Could anyone give me an estimate on how many times, AT THE MOST, a single hair should have to be treated to kill it? If an area was treated 10-15 times, should I expect it to stay hair free? Thanks.
A good electrologist like some of the superstar ones that devote their time to this site can knock it out in one zap but that isnt always the case. They can’t see into what they are zapping although with the right insertion and intensity (as well as skill) they can kill it with their eyes closed. Some will say it can take 3-4 for thick, coarse hairs, but it is largely dependent upon individual cases. Also, how do you know if a hair that appears is one that has already been treated? Maybe some electrologists would know, or have an explination, but when you get to the end of the treatment schedule, the good news is that you wont have hair in the treated area. People may have different explinations but that is my consumer thought. After all, that is what this site is all about. I could be wrong…
With regards to being treated 10-15 times, you will need to pass more so through an amount of time with the number of treatments depending upon you. There is some debate about hair cycles and how long it takes you to pass through them. Some say 6, others say 9 or a little more. Either way, in 6-18 months, if you follow the recommended treating schedule provided to you by a great electrologist, you will be in good shape.
This seems to be a common question that requires fine tuning the understanding frequently. I will copy the answer here, too bad we don’t have a sticky, or a Quick-FAQ’s page for stuff like this.
The reason you might think you see nothing being gained in the early going is that you can’t see what has been done for months, or a full year. Take before, during and after shots to really appreciate what is going on here.
Think of your skin as a grid. Think of this grid as being 10 x 10 spaces in square form. If left to their own devices, the follicles in the first row, (1 - 10) will present hairs in spaces 1, 3 and 9. These hairs will cycle, and as they get ready to fall out, hairs in spaces 2, 5 and 10 begin growing, and brake surface just as hairs 1, 3 and 9 fall out.
Now it looks to the naked eye as if nothing has happened, because one saw 3 hairs in that area, and there are still 3 hairs in that space.
If one removes the hairs in spaces 1, 3 and 9, one will be targeting spaces 2, 5 and 10 when they come out in 6 to 9 weeks, and later, hairs will present in 4, 6 and 8. It takes a full 9 months for all these hairs to present. By the way, space 7 never grows hair in this example.
One should never have to treat a follicle more than 2 times. Three times is the most I can see, unless the practitioner is very bad or the client doesn’t show up on schedule. If the client is the problem, the practitioner might never actually get to treat that hair while it is in growth phase, if ever at all. (If you never come in during the months of November, December, and January, there are hairs that the practitioner will never, ever see, or treat, and you will always have those hairs in winter.)
So your skin grid starts like this:
X = Hair and _ equals empty space
X_X_ _ _ _ X
X X _ _ X
_ _ X_X_X _
X_X _ _ _ _X
X X _ _ X
_ _ X_X_X _
X_X _ _ _ X
X X _ _ X
_ _ X_X_X _
X_X _ _ _ _X
Now, in 6 to 12 weeks, the grid changes to this:
X X _ _ X
X_X _ _ _ _X
_ _ X_X_X _
X X _ _ X
X_X _ _ _ _X
_ _ X_X_X _
X X _ _ X
X_X _ _ _ _X
_ _ X_X_X _
X X _ _ _X
And it will change again in another 6 to 12 weeks. As you can see, there is the same number of hairs in the grid, but their placing has changed.
In most cases, one’s electrologist won’t be clearing all these hairs the first time out, so one is chasing the grid, looking to catch each hair as it comes out in growth phase, which gets easier to do as you clear hairs, because there are fewer left to present in the first place.
Does this help you understand how it is possible for the CLIENT to frustrate even the best electrologist by not coming in on schedule? Can you see why going long and frequent hours to start with costs you less in the long run, because you get more hairs in the growth phase, and have an easier time keeping up with the growing hairs as it comes in? Can you see how many people THINK their electrologist was failing them, when they just never really gave the practitioner a fair chance?