Laser or electrolysis

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hey all,

Thanks for all your info and help so far. I’ve been planning on electrolysis as soon as I have the time to get some consults and see who is the best in my area. But due to the amount of hair to remove (a lot), now I’m thinking laser might be better, at least at first. I’ve also heard laser won’t actually remove hair permanently, but might thin it out a little. Electrolysis would take longer but probably yield better results. Should I get a laser treatment or two first, and then go electrolysis? Any other suggesttions? I don’t really have the money to try a bunch of different combinations, I’d like to permanently remove the hair with as little cost as possible. I realize it’s expensive, that’s okay, but I don’t have money to burn. I have light skin and dark hair, if that matters. Thanks for your recomendations.

#2

well it depends on what area you will be treating. people with large areas and alot of hair with dark hair on light skin are good candidates for laser (permiting the electrician is good). the laser will thin out the hair with some reduction, of which then you can do electrolysis for those hairs that were left. if its a small area, then electrolysis from the get go might be better. you can keep reading posts here and find out more. alot of ppl asked regarding the same thing.

good luck

#3

Laser works well on dark coarse hair on light skin. underarms and bikini respond best because of that. so, those areas would definitely be cheaper to treat with laser and finish with electrolysis if you even have to. same goes for other LARGE areas where you have coarse hair. if the hair is fine or blond, or your skin is dark and hair is fine, go with electrolysis all the way on that area.

#4

I have mostly coarse dark hair on light skin, and I’d be removing neck, back, shoulders and some chest/abdomen. But I’ve noticed a lot of people say laser doesn’t remove hair permanently. Would it work to get rid of all the hair with laser first and whatever grows back is what I would zap with electrolysis? I’ve read some people don’t respond to electrolysis really at all and all the hair comes back.

Thanks for the advice.

#5

You can try a combination of both laser and electrolysis. many people do this if there is a large area to treat. For smaller areas, electrolysis is super effective.

What you heard about some people not responding to electrolysis is bunk. One would need to ask a series of questions and analyze the circumstances of medical history,
personal responsibility to follow a consistent schedule and practitioner quality, not to mention, equipment quality.

Electrolysis works 100% of the time when properly performed with a cooperative client. No doubt about it. You have heard these stories, but you can be sure that the rest of the story is missing. This is true for many things we encounter in life and it’s a hard job to get to the real truth.

Don’t be afraid to use both modalities if your situation warrants it. You would need to give laser a chance and follow the time protocol’s recommended by your practitioner in full. After laser has done all it can for you, then switch to electrolysis.

Dee

#6

The only way people don’t respond to electrolysis is if it wasn’t done properly, because electrolysis uses heat (thermolysis) or chemicals (galvanic) to literally damage/destroy the individual hair follicles beyond the point of repair. If the electrologist tailors the setting to deliver the amount of power necessary to kill that one follicle (ie, more power for thicker hairs, less for thin hairs), then one by one the follicles are killed off.

The only other way that electro doesn’t work is if the patient has a hormone imbalance, and NEW follicles are being recruited into the hair-growing process, to compensate for the follicles that have been destroyed. To the patient, it looks like nothing got accomplished.

Laser works in the same way, delivering heat to destroy follicles, but since one setting has to work for a whole region—and also skin without any follicles needs to be protected----you’ll find that some hairs survive. Those will need electrolysis.

None of these methods are perfect or easy, but it’s what we have to work with, and in the hands of good practitioners, they get the job done. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

#7

So does this mean I can achieve permanent removal with laser? That would be excellent as the areas I have to treat are rather large. I don’t care which method I use, so long as they have equal effectiveness. The problem is I don’t know who to believe. Everyone’s process will be different, sure, plus you get those random posts that say such-and-such a product is amazing, when really they’re just selling it, and then you have the other side where people say they’ve been going to laser for two years and it hasn’t worked well if at all. I tend to believe the people from this site that post often, but you never know.

Anyone have any recommendations for other places to get solid info on laser?

Thanks for your help everyone.

#8

Yes, some of your hairs will be permanently killed by laser. How many get killed depends a lot on the type of hair and your skin color. If you really do have fair skin and black, coarse hairs, you may do better than other people. Like with electrolysis, effectiveness depends a lot on the technician, too.

Laser isn’t that effective on thin, light hairs. You may also find that laser will break down your thick, coarse hairs into fine, light ones, and then not be able to kill them off. Either way, expect to have to switch to electrolysis once laser has done all it can. The trick for you will be to realize when you’ve reached that point. Many people on this site have posted about being talked into more and more laser treatments long after it stopped doing anything for them.

The problem with laser is that it delivers the same amount of energy to a whole body part, not just individual follicles, and your skin has to be protected from being burned. Hair follicles that survive laser treatments really need more energy than can safely be delivered to your skin as a whole. But electrolysis can deliver that pinpoint blast, follicle by follicle.

For more info on laser, definitely check out hairtell’s sister site, www.hairfacts.com

There’s also a laser forum on here you should search.

#9

I want to say I have type II skin, or something close. Also, is laser safe to use everywhere? I’ve heard that pigmented areas can be damaged.

Thanks.

#10

i think you’ll have better luck getting that question answered over at the laser forum.

#11

I just joined this forum and had laser on my neck and jawline 2 years ago. As you have probably guessed, it is back. Which is why I am here. Before I found this forum I was going to try laser again but with someone else. The area is small and the hairs are mostly brown and they are not too coarse. After reading the previous posts I am now thinking that electrolysis would be better for me. Any suggestions?

#12

Some people find that laser works for them, others don’t. There seems to be a bit more to it than just the colour of your skin & hair, and thickness of your hair. Technically, I should have been a very good laser candidate … in practice, it didn’t work for me at all.

I switched to electrolysis, and I can definately say, that if you find the right practitioner then electrolysis will always work. High testosterone levels may mean that you need to treat each hair for longer, so if you suspect a hormone imbalance, it might be an idea to get that checked out first.

#13

Thank you for the info. I’ve never had a work up on my hormone levels. Maybe i should. I didn’t have these hairs until about 3 or 4 years ago when i was about 26-27 yrs old.
I think it is a good bet to go for the electrolysis. What about the pain and scabbing i’ve heard about? It sounds so gross, but i am sure it can’t be that bad if that many people still use electrolysis.Am i right? Is there anyone out there from Long Island that has a good electrologist to recommend?

#14

The pain lasts just during the zap, but there are anesthetic creams you can use. Some body parts don’t hurt at all. Bony areas (like your jawline) are more likely to hurt, but if so, some Emla or LMX cream will fix that.

Electrology scabs are thin, pinpoint-sized scabs on top of follicles/pores, which may or may not be noticeable, depending on how many (if any) you get. They would appear 2 days after a treatment, and if they bother you, at that point you can use coverup to hide them. (Don’t use the coverup before, though). Don’t remove them. Someone here once said they are Nature’s band-aids, and they really help you heal without scarring.

If you are on Long Island, you live near the god of electrology, Fino Gior. This is his website:
http://www.electrolysisinformation.com/

#15

Thanks for the referral. He is about a 40 minutes from my house, but it may be worth the ride. And thanks for clearing up my thoughts on the scabbing issue. I can handle what you described. I pictured it much worse. Fino Gior’s method seems shorted than others. Has anyone been treated by him? And does anyone know what he does differently? I just started looking through his website. Thanks.

#16

From all I’ve read on here, he is just a master. He trained his sons, too, so any of the Giors should take care of your problem superfast and without damage. Worth the 40 min ride. Do a search for him on this forum to find what others have said about him.

#17

Let me know if you visit the Giors for treatment. I will more than likely be in that region of the states next semester (if not I plan on flying to see them anyway) on study, and I am interested in traveling to NYC for electrolysis. So far everything I have heard on this site about them - as well as James, do not count him out he is only in Buffalo - has been very positive.

#18

fyi, Fino is not actually in NYC. He’s in Great Neck, which is about a half-hour trip outside the city on Long Island Railroad. (I’m not sure how far his office is from the train station.)

And no one should ever count James out, but it’s about 400 miles (644 km) from nyc/long island to Buffalo.