As i had posted earlier in another thread I had laser induced hair growth on my face and therefore had decided to go in for electrolysis.As I have stated before, in India, electrolysis, even though its better suited for Indian skin than laser, is considered as obsolete and is on its way out and only laser is aggressively marketed as the ‘latest and best’ method of hair removal. There are only a few clinics that offer electrolysis and the electrologists here are not formally trained.
Anyway, I had gone for my first consultation in a clinic yesterday. The clinic was quite clean and large and offered a host of other beauty services, what i want to convey was that it does not need to depend only upon electrolysis to make money.
Well,i was made to wait 15 minutes as the electrologist was busy(putting make up on a bride, as I found out later. so,she does not depend upon only electrolysis too survive).
I opted for a test patch and here my experience
the thermolysis room too was cool and clean . The electrolysis machine was named ‘pebco’ and was made in india so probably none of you ever ever heard of it.It was a rectangular box of about 12106inch .On its front it had a knob for thermolysis and another for electrolysis both of which had settings from 1 to 10 but was set to 5 while there was a third switch labelled ‘electro-blend’ and a lever where you could chose between foot mode and hand mode.
I was given a device wrapped with cotton soaked in a green liquiod to hold while she did the thermolysis.
The electrologist did use a new needle (for which I paid), but she did not wash her hands nor wore gloves during the treatment.
She fitted the needle in a pen like device which had a switch. She then inserted the needle into my skin along a hair and pressed the switch the 7-8 times in quick succession which made a crackling sound ,something like the sound made by a electric shortcircuit. and then took a tweezer to talke out the hair . I did not feel any tug, so, the hair must have slid out and not pulled out, though I am not 100 percent sure about it.
Now, my question is should the switch been pressed 7-8 times instead of just once. Is she not overtreating my skin by zapping it with electricity 7-8 times?
And also she did not use a magnifying glass even though there was one present. And when I asked her about it, she said that she’s been doing it for ‘sooo many years’, that she doest not need it and its only for those who are new. by the way, I have to add that she was around 27-28 years old and I really doubt her ‘soooo many years’
As for my skin, i had three hairs zapped on my face and the points swelled up and have become brown and now looks like pimples and the 5 hairs that i had zapped on my forearm, the redness and swelling have gone and look like very tiny pin pricks
Now the things thats really bothering me are
1 the number of times she zapped me at one point
2 that she does not use magnifying glass
3 the red pimple like marks on my face where she zapped me
So, please let me know if she is doing it right and if i should continue with her
sk1 – the main thing that should be bothering you is that she neither washed her hands nor wore gloves. That could cause some serious trouble. Red Flag time.
Are you sure she’s doing thermolysis? It sounds like galvinic or blend, if you had to hold wet material in your hand. I personally don’t know how many zaps it takes in those cases. With thermolysis, I do hear a crackling sound on occasion. I don’t know if it’s the same kind as you heard.
And she OUGHT to be using a magnifying light, IMO.
I suggest you keep looking. Maybe others here can enlightening you further.
That site offers out dated information and it is very biased against thermolysis which serves many clients well, especially the microflash modality. What that person describes is inaccurate, and I’m trying to be nice about this.
I am sorry to say that this “electrologist” person you went to sk1, will not serve you well. Too many things wrong here that you will pay for down the road. Can you keep searching? I’m appalled a what I’m hearing. I’m absolutely grossed out,disheartened and worried for you if you continue. She should stick to makeup.
What’s the problem with not wearing gloves? If she isn’t breaking the skin which a good electro shouldn’t be doing then that really isn’t a red flag. Some of the other things are questionable.
She didn’t wash her hands either. If she washed her hands well with actual soap for 15-20 seconds then that could pass. We don’t break the skin with good electrolysis, but if that happens due to human error, which is allowed once in a while, then pathogens can enter. Even when electrolysis is performed correctly, we are doing microsurgery by creating mini-trauma to hundreds of hair follicles. The skin barrier is still compromised and bacteria can enter causing infection. If there isn’t a standard of hygiene and sterility in place, then one would typically not see a good healing scenario.
She didn’t wash her hands either. If she washed her hands WELL with actual soap for 15-20 seconds then rinsed with warm water that could pass. If she used a hand sanitizer,that would have been fine as well.
