feeling really discouraged

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hello all :slight_smile: Don’t hate me - I’m not trying to be “that person” on this forum. :wink: But I am starting to feel a tad discouraged.

I live in a rural community, and there is one electrolysis with 20 years experience. She is a lovely lady, and I do feel she is doing her job properly … She is using the thermosis (I know I spelled that wrong) type of electrolysis on my hair (terminal hairs on chin and lip, I’m 30 and have been waxing for 10 years, hormone levels normal). I can’t feel the hair tugging when she pulls it out.

Clearance “only” takes about 20 minutes a session, and originally it was about 25 minutes a session. I go once a week and have had 11 sessions. Two of the weeks I went twice in one week because the hair grew back so badly and I was embarassed.

By the time my weekly visit rolls around, I NEED electrolysis. In fact, I really only have 2-3 “good” days after electrolysis is done before I start getting prickly again. By the next appointment I have what I feel is a “full beard” (though I know this isn;t exactly true) and my self esteem is down the tubes.

I will say the hair seems thinner now than it did 10 weeks ago. But it’s still there. :frowning:

When will I get to stop going every week? When will I be able to kiss my husband 5 days after the appointment and not feel self conscious about him touching my chin? I feel so discouraged it makes me want to go back to waxing again … atleast then I had zero peach fuzz and could tweeze in between sessions.

I know I’m soounding whiney - but your thoughts would help. I hoped by now I would be atleast down to twice a month but there is just no way I can stop with the weekly visits yet.

Thank you so much for listening.

Kell

#2

PS she has turned up the dial on the machine atleast once since I began. It hurts a little more than it did before. ha

#3

10 weeks? It takes about a year to get rid of hair permanently. You’ve got a while ahead of you but it just keeps getting better, so smile!

#4

You will get there slowly but surely, do not worry :slight_smile: hug

#5

Do you cut or shave the hairs between treatments?

#6

Thanks guys. Really - a year for such a small area? :frowning: Oh man. I guess I thought I’d see a little improvement … like I said, maybe just not having to go every single week.

C O’Connel, no, I do not. I’m afraid I’ll shave it and she won’t be able to grab the hairs. Also isn’t it bad to shave peach fuzz? I can’t shave the terminal hair without catching all my dang peach fuzz too…

Appreciate you guys!

#7

At the same time, aren’t some practitioners just not very good?

It frustrates me when I see people unequivocally saying, “Just keep going!” when sometimes there are posters here who’ve been getting electrolysis done for 1-2 years with no result, and then everyone says, “Hm, you probably should’ve switched. You can switch now.” It’s really expensive and time-consuming (not to mention discouraging) to go for a year with no result!

I’m not saying your practitioner IS bad, only that it might be a good idea to try out another electrologist, especially since you say you can feel this one tugging the hairs. Can you travel 1-2 hours to find another electrologist, just to do test patches?

#8

I would clip in between sessions. You waxed and tweezed. She didn’t start with virgin hair. You will see hair coming to the surface for 3-4 months after your last waxing session. If you heard anything in her consultation about this process taking at least 9 - 12 months at minimum, keep that concept at the forefront of your mind.

You have more hair than you think you have and it comes to the surface on Mother Natures command and her commands are powerful. We can’t treat what is not there yet, so be patient and stay with the schedule. If you give up before 12 months, then don’t blame electrolysis or your electrologist. Trust, trust, trust! This does work, but we need anywhere between 9-18 months to make a difference for you.

At some point, around the four to six month mark, appointments should slow down. You will go weeks without treatment and your treatment time on the table should be shorter. This pertains to YOUR case for the area you described, assuming you are getting cleared every time.

Say to yourself 100 times a day - It takes 9-18 months… It takes 9-18 months… It takes 9-18 months. (Close your eyes when you say that and say it with real feeling, while clicking your heels together, just like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz).

#9

Since you sound discouraged and since you said you feel the hair coming out, I have some questions that would help me feel better (or worse) about the treatments you are receiving.

You started electrolysis about 2 1/2 months ago. Did you stop all tweezing at that point? (Answer should be yes.)

Do you remember how many minutes (per day or per week) you spent tweezing before you started electrolysis?

What do those first hairs look like after you have had a clearance? Do any of them come in stubbly?

Shaving hairs will not make changes in vellus hairs. Shaving only cuts hair at the surface and does no make changes to the diameter of the hair - hair diameter increases with hormones. Many electrologists have observed that repeated and long term tweezing can also increase the hair diameter.

Electrolysis does take some time.

#10

Hi Kell,

I started electrolysis about a year and a half ago and can tell you from my experience it will take just about one year until you will the enough of the result that you are looking for.

In my 7th month on, I was feeling discouraged. It seemed like I always had the same hairs growing on my face. Around the 9th month I was happy, and could def see a big difference.

Also, it seemed like clockwork that once I hit the one year mark I was pleased.

My advice is to just do it for a year, and then make any opinions at that point. (You will most certainly probally being seeing great results by that point).

#11

I’ve been doing electrolysis for about nine months and I’ve just gotten to the point of being able to go outside 1-2 days without shaving.

There’s still minor hairs there, but I don’t feel like a freak.

Now if I can just get the PIH to clear up, which kinda reminds me of five o’clock shadow, I’ll be great

#12

I too have the five o clock shadow and its is so embarassing. I cant go without makeup and people stare at my chin all the time, I really don’t know what to do anymore because I’m not getting facial hair anymore and they still stare. This is very aggravating!

#13

Kelly, please don’t give up.

I say this as someone that felt discouraged many times along the way and truly believed electrolysis wouldn’t work for me. Laser made the hair on my face horrible and tried tweeting/threading/waxing for years. The hair growth sped up andI just couldn’t keep up so I turned to electrolysis.

I had close to a male pattern beard (coarse hair and a lot of it) and I would go in once a week for one hour. And no, one hour was NOT enough for a clearance. Usually around week 3 of weekly appts I would have a clearance and then more hair would be back the following week. It was a cycle of electro and shaving between appts. Please keep in mind that you’re already better off than me BC you don’t have to shave every 1-2 days btween appts and also, you can get a clearance in 20 mins!

I’ve been doing electro for about 15 months (with some gaps bc of appt issues) and the hair has drastically changed. There is much less and it’s much finer. I’ve reduced to appts once every 2 weeks and we can get a clearance in each 1 he appt. I’m able to go weeks without touching the hair on my face until my next appt.

I truly didn’t think it would work. Not with my luck. But it is.

I let my husband touch my face again…and I can go outdoors without worrying about what others will see.

It’s nice to be me again :slight_smile:

#14

Your post really made my day. I am 21 and have a teenage boy beard if that makes sense i have to shave twice a day. I have had around 10 hours of electrolysis and my electrologist is surprised with the improvements. :smiley: