Fine hair on shoulders

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

I have patches of thick, dark hair on my shoulders. I wanted to get that thinned/evened out. Since it isn’t large areas, I thought to try electolysis.

The electrolysis is going fine, I can see the hair going away. But, now that the coarse, dark, long hairs are gone, what has been “uncovered” and what I now can see is a whole new “layer” of very, very fine, seemingly colorless hair, generally about 1/4" long, and fairly dense. I’m not saying it bothers me - the only way even I can see it is to really concentrate and look for it up close, and there is so much of it and it is so fine I doubt that electrolysis would be practical - but I’m wondering exactly what it is. Meaning, are these hairs that grew as a result of some strange reaction to the electrolysis? Or, are they hairs that will thicken up into the coarse, dark hairs I was trying to minimize? Or, did some aliens abduct me and insert one of their genes into me as part of some evil experiment and now I’m turning into one of them? Or, are they normal and will they likely not change much? Or some explanation I haven’t thought of?

Thanks for any help.

#2

I would guess you just had not noticed them before you got rid of thick dark hair. If you do not suffer from hormonal disbalance or another abnormality, they should not thicken up.

#3

How old are you, dln?

I agree with vell. Even though you say that getting these fine, colorless, numerous hairs would be impractical with electrolysis, you have no other permanent choice to rely on. You can keep the hair or get going on electrolysis. A speedy, modernly equipped electrologist can thin out the smaller hairs if you want. You don’t have to aim for getting every finer hair.

This is NOT a strange reaction to electrolysis. Electrolysis does not stimulate hair. Either you had the hair before and didn’t notice or your genetics are kicking in, meaning you are growing new hairs. So, how old are you???

#4

Thanks for the response. Three things, dhahey.

  1. Middle-aged.

  2. A speedy electrologist - Hmmmmmmm… I can believe you that in theory such people exist. That hasn’t been my experience, and this is the third electrologist I’ve worked with.

  3. With all three electrologists I’ve worked with, in each case I always had to point out very obvious patches of hair they missed. Note, they never responded in a way that made me think that I was being a perfectionist. In fact, it isn’t important to me to get every single hair. I’m talking about very obvious, long, dark, thick, coarse hair. Their response was always one of surprise, and they would thank me for pointing it out, and they’d apologize for not seeing it. This would - and still does - happen all the time. So, here’s my observation: Many times I’ve read that one drawback of laser is that it can’t eliminate hairs that are fine and colorless - hairs that it can’t “see”, as people on this forum will say. I can accept that. But, I think people also need to admit that in practice, electrolysis also won’t get hairs that the practitioner can’t see, and that happens a lot. So, in practice, I’m thinking that there isn’t much difference between the two methods from this perspective.

#5

If the electrologist has not equipped herself/himself with good vision wear, then they are going to see less than they should. If the light is not positioned correctly and the client is not not positioned and re-positioned, they are going to inevitably miss a few hairs. I personally ask my clients to check over an area and help me identify hairs I may have missed or purposely ignored. We are partners.

There is a big difference between the two methods. If you can’t find an electrologist that can see better, then help her out. There is nothing wrong with participating in your hair removal. You are trying to reach a goal - together.

Speedy electrologists are out there using MicroFlash and PicoFlash thermolysis in auto sensor mode. They do exist. It is not a theory. My personal best is 1,200 insertions per hour, but I usually hover around 600-800 insertions per hour, depending on whether I am working on a complicated area or not. Yes, there are speedy electrologists if they choose to be and have the right tools. Sorry you can’t find one in your locale, I really am.

You have probably reached the point where you are not developing more hair, being that you are middle-aged, so that is good.

#6

Thanks again. I’m not angry about the situation - it is the way it is.

The fastest electrologist I went to told me the most that she could do was about 100 - 200 per hour. I’m not willing to spend gobs of time driving all over and try a few sessions with various providers to see how good they are, so I’m fine with my current situation. That’s the deal with both electrologists and laser - in the end, its a crap shoot. I know I can find better electrologists if I were willing to drive ~70 miles one way.

I do help out the electrologist - It doesn’t bother me that they ask for an extra pair of eyes. I just was struck by how easily they can miss hairs.

#7

Magnification is a good thing to have, but it really narrows the visual field to about the size of a quarter. We need to keep focused on the whole picture and it does help to move the light and to reposition the client frequently to pick up some of the stealthier hairs present.

100-200 hairs per hour is pretty slow, but it will still be effective. Trouble is, people want the hair off faster than that. Truth is, it can be done if the electrologist CHOOSES the best set up to get the job done well.