So I have what i always thought was an UNUSAL hair growth on my face, Im a 35 year old woman and could grow a beard better then my father, but for years i have shaved and hidden. Only being honest with my BF and a few close girl friends!
Finally about 5 months ago i lost it and my mom offered some financial help and i found an electrolysist and was on my way.
Its been so painful emotionally and some phycially, i have just laid there as big tears fall from my eyes, ive broken down after treatments and cried for hours, not from pain, maybe relief that RELIEF was insight!
Now months into it, 2 to 3 one hour or one and a half hour treatments a week, i still feel hopeless. I see results, i know its getting better, but I itch, i get these crazy ingrown hairs that are ugly, i always was acne free, i break out all the time, and there are sometimes these blue dots under my skin that work themselves out and are just this black thing!!!
I have PCOS and i take no meds, i am fairly healthy with fairly reg periods, and little pain, I worry that this is all in vein. That I will do this for years and be broke and still hairy! I payed a large sum up front and so I am into this now paid in full, well payed til tax time, but i just feel like I am losing it, like i always look gross, and the bumps are so ugly, and i cant shave or it worsens it and i have to work in the public!
Is there hope?? Can my hormone inbalance actually keep this going forever, coz Id like to snuggle up with my honey and not hae him feel my stubble, id like to wear my hair up and Id like to feel “normal”…
Id appreciate some words of encouragement!
Thanks!
What is the electrologists set up like? Machine name? Magnification? Do you feel tweezing? Are you getting cleared everytime? What is your aftercare routine? What modality of electrolysis is she/he using? Do you see full bulbs after she lifts the treated hair out? Have you sampled as many electrologists as possible to compare semsation and healing factors? Why did you pay up front and how much did you pay for what?
Breakouts? Itching? these can be minimized with a good aftercare routine. Is the electrologists office clean? Are sterile probes being used each and everytime? Not all electrologists are the same. There has to be an high standard of care and techniques used on the electrologists part to get rid of the hair and a high standard of cooperation on the clients part to get this done asap. You are only five months into this. You are putting your time in, but I don’t know what modality of electrolysis she is using or how accurate her insertions are?
Dee
How many electrologists have you tried before starting? It sounds like you may want to sample around and get 3-4 more sample treatments from others in your area. Expertise and modality used as well as the machine makes a huge difference in the comfort of treatments and the lack of side effects.
You should also be using proper aftercare, i.e. witch hazel several times a day and tea tree oil at night, to help the skin heal well.
How dense and coarse is the growth? If it’s truly like a man’s beard, you may get a relief from a couple good laser treatments first that will get rid of the bulk of coarse hair and any ingrowns. Then finish with electrolysis on the rest.
It really takes 5-6 months to see true improvement and abotu 12 months after your first clearance to be done. Since you have PCOS and are not on any medication to control it, your body will probably produce more hair in the future after you’re done with treatments, so you just have to be ready to go in for a touchup once in a while. You won’t have to go all the time though, like you are during these treatments. So don’t worry about that.
Meanwhile, concentrate on finding a good skilled electrologist who will get your first clearance fast, so that you’re only coming in after to kill those new hairs that pop up once a week or so.
Thermolysis, that is the type, i looked at the machine real well, she said she has had it for a few years and its clean and neat. I sometimes feel the tweezing and ask her to turn it up, when the volts are higher i dont feel the tweeze! and i like the volts, LOL, JK. I am not getting cleared every time, i have gone through a full clear and it lasted about two weeks with touch ups once a week, then i got new growth, this can happen several times right, with the way hair is dormant and whatnot. I live in a small area, and she is the only trained licensed electrolysist here, i have great testomonials on her. I have talked to several clients, she is always BUSY with appointments.
I use witch hazel aftercare, some days I do not clean enough, busy with kids and work, have gotten a small bottle and cotton balls and i tote it around with me! =) I use noxzema in the shower and before bed. I found this product called Quench and I love it!!! I always watch her put a new probe in and her office is very clean.
I paid up front because my mom had helped with that and I wanted to just get it out of the way. She gave me a free session so i could see what it was like, it left a rash, almost like i had fell on cement on my chin, where the hair was so thick and dense, but it cleared up in a day! And i decided to pay for it and GOOOOOO!
I think part of the fustration is I am use to chaving sometimes twice a day and I no longer do that, i have stubble, either a few dark ones or GREY or thick blonde ones course, not like the fine facial hair, and it bugs me something fierce! I only shave now if i dont go for a few days and a new patch is evident.
