I don't think my skin is having a good time

[HollyDaze]

I went to an electrolysister yesterday for my facial hair. This was our first session together and my second session ever. She did full (almost) upper lip. One, I should have gone with somewhere less sensitive to start or with a test patch. Two, I definitely should have used numbing cream. Not the worst hour of my life, but somewhere up there. But hey. I didn’t know any of these things going in and hindsight is 20/20.

This is the morning after.

Obligatory question: am I going to die?
In seriousness though, after poking around the forum and the internet at large, I’m pretty sure this isn’t particularly usual. If you could please let me know to what degree I should panic, that would be wonderful.

What should I do to help my face heal and would it be wise to wait a couple weeks before another session? Should I schedule with a dermatologist to have a gander?

I’m just gently rinsing it with hand soap and water and slathering menthol and dye-free aloe gel on it. Before bed I heap a generous portion of some kind of aloe-containing lotion to keep it moistly covered through the night (I also sleep with a fan pointed at my head which doesn’t help; this is non-negotiable). My usual facial skincare routine consists of not doing anything to it, not touching it with my fingers, and drinking (roughly) half of Lake Mead each day.

I don’t know what technique she used (I swear by the burning smell, it may have been thermolysis, but idk anything about anything). I can certainly text her, but I’m very sure she’ll be uncomfortable with my sudden inquisition. Not that it bothers me though My first electrolotogologist used the blend method. She was very keen to tell me all about the process in un-retainable detail, which I appreciated. I would have stayed with her, had the VA given me the choice. I’ll certainly look into seeing what hoops she’d need to jump to get approved.

This was the second day after my first electrolysis session (with blend) and, though I was mildly concerned at the time, this is what I feel is a more typical reaction. I thought I’d toss it here for reference on what my skin has done before, if it helps. It is in a less sensitive area though and the density was lower then (I had been going monthly to laser right before so it was sparse, but it has since returned in full force and much darker than before ).

Any and all help/advice/wandering thoughts would be most appreciated!

[Bono]

I had been planning to do a video on these situations. I never can express myself in a few sentences … but I’ll try … knowing that I’ll be misinterpreted and maybe make a few people angry? I hope not; that is not my intention at all. Please don’t get angry; I’m only trying to be helpful.

In your case, clearing off all the large hairs was the cause of this over-treatment. I don’t know what the rush was to get all the hair removed “immediately.” And yes, clients often PUSH electrologists to clear-off all the hair NOW. They just want it GONE … RIGHT NOW!

Thinning these large hairs, say ever 4 - 5 and LEAVE THE REST for another later appointment (until appropriate healing) would have been my strategy. Sorry, yes, shave between the treatments until the area can safely be cleared. Clients hate this.

Electrologists should not have a strategy that fits ALL clients. Instead, the particulars of the individual client should dictate your strategy. “One size” does not fit all!

The upper lip is particularly susceptible to this sort of problem, because the upper lip is a flap of skin with a more limited blood supply (see illustration) … unlike, say, the back with a large collateral blood supply from all sides.

I always told my clients: Okay, “so you will be very unhappy that I didn’t clear-off all your upper lip hairs … however in the long run, it will be a small annoyance to be totally certain that your upper lip will not be marked by the electrolysis itself?”

Here’s another point sometimes missed (and I was going to put in my video). … Remember SWELLING is a normal part of the healing process; and it can take many months for the swelling to go away. Technically up to a year.

Now, imagine that you are clearing off the upper lip every few weeks (even monthly). Thus you are working on tissue that is already swollen and therefore looks nice a full. Any mark of wrinkle actually caused by electrolysis, will be “puffed-up” and hardly noticed. However, once treatments are completely finished and the swelling goes away, then you might (at that late date) see the damage that was caused by the over-treatments. This is the case with Caitlyn Jenner’s upper lip (if you can find a photo that was not Photoshopped.) Caitlyn’s upper lip and the “classic” chin areas show signs of, well, not being the best outcome. And, of course, Caitlyn had the “best-of-the-best.”

I know that the “clear it all off every time” is THE most popular strategy these days … but it’s always a good idea to re-consider everything that we assume as “appropriate treatment.” I must have 100 photos of this upper lip and chin problem.

And, over-treatment on the three danger areas does not have to happen if you take your time and are very conservative with those areas. When in doubt … thin that area; don’t clear. I would rather have a client mad at me for leaving “all the hairs” than mad at me for causing blisters and scars that show up a year later.

Years ago I removed a beard from a guy with terrible acne. I saw him a year after we were finished and wondered if he had lost weight. No he had not … it’s just that the continuous swelling of his facial tissues finally went down and I could see this real thinner face. Indeed, THAT was my “A-HA” moment.

If possible try to see clients that have been finished-up at least a year after the treatments. People think, “well, maybe those wrinkles are just age related.” But maybe those vertical wrinkles WERE caused by excessive electrolysis treatments? Even clients seldom make the connection; especially after a whole year goes by and the skin SLOWLY goes back to normal … they don’t connect the dots. Dr. James Schuster had a whole 60-minute lecture on this subject, and invented a few new terms for this exact problem … The tape was available on tape … I wonder if it’s still available? Maybe thru Prestige Electrology Supply?

I’m not saying that anyone or any strategy is WRONG; and I hope people don’t get uncomfortable because I’m not addressing anyone or any strategy in particular. This is a VERY common situation with all electrologists. I’m just saying that treating large close-together (contiguous) hairs has been a big warning in virtually every electrology textbook ever written. Hinkel would “lose it” if he saw a student clearing off an upper lip … especially BEARD upper lips.

Looking at your photo, I’m guessing you had a dental block because the sides are not treated … and the anesthetic does not numb those outer edges. Getting a dental block is also an invitation to just clear it all off. Damn, I wish I had more time to really get into this subject. Then again, John Fantz already posted on-line that I died a couple days ago. Nope, still here causing problems!

[Iluv2zap]

I must have missed Mr Fantz’s declaration. I’ve been avoiding face book , mostly, cause I’m just too darned busy. I think I need another vacation.

[Bono]

Me too and I’m getting a long vacation too …

[Red_headed_stepchild]

Laser usually doesn’t work well, or work at all, on the face for multiple different reasons. It can cause a paradoxical increase in the amount of hair there. However, it can take up to 6 months for the weakened or paradoxical increased hair to grow in/ grow back.

I agree 100% with Uncle Mike that even though clients are often very impatient, it is best to not rush to clear the area completely especially with thick dense hair, for the sake of long-term skin health.

The more aloe vera and witch hazel you apply to the area during the first two days after treatment, the less scabs you will have. Antibiotic ointment the first 2 nights at bed time also helps with scabs.

It’s okay to wash with a mild cleanser or hydrogen peroxide and rinse with water.

Hydration is very important for electrolysis. Try hydrating before and after with Smartwater or alkaline water.

I would let your skin heal up for at least a month before trying another session.

Numbing is good, although it can be a problem because if you’re not feeling the pain, and if the electrologist is not paying attention to the skin, there can be a lot more damage.