We don’t break the skin with good electrolysis, but if that happens due to human error, which is allowed once in a while because we are only human, then pathogens can enter. Even when electrolysis is performed correctly, we are doing microsurgery, creating mini-trauma to hundreds of hair follicles. The skin barrier is still compromised and bacteria can enter causing infection. If there isn’t a standard of hygiene and sterility in place for electrolysis, then one may typically not see a good healing scenario. Would you want someone touching your face after they have just finished putting makeup on someone else without washing their hands or wearing gloves or vice versa??? It’s better to do both in my opinion for client piece of mind because it instills confidence that this person cares about your wellbeing.
Besides putting the client at risk, this electrologist is also putting themselves at risk from many things. Hepatitis and Aids is just a small sampling. Just a slip of the forceps or probe could puncture their own skin by mistake, and have drastic results on their very own lives. The base of every anagen terminal hair has a blood supply. Just one drop from a client with infected blood can transfer it to themselves without protection.
This Electrologist certainly needs to take some classes in pathogenic diseases and to learn effective means of keeping the risk of transmission down. Hands should be washed not only before putting on gloves but also after. Yes it does mean a whole lot of hand washing, but at least we are generally with our clients for awhile, and do not need to wash as often as most Medical Assistants do.
I believe the both CDC and OSHA have presentations on the web that cover bloodborne pathogens among other topics. I had copies of presentations that I downloaded on my laptop, but it has gone dead, and at this time, I do not have access to them anymore.
I could look for them if others have need of the links. However the web is full of information.
This individual is putting both themselves and their clients at risk, whether knowingly or unknowingly. If you feel like you wish to educate this individual that is up to you. I do not know which state you live in, but it could also be against state laws as well as probably being against any rules by any professional organizations they may belong to.
She is from the beautiful country of India,Martha. She has already noted that standards are not high and this is the problem. She has come here for help, but I feel helpless if the situation is as bad as she describes. Electrolysis is dying over there as laser is promoted more prominently.
If you ever move to Columbus, Ohio, sk1, we can become new best friends. But seriously, there has got to be something better than this in a country as large as India. I would leave no stone unturned.
Sk1;
I am so glad that you found this forum to learn and ask questions. In the seattle area there are many doctor here who came from India. I must agree there must be something better available. Is this person that you are going to, will to improve her standards of care?
How about disposable probes?
The description seems to indicate a blend machine, but still can be used with just the RF being used. I using blend you would have had to been hold a ground of some kind. It does sound to me as if she was performing the Blend Modality.
How did the insertions go. It seems that without using a magnifier, getting the insertion angle correct would be extremely difficult unless the hairs are very think and stiff.
Hopefully the marks on the skin decrease within a few days time.
How has the skin recovered from the first appointment?
Thanks to all of you for your replies. I really appreciate your helping me out .
And also thanks for pointing out the dangers of not washing hands before electrolysis. As Deef has rightly pointed out the standards here in India are not vert high . I dont expect any of the electrologists in India to wear gloves or maintain a high standard of hygiene .In fact this particular clinic belongs to a large chain of clinics which even run a beauty academy that teaches various beauty courses . and they even have a course to teach electrolysis!, So, just imagine about the smaller establishments
But at least, this is one problem which I can solve by taking a pair of gloves or a bottle of hand sanitizer and insisting that she uses them before she starts.
I am more concerned about finding a skilled person who can remove hairs correctly without damaging my skin.
I want to know whether the electrologist was doing it correctly?
Like whether the hair should have zapped 7-8 times (by pressing the switch 7-8 times, i suppose I was zapped by electricity &-8 times on the same spot. or is it just the way it is done?)
I said it was thermolysis because when i asked on the phone if they offered electrolysis they replied that yes, we offer thermolysis. I dont know if they used the terms for the same thing .
and also the fact that she is not using magnifying glass. The hairs on my face are long and black but not stiff or thick at all. even the hairs on my forearm are not very thick.
the skin on my arm has healed and there are no marks left . But on the face while the bumps are gone there are round black marks left behind.