She has been an electrolgist for over twenty years and I know the glasses she wears are like coke bottles! Way more then the mirror I use at home.
Today my skin feels clear and healthy, no bad break outs and only a few ingrowns, but i havent had a treatment sense thursday, and I do today and tomorrow so the after care CRAP will be back for a few days! I notice when I am in the heat, i live in a cool climate, but when ive gone to the heat after treatment it gets cery irritated! I stay out of the sun, when i have gone swimming and camping, which i avoid for 24 hours at lease, i wrap a silk scarf around my neck and chin and wear a bit hat!!! I dont want scarring!
I just feel so manly and HAIRY!!! I have hair on my chest between my breasts and around my nipples. She has cleared most of that and i have had very little regrowth. So that makes me happy, but it was not as course as my facial hair! A mans five oclock shadow, i had that by noon! I only ever shaved, no tweezing no waxing! I no longer see the shadown on my goatee area but i am so critical of myself! I am beautiful, i know this, i have a lot of confidence and belief in my self and my appearance and the way i take care of myself, but the letting the hair grow and having the rash or a few scabs that clear up even in a day make me want to hide! Much more so then the hair did! I think!!! Im just at a point the past two weeks that i feel what is the point!!! I need something to get me over this HUMP!!!
Thanks~ =)
I feel the same way. I’ve dealt with acne for years, so I am used to it, but I worked really hard to keep my skin clear and now it always looks broken out and I always have to use a bunch of concealer. I can’t even hardly use the retin-a I’m supposed to use everyday, so my skin isn’t as clear, doesn’t heal as fast, and doesn’t have as nice a texture. That’s a big part of why I want to get this over with as soon as possible…or even when I was only going every 3 weeks my skin got a chance to heal in between. I’m hoping to get clearance soon and then parts of my skin will get a chance to rest.
The coarse hairs are terrible. My advice is to go as often as possible so you don’t have to deal with hiding them. Luckily I only get about 4 every week now so they’re manageable. Plus when you go often and don’t have to see all the hair collecting you feel more normal and don’t get down on how you look. Except for the skin problems of course. 
Also, try salicylic acid for the ingrowns.
salicylic acid? what is that? Never heard of it. How does it work and where do i get it?
Oh the collecting hair sucks!!! I never used concealer and i think i have used a tube and a thing of powder sense i started, we will keep clinique in business…LOL
=)
That’s jsut something present in most acne medications and cleansers. Your Neutrogena one may have it. It dries up acne.
It sounds like everything is going well. You just need to realize that there are many hair cycles to go through, which will take about 12 months or treatments. You’re only at 2 months, so you’re on your way, but be prepared for most growth and killing it as it comes. If you do what you’re doing on a schedule as you’ve been doing, you’ll be coming in less and less and eventually won’t need to come in anymore. Same applies for the other areas you’re treating. One or two treatments are not going to be enough there either. Hair will cycle for at least 9 months.
It’s a gentle exfoliant also known as BHA. Paula’s Choice makes good bha products that helped me with the ingrowns I’d get on my chin when I used to pluck. At least with electrolysis I don’t get ingrowns it seems. And also it seems that I get less clogged pores on my chin. Maybe the blend straightened out my pores or killed the oil glands or I don’t know what. I’m getting awful clogged pores on my cheeks without the retin-a, though.
I hate putting so much makeup on my face. I use MAC which is supposed to be best for matching your skin, but my concealer still looks orangey on me.
Electrolysis can have beneficial outcome besides hair removal. Many of my acne clients tell me their skin looks brighter and claim that it has helped their acne. The also report that friends look at them and say something is different about their skin, meaning, their skin looks healthier.
I am finding the opposite! I always had flawless skin, other then the ingrowns I would get at the crease in my neck, that real tender area that moves the most when you look around, or creases when you sleep, now i get horrible HUGE pimples! I have one on my cheek today! Just gross like I am 15 yet i never even had acne at 15! I think it is aloe, i think aloe clogs my pores!
I try so hard to not touch and have found out sense the electro started that when i was nercous I would run my hand over my stubble on my chin or side burn, i think it was comfort, now i have to be all wide eyed and NOT touch!
I have never been a make up person, i wear plenty of eyeliner and shadow and mascara but never foundation, and i have been, maybe that is the problem too!
