I'm dreaming of a hair-free Christmas

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
1

I posted last week in the feelings section, but thought I could start a diary here since I start electrolysis on Wednesday. I hope this is the right place to keep a treatment journal.

I am a 31 year old, probably considered relatively light skinned (I try to avoid too much sun anymore) and from my observation, extremely hairy woman. I have always had thick, coarse dark hair on my face, legs, arms and stomach. >I wonder if being sexually abused begining at a very early age (6 yrs old) has anything to do with this, as I went into puberty very early and started menst. and developing at age 9.<

So,by age 12 I began shaving the upper lip and plucking my unibrow. And, since then, I have shaved my upper lip nearly every day. On the days I don’t shave, I try not to leave the house and pray that no one “pops in”. I also do not leave my house without base make up and powder on my face. This is in a futile attempt to cover the ragged razor burn streaked across my top lip and the long sideburns under my ears across my jawline. I don’t know if the makeup really does anything besides highlight the scabby rash, but I have some little quirks that won’t allow me to comfortably communicate with others when I am bare-faced. Going swimming is hard, as is camping and anytime I am in direct sunlight, even with the cover-up.

And, I also have alot of coarse black hairs on my chin, which I have faithfully plucked daily for years, and oh boy! Was I ever surprised these last few days!! When I called to set up my initial consultation, my electrologist told me to stop plucking the chin hairs and to shave them instead. Well, apparently, I thought the hairs were just re-growing as soon as I plucked them, like within a day or two, but I now think the truth all along was that there was just ALOT MORE HAIR! And, now that they are being shaved instead of pulled, I can see so so much by the end of the day. I have 5 o’clock shadow instaantly on my lip, but it kindly waits until 4:45 to come out on my chin, which SUCKS, because I usually work at night and my work involves being face-to-face with people and I am very self-concious.

I think I have the trico-what-ya-call-it because I have had a very hard time not plucking these last few days. My hands are constantly on my face. I normally tweeze while driving, talking on the phone, watching tv and using the computer. I also take it upon myself to completely anihilate any blemish that I can reach, on my face or body or my darling (and thank God, understanding) hubby’s body. I will preform minor surgery on myself, using a needle, tweezers, or whatever and I am in a kind of daze until the ingrown hair is out, or whatever is bugging me is gone. I have also always been a nail biter and constantly want to pull the skin around my fingernails. I love to have manicured or acrylic nails, but my fingers, hands and arms are so hairy that I am usually too embarrassed to subject the poor nail tech to such a nasty job. I sometimes use hubby’s electric beard trimmer to cut down the hand and arm hair, and if I want smooth legs, I spend 45 minutes in the shower to shave and by that evening I am prickly again. My underarms always seem to have razor burn and stubble, no matter how I wash, shave and what kind of deodarant I use.

I guess I used to be considered attractive, but in the last 2 years I have gained 50 pounds and definitely don’t look like I used to. I did some modeling before, years ago, but can’t stand to see pics of myself now, because all I notice is the streak on my upper lip. Also, I have had two tubal pregnancies and suffer from migraines that come like clockwork every month the day before I start, but my hormone tests all come back normal. My family doctor won’t run anymore tests and the only endocrinologist within 100 miles refuses to see me without a referral from the family doc.

So, off to electro I go. And, as I said in the previous post, it will be over 200 miles round trip. Hubby is exasperated, but will endure nearly anything for my happiness. He says he loves me no matter what and the hair isn’t very noticeable, however the mother-in-law clearly let me know that it was two months before we were married . For my birthday she wrapped up a disposable razor and when I opened it (in a public place, with people watching no less) she said, “I thought it could help you with your little problem.” I was, understandibly, mortified. But, of course, hubby sees his mamma as doing no wrong and just trying to help. Anyway, that was 5 years ago and we somewhat have a relationship now, but I sure would like to be hai-faced-free by the next time we see her (Christmas? Is this too soon to expect visible results?)

