So I did another session today and although I love what the electrolysis is doing for my hair, its making my current skin condition worse. My electrolysist said the same thing because these bumps all over my chin even though I’m exfoliating daily with a mild chemical exfoliator. She told me to hold off next week & visit a dermatologist. Shes really good so i dont think it has to do with her skills or technique. Area where I didn’t get dark spots I am now getting with the electrolysis. I just don’t even know what to do anymore… hair is slowly going away but my skin is getting worse & worse and these damn bumps hurt.
Less is usually more, when it comes to exfoliating already irritated skin. I would attempt to improve your healing capacity with help from inside, zinc, vitamin c and probiotics. You mentioned in your post that you have issues currently with you skin. Any digestive issues? these are often related. A good naturopath would be my first choice or an MD who practices Functional medicine. It is always a good sign when your practitioner is as concerned as you are. She knows that your healing is sub par, and that this would present no problem for a typical client.,
Current skin issue is only on chin area. I look like i have a skin disease. Thats how bad the scarring is under my chin. The rest of my face is pretty clear. I get little to no break out nor do I have pigmentation problem. My hair however is coarse and I am prone to ingrown hairs which leave severe dark spots under my chin. I use to tweeze but i stopped years ago. I now just use a depilatory cream or clip the hairs really low.I know the root of the problem is the hair and I have to get rid of it but seem like when one thing works, something else is occur. I also have high testosterone level so I think I might have to just take the metformin or even spironolactone to really control the hair growth 
You can look at pictures I posted prior on other post. FYI this is my 5th treatment and she is only working on the left side to ensure that the hairs get lil to no growth.
Thank you for directing me to your photograph, definitely worth a million words in this case. Dee or James would be best to advise you. Is your hair naturally really curly? Did your skin improve slowly after you stopped tweezing the hairs? This will not be an easy ride for you at all and I hope that your practitioner has lots of experience with similar cases. All I can say is try to be extremely patient and tolerant for at least 6 months. Then beautiful smooth , hair free skin will begin to re emerge.
They already gave me their advice and I took it. And yes my hair is naturally curly. All the dermatologist is going to tell me is that I should do laser & use vaniqa. When I did the laser the bumps weren’t there… I just got extra hair growth. I doubt I’ll ever be " hair free" but as long as I can keep it to a minimum & reduce the darkness I’ll be good. I just have to figure something out that will work for me. I will continue to do electrolysis on other body parts that don’t have as much hair.
The way it sounds my situation is one of a kind lol
Thank you for taking the time to respond! Greatly appreciated.
Ali, dear, my heart is heavy for you now. Don’t panic. Keep to your program and just keep getting the hair removed!
One thing that jumped out at me is your use of depilatory cream. The harsh ingredients in depilatories can trigger inflammation, thus can cause hyperpigmentation. It is so irritating to the skin. These caustic depilatory creams burn off hair at the skin line. They can cause irritation and allergic reactions. How long are you keeping the cream on your skin? These chemicals should not be applied to damaged skin. Here is your recent picture so others don’t have to search for it:
Can you cease using that? Please reconsider continuing with electrolysis on these rough areas. It will pay off. Keep talking to your electrologist. Expect nothing to be instant and yes, do something to correct the out of whack androgen level.
Spironolactone is highly effective for the treatment of hirsutism even though it does not have FDA approval. Some researchers have reported a 40-80% reduction in new hair growth with spironolactone. Full effect may take 6 months or more. There are other antiandrogens on the shelf, too, that your doctor may want to use, but with any of these meds you will probably be prescribed a birth control pill to prevent pregnancy while on this classification of drugs because birth defects can be a problem if the fetus is exposed.
For metformin, the new research I have seen reports that this med, in conjunction with dieting, shows that patients may experience a 10% reduction in their Ferriman-Gallwey scores. Here is what the Ferriman- Gallwey chart looks like:
Some research shows there is little evidence of using metformin for hirsutism.
So the these meds kick in fully at six months and aggressive electrolysis care kicks in around six months. Nothing is easy here, but you will be better off going forward in baby steps, knowing that a better day is waiting for you.
Cosmetologist here. Exfoliating your skin “daily” is way too harsh and can lead to severe irritation and pigment problems down the road. I know the temptation is there to try and scrub away your problems, but I guarantee you that will not help. Keep up with an intensive electrolysis program and try to stay “hands off” with your skin except for using a gentle cleanser and moisturizer. An alpha hydroxy product can help, too, but do not use it on broken skin. Once the hair is gone and the irritation subsides things should improve.
I agree with C O’Connell, look from the inside out. Find a good Naturopath who will work on getting things in balance internally. As a qualified beauty therapist I would not recommend daily exfoliation, far too irritating. Once a week would be ample. Also depilatory creams can cause reactions. Cool packs can be useful to take the heat out irritated, inflammed skin
Elaine Marley DRE, ITEC (Brisbane)
Thank you guys. My endo told me to try acupuncture to help with my testosterone level. She said it helped her a lot with her thyroid issue. Also I don’t keep the depilatory cream on for long. Just 3 minutes of the 6 minutes I should leave it on for. This is so frustrating because I was told to exfoliate daily with the chemical exfoliating face wash I have to help with ingrown and also was told that I can use the depilatory cream on my chin to help with hair bumps. Thats actually came from a top derm so its like what do i do now .Uggh I’ll figure this out some day…
I still don’t understand why your electrologist will only work on one side of your face. I would not stand for that and I would personally find somebody else. Doesn’t she realize how frustrating it is to have hair on your face as a woman? Maybe you wouldn’t have to use the depilatory this way. I have mentioned Dr. Eckstein’s Azulen paste which is a zinc creme that you can buy online for $18 in other posts. I use it after every electrolysis session and I swear by it. I can really tell a difference when I don’t use it in terms of bumps/ scabbing. It lasts a long time (one jar lasted me about 4 months of using it 1-3 times a week). I look forward to your progress!