I’ve been seeing a professional certified electrologist that has been in business for years, for 2.5 months to treat hair on upper lip and chin. I’ve been having 1 hour sessions every two weeks. Some hairs were treated more than 3 times, it seems.
But they still come back I am not sure whether this is working, and feel discouraged. How many times on average should a hair be zapped to stop its growth completely?
I also would like to ask for advice on covering the hair as it grows back before the session. I am a professional woman who has to work most days before treatment, and of course there is some growth that I am embarrassed about. Any advice on bleaching, makeup, etc. would be much appreciated.
Since it’s only been 2.5 months I don’t think you can say that some hairs were treated 3 times - these will be other growth cycles coming up that will need treating too.
Some will say you need to wait longer than this to judge results (and you do) but still, if you are working on a concentrated area like the upper lip and clearing quite a lot each session, you would start to see some results by now. For example, the hairs are coming through more slowly or that there are generally less than when you started. It should be looking clearer for longer.
If you were someone who waxed/threaded before starting, it’s kind of hard to assess this because you probably never let it all grow through to see what kind of level of ‘full growth’ you had.
Some hairs only need to be zapped once if all the variables are right.
You can bleach whilst having electrolysis, I bleached before electrolysis and still do. It just depends how thick the hairs are, thicker hairs don’t bleach well. I would bleach the area and then trim down the hairs that didn’t take. The electrologist shouldn’t have a problem with either thing really.
Perhaps your electrologist should explain the process to you again.
Each individual hair has growing and shedding stages. These constantly growing (and shedding) hairs also grow in cycles that are not synchronized with one another. It is very important that clients understand that the total amount of hair one has will never be growing during a short span of time, such as a few months.
My question to you, vitusya, is what you were doing to hide the hair prior to your electrolysis treatment? The answers to these questions should enable an electrologist to continue the consultation process so that you will fully understand how your treatments should be progressing.
Were you shaving, waxing/threading, or tweezing?
Are the hairs very coarse?
After a treatment, when do you start seeing similar hairs on your skin? Do these hairs grow a little bit before you notice them, or do they come in within a few days as stubble?
Your comment, “Some hairs were treated more than 3 times, it seems,” makes me wonder if the electrologist is having to apply current several times (at one appointment) to the follicle before getting the hair to extract…Is that what you meant?
You need to read about hair growth. Hair grows in cycles, so you’re not retreating the hair. You’re treating new hair each time. It will take about 1 year to go through all the cycles and tackle all the hair.
You should concentrate on scheduling your appts in a way that allows you to leave cleared after each treatment. That way, you won’t need treatments more than once every 3 weeks. In between treatments, you can clip or shave the hair. But technically, it’s best if you come in to treat the hair as soon as it appears so that it can be killed while it’s weak.
I used to epilate before treatment once a week. Some hairs are really coarse, some are normal. During the session full clearance is usually achieved, though in a few days after treatment new hairs go through. I’ve achieved full clearance every time I went. Assuming it’s a limited growth area, some hairs should have been dead by now. There are some hairs that I know were treated at least twice (because they are localized) and they grew back again. Some hairs came back as ingrown.
When the electrologist pulls the hair after treatment it does not always slide out, sometimes it feels like it’s been pulled out, almost as painful. Which suggests that maybe it wasn’t even zapped in the first place.
Yes, the elecrologist does sometimes zap the same hair several times. What I also found weird is that settings differ every time I go. Sometimes it’s barely noticeable and sometimes it’s painful to the point that I feel acid/electric sense in the treated area. Sometimes it feels like heat + zap (and takes longer), sometimes it’s one quick zap, and sometimes it’s two quick zaps.
You may just have more than 1 terminal hair in different cycles that lie close together (I’m not sure if that’s how you describe it, lol, but I think it makes sense).
With it hurting more sometimes than others I would put that down to a few factors, not just the electrologist (though she might change settings based on the type of hair) - one would be not drinking enough water, and the other could be because it is either your period or the week before your period.
I have equal amounts of water and not around my period. I am sure it has everything to do with the settings. It’s unclear to me why they are different all the time. And why so many hairs are being pulled, when they should be sliding out when treated successfully.
In the area I was referring to, there were only three coarse hairs. They were treated on several occasions and they are still coming back.
From what you are writing, I’d be worried too. The main thing is that you feel hairs being pulled. Hairs should always slide out, sometimes they do with a bit of resistance but it still doesn’t feel like plucking. Also, in my own experience, it’s not that common for my electrologist to treat a follicle more than once to get the hair out - this and the variance in sensation suggests the electrologist is not doing the settings properly.
Yes, the pain/sensation can ‘get’ to you more from one session to the next but if the same settings are used, the sensation does feel more or less the same.
I think you should look for someone else, at least so you can compare work.
The hair should slide out without much resistance after being zapped. If this is not happening, the electrologist’s technique may be bad. You should sample at least 2-3 electrologists to compare things. Try out a few more in your area.
There are lots of bleaching products available. Jolen and Sally Hansen are sold at most drug stores.
I am not sure whether this is working, and feel discouraged. How many times on average should a hair be zapped to stop its growth completely?