Can anybody explain what to expect as far as regrowth during electrolysis? After you’ve cleared an area once, when can you expect to see hair there again, and will it be thinner right away? Thanks!
We are born with millions of hair follicles on our bodies. Those follicles will be active or inactive, depending on many factors (stage of life, nutrition, medications, general health, etc.). In active follicles, the hairs are in a constant state of growing and shedding (and resting) in unsynchronized cycles. At any given time an unknown percentage of your currently growing hairs are showing. Once an area has been cleared once, you have many other hairs under the skin that will emerge when it is their time.
“Regrowth” sounds a bit like the growing of formerly treated hairs. I “think” what you are asking is: When will hairs emerge after a single electrolysis clearing? (IS that what you mean?)
During the consultation for electrolysis the electrologist should ask you what methods (if any) you were using prior to seeking electrolysis. If you were doing nothing, then there will be hairs emerging through the skin withing 10-14 days. You might not notice these hairs for awhile. If you were shaving, the same is true, but you might notice the hairs within 7 days as larger diameter hairs grow faster than smaller diameter hairs. If you were tweezing and it’s been two days since you tweezed you will see hairs in two days; if it’s been a week since you tweezed you will see hairs in a week.
Is that what you are wanting to know?
When you ask about “thinner” do you mean hair diameter or hair density? There are several terms we use in this profession that have double meanings and that is one of them.
So once you do a clearance of the hairs that are present,will they be gone completely or do they become thinner and require further treatment i think that’s what he/she is asking maybe ?
im also baffled with re growth as some electrologists say hairs might come back thinner and others say they are gone and any new hairs that are appear were inactive hairs.
Yes – what he said. 
When a hair is removed, is it removed permanently? And one should never see that particular hair again? Just new hairs that weren’t there at the time of first removal?
Or does the hair normally return in one form or another and need to be removed two or three times before it never returns again?
There is not a lot of scientific research on electrolysis and hair growth. The training electrologists receive and the things we observe result in a difference of opinion on this topic.
My instructor taught me several things I’m not so sure of. One thing she taught was that every hair follicle has multiple papillae and as a result every follicle will need several treatments. (I do not subscribe to that one, however some follicles DO have multiple papillae.)
What I go back and forth on is the teaching that hairs will become finer (in the single follicle) as treatments progress. Some of my clients have hairs that I describe as sequoia trees or giant redwood trees. Is it possible for the electrologist to destroy a hair that is 1/64th of an inch in diameter during one treatment? What is best for the skin in this situation?
Regarding normal hairs: (These are equal to or less than the diameter of .007 mm or somewhere around 1/128th of an inch or less) These hairs should be gone with the first treatment of that follicle. The factors involved to do this include the skill of the electrologist and the lack of tampering with hairs by the client.
The question that is impossible to answer is: How do you know which hair has been treated before? Afterall, we are born with millions of follicles and the hair that grows from those follicles show up in unsynchronized cycles. Electrolysis will clear the visible hairs you have today and other hairs will cycle in at their leisure making it look like the hair is regrowing.
What you can expect is a progressively lessening of visible hair if you are consistently receiving electrolysis treatments. The only obstacle to this expectation is if there are factors in your physiology that contribute to excess hair growth. These factors are:
*Excessive production of androgens by the ovaries (PCOS: Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, tumor)
*Excessive sensitivity of hair follicles to androgens (genetic)
*Excessive production of androgens by the adrenal glands (NCAH: Non-Classic Adrenal Hyperplasia, tumor)
*Insulin Resistance (HAIR-AN Syndrome: Hyperandrogenism, Insulin Resistance, Acanthosis Nigricans)
*Excessive production of cortisol by the adrenal glands (Cushing’s Syndrome)
*Menopause
*Medications
What many electrologists and clients observe is that after going through the prescribed treatments there are still visible hairs, but different (smaller diameter) than the originals. One “cause” of this might be that we have all types of hair growing. Vellus (.001 mm), accelerated vellus (.002-.003), and terminal (.003-.007 mm). Accelerated vellus often indicates that hairs are slowly turning into terminal hairs.
So…did I answer your question or did I confuse you?
I only stand on top of my table and clap for the very best of the best posts that are posted here. This one deserves a clap and a shout on a 10 ft. ladder. Wonderful explanation, Barbara. Just wonderful.
Good post, Barbara, and while I agree with some things, I’m sorry to say that I strongly disagree with this statement:
A few days ago we have seen a clear case of “instant regrowth.” In one of his books, Michael Bono gives us the keys to interpret the true percentage of regrowth and even he goes further, he lists some of the likely causes of what and why things went wrong. If he is able to make a diagnosis by taking a glance at a photo of poor quality, we should be able to distinguish exactly which hair has been treated before with our magnifying glasses. The question is, do we want? or we prefer to impress the client with a boring treatise of possible causes which cause the arrival of hairs when the most likely cause is a genetic inheritance and / or the mere passage of time?.
Everything would be much easier if our efforts are targeted to learn from our mistakes, and recognize them when they occur.
That was extremely helpful, Barb. Thank you!
I’ve just begun electrolysis (facial on a woman) and I’ve been removing the hairs for over 20 years “by any means necessary” which means there’s nothing I haven’t done to them.
After a month of electrolysis now, (just working on a first clearance – that’s how much I have!!) my electrolycist commented that she’s very pleased to see that the areas we treated during our first session a month ago are still looking almost hair-free a month later (with just a few hairs, which she thinks may be new) because she would have expected quite a bit of regrowth after a month.
I was alarmed that she would expect that! I thought hairs were supposed to be gone once we remove them. And it concerned me. I didn’t mind that some new ones were there, but I was concerned that she was so surprised to see the ones we’ve already removed not returning.
But your explanation makes sense! Perhaps she thought because of the 20 plus years of ripping them out, shaving them off, torturing them and whatnot, that it might be harder to destroy them permanently in one shot. Or perhaps because they’re very thick, she expected to have to remove them a few times. Or maybe she thinks that each hair has multiple papillae – who knows? But it sounds like it’s not a reflection of her skill or anything that she was expecting those hairs to come back.
Thank you!
You don’t see regrowth after a month if the first go around was efficient and precise. What you will see is new growth, hair coming to the surface that wasn’t there a month ago. Hairs CAN be treated thoroughly the first time, with the one and done approach.
For some, it is jut easier to throw around the word regrowth, even though that is not accurate.
My question was for the consumer.