Stoppit, I don’t have photoshop, ah well
Here are some photos 2 days post treatment, as you can see my whiteheads have gone, apart from 1 or 2. The swelling on my eyelids has occurred now? it wasn’t there before
qwerty Attachments
I agree with the general opinion, everything is going well. Spend a saline swab is a good way to get rid of white spots, while you are helping in the healing process. If you do not have saline, yourself can get, pint boiling water for a couple of minutes and adding a teaspoon of salt. Let cool and apply. Do this after washing with soap and warm water. I guess Meiri have told, but it is normal to get up in the morning with the slightly swollen area, as the day goes on swelling will go down. This is due to the natural drainage of fluids when you move your eyelids, flicker when you’re awake.
Re: Bleaching
I had to look through quite a lot of photos to find some pre-electrolysis ones where the hair actually showed up. I’ve had two trips to Josefa to work on the cheeks/chin/neck. I would not call them clearances because we did as much work as the time allowed for both times. The hair is significantly reduced. I can go longer without requiring bleaching and now, the hair really is unnoticeable when blonde.
Photos before any electrolysis on the cheeks, chin or neck:
[Click for full size]
If the hairs were black (unbleached), as they start becoming when I don’t bleach for a while, I think I would want them all removed because they make my skin look grey and dull. I don’t really want to remove every single hair from my face so am happy bleaching which makes them unnoticeable and they don’t get picked up in photos. When you don’t have to worry about underarm/bikini/leg and arm hair anymore, bleaching once in a while isn’t a big deal 
Josefa - Thanks for the explanation. I will try the water with salt if I get any more whiteheads.
Stoppit - thank you for sharing the photos, I might start bleaching again.
Update
Day 3: Both eye area is swollen
Day 4: still swollen
I have been washing my face with water and then only applying witch hazel.
Is it just swollen or also painful and tender?
Just swollen, it’s weird as each day goes by the swelling is going down my face ie it started on my forehead then middle brow area and now my eyes.
Hi,
I don’t mean to take over your diary here, but I just wanted to say my facial hair is exactly like yours and stoppit’s on my chin, cheeks, sideburns, neck area and lip. The hair ranges from golden blonde to red and is long, so very noticeable. Thankfully my long forehead hair bothers me less. I mainly wanted to note this, because I have sought information from people re electrolysis, and I think it would be much easier knowing what the hair looks like, so if you don’t mind, I may use your post as a reference. I have been going weekly for nearly 6 months, and I am not sure how much hair has been removed permanently, as there is long, bothersome hair there all the time. I am also worried about my skin scarring and developing something like rosacea as it is red all the time. I will be following you with interest, to see your progress and how your skin copes with such a large amount of work done. One thing I would really like to ask is do you notice the hair growing back in odd directions after treatment? My hairs now grow curling up/sideways and sticking straight out, instead of lying against the skin. In between treatments I get really depressed as I feel like I look worse than ever. Sorry again, I am just so desperate to hear from others who are having such extensive vellus hair treatment.
Thanks and good luck 
Having your hairs grow back isn’t good and having them grow back “curly or sticking straight out” would suggest under treatment. The follicles aren’t being killed they are just being damaged in some degree resulting in the hairs leaving the skin at strange angles.
Some hairs won’t follow the pattern of other hairs around them but if you’re only noticing this since starting electrolysis I can understand your concern.
Vellus hairs shouldn’t be hard to kill in terms of the energy needed but they might be hard to get into if your operator can’t see properly or is inserting too far.
I would have thought that after six months of weekly treatments you should have noticed a difference in the amount of hair that you have? How long are your appointments?
I’m sure some of the experienced pros will comment on this but this is my take…
Good luck with future treatments
Hey HCD,
Well I was just asking for clarification and hoping the experts would reply.
In my uneducated opinion, if it’s not painful or tender, you don’t have anything to worry about. Even if it is painful or tender, you probably don’t (depend how long it lasts).
How is it today?
I think you should contact Mairi directly with any queries you may have. She treated you and will have a much better insight into whether what you are experiencing is normal or not.
Hey redearthling,
I don’t mind at all, I hope my diary helps others as other people’s diary has helped me.
How long we’re your weekly appointments for? Did you go for consultations with a few electrologists? Do you feel plucking by any chance? I haven’t seen any hair grow back as yet so can’t comment on the curly hairs, maybe the experts can help with that?!
Maybe it’s worth starting to take before and after pics to see how your progressing?
Hey stoppit,
I’m not too bothered by it, I’m just updating my diary as my memory is shocking really. I do speak to Mairi about any issues I have as well. I just like to come on here to document my progress
Day 5: my pin prick scabs have fallen off my upper lip with no marks which is good. My face is still swollen around the eye area.
Ok, great. You are doing a very helpful thing by documenting everything as I’m sure it will help many people.
Day 6: Swelling has gone yay!, pin prick scabs remain on forehead.
washed face with soap and applied witch hazel
Sorry, I have not been doing a very accurate read of your “mission,” but the swelling issue was worthy of note. Consider that you had a lot of treatment on the forehead, and that normal inflammation involves fluids moving into the area.
People seldom see swelling, say, on their back because there is dense tissue and the fluids are taken up by all the lymph and blood vessels that abound. Not so the forehead. This is thin skin “stretched” over bone: there is nowhere for the swelling (fluids) to go … except downward; (it can’t go “up” on the scalp), and it does, go down, that is.
When a patient has a full face-lift and gets swelling and bruising, guess where the fluids and blood end up? Well, on the upper chest, and seldom on the face itself! Very commonly, the person will have extensive bruising (blood flow really) on the chest that was “miles away” from the surgical site. This is commonplace. All really normal stuff.
Hey redearthling,
I have the same issue as you have. I am noticing that hairs are growing in odd directions as well especially on the cheeks, jawline, and near my chin. I started electrolysis in Dec.2011 on few long hairs on my cheeks, sideburns, neck and jawline. There seems to be no improvement at all, I feel that it only got worse. The long hairs seem to be growing back and the vellus hairs appear to becoming terminal hairs. Its really frustrating :(. Unfortunately, I have already developed rosacea on my cheeks.
Note: I don’t have any hormonal issues.
Hi Hopeful.
I can’t decide if my electrologist is damaging my follicles, making the hairs that re-grow (which seems to be most of them; but it is thermolysis) grow in odd directions (upwards, sideways, straight out) or if the hairs do this because they are shorter and finer. The latter might be the case on my cheeks, as the hairs can be 1cm to over 1/2 an inch and they are coming back shorter, but on my chin, the hairs are growing back the same length and thickness, just poking out all over the place. I hate it and am so self-conscious. I also get those poky out hairs above the upper lip and at the corners of my mouth. I also feel like I look worse than I did and I shouldn’t have started, but this is mostly because this mid-stage is awful-the hairs are poking out, but the elctrologist doesn’t get those ones unless I mark them. It must be the lighting. We tried a second light this week and she said it didn’t help her.
Re. the rosacea, I have always had a slight blush to my skin from the corner of my nose down toward the outer corners of my lips, so when I get hot (for eg) I have a pink moustache. It just seems worse and constantly pink/red now. I never knew you weren’t meant to have electrolysis if you had rosacea, but didn’t think that was what I had until the electrologist suggested it. I am not sure if the new redness (chin, cheeks) is rosacea or just prolonged irritation, as I have pale, freckled skin and red hair.
I do hope your situation improves. I really wouldn’t wish any of this on anyone, but it is nice to know we aren’t alone. I may not have any decent advice to give, but “talking” about it with others helps. I seem to be surrounded by “normal” people and only notice other hairy girls when I go out, take the train etc. I want to be normal too.
Have you ever felt tweezing whilst undergoing electrolysis treatment? Have you had all of your treatments performed by a single practitioner?
I have also noticed some of my hairs growing back in odd directions. Is that not supposed to be happening?
Hey HCD. Thanks for making this diary, it’s nice to be able to follow as I am in the same situation as you… However, my hair are a bit more dense along the eyebrows/hairline and on my sideburns as well.
Can I ask you how often you go? Do you go every week/month or every third month for this? I know that you just started this, but it would be nice to know how often you’re recommended to come…
Secondly, how are you and your hair now? Do you got any update?
I hope you get the desired results