and distribute the lye. That amount of thermolysis, is usually NOT enough to create the type of tissue dessication being talked about here. If there is damage from blend, it is often immediate , and obvious. And even then, with time it will usually diminish and go away.
Please do not be concerned about this, and double check elsewhere for better opinions. As mentioned in my original post, this is extremely rare and very unlikely to happen.

I feel like I need a copy of the hitchhikers guide here, with the words “[color:#FF0000]Dont PANIC[/color]” emblazoned in large red letters.

Seana