Hello everyone…i’m very glad i came accross this forum. I need any help/advice. My story is super long with hair problems. 5 years ago, i had a few scattered hairs on my face that i was told not to pluck so that they don’t come back thicker! I had laser done and instead of getting rid of the few hairs, somehow, it gave me so much more!! waaaay more. After countless laser treatments i switched to electrolysis.
Now that i’m doing electrolysis, my skin is breaking out big time! I don’t break out, but now, on my cheeks and jaw line, i have pimples everywhere! I take care of my face a lot after electrolysis. THey wipe it with alcohol afterwards and i put witch hazel 3 - 5 times a day for 3 days after the treatment and also polysoporn cream twice a day. Also, the scars from the pimples are NOT going away. I’ve had some since last November (4 months ago) and they are still there :(.
Anyone can help me out on how to prevent these from occuring. Or what causes them? I noticed something interesting. One area that gets treated at a 90 degree angel (position of needle inserted) does NOT break out. All other areas though, do.
Please any tips! i need to clear my skin out before a BIG event!
It could be your skin or the lack of skill of your electrologist. Did you point this out to them? what did they say? How many electrologists did you sample before picking this one?
It’s not recommended touse polysporin for this. Witch hazel and tea tree oil are best.
What do these “pimples” look like? Are they filled with white puss-looking stuff? Are they red and inflated? Do you touch them or pop them?
Btw, laser shouldnt have been used on your face. It’s only supposed to be used on dark coarse DENSE hair, not for a few hairs because of the exact problem that you experienced on women’s faces.
Thanks for the quick reply…the pimples are red and then after a while they develop white stuff (puss) inside of them and that’s when it looks like they’re ready to be poped…i don’t pop them though…then there is a big red scar after that for a looong time the electrologist i go to has over 35 years of experience and she’s well known here.
What is tea tree oil and where can i get it from? Also, i can’t put anytihng oily on my skin…is it an oily product or is that just the name?
Thanks
Polysporin is not for you. Are you doing this on the advice of your electrologist? Skin reactions like this are NOT NECESSARY and should not be an ongoing occurrence. I don’t know what is happening on the electrologist side of this, but whatever, or if anything is being done to contribute to your bad skin reaction it should stop now. Get other consults. Make sure the office is clean. Look at equipment used. I’m wondering about that. I’m wondering if she can see well. I’m wondering why you are putting a greasy type preparation like polysporin on your skin when you say that you can’t use an oily products??? Maybe you are making the reaction worse.
After treatment : Use witch hazel to dab the treated areas 3-4x a day. You may wash your face with something like Dial liquid soap. Use cold (refrigerated) aloe vera clear gel during the daytime and tea tree oil at night for those pustules. Use the tea tree sparingly. Do this routine for three days. You can purchase tea tree oil at WalMart and Target for about $5. It comes in a little brown bottle located in the vitamin section. Do not contaminate the bottle by double dipping the same Q-Tip inside the bottle. Wash your hands before applying anything and keep your hands off your face after treatment. Don’t let the dog lick you, or other such things. Don’t lean the phone next to your face. I’m just throwing out everything because I have very little information about both sides of this.
Most importantly TALK TO YOUR ELECTROLOGIST EVEN IF YOU THINK SHE’S NOT APPROACHABLE. Thirty-five years of experience doesn’t mean a better treatment as we are seeing in story after story here on these boards. Is her equipment 35 years old, too? That could be a problem as well.
This is not considered good electrolysis outcome and it should not be accepted appointment after appointment. Do something about it and take charge. Please take better care of yourself.
Thank you dfahey! Maybe i should also mention that i started using proactive system. It has benozyl peroxide. I don’t put it on the treated area for 48 after treatment though. Does it affect it badly that way ?
The electrologist uses latest equipment and disposable needs. I don’t think it’s a hygene issue. I think though it is the position of the needle that’s hurting the skin.
Have you had a converstation about this with your electrologist? I’m not so sure about your position of the needle concern. Intensity and timing issues seems plausible along with accurate insertions. I do know that it is most probable that you don’t need antibiotic creams/ointments if you do good after care and all things are being done well on the practitioner side of things.
I treat people who use Pro-Active and there is no problem. Not using is for 48 hours following your treatment sounds good.
Talk about your skin reaction with your electrologist as there are too many unknowns.
I will talk to her and get to the bottom of this because it’s really depressing!
Does ANYONE on this forum breakout after electrolysis that found a solution to control the problem?
An improper insertion could be the cause of your skin problems. How do the insertions feel? Do you feel the probe going into the skin? (You should NOT feel the insertion.)
Over-treatment could be the cause of your skin problems. What about the treatment energy? Do you “hear” it? (You should NOT hear a sound.)
What does your skin look like immediately after treatment? Do you have mosquito bites that have a whitened center? (Mosquito bite appearance is okay, whitened center is not.)
If you have none of those, then it is possible that you have developed hormone influenced acne. Excess hair growth can go along with that. It could be a coincidence that the break-outs started when the treatments started, or it could be something that the electrologist and/or you are doing.