I have to say that I feel like I am ready to give up, i have saved another grand to put towards this, and I am ready to say forget it and buy my kids something.
I feel more unattractive now then i did with all the hair! But at least Im “out of the closet” so to speak about my hairyness!
I thought i was not suppose to use an exfolliant on my face and neck with electro. I just need a different after care regimen. The witch hazel and aloe arent cutting it, the quench PT really calms my skin, but it has aloe too.
HELP!!! I really want to wear a noxzema mask for days!!! Its the only thing that i can stand!
I am just a mess this week, on top of getting my tender area that i get the worst ingrowns mentioned above, cleared in the past two days, Im on my period! Which could account for the huge pimple, but why now!!! Why never before?
I have no idea if you are getting good electrolysis care or not. That could be a problem. I have no idea what you are doing after a treatment. Touching the area with unwashed hands? working up a sweat? letting the dog lick you? sleeping on a pillowcase that hasn’t been washed at least every week? laying on the couch, touching fabric that hasn’t been washed for ten years? letting the kids touch your face with germy hands? Kids are lovable, precious dirt balls, you know 
Aftercare should be washing your face with a mild soap like Purpose. Applying the witch hazel at least 4X per day. Using the aloe vera gel as much as you need during the day. Using tea tree oil at bedtime, just dabbing it on those troubled areas.
The process to remove hair permanently called ‘ELECTROLYSIS’ is not the culprit. I and many others do electrolysis daily and have done so for years. If this is done correctly with a decent to excellent modern professional epilator, a skilled well-trained professional using good vision wear with a quality light source - you will not have to feel like you need a to wear a Noxema mask! If you are taking hygienic care of your face after a treatment for a few days to seven days time, all will heal just fine. Something is missing here on either or both sides if indeed this huge pimple is related to electrolysis.
Electrolysis is fabulous and will bring you to a high level of satisfaction. I know because I do this for a living. I observe healing and insist on feedback from my clients. Instead of giving up, talk to your electrologist about this. Observe her washing her hands and donning gloves. Ask her to wipe over everything she touches during a treatment with a disinfectant, as you watch, so you are assured that you are in a clean environment. Does she use a pre-packaged sterile probe every time? Do you see her open the package? Does she sterilize the forceps? Do you see evidence of this? Does she answer a dirty phone while treating you? Does she touch a door knob with her gloves in the middle of a session? As for you, analyze what you are doing after treatment. Keep your HANDS OFF YOUR FACE! Keep your face clean. Use the tea tree oil as described. Do not dip a used cotton swab back into the bottle. Use a fresh one every time. Wash your hands before you do the aftercare. If you are not doing your part, you may be rubbing bacteria all over the newly treated area and causing the problem yourself. If you give up because of self-inflicted infection, then you have no hope of ever having permanent hair removal. Little actions not taken or observed can equal big pimples.
THank you~ Today I feel better! The area looks better, and the pimple is smaller.
I try to do good after care, I let her cleanse and apply aloe before I leave, and then cleanse at least four times a day on my own, however i will buy tea tree today, it was never suggested to me, that is the thing, suggestions, we all have such different skin! what works for some might not work for others, on my jawline i had hours of work so far, and never once did it break out or was it barely even red!
I always observe her b4 the treatment and she does all you mentioned, I am a bit obssesive! So nothing gets by me.
the area that she worked on, that crease area on my neck, is so sensitive, I can handle hours of work in other places and not feel pain or hot, or anything, i have a very high tolerance for any pain, but this area is so sensitive. I am forced to use LMX before hand on this spot. I go back today to get the right side and she shallow at my throat, and here goes the redness all over again.
I really doubt the pimple is related to electro, I was just feeling overwhelmed with my growth and how it looks, maybe its superficial, maybe the fact that i work in the public eye and today Ill feel so unnatractive, because I know the hair is there, and the rash it is still a little red.
The five oclock shadow on my chin is gone, she has done a full clearance there, the first time i had no regrowth for three weeks, and it took just about a half hour to touch it up and the regrowth is the thick course white hairs that she will get on each visit when i go in. Basically above my jawline from ear to ear is clear, i do have a few areas of dicoloration that appear to be deep hairs to me, getting ready to come out, but im no pro, but i do know my face and body WELL.
I just think that it gets fustrating, why am i in this situation in the first place! WHY ME! Ya know. I really think I should get rid of my magnifying mirrors and stop looking! LOL, just let her do her job and be patient!