So thanks for reading this post and any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Also, If there is somewhere in particular I should run a treatment diary and a way I can attach photos, please let me know. I hope to help others thru my experience.

2

A couple important things:

  • You should get tested by an experienced endocrinologist. What you describe can be signs of PCOS or another hormonal imbalance which has to be treated while or before you get permanent hair removal since it causes NEW hair to develop consistently. Having being sexually abused has nothing to do with it. It would be a hereditary condition or something potentially caused by things like thyroid issues, ovarian cysts, etc.

  • Electrolysis will be great for your facial hair. However, for the body that that’s numerous and coarse laser hair removal would be faster and cheaper alternative to get rid of the majority. Areas like legs and underarms get great results. Any area with coarse dense hair would get good results with proper laser treatments. Please read the FAQs at the link below to learn more.

  • What type of electrolysis are you getting? Have you done the research with the help of this site to find the right experienced person? Are you going 100 miles away because there is definitely no one in your area that can treat you?

  • The plucking issue you describe is a type of OCD. You could find support groups in your area to help with dealing with it. There are also many OCD specialists and clinics that you can contact if you’d like to learn to control it.

  • Even though it’s hard, you should try not to pluck at all. Electrolysis will be a waste of money if you continuously pluck. I used to overpluck my eyebrows in the same way and had electrolysis done to battle this issue. Reminding myself how much time and money I was spending helped me not touch it.

  • You will see visible results from the start since you should leave your electrolysis appts hairfree every time and then come back in 2-3 weeks and leave hairless again. After 3-5 months, you’ll see a considerable difference and will have to come back less and less often.

  • You can post photos at www.photobucket.com and post the HTML tags here.

Good luck!

3

A couple of things:

I hope your tweezing that takes place when you are in the car, is when the car is not moving. No more tweezing now if you going to start electrolysis.

I hope you privately scolded your darling mother-in-law about her insensitivity and demanded that this not happen again.

I hope you know that most of us are obsessive compulsive and do little things like pick at out fingers and hair to relieve anxiety. Whenever I see one of my daughters doing the finger picking thing, I say, “Come close to me so I can hold your hand”. She gets annoyed, but she stops immediately because she doesn’t want to hold my hand for some reason???

Be aggressive, ambitious, consistent and optimistic as you start electrolysis. Onward march until the enemy is crippled - for good.

Dee

4

Um, I am almost certain that the electrologist I am going to see tomorrow at 11:00 am is one of the best I could ever see, so I am looking forward to seeing her. I went to another lady who is very close to me once before, and she was a joke. I got zero results, she runs her place out of a house and used tweezer-type devices, plus it just didn’t seem sanitary. I have been in tattoo parlors where they were more concerned about cleanliness. Anyway, after she plucked out a bunch of hairs on my lip, she rolled this metal roller thingy accross my lip and said it was reverse electrolysis, which made me think, If electrolysis removes the hair will this “reverse” method make it regrow? Is this her idea of job security? lol
I actually have “lost” my tweezers (my “good ones” anyway, lol) and now look like sasquatch with random hairs sticking out all over my eyebrows, so if I can see to drive tomorrow, I promise I won’t pluck on the way. wow, what a missed opp that will be, an almost 2 hour drive where I don’t pull a single hair! I can’t say that I have ever been alone in my car and drove anywhere and not pulled a hair. Why can’t I have OCD that makes me work out or clean my house? lol
Well, today I am so so so excited, I hope I can get all my work done, but I just can’t wait for my appointment tomorrow! I thought I would be getting depressed, but I am feeling such a sense of freedom and empowerment that I am going to finally “face-up” to this and deal with it!
As far as the m-i-l situation, she has always been good at making negative comments about her daughter in laws, but veiling them to “sound” like compliments. Like, “Oh it’s so good so-and-so gained some weight, she was probably starving herself to stay a size 10” and things like that. However, last Thanksgiving the Lord had His way, as she needed heart surgery and hubby and I were the only ones to come help right after, so I fed her, changed her clothes, etc, and she was literally fully exposed, all of her flaws and secrets, as I not only saw her naked, but also her house that was in complete shambles. I didn’t feel better, though, I just felt pity.
And, lagirl, there is no one else within 100 miles besides the yucky lady, who, strangely enough isn’t listed in any listings anywhere. And as far as the endocrinologist, I have always had cysts on my ovaries and my mom has fibroid tumors in her uterus, however, the doc says I have stable hormones. But, to me, it’s obvious that have too much testosterone and I will see a new gyno the first week of July, so I might get a referral.
Oh wow! Tomorrow I could POSSIBLY be hair-free on my face! WOW! I feel like the day before Christmas! YAY!

5

So, after day one of REAL electrolysis:

Um, it did hurt a little, kind of like a tattoo, but without the cutting you open feeling when a tattoo artist does the outlines. Also, I learned alot about how this will work and how I will look in between.
Right after the sample treatment(chin), I was very bright red, swollen and sore and I told my electrologist that I didn’t think it would be a good idea to continue, but within 30 minutes it was almost back to normal, and I actually called to see if I could turn around and come right back in. I did, and then we set to work on the upper lip. There are some areas there that were alot more sensitive, so I did feel more than I was expecting, but it’s not really painful, more like a tingly sensation then a slight tug on the hair. My hairs are (as I suspected) a little thicker, coarser and tougher than the “normal” girl, so I will have a long road before me.
We didn’t get the first full clearance, which was my fault, because I shaved in the morning before I came, and ther wasn’t enough length to grab onto. Next time, I certainly won’t shave the day of treatment. I have some little tiny scabs where she had to “dig” a little to bring the hair to the surface enough to grab it. But, it’s nothing major. My lip does still look a little puffy, but I need to get some aloe, and I am sure that will be a big help.
My aftercare has been cleaning with witch hazel, and I did get some tea tree oil, but haven’t used it yet. I am wondering if I should ice my lip today, as it is a bit puffy? All in all, though, I am hap-hap-happy! I know all the hairs we zapped yesterday are gone for good and I will be able to see an endocrinologist to be checked for PCOS soon, so it’s all good!
My electrologist’s machine gives me a little printout of all of the info from my session, and even has a running total, so I can post that on my first initial session, she worked 16 minutes and did 58 insertions on my chin. Then, when I went backtwo hours later, we did 36 minutes and 141 insertions, for a total my first day of 199 insertions and 52 minutes. She used an Apilus Platinum with an insulated size 4 probe. I go back next week, same bat-time, same bat-channel, but I won’t shave that morning and we will acheive my FIRST FULL CLEARANCE!!! YAY!! I am so looking forward to being hairfree, and I know this will be a long journey, but so totally worth it!
All in all, I am pleased with this outcome and excited about next week!

I’ll post another update then, as well, and she might be sending pics I can post, as well.

6

I am just wondernig, how long did she work on your upper lip? My electrologist stopped working on me after 10 minutes saying I have had enough treatment for that day (my first time as well). She probably removed close to 80 hairs because she was working quickly (one hair every 5-10 seconds). I am a little dissapointed as only about a quarter to a third of the hairs were removed and I don’t see myself getting first full clearance for a month! I wish she worked on me longer.

I have booked another 15 minute appointment today and I am hoping she will work a full 15 minutes instead of cutting it short this time.

7

Angel,
After the swelling reaction I got, I am glad she only went about 15 minutes. My hair is thicker and coarser than others, and the bulb is much bigger than the follicle opening, which means there was alot of trauma to that area. So, I swelled, plus she did have to pick a little to get the hairs to the surface, since I shaved them a little to short that morning. I will be willing to do longer next time, now that I know what to expect for the next couple of days.
I ran a bunch of errands today, and every single woman I saw touched her upper lip and every man purposely looked me directly in the eyes. Plus, a few kids tilted their heads at me and looked at their mommy inquisitevly <sp> So, I am going to be kinda puffy, scabby and swollen, but soon you can add Bald-Faced to that too! YAY!

8

I have a hard time believe people can be that mean… Maybe you were overly self counscious? I had my upper lip treatment yesterday and she did not want to work on it for more than 10 minutes (I have LOTS of fine hairs above my lip - I posted a picture in my diary). It was quite a bit more painful than the first time too! If you can take longer treatments that’s good! You will get your first clearance soon and will only have to keep going for maintenance sessions.

9

Be it known and underscored that when one presents with very coarse, dense hair growth on the upper lip or chin, for example, that it is possible to get a full, first clearance with a longer appointment as long as the client understands that swelling, redness and perhaps some scabbiing is to be expected for a few days to several days after treatment. If this is not acceptable because of school, work, personal or family concerns, then it is advised to approach an area much, much slower, with a scattering of hair removal over several weeks.

The first several sessions will be the hardest and one shouldn’t expect the skin to look a little pink with no swelling afterwards, especially if one presents with very coarse hair that has been tweezed or waxed for several years before starting electrolysis. If the skin is in sub-par condition (redness, flakiness, ingrown hairs, hyperpigmentation) caused by ANY temporary methods previously used, then we need to do some common sense assessment and balancing up front. Everyone has different healing powers, so factor that in as well. If I see that a client is having a hard time accepting what I describe as a normal, temporary healing reaction, then I will shy away from pushing for a first, full clearance and by all means take the hair off at a much, much slower pace.

It is impossible to promise a new client that he/she will have no pinkiness/redness, swelling or scabbing in the first several sessions when the hair is very dense and very coarse. Talk about challenging, well this qualifies and one cannot leave as they looked when they first came to a session. A first treatment has to been done, proper aftercare has to be followed and feedback has to be given so adjustments can be made, if necessary, early on. No better way to do this. This is an imprecise, balancing act due to many variables presented, that we can or cannot control in the beginning and I personally spend a lot of time explaining this concept to new clients. If I sense that a client is very nervous and cannot accept or may “freak out” about temporary side effects, specifically called, the inflammation process or that good aftercare is not being adhered to properly, I will back away and slow this way down.

Angel, It sounds like your electrologist is trusting her instincts. If she were to get you a full, first clearance, she may sense that you would be very upset about your skin reaction??? She’s going to save herself some headaches and thus, limit your session, whether you present with thin hair or thick hair. Be glad that she’s extra cautious. She can see you and she is trying to understand your skin. Full, first, clearance is awesome, but I won’t do this if I feel the client is too jittery about accepting temporary inflammation and swelling. A slower approach allows both sides to sleep well at night.

Thanks,

Dee

10

Wow, I am so glad that I am here on hairtell! I am learning so much and drawing encouragement and strength from everyone here.

My healing is really alot better, and I think that the good aftercare is the key. Plus, I know what to do BEFORE my next appointment so my reaction should be less profound. But, I am expecting to stay home that night and the next day, just in case. Then, if it’s not so bad next time, I will be pleasantly surprised, however, if it is a bit more pink and swollen than normal, I am prepared.

The cool aloe and ice pack feel great, and I am sure these speed healing. I am ready to face this hairy issue face-to-face and I do not want to give up or stop until it is gone!!!

11

OK, I had my 2nd appointment yesterday and we did the chin first~ 347 insertions with a #5 probe and had FIRST FULL CLEARANCE (yay!) in 61 minutes!!! It is healing up very nicely, and actually was nearly normal before I even left her office.
However, when we moved to the upper lip area, there were more obstacles than I had expected. We had 252 insertions in 51 minutes, and I kept making her stop because of the pain. I am looking pretty bad there today, but I know it’s mainly due to razor burn. When I would shave, tearing across the skin which was trying to heal, then just ripping it up again everyday for the last nearly 20 years, the skin got ravaged. It was constantly trying to heal itself by growing new skin, which just makes a little flap of skin over the hair. So, I am NOT even really shaving the hair, but ripping the skin layer over the hair, thus leaving a dark shadow from the hair right above the skin and a red irritated area. So, it always looks horrible, but now at least I know that eventually it will be completely done with. Someday, I have hope, SOMEDAY I will be free of this hair that drives me so crazy!!!
I still have a lot of hair on the upper lip and have another 2 hour block on for next week. I just hate not being able to wear makeup for a few days afterwards. I know it looks awful, and I really think it bothers people and makes it hard for them to look at me.
Aftercare is: Witch Hazel 3+ times a day, 100% Aloe that I cool in the fridge, then Tea Tree Oil dabbed on at night before bed. I am also going to get some little ice packs tomorrow.
Also, today I went to a new gyno and got scheduled to have my blood and hormones tested for PCOS. She said we will do an ultrasound, too, just to see of there are any physical signs. She also told me the way they will probably treat it, if I do have PCOS, is with birth control, and since it’s impossible for me to get pregnant because I lost both fallopian tubes to tubal pregnancies I will probably look into that instead of glucose treatment.
I am really battling some serious depression right now. I feel completely at the mercy of this hair. Please pray for me.
Thanks.

12

Generally, one small area like the upper lip (this area is especially sensitive) shouldn’t be treated for over 15-20 mins. 51 mins seems like an overkill for just the upper lip. You should probably space out your treatments a bit more so you’re not overtreating one dense area.

13

That’s a very long time for the upper lip area on a high setting. Be careful that you don’t have permanent damage caused to your skin from this. The skin should have enough time to regenerate between treatments so you don’t get pitting and/or scarring. Was your skin pretty much healed from the last treatment?

14

There are some exceptions here.

Working a longer time on an upper lip is highly possible when certain brand computerized epilators are used with the correct probe size. Generally speaking, an upper lip time range is between 10-30 minutes for ceratin modalities and older epilators, but this is not so with newer technology, special techniques and probe choice.

I have cleared many severe upper lip problems, with two hours of work at one time being the highest time needed to clear an upper lip on a transgender client. I am currently working on a 19 year old male who wanted his total upper lip cleared. He has very coarse red hair. Total clearance has been done in three, one hour sessions. He looks great. The trade off is swelling for 24-48 hours, which is helped along with ice.

If I was still using my older epilator from the past, I could never attempt longer sessions on an upper lip. The middle upper lip is the toughest as far as sensation matters goes.

15

I had my upper lip treated with a Fischer machine (I believe it is a new model) for 10 minutes on high. My skin had redness for 7 days and swelling only went away on day 2. It is still slightly red. That is why I wrote the response I did to a 51 minute treatment for imosm. I read some horror stories about scarring and such.

16

I am not going to comment on anyone’s epilator choice and I certainly am not in a position to know their level of skill, but will tell you that an electrologist has to do a lot of weighing and balancing according to what an individual initiallly presents with… If skin has been severely compromised by years of temporary measures that have caused redness, thickening, ingrowns, flakiness, etc. and they want very coarse hair removed, but cannot let the skin heal before starting electrolysis because letting the hair grow means they can’t hide their problem, then you have some hard decisions to make as to how to proceed. Discussing this with the client will lead to a plan of action. Just getting this very irritating hair initially removed can be a giant first step to helping the skin to heal, but it “ain’t” going to look pretty at first.

I understand your your response, angel, and thanks for weighing in, but I want to make this a well-rounded discussion because there are no cut and dry rules that apply to every upper lip case. Some cases are very, very complicated and are out of the realm of what is generally seen by most electrologists. These average cases for an hirsute female hair can usually be handled in a 10-30 minute session, but when one presents with a severe problem made worse by years of temporary hair removal measures, made worse by a disease within the body (something we don’t know about imosm yet) then the whole strategy changes with the client totally engaged in that decision. Again, better equipment/tools of the trade make a difference in how aggressive one can be to get the hair off fast.

Dee

17

Dee, 10-30 mins may be fine, but the person above was treated for 51 mins on just the upper lip AND what the reaction they describe sounds like overtreatment.

18

What she was saying is, she was a mess before electrolysis treatment was started, my point being her only option to this cycle of damage is to remove the hair which has caused her skin damage before electrolysis was even started. Electrolysis did not cause the mess she is talking about, shaving for twenty years did. Naturally,it follows that her upper lip will look rough after an electrolysis treatment. Considering that 51 minutes? Stopping several times during treatment probably translates into several minutes lost when treatment was not being done. This hardly qualifies for overtreatment. How else is she going to stop this cycle of skin damage if the hair is not removed? Where do you start? This is where weighing and balancing comes into the picture. If she waits for the skin to heal perfectly before starting electrolysis (months and months) and lets all the hair grow out in the process, how can she face people? She is not talking about whispy hair on skin that is in excellent condition. This is a severe case of upper lip hair, coupled with years of skin damage caused by improper shaving and maybe PCOS, unlike the problem you had, lagirl, when you had your lip treated for finer hair on beautiful, intact skin, I’m sure, and I say that with upmost respect for you.

19

It used to take me up to 30 minutes weekly to clear my upper lip and my electrologist works quickly, so I’m sure I had AT LEAST 250 insertions. I got one or two tiny scabs the first few times I went in, but my skin has been great otherwise and redness goes away completely within two hours. The hair is pretty fine and my electrologist uses a microscope and seems to make pretty accurate insertions.

20

OK, boy has this got some stuff stirred up…Let me respond…
\First of all, I am going into this as an educated consumer and with a fair level of understanding as far as the technology and skill levels, and I know ALL of the factors that are at work in this situation. Please remember, I am driving 2 hours each way for this, and I asked my electrologist for the longest possible amount of treatment. We agreed to work towards the first full clearance, and I have known going in that this might not happen in the first one, two, or even three sessions. I walk around with a substantial amount of damage on my skin on a daily basis, and have been for years. I always, or should I say ALWAYS wear make up when I leave my house, which does hide the rash and skin damage (some), and since I have been receiving electrolysis I have cut down on that practice quite a bit, especially for the first 2 or 3 days after treatment. This is what makes it so hard for me to deal with. Not being able to go through my normal process of covering up my problem is making me have to, literally, face this issue head-on.
I have no question about the level of skill or professionalism of my electrologist. I am confident that she has the top of the line equipment and the knowledge and training she needs to operate it properly. I also realize that this is a two-person job, and if I don’t do my part, (as in trying to maintain and improve the condition of my skin, not worsen it as we move forward) then I can not expect to receive positive results.
I wish my case was just some fine wispy hair, but it’s not. If I don’t do something on a daily basis to remove it, I can grow a fuller mustache and goatee than my husband. I have very thick coarse hair and fairly light skin. Sometimes, when my electrologist pulls hairs she will show them to me and I know they are larger and thicker and “healthier” than a normal woman’s facial hair. And, the bulbs on the roots can be twice as large or even plumper than the individual hair.
I am not being over treated, I actually wish I could go longer so we could get the first full clearance, but that’s not possible because of the pain and honestly, the cost factors in as well. If I could afford it financially and socially, I would rent a room and book a weekend marathon session until it was all cleared.
Honestly, it doesn’t look that bad at all today. The swelling is completely gone and not a single straggler on my chin has peeked out, plus she did such a terrific job at thinning out the hair on my upper lip that I simply snipped some of the remaining ones with some tiny scissors and it looks closer to a normal woman’s upper lip than it has for a very, very long time.