Pro-Active works for some people, and not for others, as some people have an allergy to benzoyl peroxide.
Dee and LAgirl have given you some good info - think about all these things, talk to that electrologist - and let us know how it goes!
well i had an appointment today and she said that my skin is reacting negatively towards the intrusion because it’s really sensitive. She said they will fade with time :S
Should i keep the area moist with SPF lotion or does it need to stay dry by rubbing alcohol on it?
Try the above. Go easy with the tea tree oil. Spot treat. I would have liked to have heard that she will try other strategies or that she will try and refine the intensity and timing side of things. Electrologists treat sensitive skin all the time and will try differnet variations and techniques to minimize skin reactions and frequently succeed in getting a better outcome. I wouldn’t use alcohol on your skin. Try the instructions that were given to you a couple days ago and see where this takes you if she is not going to change up some things that are in her control. Looking for other consultations to compare is always advised under circumstances like this.
I get blotches on my back and shoulders (once I had terrible pustules from spreading bacteria on a lanced infected follicle) from the treatments sometimes. This isn’t on every insertion; most of the time it’s a mosquito bite that goes down after a day. I should use tea tree oil (I even have the essential oil in my nightstand but haven’t cut it with anything) but really don’t use anything.
I believe everything will clear up after a year or so since the start of my treatments.
I think that’s what’s happening with me. I think i have a spreading bacterial infection under my skin!! How do i stop that? Do i need to take medicin or go to the doctor for it? Any ideas anyone?
They were very painful, much more than a normal pimple. They healed over time. I suppose a doctor could have given me some cream. I was just patient. You need to make your own choices regarding medical care.
I’ve been using witch hazel and my skin have been clearing up. But it’s REALLY dry. I have a moisturizer that has antioxidants and SPF 15 in it. Is that alright to use or do i avoide that in areas that i’ve done electrolysis in?
Product is proactive daily moisturizer with SPF 15 and it has active ingrediants of: Octinoxate 7.5% and Zinc Oxide 2.5%.
Is that fine?
I really like simplicity - witch hazel and aloe vera gel for three days after a treatment. If you try the Proactive SPF mosturizer and there are no ill-effects, then it may be okay for you. Many clients apply an SPF formula after electrolysis with no problem. I personally only advise the witch hazel and aloe for the first 24 hour and ask the client to avoid the sun, that way, the little micro-surgery wounds have a chance to close without much interference to the healing process.
It may work well for you. Just observe and if you have a rough time healing, then eliminate the Proactive and fall back to WH and AVG, and see how that works for you. I also like tea tree oil at bedtime, spot dabbed to treated areas, however, if your skin is very dry,it is best to leave it off. So much to consider. You’re close to becoming a detective after you do all this trying, observing and eliminating. There are some products that I am sure I don’t like put on a newly treated area and there are some products that are “iffy”.
Thanks Dee! Well i’m not putting on the proactive moisturizer until 24 to 36 hrs have passed. So after the treatment, i only put on witch hazel. I don’t moisturize at all so my skin stays very dry and flakey; i don’t have any aloe vera gel. Can i buy any aloe vera gel or is there one sepecific for the face that is light and easily absorbant?
Thanks
The aloe vera gel will soothe and moisturize your skin, which is what you need. I would try it. Most of the gel brands I have tried are not realy light and easily absorbed, but they are not as gooey as snipping an actual aloe vera plant and smearing the goop on your face.
Anyone using aloe vera gel products that they like are welcome to advise sally M.N.
I found a product called Witch Vera (it combines both witch hazel and aloe as the name suggests). Its sold under the Jason brand. Plus I add a little vitamin E oil and finish off with a moisturizer.
I haven’t tried too many other products, but found this combo gets my skin back to “happy” pretty quickly.
At the end of my session today I made a comment how impressed I was with her skills, the progress and condition my skin. With my deeply rooted coarse dense hair I really had expected that the higher settings would beat up my skin more. Most the time I walk out with not more than a slight “pink”.
She was quick to reply that this really is a team effort: For best results you need both someone with good skills and do good pre/post care, i.e. drinking enough water and good care of the skin the days and weeks after, etc. (I still give her most of the credit though.)
There is a lot of information out there as far of what is common skin reaction after electrolysis and so I wonder. I get some mosquito bites and some of them have a little white pustule in the center. As I read in these forums I have seen some electrologist say this is not normal skin reaction and some say it is. So what’s the consensus?
The range of normal in the industry is wide. If one learned in one particular fashion and has only used certain equipment and techniques, there are things you have NEVER seen. On the other hand, if you have been taught a different way, and have only used certain other equipment and techniques, there are other things that you may never have experienced. In between these, you have the difference between what one finds to be usual, and what another finds to be remarkable.
This is why we tell everyone to get as many consultations and sample treatments, because if there are 10 hair removal professionals in your area, chances are there are 10 different definitions of “normal” in your area as well.
the electrologist i go to has over 35 years of experience and she’s well known here.