First time and plucked? :(

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

I started seriously considering electrolysis for my (male) facial hair last fall. Got lots of guidance and good feedback from the professionals here (particularly dfahey who was extremely helpful and supportive in our correspondences off-forum). Then had a bit of a financial setback that prevented me from moving forward. I’m in better shape now and have finally taken the next steps.

It sounded like out-of-town options were going to be the best bet last year. Nevertheless, I have tested the water with a local practitioner (figuring it can’t hurt). And, well… I think I’m still going to be looking at some travel. Here’s how it all went:

I had a consultation last week with a lady I found online. Decent website, but not much in the way of reviews. She’s been practicing since 2003 and said she has experience clearing full male facial hair. Was knowledgeable about the process/modalities. Very busy, but accommodating, GOOD prices, and a clean office. She didn’t provide any estimates in terms of number of hours needed, which seemed like kind of a red flag. Still, I understand some professionals can be hesitant to go there when clients have had previous laser treatments, tweeze on the side, have hormonal issues, or whatever. So, didn’t think it was too damning. I went ahead and scheduled an hour of treatment, which took place last night.

It was an… interesting experience. She treated vertically up from my jawline to my sideburns. This area was NOT subjected to any previous tweezing. Laser, yes. Regular shaving, yes. I took a couple Ibuprofen and a Valium in the parking lot before treatment. Drank water throughout the day, but not in excess, and avoided caffeine. All told, it was less painful than I was expecting. So, good on that.

Unfortunately, I felt like some plucking was going on. Not exactly the sensation of straight-up tweezing, but my understanding is that you shouldn’t feel the actual removal of a hair. I definitely felt it. The pattern was zap, zap, zap (a few hairs at a time), then extract. I know it was thermolysis only on an Apilus Senior […Something], set at 7 (if that’s at all meaningful), using insulated probes. Currently there is some redness and swelling, and a few tiny “whiteheads” over the treatment area, but nothing real noticeable or that I’m bothered by. Less of a reaction than I was anticipating, honestly.

My biggest concern, of course, is the tugging/plucking. It’s hard to say to what extent this was being done (on account of not being able to see the treatment as it takes place), so I guess I’m wondering… if it feels like a pluck, is it always a pluck? Is there a “middle ground” between a hair being yanked out vs. not feeling the extraction at all? My gut is telling me to “ABORT!” but I also wonder if that’s colored by a little paranoia and tendency toward second-guessing.

She’s on the chatty side, but I do like this electrologist personally and staying local would certainly be ideal. However, if all signs are pointing to plucking, so be it. Just an hour and a little money lost and I move on, in exchange for gaining the knowledge of what the experience should NOT be like. Should I pull the plug (no pun intended) or is there anything else I need to be taking into consideration?

#2

Ok, first, I’m going to address the no estimate issue. IF you have had laser int he last year, or if you have been plucking in the last 3-4 months, an estimate becomes a impossibility. There is no way the practitioner can accuratelypredict how much you plucked or how much regrowth from laser you wiill have. We can estimate on the hair we see, but cannot give an accurate measure of what we cannot know about.

The hairs on th cheeks fromthe sideurns are usually quite fine, not course, though on a male beard they can be thickeer than what we see on a CIS female. This could account for some plucking sensation. When tckling a trans beard removal I often find the first hairs, more difficult to kill and remove than they are going forward in the treatment. This could account for it. Then there is the whole “Pluck VS POP” argument. Well, just search here. I dont want to get into it.
What would do is foster a discussion with the electrologist. Ask her how SHE feels the hairs are extracting, and does she think that more energy is appropriatte to get a smoother release?If the answer is no, then yes keep looking. Also know that not all hairs will be perfect extractions every time. The time to get concerned about that is if every hair feels liethat. If it’s one out of 10, or more, reality sis some hairs will have slight distortions naturally.If the answer you get is that thy feel the extractions are fine, and there is no plucking, and you feel otherwise, then is a good time to look further afield.

I will also mention here, that I run as far as I know the only clinic in Canada that can make mass clearance services and even provide accomodations for this. I take my first mass clearance client in this office ( I’ve had a few in my previous establishment) this coming monday and tuesday .

The clean office, and attention to detail, are very good signs indeed.

#3

The first full clearance is always the toughest, in many ways. Smooth releases are the goal and if you are not feeling a smooth release, then tell her that you feel some pulling. There are always going to be some oddball hairs that resist in that first, full clearance that you really have to work hard for them to release. I had 6.5 hours of extreme concentration on a new case today, working with thick “alphabet” hairs on a woman’s face. There were several oddball hairs that offered much resistance and I’m sure she felt me struggling with those maniac hairs. The second full clearance will be much easier.

Give her a chance to settle in and do her thang. You got two votes here to communicate with her, so go forth and communicate your concerns about tugging. If you feel it, she feels it and perhaps she goes back in the empty follicle and zaps again, just to be sure.

#4

I’m not really sweating the matter of the time estimate. I know there are pros here who are adamant that hair growth is predictable, so an experienced electrologist should always be able to ballpark the number of hours for a given area. And others who are equally adamant that it’s impossible to know due to variables and behaviors on the client’s part beyond the practitioner’s control, a reluctance to set expectations leading to the blame game, etc. etc. I thought it was worth mentioning as part of the overall picture, but it’s not a bugaboo for me. The lady I’m seeing said, “everyone’s situation is different,” and pretty much left it at that. I understand it’s going to be a long slog no matter who I’m seeing. My attitude is, let’s get to a first full clearance and gauge progress based on the reduction from that.

I wondered about the pluck vs. pop thing too. To me, all of my facial hair feels coarse as fuck (especially up the sides where she was working). I can’t say if I definitely felt all of them being extracted - more than 1 out of 10 for sure. With a few, I felt a… kind of crinkle or sizzle, hard to describe. Different from the more common pinpoint sting and heat. Might be the “pop” people talk about, but I dunno that I detected a difference on the way out one way or another.

Like I said, an interesting feeling out process! I will keep that next appointment and open more of a dialogue with the electrologist. Thanks for the perspective, and best of luck with the new client and clinic. Sounds like good things are ahead.

#5

Hi Dee, thanks for weighing in! Two votes of confidence is pretty reassuring. I will give it some time and ask how she feels about the resistance. Hopefully it’s more of a “tough hair” issue rather than a settings/insertion issue.

The mild after-effects I observed yesterday have all but resolved today. No more swelling or redness, just a couple of those little pustules. Easy peasy.

#6

According to my own experience, your understanding was correct. You should not have felt the process in which the hair is being removed. My facial hair was very thick, especially on the chin and sideburns. However, I have never felt a single hair being forced between the thousands of treated hairs.

During my first consultation, my electrologist was very insistent on this as well. When the hairs are very thick, you have to have a reasonable reaction. As a result of treatment, side effects such as redness, swelling, tenderness, and sometimes itching, are a natural response, and should dissipate in a few days.

Her exact words were: “If you have no reaction after the treatment is because I have forgotten to turn on my machine, or I am working on a corpse”.
I seem to remember that she attributed these words to one of her colleagues but I’m not sure.

#7

Excellent quote !
I totally agree with your electrologist as well I do with you : even working on thick hair, you should not feel any traction at all; and after the treatment the normal reaction of the skin is swelling, redness and itching, exactly as you described it.