HEllo everyone…
Im new to this forum, and am very impressed by the way you guys share info and help each other with tips. Good job. …Now i got a few questions for myself which i was hoping some of you may help me out with… Ive had laser on my back with good results but am thinking of gettin my chest hair removed. Im a 24 yr old male with a type 4 skin and dark hair. I was wondering what would the best process be. Laser, Electrolysis or Thermolysis. I dunno much about electrolysis and thermolysis so was wondering if someone would help me explain these 2 processes and if they are appropriate for large aread such as the chest…
Once again, thanks for your responses…
It really depends on where you are, and since you did not put your location in your profile, we can’t help you there until you do.
If you had a good thermolysis operator, you could get first clearance in 12 hours or less and go into maintenance phase from there. The whole thing would be finished in 9 to 18 months if you went on the correct schedule and you would be done in 75 hours or less. You would just look like you never grew any hair in the treated area.
Post deleted by James W. Walker VII, CPE
hi…sorry for the incomplete post. Im from Michigan , and am of middle eastern discent. WHat exactly is thermolysis?
WHen u say that i could get first clearance in 12 hours, does that mean permanent hair removed in a total of 12 hours? and also with what process.
Please excuse my questions as they may sound a little naive. Thanks for your help <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Hi,
Thermolysis is just one type of electrolysis.
It involves sliding a probe down into the folicle until it reaches the hair’s root. Then the probe is heated, which destroys the root.
First clearance is not the same thing as permanent clearance, though it’s a very important milestone.
Existing hairs are not always in the right growth cycle for permanent removal. However, new hairs almost always are. So, once you’ve got full clearance of an area, you can concentrate on only zapping the new growth each time. This means that you should acheive a near 100% kill rate.
You need to keep zapping new growth until no more appears - only then are you permanently clear.
thanks for the info toni. Is thermolysis a common way of hair permanent hair removal method? Is it more or less painful than laser?
Thank you.
Yes, thermolysis is the most common type of electrolysis - you’ll find it offered by just about everyone.
The other types are much less common - their availability seems to depend on what state you’re in(?) I’m from the UK, but reading these posts it seems that some people have a real problem finding ‘blend’ practitioners, where others have no problem at all.
Thermolysis is more painful than other types of electrolysis, though it doesn’t hurt as much as laser. The pain very much depends on the strength of the zap, the duration and the area being treated.
thermolysis is the fastest method. experienced electrologist can zap 5-6 hairs per minute. other methods are galvanic and blend. they take a bit longer (1-2 hairs per minute or so) and sometimes used for more deep-rooted hair etc. Generally, they say that galvanic or blend have a higher rate of killing hair on the first time, but that’s not necessarily true. This also depends on whether you have previously removed the hair with the root and made it stronger. electrolysis works faster on hair that’s weak and hasn’t been touched before.
it’s hard to compare pain of electrolysis to laser in terms of pain. basically, with electrolysis you feel a “prick” every time. How painful depends on your pain tolerance and settings set, as well as area treated. areas like upper lip are more sensitive.
Don’t forget that factors like hydration, smoking, caffeine usage, diet, and sleep habits also figure into what you feel during the treatments. All that, effects sensation without ever getting to the skill of the practitioner and the equipment they are using.
Thanx for all you guys helpin me out with my questions. Umm,approx how long will it take to get a whole chest done with thermolysis or electrolysis on a type-4 skin with dark course hair? Will it be permanent? btw, im 25 yr old. Is it better to get LHR done on chest for a few times, and then get the rest with thermolysis? Im lookin for the method with the best results.
I don’t think you’ll be able to get an answer to your ‘how long will it take’ question without someone seeing you.
Even then, I expect you’ll need a few trial sessions. It all depends on how well your hair growth responds to treatment. Some people have tougher roots than others.
Take some before photos of the area you want treated, and try to include some sort of visual scale.
Then ask an electrolysist to treat just one part of the area you want treated, e.g. working from the top down?
And every so often take more photos with the same scale.
You’ll be able to visually compare the progress with how many hours treatment you’ve had, and work it out from there.
And, yes, it will be permanant.
Where you are located doesn’t affect whether you should get laser or electrolysis. I don’t know where that comes from.
Where you are located MIGHT affect availability.
I don’t know where this 5-6 hair per minute comes from either. Growth angle and type of hair are factors involved. this also affects the method the electrologist choosed to use. I can go a lot faster on eyebrow hairs then ear hairs just because of angle and location. and I would choose to do the flash on brows and a long slow blend on the ears which also affect time spent.