Zapping a hair 7-8 times? I don’t know about the machine she was using or what levels of intensity and timing she chose. You heard a crackling sound. If this was for every hair, then the power may be too high. Ask her about it if you go back again. All I can offer you here is that one zap is enough if the levels of intensity and timing are set correctly for the size of hair one is zapping and if the skin reaction is nil to mininmal.
Round black marks? People of color can get hyperpigmentation, but it fades with time. The electrologist still wants to do everything possible to minimize this reaction by not overtreating the skin. However, no matter what one does, some people are just prone to hyperpig whether it be from electrolysis, a bug bite, a cut, a pimple or an ingrown hair.
Hopefully, she is seeing the opening of the hair follicle well since she does not use magnification. If you feel many of er insertions of the probe before you feel the zapping, then I would assume she is not seeing as well as she could.
[color:#FF0000]One thing I want you to think about:[/color] the needle or probe, as electrologists accurately call it, where did it come from? Was the probe in a sterile package that she had to peel open? Could she have used this probe on the person(s) before you? Was it sterilized properly after each use? That is a bigger problem here if you don’t know for sure if the probe was sterile. We are not talking clean, we are talking sterile - no pathogens - no germs -whatsoever, and that is acheived through proper steps of disinfection and then sterilization. Wiping a probe with an antiseptic is NOT enough.
My dearest Dee Fahey, if we are talking India, it is very likely that the machine used is a hotter, older “Slow Thermolysis” machine, in which case, the way many electrologists compensate is to set the intensity (Timing? What timing? As long as your foot is on the pedal, the treatment energy is on!) and make many quick taps in order to do what our epilators do via computerized microbursts.
Now pull your eyebrows off the ceiling and pick your mouth up off the floor and go hug your computerized machine and tell it how much you love it.
It seems extraordinary that women in India are reduced to chasing poor choices when there is certainly a huge market for good permanent hair removal via electrolysis as oppossed to laser. I mean, most only want their faces treated, as I assume they are not concerned about legs for example because they wear long saris?
Dear James, the next time you talk to Clement Beaumont, President of Dectro International, it would would be interesting to know why Dectro does not have a presence in India as it does in other international places besides the the USA, Canada, Europe and Asia. That is a huge market and it sounds like they have enough people to support a school or training center. Is 1 billion people ++++++ a sure bet or what?
Now, please excuse me while I go hug my computerized epilator.
Well. She did use a new packet of needle for which she charged me Rs.100($2.5) and gave away the neddle to me at the end of the test session
I still have those blacks marks on my face even after 5 days. I think I’ll give this particular electrologist a miss
I reallly agree with you that James talk to Clement Beaumont, President of Dectro International, and ask why Dectro does not have a presence in India.Though estimating 1 billion people would be a bit too much as almost half of this 1 billion+ people are very poor and too busy worrying where their next meal is coming from and couldn’t care less abot hairy faces or arms. But then Half A billion people is not too bad either
I wish there was a computerised epilator near me too, which I could hug
Went for another consultation yesterday. The lady there said that she used a very ‘advanced’ machine which is virtually painless as it uses a tweezer instead a needle. Ran away from there as fast as I could.
I am having a real hard time finding a good electrologist in Delhi. I could find only three addresses for electrolysis in Delhi on the net abut I couldnt cotact any of them on the phone nos provided, all of them have probably closed down due to the laser onslaught. On the other hand, there are hundreds of listings on the net for laser hair removal .
What do I do now? I am so upset.
Email me your contact information and I will see what I can do for you and your friends. In many places like where you live, the last remaining good electrolysis practitioners are liesurely taking a select few clients at a time, and only take new clients by personal introduction.
The top hospitals in India are nowadays on par with the best in the west, and I am sure you can find modern electrolysis machines in Delhi and other large cities.
You might call a laser clinic that also does electrolysis? There seem to be a few in most big cities that do both.
sent an Email to James. Let me know if you need any more info.
Tembo, I totally agree with you that the top hospitals in India are nowadays on par with the best in the west, but they dont offer electrolysis,
there might be laser clinics that also does electrolysis, but so far I haven’t found one. Infact, I dont doubt the existence of one or two skilled electrologists in Delhi, but the hardest part is finding them. I have asked people, tried the internet, the telephone directory and the yellow pages without success.