I finally did it! I scarred myself.

Hair Removal Methods Do-It-Yourself Electrolysis
#1

Well, we own up to our mistakes.I’ve long preached about a certain amount of safety that the blend afforded me. So there’s no excuse then I should have ignored all my own warnings about using strait high frequency in a DIY situation.

There’s warning on this forum that DIY is risky and hard. I urge everyone attempting DIY to fully heed those warnings.And in order allow my experience to add to that chorus I will present to you what went wrong, and why.

High Frequency currents have the ability to cut skin . I’ve chopped off skin tags as big around as my pinkie finger like a hot knife through butter with high frequency current. Lets not kid ourselves folks, improperly used HF currents can cause a lot of damage.

For this reason I have typically used blend for all my facial work when performing DIY. The relatively low amounts of thermolysis used in the blend implementation on an apilus epilator are in amounts too small to cut through skin. So, no matter if my insertion is not spectacularly accurate, I am not going to cut myself as a result of the high frequency.

Today, after not touching my face in a good six months, having some androgen fluctuations due to missed pill doses in that time, I found myself with some quantity of course hair on my chin and upper lip. I also had some eyebrows that needed addressing in a most serious way. But instead of dragging out my trusty SM-500 and swapping out the VMC that is resident in my treatment room and which I use every day, I decided to do a little thermolysis on my chin, cheeks, upper lip , and then eyebrows. I know better! But I disregarded my usual precaution and proceeded with the VMC in thermolysis.

I only removed some of the hair from my face, the worst of it, before I found myself impatient and moved on to my eyebrow, heretofore known as the unibrow. I have some of the thickest course hairs on my brows, all the way almost to the eyelid for some hair, due to repetitive plucking for over 20 years. I havent got to do too much to them as I was always working on someone else but I have done some cleanup in blend on them. The first few hairs went fine. Then I attempted one on the lower part of the eye. My insertion angle wasnt good and there was pressure on the probe outwards on the skin, resulting in a small nick/cut .
It’ll heal, it’s small and I’m not too concerned. It was silly of me to try and use thermolysis on my brows. I suppose I could sue the practitioner, but I dont think my insurance company would go for it!

Folks , I’m not just a DIY’er. I have a certificate for a 500 hour course in electrolysis and practice damn near 7 days a week.If I can make this mistake anyone can. The reality is, that when you DIY you are making reversed movements in a mirror and sometimes, your insertions are not perfect. That spot on the top of the sideburns. Too far under the jawline. For all of these things, my recommendation is NOT to use pure high frequency on your own face.

There’s been a lot of talk recently , in professional electrologist groups, that DIY’ers should not be working on their own faces. I’m usually the first one to stand up and say “No,it can be done safely, my face is proof”. But the reality is when you DIY your insertions are NOT as accurate. Unless you want scarring, I do not endorse the use of thermolysis in a DIY facial project. Save the thermolysis for areas like legs or arms that you CAN see and insert properly, but stick to the blend for DIY facial work.

Seana

There you finally get to hear me say it. I screwed up! I screwed up!

Ok, I’m over it

#2

You could try micro needling on the scar if it doesn’t fade away like it normally should. From what I have been reading online, fresh scars tend to get the most benefit from this practice.
I hope you recover without any lasting marks.

#3

Oh I;m sure it’ll be fine. I dont think it’s to noticeable and it should heal. Not so much question in this post but a learning experience, which is I think much more valuable. Lesson learned, let my business partner or the other electrologist on staff do it!

#4

Funny title, Seana.

I’m pretty sure you will . I worked on a FEW crazy hairs on my forehead hairline and blew a hole in one hair follicle. Im totally healed. It’s awkward to get great insertions on most parts of the face.

It’s so frustrating to not be able to do your own electrolysis.

#5

You are not alone with scars by electrolysis in Your face. I have also done a few on the lower lip. Permanent although there has been some improvement over the years. And on the eyebrow. Everything done with blend.

Meanwhile i have done a lot on myself with thermolysis. Perfect healing (ok, a lot more practice…)

It’s so frustrating to not be able to do your own electrolysis.

Especially if Your neighbouring colleague causes a bit more pain, does not see all the tiny hairs i also do on my clients and has a higher hourly rate than You.

#6

Haha! Beate. I can not even get into see my colleague. We are both pretty busy. We make an appointment with each other and always seem to cancel because of this or that. I do not charge other electrologists when I work on them, but I have only worked on less than six. That would have to change if the number of requests increased. hehe!

#7

This is the same problem I’ve been having Dee. My partner is too busy, and slowly shutting down to go off and have a child. My partner at home ( nightfrost) used to do it, but it’s been too hectic at home. And the other electrologist who works in our clinic is only here for short periods a couple days a week.My neck I’ve not tried seriously to do myself. It irriates me that the most efficient modality is denied me.