On a type 4 body hair I would do a slow thermolysis or a"quick blend". there are many factors involved.
by “slow thermolysis”,do u literally mean SLOW? How long will that take on a full hair of chest approx…
Thanks for the info <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
I will let her explain herself, (Lord knows she doesn’t want me putting words in her mouth) but I will offer that slow thermolysis is not MicroFlash, nor PicoFlash.
hey khiz i had a question so i thought i use your thread as the name is self explanatory rather then me starting a new thread just for one question. hope you dont mind.
ok so this one is for all the electrolysis professionals out there.
abit of background:
iv thought of checking out some new places that do electrolysis and well when i asked the lady what method she does, she said direct current. now i thought that would be galvanic right? but the lady was like no its direct current.
anyway the place m going to currently the women has one machine but she can do either of the 3 methods(thermolysis, blend, galvanic) by selecting the option on the machine. that silhoet tone machine. anyway I HAVE TO HOLD THIS ROLLER TYPE THING IN MY HAND DURING THE TREATMENT.
anyway so i was under the impression that whatever the method is you HAVE to hold a roller type thing in your hand during treatment otherwise it aint electrolysis <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />
OK now the place i called the lady mentioned ONLY FOR BLEND you hold something but not for her method ‘DIRECT CURRENT’
now my question is, is this true? do you only hold the roller type thing in your hand during treatment for blend only? or is that lady giving me a load of bulls*** and is a fake?
if she is telling somewhat truth can you tell me which methods do you hold the roller type thing in your hand and which dont?
or is my current electrolgist givin me a load of bull by saying that you can select whatever method by selecting the approapriate option on the machine. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />
Sounds like BS to me. All I know is that when I was trying out different electrologists I had to hold a thing in my hand for one lady who used flash thermolysis.
Galvanic electrolysis, including the blend, requires one to hold or touch a metal device, always.
Thermolysis may require one to hold or touch a metal device or it may not. It all depends on the epilator used.
When doing galvanic electrolysis or the blend, D/C current (direct current) is used and a complete circuit is required. You must hold the indifferent electrode, either the metal rod type or the flate metal type. The metal piece,usually wrapped with a moist sponge or wipe, must touch your skin in order to complete the electrical circuit. The electrical circuit in this case works like a circle: the electrical current flows from the machine through the needleholder to the needle,then to you, through the conducting salt water in the tissue of the hair follicle, then to the metal rod or plate,then back to the machine again. The circle needs to be unbroken so this can happen successfully.
For thermolysis,alternating current or A/C current is used. Certain machines require that you hold a bar or plate type device and some don’t. For those machines that require an indifferent electrode to be held, this is necessary because the electrical current may be influenced by factors such as humidity in the air or metallic substances around the machine if you are not touching the metal device.
In computerized electrolysis machines, the indiffernet electrode is required in order that the machine can sense when the needle touches the skin. A complete circuit is needed for this feedback when doing computerized thermolysis.
And then there are some machines that work without the client holding anything when thermolysis only is being performed. The actual high-frequency current is largely dispersed throughout the body into space and some does return to the machine. So, when having thermolysis with older equipment, you don’t need to hold a metal bar or plate to complete a circuit as you would for galvanic electrolysis.
With the silhouet-tone machine you mentioned (don’t know which model) you can do all three forms of electrolysis,galvanic alone (D/C current), thermolysis alone (A/C current), or Blend (D/C current with A/C current together).
So she’s telling you true. I’m just wondering why anyone does galvanic electrolysis today? It’s sooooooooooo slooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Thermolysis or even the blend would be worth your consideration so you don’t go broke and have to wait until the decade is over to be finished.
Dee
thanx dee…so galvanic is the lady that mentioned she does direct current only right?
well she sounded a bit rude on the fone to me lol i asked her if she does a test patch with consultation…and shez like i have had no one eva request me anything as such of me…why would you need the test patch i mean thats when i do the actuall treatment…so i said well i need to see how the treatment look like…and then shez like have u had electrolysis b4? i said yeaa i have…then she goes well you should have a good idea then what the treatment should look like so i told her to her face if m gona be paying 60 bucks for an hours worth of treatment id like to have some idea before hand as to what i should be expecting b4 i go signing up for an hour of treatment and told her il call back when later to make an appointment…but now m thinking maybe not lol
thanx dee…so galvanic is the lady that mentioned she does direct current only right?
Yes, that is correct.
You know, most electrologists operate independently. We are ususally the sole proprieters of our own business and we are use to doing office practices our own way for our own reasons. She obviously doesn’t incorporate sample/test spots into her practice because she thinks it is an intrusion on her time, of which she may have very little. That doesn’t mean that she isn’t a skilled practitioner who will leave your skin looking great in the end, minus the hair. Sounds like she is who she is and she’s letting you know that up front.
If you are looking for a galvanic practitioner, then you will have to overlook her personality, because I don’t think there are many electrologists “out there” that still do this slowest form of electrolysis. I am assuming, though,that if she does galvanic only, that she is doing mult-needle galvanic,right? I sure hope so!
If you could find a skilled thermolysis practitioner, you’d find your time to completion considerably less.
Dee