First time electrolysis- plucking question?

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hi, everyone! What an incredibly informative forum you have going here. I’m a 31 year old Caucasian female with significant dark, coarse hair growth on my chin and neck areas (some cheek hair as well). I have always plucked and shaved constantly and did go through a short series of laser treatments years ago (not very successful there). I have now decided it’s time to invest in, and commit myself to electrolysis. I’ve stopped plucking- damn, has it been tough! I live in Pittsburgh, PA and have an appointment tomorrow with a local CPE certified practitioner with 30 years of experience. She seemed very open and friendly on the phone. They use the “blend” method. I’m really hoping to have some success with this-- I would love to be able to let my hubby touch my face whenever he wants to! Anyways, my question is this. I haven’t shaved in 24 hours (it’ll be 48 by the time the appointment rolls around) because she said the hairs needed to be “long enough to grab with a tweezer.” I’ve done a lot of reading on this forum and know that there are all kinds of tweezing scams, etc. I don’t think that’s what is going on here, but I wanted to make sure before I drop a ton of money. Do hairs have to be that long in order to treat them? Also, after 48 hours I should have pretty significant stubble- how much can/should I expect her to do during the first appointment? Any answers, tips or advice would be well appreciated. Thanks SO much!

P.S. Mr. Walker, if this doesn’t work out, do you have a completely packed schedule for March? I’d be willing to drive to Buffalo!

#2

Oh, and one last question! On the “full clearance” topic- what exactly does that mean? HELP! (Thanks in advance)

#3

Hi:

If you do go to Buffalo, please pick me up a beef on a weck.

As far as a full clearance, that just means they remove all of the visible hair in a given area during the treatment session.

That’s not to say that there aren’t hairs that are in the sleeping phase that aren’t waiting to sprout like the evil little sonsabees that they tend to be between that clearance and the next.

Alicia

#4

The tweezer comment is legit. After treating the hair with a probe, they have to remove it with a pair of tweezers (you shouldn’t feel any plucking, the hair is not being plucked since it was already killed with the probe).

If they hair isn’t long enough to remove after treatment, or too short to even tell the angle it’s growing from (for insertions), then they will probably not be able to treat it.

#5

Thanks, ladies! I’m getting pretty stubbly by the minute, here- wondering if she’ll be able to zap a bunch on the first visit. How soon after the treatment will I be able to shave?

#6

I don’t understand your question. Electrolysis zaps and removes the treated hair. So you should have nothing to shave after you leave the office if you clear the entire area. Otherwise, you can shave what wasn’t treated and come back again to finish it.

The only thing that matters for electrolysis is that the hair is long enough to grab with tweezers and that the hair is still new and weak.

#7

In the area that was treated, you want to wait 24 - 48 hours before shaving. The areas around the treated area, but have not been treated, may be shaved right away.

#8

I was just wondering if we don’t get to everything or if new hairs emerge- although I’m still shocked that some of the hairs may never come back, even after just one zap. It seems like a dream, the notion of being rid of the little buggers. That being said, I know this is going to be a long process… just so excited to get started! Thanks for everything and I’ll definitely let you all know how it goes!

#9

Just got back from my consultation/first appointment. It was terrific. I can’t even tell you how impressed I was with my electrologist. Her office was clean and tidy and she was so friendly and understanding. She gave me a thorough walk through and tutorial on how/why hair grows as it does, and how electrolysis works. She uses the blend method and was very honest about the progress we will see and the need to keep regular sessions (we scheduled a month’s worth today). We then proceeded to do 30 minutes of work on my right cheek/chin area. I’m happy to report that the process was relatively painless! I did feel some heat and stinging on certain hairs, but I’m pretty good at going to my happy place- I just visualized a smooth, hair free face and I barely noticed the pain. I could’ve done it for HOURS. We’re meeting again tomorrow, this time for a 1 hour appointment. She told me I was free to shave the chin area (where the growth is darkest and most noticeable) because we’re going to work on the cheeks and jawline again tomorrow. I had some redness for about 10 minutes and now there’s just VERY slight bumpiness that probably isn’t noticeable to anyone but myself. This is so exciting. I can’t tell you, though, how much I appreciate having this forum to read and get some support from. Yay!

#10

Yay! I’m so happy for you. It’s exciting, isn’t it?

#11

Kitty, I fear that she might have thought I was a little wacky because I came in and almost started crying because I was so happy to be there. By the end of the hour, I was positively giddy. I almost feel like it was an adrenaline rush, knowing that I was finally starting a process that will eventually change my life.

#12

I know the feeling!! Hair is a surprisingly emotional topic, so I suspect a lot of people get a little misty when they start or finish their journey to be rid of it. :smiley: I know I did.

#13

It really is an emotional thing. I dream of wearing my hair up and not hiding my sideburns behind it! Kitty, I did feel a slight tweeze when she pulled each hair out. Nothing compared to when I used to tweeze, though. Normal, right?

#14

It’s hard to tell. If it was only a slight feeling of resistance, it could be that the hair bulb was just larger than the shaft so it had to squeeze through.

If it felt way less painful than when you normally pluck, that’s a good sign. I sometimes feel that too, but not for every hair.

I would just mention to her that you felt some very mild tweezing sensations and were wondering if she noticed any difficult hairs. My guess is she will just tell you that they were nice anagen hairs with a big white root and so they didn’t slide out as easily.

#15

I would say it was slight tweezy resistance. She did mention that I have very “tight follicles,” to quote her directly. She said that my skin would be beautiful after treatment is completed because of it! Maybe the fact that the follicles are tight made them not slide out as easily?
My skin in the treated area is completely normal looking now and only feels a little tingly, if I had to describe it. I did do some witch hazel as a precaution and will probably use Cetaphil instead of my usual department store cleanser tonight, maybe with a little tea tree oil afterwards.

#16

Tight follicles would do it.

If you’re still concerned, then perhaps try a short treatment at another place, and compare the difference in sensation when the hairs are removed. That way you’ll have a better idea of whether the sensation is caused by your follicles or your electrologist.

#17

It basically shouldn’t feel the same as if you tweezed it yourself. It’s ok to feel the hair being pulled out. It just shouldn’t feel tweezed, i.e. the resistance you normally get when you tweeze the hair yourself.

#18

It didn’t feel like it does when I pluck it myself but there WAS a sensation of slight resistance and a minimal, minimal sting. Nothing compared to regular tweezing- especially since we were working on the cheek area and those have always been the most painful to pluck. I’m not that concerned about it.
Do you ladies feel that, with two 1-hour long sessions per week, we should be concentrating on clearing one area of the face/neck, then moving on to another? As I mentioned, she did a portion of my right cheek area today and said we’d do a similar portion of the left tomorrow (but more extensively as we’ll have double the time). Does it make more sense to just continue working on the right? Common sense says so, but I wanted to ask…
Thanks in advance!

#19

The best way to tackle electrolysis in order to get done in less treatments overall is to have as many long sessions up front as possible to clear the entire area you want to be hairless. And then come in as soon as you see new weak hair pop up to clear it, which is going to be every week or two to start and will slow down to every 3-4 weeks after a couple months.

#20

Oh thank you sugarmag for the blow by blow accounts of electrolysis , I feel emboldened to at last try it ( if I can find someone good )
I have finally accepted that Epilar was an expensice mistake, but hey, you try anything when you have a wretched lady-beard don’t you !!