OH and is it true that an oatmeal facial is okay, i love them! And can you suggest an over the counter product to help with ingrowns, like i said i have never let my hair grow this much, and i get several, she will give them a little zap to see if they will pop out if not she has me stop by real fast the day after treatment to see if they surfaced, and I really don’t pick!
Thanks a million, I am starting to feel not so alone and traumatized! I in a sense feel like I am losing a close friend, if that makes sense, ive lived with this hair for 15 years, and seeing it go away forever, it makes me happy yes, but is also kind of a HUGE life change, the prize to me is always worth the fight tho!
When I think about it, I used to rarely break out on my chin and then, after I started tweezing and threading, I started breaking out there but didn’t make any connection until I brought it up to my dermatologist and he looked and said, “That’s not acne, those are ingrown hairs. You appear to have some hair growth there.” Poor guy, he’s nice and was embarrassed to have to say that.
BUT, I started threading around the same time I started retin-a, so who knows what increased my facial hair more.
However, it’s great that with electrolysis my chin is clear of the ingrown hairs and is clogging much less.
I purchased some lavendar and tea tree oil, i mixed the oils with an extra virgin olive oil base, this was the suggestion of the herbalist here at our loval herb store, the oil she suggested from the store was to pricey, and i tend to have dry skin even with the ingrowns and pimples i get in the area, I started this on friday, and my neck looked so much better by saturday! Perhaps it was how it would have healed anyways, perhaps it was the tincture.
I go to my electro appt tomorrow and cant wait to see if this mix helps on day one.
I spent the day at the river with my family and friends yesterday, feeling like a bank robber as i tied a bandana around my neck to avoid sun contact,I was a little concerned about swimming in the river and bacteria, but it is fine today. Is 24 hours a safe bet for swimming? We have great rivers here in Nor Cal and i live to go swimming.
I am suppose to work on my upper lip or that is the area i want to do tomorrow, clearance will only take about 10 minutes on each side, it is very sparse now, but the hairs arent seeming to grow out. they came out of the skin and now have just kind of sat there doing NOTHING! Is this a normal occurance?
We tell people to use the Tea Tree Oil after treatment, and/or overnight for at least 3 days. We also ask that the skin is kept clean and dry for 24 to 72 hours, and to avoid tanning level sun exposure for the same 24 to 72 hours.
TendSkin is highly recommended for ingrowns.
I hear all these brands, and different suggestions for ingrown and whatnot, but never a suggestion where to get the product. i live in a very small city, we have a target and a kmart and that is about it.
I am finding today that my skin on my neck is soooo DRY!!! If its not one thing its another HUH!!! LOL.
I usually have about one day a week that I am not self conscious of my skin and face. It heals and starts feeling normal and then its back at it. I do appreciate looking in the mirror and seeing that the hairs are so much sparser! Is that a word??
You all have given me so much hope and advice. I have to use LMX tomorrow for my lip it is close to unbearable! Still so tender with the LMX. Any other suggestions. I have a huge pain tolerance, my electrolysis tells me when she had treatment she could only handle a half hour at first and she would cry. I sometimes get big tears that run down my cheeks, but not from pain, its from the thoughts of what a huge problem my hair growth is and the fact it is finally being handled! Being out of the closet it so NICE! My close friends and co workers know what i am going through so there is no questions asked.
My kids, they are great, they tell me how good its looking and reassure me Im still beautiful.
This is all making me think i should get trained, i was a cosmotologist back before kids, and once my electro retires, there is no one else in the area who practices, just an idea, maybe this is all part of a huge life change. Love my job now, but to be able to do this for ppl who are going through what i have, that might be priceless!
I bet you would be a great person to work as an electrologist.
I also get tears running down my cheeks during treatments. It’s not like I’m crying, but maybe it’s an unconscious reaction to the pain. One electrologist asked where she hurt me enough to make me tear up but I told her I always do that.
And also I get so tired after 1 hour treatments that I need to lay down and rest. I think maybe that it also due to the stress of trying to ignore the pain.
You can buy TendSkin and pretty much any product online. Just Google it. Tea Tree Oil is usually avaialble in health food stores. Witch hazel and aloe vera gel are available at most drug stores.
If you’re finding treatments painful, consider using a numbing cream or take an painkiller. Some areas like toes and upper lip are painful regardless…very sensitive.
Upper lip work can cause a tearing reaction even when it doesn’t hurt. It is a reflex. You can pluck an upper lip hair and get a tear.