Well after years of waxing and the uncertainty of laser (which my medical physicain explained to me) I decided to take on my hair problem. On Friday I decided to drive two hours from Toronto to Buffalo to visit our favourite electrologist James Walker. By the way It was such a good drive it only took me an hour and a half. 
Let me give you some details about me and my excessive hair. I’m 22 years old with olive type skin and hair all over. My back is sporadically covered which conects to my chest and my shoulders and arms also have sporadic hairs. After finally reaching James office which is in the beginning phase of renovations he explained to me the different types of electrology and how it worked. After that we began work on my arms shoulders and shoulder blades. You must understand that on my arms my hair grows in an awkward pattern so it took longer to clear my arms than expected. I finally understand why James explains to people that you can only figure out how long it will take you once you begin your treatment. As for the day we did two 90 minute sessions with a break in between and then lunch where we laughed over our distinct families. After lunch we proceeded to continue with one more 90 minute session. We managed to clear roughly 1700 hairs. Even with that said and the four and a half hours of work I can see that for my initial clearing, my entire back and other areas will take at least 12 hours. But James said the first clearing is always the most dramatic. Another funny things is when we were on our last 90 minutes session a previous client of his who had his entire beard removed dropped in out of the blue and visited us which I must say was great for me. I got to see first hand at what electrology can do for a man with 500 hairs per square inch on his face. He looked like a baby boy at the age of 53. Anyways the electrology itself wasn’t such a big deal, it is slow but works. As well I felt minimum pain sometimes and sometimes felt nothing. I think at the last hour I was just beginning to get restless and thats why I was feeling the electrolysis more. This is my first appointment and will continue once a week till I can get to once a month. I will keep everyone updated considering I owe it to the people here on this board from which convinced me to help myslef. By the way its saturday morning for me and my arms look so good, the two spots on my shoulders are a bit red and bumpy, but nothing compared to the rash I would get from waxing. Its still really early, but I will post again in a couple months time so that I can inform my READERS… have a great weekend !!
Stevo,
Congrats on getting started. I too was uncertain about the long term success of laser and opted for electrology. I guess since I’ve been a long time lurker on this board that its high time I shared my story.
Anyway, when I was about 24 I began getting some hair on my back. It wasn’t all that much so I would simply shave it every once and a while and forget about it, it was really no big deal at the time. Over the next few years the amount of hair and the amount of shaving increased. By the time I was 28 it really became a nuisance, and it should be of no surprise that I hated how it looked. It was at this point my research began. I scoured the internet for as much information as I could, and like many people found Hairtell an invaluable resource (thanks Andrea). Sometime last summer I finally got the courage to make an appointment for a test zap at a local laser center. The test zap went fine, really didn’t hurt. What did hurt was when I heard what it would cost, $728 per treatment for full back! If you figure most people require 6 or so treatments thats around $4,350. Well that was way out of my budget for something that might not work all that well.
I had never really considered electrolysis because I was under the impression that it wasn’t realistic for doing large areas. Fortunately someone mentioned Fino Gior on on the forum and how speedy he was. I managed to find Fino’s website and saw pictures of a cleared back that was way hairier then mine. Within the week I had made an appointment for a my first treatment. Fino is pretty much booked solid so I had to wait a while but just knowing that this was the beginning of the end made me feel so much better about my situation. If I recall my first trip down to Fino’s Long Island office (about an hour from where I live) was in November. About 6, 2 hour appointments later my back was pretty much cleared. One cool thing about doing your back is that no one has to see it in between treatments. this way you can over treat a little to increase the kill rate, nobody’s going to see the scabs anyway.
At this point I went few months with out a treatment because Fino was enjoying some time off. This is where having patience really pays off, Even though you know full well that you are going to get re-growth it drives you crazy anyway. But to be honest my re-growth was a fraction of what i originally had.
In May and April I had 4 more hours of work to achieve a second full clearance. and right now it’s looking really great. Is there still hair on my back? You bet. Would you have to be way in my personal space to ever notice? Absolutely! How much did it cost? About $2000 give or take a hundred.
3 things to remember
- patience is a virtue
- the more hair you get rid of the more you notice what’s left
- you’re going to be stoked when it’s done
So good luck with everything, If you or anyone else has any questions don’t hesitate to ask. And keep us up to date.
-A
Hey Stevo, Any updates?
I know I’ve real frustrated over the last month are so dealing with re growth and possible new growth, I’m still nothing like I was but I can’t quite get around the corner to where I want to be. I can hardly wait for my appointment next month. seems like a get a great 3 weeks before I feel like I’m getting hairy again. What I wouldnt do to have my hormones just give up already!
Question for James if you read this. When you’re working on a guys back do you ever really reach a state of full clearence? Or is just that they don’t have nearly as much hair as when they started.
I’m just wondering if my goals are realistic.
In retrospect, I kinda wish I had a before picture because I think I 'd feel a wholel ot better seeing how far along I am.
-A
Hair removal clients are like weight loss patients. They don’t want any before pictures, they don’t want any starting point measurements, and yet, that is the only thing that will keep them properly informed as to their progress. It is also one of the things they want most when they finish.
It doesn’t matter how well you explain, and make them memorize how the proceedure will work, every plateau is cause for them to forget how far they have come, and to get discouraged. Just as a weight loss client needs to know that even though the scale weight is stable, or even getting higher, the body fat and body dementions are getting lower. In just the same way, hair removal clients usually start out with no idea how many hairs they have, no clue how much progress they have made while they are working on it, and frequently nothing but suspicion for you during the process.
People who work with me DO finish. All they have to do is come on the schedule that I set up for them, and take good care of the skin. If it is a woman with hair issues, she must work on fixing the thing that caused the problem in the first place if it is something fixable, like weight, or hormonal imbalance. In any event, the problem gets to be easily managed in no time, and later is a memory.
Lastly, I have male clients who have had both their back and chest hair removed. The end result is either the skin of a prepubescent boy, or as the case may be, a beautiful neo-woman.
Thanks James,
Sometimes we patients need a little encouragement. Actually you’re so right about getting the before picture done. Fino wanted to take one but I was like, “no way.” I think that the early stages were also so much more dramatic making me feel like I was making more progress. At this point you can’t even tell my back is hairy unless you’re right behind me. As it turns out I have a good amount of blond hair that has become much more noticeable now that so much of the thick black hair is gone.
-A
Over my 46 years in businsess we have seen hundreds of men with severe hair problems on their backs. Today they look like the palm of your hand. Don’t give up! Just find the right electrologist near you. Read Carefully the site: ElectrolysisInformation.com and it will give you real hope!
Fino
Hey guys I’m still here took a break on the whole electrolysis thing for the summer, between travelling and working I couldnt get any time in. James I was wondering if you recieved my e-mail if not send me a msg here or to my e-mail.
I’m looking to get some more work done. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />