Make Up & Electrolysis

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hello everybody,

I’m new to the forum. I am currently having electrolysis done on the face. I have light blonde hairs that bother me because of the length and density…I had started electrolysis in December and went for four sessions. I had to stop because of my schedule changes, but am now back on track and plan to go once a week. I really trust and like my electrologist. However, I have a few questions for all ya’ll experienced ones out there.

My skin doesn’t seem to react harshly to the procedure at all. I’m a little red for a few hours, but it seems to go away pretty quickly. The next day, however, my skin seems to be more red than it was directly following the procedure, the healing process I guess.

My first question is regarding make up. I know it’s recommended that make-up not be worn for 24 hours following treatment. However, I work about 4 hours after the treatment and I need to put on make-up to go to work. I’ve heard there are barrier creams that can be put on before make-up is applied that will inhibit the make-up from clogging the open follicles. What are they called? Does anybody have experience with these? The times I had treatment and applied make-up directly to the skin, I had mild whitehead breakouts (by my sideburns) that went away within a few days. I want to take care of this properly though, so any advice?

I’m going for an hour every week. At that pace, it’s impossible to “clear” the entire face and my electrologist recommends an hour only because the face is a very sensitive area. Do you pros think 12-18 months is still a good guess at length of treatment time? Once a week? I’m also curious to know if it’s realistic to believe that even the “peach fuzz” can be removed?

What do ya’ll use for after treatment? Witch hazel? Iso-propyl alcohol. What works for everyone? What’s the best?

Last one, the tweezing sensation. I rarely feel it when she works on the sideburns, hardly at all. And not too much on the chin or lower cheeks either, but I do feel the tweezing sensation sometimes when she works on my upper lip. Is that normal? Does that mean the hair is absolutely not being removed correctly?

Eventually, I’d like to clear larger areas (like arms and back) is that realistic with electrolysis? I’m not a good candidate for laser. Lighter-olive skin with very, very fine (but unnaturally long) blonde body hairs ALL over…

Any advice/comments/feedback would be greatly appreciated.

#2

Wow, quite a bit of tearing through your post. Here goes the shredder!

I know nothing… moving on.

Realistic, sure! More often than not its done through gradual cauterization of the follicle albeit in a safe manner.

Iso-propyl alcohol post-treatment is a no-no. It has a drying property on your skin that’s counter-intuitive to what you want to happen. Witch-Hazel? Maybe… i find what works best is Tea tree oil, lots of moisture (a good facial moisturizer in your case) and SPF.

Because your hairs are fine and blonde, this is probably completely normal. You’ll be in the chair so to speak for quite a while, peach fuzz is the toughest to kill and rarely ever merits a good kill rate. I’m still on the fence regarding tweezing sensations as bad, occasionally a sheath so big it barely fits through the follicle opening is tweezed and will give off that sensation. It’s up to interpretation but i think many people over-play this term.

YES! I’ve done a lot of work with electrolysis, both with a professional and practicing on myself. The goal is absolutely realistic just remember there is a lot of time and money involved in the process.

#3 
                                 YES! you should not feel anything
#4

I tend to disagree on the upper lip thing, as it is a place where the size of the root sheath can be much larger than the hair shaft, and thus, if one is conservative in one’s treatment energy, in order to avoid possible pitting, scabbing and ensure fastest healing, one may have a large root sheath popping out through a smaller hair shaft, not unlike the seed of an acne pimple or blackhead coming through the skin’s surface, thus causing a sensation that is discernible from simply plucking an untreated hair, but nonetheless has a sensation that one can feel.

Of course, that is an industry argument that won’t be settled here.

#5

Wow,

Thanks everyone for the quick responses. Any feedback on a barrier cream or length of treatment completion?

#6

Well James, as I have said many times, we all learn to write, but each one takes his own handwriting. What matters in the end is that the letter is legible.

There are other ways to preserve the skin of overtreatment, using a special probe, use safer techniques, avoid treatment in adjacent follicles, etc… and of course, the partial treatment.

#7

Because your hairs are fine and blonde, this is probably completely normal. You’ll be in the chair so to speak for quite a while, peach fuzz is the toughest to kill and rarely ever merits a good kill rate. I’m still on the fence regarding tweezing sensations as bad, occasionally a sheath so big it barely fits through the follicle opening is tweezed and will give off that sensation. It’s up to interpretation but i think many people over-play this term.

did a copy and past of a quote havent figured out how to do it really yet… but those peach fuzz hairs that are a nightmare to work on is what the kelly tips from laurier are for… when you get the current and depth of insertion right they fall right out… they really make peach fuzz eazy.

#8

I totally disagree here. Treatment for fine hair, vellus, peach fuzz, blonde, black, or black have been bleached, is where you can get a higher kill rate. I would say the figure is very close to 100% kill. Long periods of inactivity of these follicles, a percentage of exogenous ridiculous, a tiny root, the safe treatment option in these follicles close together, etc. All these factors mean that these cases are the most spectacular in terms of results.

I think James refers to the upper lip follicles deep as you can find in man’s beard.
I recently read here that statistics showed that 80% of plucking in Canada. The same happens in Spain, and many other parts. The electrolysis client is totally helpless, and the only chance they have to know when hair is being properly treated is NOT feeling any resistance.

