Hi there. I am a 40 year old female with a significant amount of coarse black hair on my chin and neck - I’ve had it since I was a teenager, have had hormones checked and normal. I’ve always just shaved, with very minor tweezing (thank GOD I found info years ago saying to avoid tweezing!). After a horrific experience with electrolysis years ago (treatments were torture and skin had black dots for at least 2 weeks after), I thought I should use laser. So went for laser about 6 months ago, but it ended up actually making the hair worse. After reading these forums and building up my courage, I decided to try electrolysis with a local woman with a good reputation. I went in today for my appointment, but she said that she is preparing for retirement and doesn’t want to take on an extensive case right now. She also said that because my hair is coarse, I should go to someone who uses galvanic. But on a few posts here, I read that galvanic is really “last choice” for a lot of electrologists and is more painful. Is this right? Should I seek out something else? I’ve made an appointment for a consult with a woman who uses galvanic, but now I’m horrified that I’m making another mistake. Feel like this hair will NEVER be gone.
You will have the same results with any form of thermolysis.
Please watch this video and look at this photo of the same person, a couple of weeks later. This was done with the “synchro” (thermolysis) in Platinum and a probe 006 long Laurier.
It is the beard of a man, if these hairs can be removed, yours too. Without any doubt!
Before:
2 weeks later:
Keep the faith, your hair will go, you just have to find the right person who will make it happen.
I had a lot of coarse hair on my face too so I know what you’re going through. I had both galvanic and the blend used on my face and the pain was minimal in both cases and I AM A BIG BABY!!!
In my experience galvanic hurt less. THe lady who did my face would switch to galvanic for the super sensitive areas like under the nose because the blend was just too torturous. I also found that the coarsest hairs on the chin hurt far less than fine hairs on my cheek. But again, this could be unique to me.
I would think galvanic would be a last resort because it is the slowest method but perhaps the seasoned professionals can comment more directly on that.
Don’t give up! Just do your research and it will pay off. It will be amazing day when you don’t have to worry about your facial hair. You will touch your face and feel downy hair, rather than stubble!!!
It’s in your future for sure! 
Hairyscary, my hair problem is in the same spot as yours - I’m a 33-year-old woman with coarse dark hair due to PCOS and years of tweezing (unlike you, I didn’t know not to pluck).
I started multiprobe galvanic electrolysis in January, having never had electrolysis of any kind before, and have had 6 treatments so far. I chose galvanic based on my own weird anxiety issues - I wasn’t comfortable with thermolysis or blend - and based on the availability of practitioners near me.
It is slower than the newer modalities, so there’s some patience involved, but I think if you are prepared for that, it’s not so bad. (I’m also on a tight budget so my appointments are spaced a bit farther apart than once a week.) I cannot say from personal experience whether it’s more painful than the other methods; I know that for me, there is some pain but at a level that I can tolerate easily.
The electrologists here can certainly speak with much more authority than I can, but I wanted to share that there are still people out there who are getting traditional galvanic and seeing results over time, in case it helps you feel better! Keep in mind also that you can always shop around - try out the galvanic for a session and see what you think about the speed and pain level. If it doesn’t work out, you don’t have to commit to seeing the same electrologist forever, or using the same modality.
The neat thing about galvanic electrolysis is once the follicle is treated, the chemical change that produced sodium hydroxide (lye) (NaOH), inside the follicle keeps on working for several minutes to a couple hours after the treatment. It is a highly effective modality, but slow. It takes 20 seconds to three minutes per hair follicle. A nice froth is seen around the needle and if the hair epilates smoothly, BINGO! Galvanic epilation is amazing and miracle-like, BUT it is not commonly used today because of the long time frame, even when a 16 needle rack is used.
We now have high tech thermolysis modalities that are just as amazing and miracle-like, but the time frame to treat each hair follicle is reduced to less than a second. Josefa mentioned Synchro and the Laurier probe and she is telling the truth. Her pictures show you what is possible. If you had this choice in your area, you would be one lucky woman. If galvanic electrolysis is your only choice and you are in good hands, you will still be one lucky woman. Will you let us know how things go for you?
All I know is I’d much rather go to a practitioner who is skilled in galvanic than one who has the newest machine and doesn’t really know how to use it…
Josefa, it’s quite amazing for me to see what happens when good skill and good tools are combined. This man’s skin looks very good, while my skin which was treated with the same modality (but different needle and less skilled electrologist) looks really dreadful.
What magnification did you electrologist use?
If you’re asking me, she had one of those low level clip-ons. But not sure if that has anything to do with the result. I think the modality used was just too harsh for the kind of hair I have, and she spent too much time on that sensitive area.
Thank you for you reply.
Did she have Apilus Platimun? Yes, skills do matter. As well as magnification and lighting.
Like I said, she applied the same modality as Josefa so, sure, she has a Plat.
I agree that magnification and lighting play a role but, what I’m trying to say is, many electrologists don’t have state-of-the-art equipment and still manage to permanently remove hair without obnoxious marks on the face.
Great equipment is no guarantee but skill is.
You are totally right that the skill is very important.
But one can treat hair that one can see. I do think that lighting and magnification is very very important.
I agree. The electrologist you find is the important factor, not the modality or the machine they use on you.