I could really use some advice. I’m 25, a female, and have horrible facial hair. I was diagnosed with PCOS. I have really light skin and reallllly dark hair. I’ve gone to Ideal Image and almost got pressured into spending 1000 dollars on a package for my upper lip, my chin and my neck. But I’ve heard so many stories that it doesn’t get all of the hair, that it still grows back. Is electrolysis a better way to go? I’m so frustrated! Any advice or tips will help! I spend almost 30 minutes every day bleaching and plucking and it does no good.
Hello!
I don’t know what Ideal Image is, but I wouldn’t purchase a package from anyone until I had a lot more information!
Electrolysis will permanently remove the growing hair. It will not stop the cause of hair growth, however, it IS the best solution for women who have hormone related hair growth.
Continue bleaching, but do please stop tweezing the hair. Repeated tweezing/plucking usually results in larger diameter hairs and can result in damaged skin from the picking of hairs that become ingrown. Cutting the hairs with scissors or even a razor will simply cut the hairs off at the surface - and WILL NOT result in more hair.
Look for an electrologist, in fact, get consultations with several in your area. Compare skin reaction and results - not cost. Faster results with little skin reaction will cost less in the long - even when you compare the hourly rates!
To estimate the length of time you need for a treatment: Keep track of the number of minutes you are actually plucking each day for one week. Your first appointment after one week of not plucking should be about that many minutes.
Remember that it takes many months for all of the hairs you grow to cycle in. Hair follicles can be resting for many months, too. You did not grow this hair overnight and you cannot get rid of it that quickly, either.
Electrolysis treats the hair follicle, preventing it from growing another hair. Find yourself a good electrologist.
I agree with Barbara on every point she made.
I never recommend laser for a woman’s facial hair. Never. I have observed several cases of laser hair stimualtion and I don’t think it is worth the gamble. To be fair, I have observed good reduction, but they still need an electrologist to get the finer, lighter hairs afterwards. So why spend thousands for facial hair reduction for laser only to have to switch over to electrolysis and spend more money. Electrolysis works on any hair color, any hair structure on any skin color. It’s a one stop program that really, really works.
A professional electrologist who knows how to expertly use the better technology that is offered will eliminate facial hair for good. A substantial computerized epilator brand, excellent vision wear and excellent lighting gives a skilled electrologist the ability to move along with deadly speed. You get cleared faster and stay cleared forever as both of you tackle those hair growth cycles over the next year to eighteen months. Sample as many as you can and compare skin reaction and sensation.
If you can find someone that expertly performs MicroFlash or PicoFlash thermolysis, you would be crying tears of happiness as you leave her/his office cleared of hair each and every time. Toward the end, you are on the table for less time and your appointments spread out to every 4-6 weeks as oppossed to weekly, then every 2-3 weeks, as you need to experience in those beginning treatments. Weekly appointments relate to hard core tweezers, but after 8-12 weeks, weekly appointments are not needed. GET A FIRST FULL CLEARANCE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (important concept to heed). Most of my PCOS clients can get that first, full clearance in 3-5 hours, but as I say all the time, everyone presents with their own unique hair density thumbprint. It may take you more or less time, depending on the abilities of your electrologist and her equipment. Aggressive behavior is good in this case. The hair needs to be punched hard. Punching hair hard means just that, but the at the same time the skin heals nicely within a week, with no scabbing. That takes skill, but that is one of the guidelines you should be looking for when choosing an electrologist. You will still get permanent hair removal eventually if your choices in your locale is less than the above described.
Dee
Ideal Image is a widely advertised laser hair removal company here in Idaho. I know they have other locations across the US but not everywhere. My thing was that they told me I couldn’t pluck or bleach while doing the treatments. I will take your advice and stop plucking, but glad that I can still bleach. It does help, but I have a lot of hair. On both sides of my chin I have at least a square inch of dark course hair and on my neck a little more. Thank you so much for your information. I’m looking up professionals today!
It doesn’t sound like you have a lot of hair for a professional electrologist that performs microflash or picoflash thermolysis, but a picture would help. It will be slower for blend, but you will still get permanent hair removal. Your choices may be limited in your area, so don’t give up until you consult with all you can.
I’m going to post some pictures as soon as I get my camera back from my parents house. I am still bleaching, but the hair is so thick and coarse that it doesn’t bleach all of it. It is EXTREMELY noticeable and I’m starting to lose my patience. I read an article once that advised against shaving the hair because it creates male-like pyschological issues (??) and my skin is so white and it’s really sensitive, so I’m afraid if I tried shaving it, it would really irritate my skin, along with the fact that everyone would be able to tell. Plus I also have a lot of blonder peach fuzz like hair around the thick patches so I’m afraid that would start becoming more noticeable as well. FRUSTRATING! Thanks for all of your advice, I really appreciate it.
Please listen to the experts on the forum. I did the mistake of not listening to them 3 years back and went for laser on face and neck. After that, my hair just went out of control. I kept bleaching them until they were 2/3 inches long on my neck and sideburns. Then I started trimming and bleaching them. I am glad that I started electrolysis 6 months ago. With 27 hours of on and off treatments on whole face and neck, situation is undercontrol. If you stick with the schedule given by your electrologist you can get it under control in lesser time I guess. I strongly recommend you to find good electrologist in your area. This may be disappointing sometime but that is the right way to go. Good Luck
And Manda, please listen to “127”. She’s been there.
In keeping with this thread, I get incredibly frustrated when I see comments like electrolysis is for those that have 50-100 hairs on their face or it’s for small areas only. Many electrologists would be laughing and shaking their heads about such a crazy declaration. We, electrologist, can clear hair far beyond 50-100 hairs in just minutes! Most who have stepped forward can do 500-1,000 hairs per hour!
The laser faq’s is a good piece to read, but the part about electrolysis is so wrong and even though I asked lagirl to improve that part, and she willingly complied, it is still not as accurate as it should be. It reflects the worse scenario about what sub-par eletrologists can offer.
This kind of information leads people to laser when it is really not the best choice, especially for facial hair. Always keep in mind that the electrologist you go to, should be a skilled professional. Equipment issues figure in here as well and I believe in staying updated with the newest and best technology, however, in the end, it’s the person using the equipment that will make or break the end results.
Glad you are finally getting what you deserve, 127. Once again, another satisfied electrologist consumer who approached her hair removal needs correctly.
The non-electrolysis people pictured on this page would laugh at hearing that facial work were impracticle, and that only 50 to 100 hairs at a time can be done with electrolysis.
Maybe we can convince lagirl when she gets back to tweak the electrolysis part once again. Nice, nice work,James.
Damn, James those pictures in that link are so encouraging!!!
And Dee I’m just a regular person out there but I don’t think the idea of electrolysis being useful for small areas is wrong. To be fully correct I think the statement should be “electrolysis is good for small areas only unless you have a brilliant practitioner.” I think if anyone does electrolysis for big areas they risk damaging their skin for a long time if the practioner is not brilliant. When I did the first one hour sessions at the back of my neck with one unskilled practitioner I can guarantee you that I would have terrible skin conditions, and probably irreversible skin damage had I not switched to a different practioner.
I don’t know but as a customer I would say electrolysis applied to large areas is not such a great idea unless you have a really really good practitioner. After I had those 3 hours I have to say I’m disappointed that so many people are eligible to do electrolysis on people when they are not talented enough. Let’s remember that when the skin hurts it is signs of something bad may happen. So I would think the larger areas you would get more pain. Please don’t get offended with anything I say but I think the electrolysis world needs to be more cautious, not everyone should be allowed to practice it.
We are not offended.
We share your worries.
Anything we say about the capabilities of electrolysis is of course assumed to be GOOD ELECTROLYSIS, and not sub-par performance. That’s why we are so unpopular with so many in the industry, when we harp about education, equipment and continually upgrading both.
Trust me, I have had clients come to me who had spent tens of hours working on nothing but an upper lip, and getting pock marked in the process, then we get started, and I clear their whole face in a day or three, and we get on schedule for maintaining it in that state. They spend less money and get more hair removal, with less skin reaction.
I think I can get everyone here in agreement when I say, If you can’t get good work done where you are, you should be looking farther and wider for better work elsewhere. If bad electrolysis work is your only option, one should shelve the project until better possibilities are available.