#9

I totally disagree here.

Essentially, you’re pigeon holing different types of hair into one category with this statement and now it’s mine turn to disagree. Peach fuzz or ‘blonde hair’ (not dyed) is harder to kill than any other hair and in my experience has to be either gradually cauterized or the follicle deteriorated with Galvanic … and if you’re lucky a direct hit will kill it which is < 25% of the time.

#10

Yes, I was referring to a man’s beard, women’s upper lip hairs don’t become like pulling potatoes through carrot holes unless they pluck them every day for a decade or more.

As for vellus hairs, they are just like any other hair, the trick is insertion depth, which is easy to go too deep on a vellus hair. This is the main reason why I try to teach the people I train to hold the handpiece in such a way as to have the feedback needed to actually tell when they hit bottom of the follicle. Prior to the Kelly Tips, most insulated probes were no different than a bare probe in vellus hairs due to their relatively shallow nature. If one inserted to anagen depth on a vellus hair, one would be missing the treatment zone entirely

(not saying that this is what iLikeDIY is doing as I don’t know anything about her)

#11

I do a lot of peach fuzz cases. When women want the accelerated peach removed from their face and necks , it is as big a project as removing the terminal hairs from a mans entire back, shoulders and upper ams. I have many completed cases under my belt and my experience is this: it is not harder to “kill” peach fuzz. It does take more patience and plenty of time on the table, but within a period of about two and a half years and consistent treatment, the peach fuzz client will have substantial relief and will fear the daylight no more.

These are not easy or inexpensive cases to do, but the hair is affected, many on the first go around. It is just that there are so many hairs, so one has to work fast and see the follicle openings VERY WELL, while using the correct energy levels and good probes.

Edit: I really like peach fuzz work and the results are spectacular. To me, a hair is a hair. It can be affected and is not harder to “kill” no matter what size or color it is.

#12

with peach fuzz like any other hair its about insertion… the mistake most electrologists make is over insertion…

#13

Total communication here with this very understandable word picture, James. EXACTLY!

#14

Yes! The core of our profession is about perfect insertions followed by the perfect amount of energy to affect and disable the hair follicle, so as not to have long term side effects for the top layer of skin. The Kelly tip Laurier IBP’s make destroying these vellus hair an easier task that is better for the skin and would be my go to probe of choice. I have also used Ballet gold and insulated probes and had success. The most important thing is finding an electrologist that can actually “see” these hairs in order to treat them.

#15

Essentially, you’re pigeon holing different types of hair into one category with this statement and now it’s mine turn to disagree. Peach fuzz or ‘blonde hair’ (not dyed) is harder to kill than any other hair and in my experience has to be either gradually cauterized or the follicle deteriorated with Galvanic … and if you’re lucky a direct hit will kill it which is < 25% of the time.
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Ok, it is as you say, you seem to have things more “clearly” than I do.

#16

Dfahey and other professionals,

Now I’m totally confused. It’s easier or harder to “kill” light blonde fine hairs?

Second, Dfahey gave the approximate 2.5 years for completion time. Would everyone who works these kinds of cases agree? I’m going once a week for an hour, is that sufficient? As I stated in my original post, I really like and trust my electrologist, and she seems to think that an hour is plenty because she says she doesn’t want to overdo it, and allow my skin time to heal. Feedback please?

#17

Here’s an example of if it is possible or not, eliminate this type of hair (fine and blond hair) with once.

Somewhere in this thread probably mention that these two sisters never felt the “pluck”. Perhaps this has influenced the decision to return a second time.

#18

IlikeDIY, Is there any reason to edit your post?

#19

IN MY OPINION, with my set up, my skill and experience level and with my burning desire to endure doing treatments for longer than one hour when presented with copious amounts of hair, it is NOT harder to “kill” vellus hair (peach fuzz) . A hair is a hair to me and one must adjust their strategy and tools to to create a situation that sets the client up for success, but the client must adhere to a PLAN, too, as advised. I have been doing 3- 6 hour sessions on peachy women for years and the skin is not overtreated at all! Again, my set up and tools are probably not like your electrologists set up, so that’s why she gives you that warning.

Some vellus cases take 12 months. Some take 18 months. Some take 2 years and some may take 2.5 years to complete. Each person comes to us with their own unique set if variables and behaviors. One lady has been with me five years because she refuses to stop, even when I have strongly emphasized years ago that she was finished! I told her she was fine, job done, but she doesn’t think so! I think I will just go ahead and ADOPT her because I think she will never stop. I can see very small vellus hair, but they are not the kind of hair another person could see unless they wore surgical loupes like I wear.

Removing vellus hair is more challenging than all the cases, not because the hair won’t “die”, but because there is so much of it and many can’t even SEE what the woman can see in her mag mirror, so they can treat it. Also, if an electrologist can’t endure doing longer appointments because it is physically demanding to do 6,000 insertions or concentrated microsurgery, if you will, on tiny hair follicles, then there will be variances.

What your electrologist tells you is specific to her or him and their level of experience. None if us speak for the industry as a whole when it comes to specifics because there are so many paths that led to victory.

I will post some pictures later, if I can locate them.

#20

Dude, I’m a guy!