#8

There need to be two of us, Seana.

#9

I’m here, doing what I can, though gosh I’m busy these days.I’m honestly already having issues with that whole work/home life balance thing ( or better described laack thereof) but I’m piping in where I can. Mind, I cant do anything anyway :confused:

#10

Sorry to hear that :[

Found out yesterday that it’s surprisingly simple to convert a usb webcam lens to a macro lens. All you do is take it apart and unscrew the lens a bit. Also you can add a tube made of dark paper and tinfoil lining if you want to move the webcam farther from you and zoom in.

I’m hoping it will make the difficult to get at in the mirror areas easier. Havn’t actually tried to use it for electro yet though, debating what to scrounge for a movable arm for it. Also I’m unsure how much the lack of stereo vision will matter.

And I made a rambling blog post with pictures about it here

#11

USB handheld microscope on Amazon for less than 50 bucks. Celestron…go for the lower power one.

#12

So I tried out some practice insertions the with macro webcam. Turns out depth perception is indeed important. Also annoying was my webcams sluggish exposure auto adjust when adjusting the cam and light angle. After about an hour of mostly jabbing my probe into space I managed to be able to get insertions down with some regularity although still slow and I didn’t actually turn my machine on. Time delay and frame rate with my Logitech C270 wasn’t an issue.

Definitely harder than with the mirror but for hard to see areas still an improvement. Hoping that working with the lack of depth perception is a thing that you can get better at and seems like it is so far. Keeping my finger tips clearly visible in the frame helped a lot. And the lack of depth perception for the webcam is worse than like keeping one closed depth perception, maybe the narrower depth of field or angle or not the best resolution causing it.

But the webcam mod is free :] (if you already own a usb webcam)

#13

I thought this might be an interesting post to come back to. I took a picture last september showing the damage I though I had done. I never ever posted it, To be honest it made me a little squeemish. I truly thought there would be some ongoing evidence of this severe transgression of electrolysis gone bad.

I was convinced there would be some line, some part of this minor cut that would show up ongoing.a paler bit of skin perhaps? Well, I just spent about the last hour trying to get a really good clear picture on my now upgraded phone of the area the damage had been. I have the original to compare too. Except now in april 8 months after, I can find absolutely no trace of the damage done comparing the Exact area the damage was done. Nothing. nada. Not a wrinkle or crease or discoloration.

Dont sweat the small stuff folks. our own minds are our worst enemies in such situations.The skin has fantastic healing capabilities. Let it work.

#14

So is that why all you electrologists don’t use those $20-$50 USB videocamera microscopes (such as that manufactured by Celestron) that can give you 100X or 200X magnification? Because of depth perception?

What is the difference between the Opmi Pico and the Opmi 99? Which one gives higher magnification? I had two electrologists who used both those microscopes, and one told me that they were using a magnification of 1000X and the other told me 1300X. Then I read on this HairTell forum that one of those Zeiss Opmi microscopes only gives a magnification of 24X!!! Do you think my electrologists were lying to me? What about the ones manufactured by the Chinese company Zumax? Are they inferior?

#15

Lag from the video feed.

#16

Ton … Madonna Mia!

#17

Ton the biggest issue I have seen with the digital microscopes is the latency time for the computer to process the videoimage. It’s unacceptably slow and so the image isnt really helpful. 24X is actually pretty darn magnified and more than enough to practice electrology. I use an 8X circle lamp, which gives me a good wide angle view of my working area. I also have a pair of 3.5x dental loupes and a 3.5x circle lamp. I do work a little better with the 8X but I will say I get a top notch close up view with 8X. I completely lose depth perception with the loupes and that is a concern with going up to a microscope as well.I’ve had another electrologist trying to get me to buy their microscope, but the truth is at the moment i cant afford more upgrades to my business and 24x wouldnt gve me much of an advantage over 8x, so 100-200 times magnigication would be sillyness.I need a wider perspective than that.

#18

Seana,

Your lamp has 8D(diopters) which is only 3X magnification.
If it is realy 8X you will not have working distance.
I work with stereo microscope and I do not have problem with the depth perception.

#19

no, dimi, its 8x magnification. I have a 3.5X ( 5 diopter ) circle lamp as well and there is no comparison. I special ordered this magnifier in. the working distance is not great you have to get the magnifier closer to your work but there’s adequate room to do so.

Montreal is only an hour and a half up the road, would you like to come try it for comparison?

#20

Thank you for the invitation, Seana!
I do not know when I will come to Ottawa but for sure I will come to see you. Also you are invited in Montreal to try my set up.