I had my first treatment in many years with a new Electrologist this afternoon, and it went great. The worst part about it was the actual injections of Lidocaine which is uncomfortable. But after the injections, I felt nothing except a slight tugging every once in a while. She suggested putting on a little topical anaesthetic on the area before the actual injections next time, and then I won’t feel a thing. She cleared the hair in the area quicker than we both thought, and went outside the area that was numb, which brought back a lot of bad memories. In other words, I’m no longer wondering if I should use Lidocaine as it would be very painful without it. She quickly injected a few new areas, and continued working for the rest of the hour. I felt totally comfortable the whole time, and look forward to my next appointment in about a month. Right now the area looks a little mangled, which is normal. There is reddness, and lots of little bumps, some with a little white in them. I am following her directions for aftercare and don’t think there wil be any problems. She used a single needle blend method, as the hair was not dense, and she felt that this was the obvious choice for maximum effectiveness. I am very happy with the experience, and will keep the Forum posted.
Redhead: What areas were you having work done on?
Slight tugging once in a while is ok, but I’m wondering, if without the lidocaine you would feel a full pluck?
I hope the bumps went away within an hour.
It’s hard to be very specific, it’s very helpful to know which area is being treated.
Your case might be different, but most of my clients don’t describe the sensation as painful. It’s usually ‘ok’, ‘no problem’ or at least ‘tolerable’. There are a few kinds of blend out there, where the difference is in the way that the machine mixes the currents. Some people find that one way feels better for them than another. (Newer machines can do different kinds).
Also, you may want to try thermolysis. A lot of people find that it’s more comfortable for them. (Again, I don’t know which area you’re having done).
Did you try topicals like Emla or LMX? I hope you’re compairing a few electrologists. You may find that someone else can give you more comfortable treatment (maybe with a topical). Don’t necessarily tie yourself to this place just because they have the shots. (I’m not saying that this place is not the best within 200 mi radius, but it’s usually beneficial to be sure.)
Good luck!
The area I’m having treated is the genital area, the shaft, and the hairs are very white ranging from fine to coarse, and therefore Laser is out of the question, and I’m not sure how effective the Aurora is on very blonde hairs. I want this area completely hair free anyway, so I might as well go with Electrolysis. It’s not a lot of hair, just very annoying. I had electrolysis on this area years ago, but I only had 2 full clearances, as I got discouraged with the process. This was with two different electrolysists. With one I used Emla (he had been in business for something like 30 years and seemed like a die hard anti Laser kind of guy), and I felt as if I was being assaulted even though he was just doing his job. It was then I found someone who used Lidocaine, but I stopped after another treatment as I just didn’t feel comfortable with the Electrologist, or the process. I have just as much hair there if not more after about 4 more years. The person I am now using is the Electrologist that Barrister recommended, and he had successful and permanent treatments with her. The notion that someone can just go around testing different Electrologist on their genitals is kind of far fetched, and even if I did and one hurt less, how would I really be able to judge if it’s effective or not. It might hurt less, but not kill the hair.I know that single needle blend is traumatic, but for not a lot of hairs, most of which are coarse, it seems like every Electrologist I’ve seen thinks this is the best approach. I still have what looks like a lot of little white heads where the hairs were treated. This is pretty much what it looked like with my previous treatments. While I don’t know about your virtually painless Electrolysis, so far that has not been my experience. This lady has had a successful business for 26 years, and Barrister is a satisfied customer. I don’t see how I can possibly find anyone on my own that will be better. They might be out there, but I have a life I want to get on with, and if finding a good Electrologist is like finding a needle in a haystack, despite a recommendation from a trusted consumer, then I am at my wits end. If I was is Brooklyn I’d give you a try and see about your technique, and I might be there at some point this year, but until then I think I’ll just stay the coarse with this person for a few more treatments. I don’t mind the injections ($20), so if the treatment is harsh but effective I’ll be happy.
If someone did it and is happy, and it’s going ok for you, then you’ll probably also be done and happy soon.
Is that little white pustules that you see? It’s often a sign of overtreatment. It’s not necessarily very bad, but let Mary know and she should be able to fix it next time. Since the pain (after injections) and longer healing process not a big issue for you (it’s not your face), you may be able to afford minor overtreatment in exchange for convenience.
Did you see which machine she uses?
Yeah, if it was my face it would be a different story, but I’m glad to hear you insinuate that the payoff for aggressive treatment might be a quicker road to completion. I should also add that I have very sensitive skin. If I wax or even shave with a blade I get white pustules, though not quite as severe. But I would think it is inevitable with my skin, so it probably isn’t as bad as you would think if it happened to someone with less sensitive skin. I have VERY SENSITIVE SKIN. Maybe I am more sensative to this kind of pain then others and my use of Lidocaine is a personal choice and is not a reflection on Elecrology per se. I’m sure you will be the first to agree that people respond differently to certain sensations, and the skin is a crazy organ. Thanks for your imput.
Some areas are more prone to forming pustules and scabs. I’ve found the bikini area (the mons and inner thighs) to be extremely likely to form pustules and scabs; with nearly identical treatment, the underarms had very little in the way of an adverse reaction.
DIY’er, thanks for the private message. Do you have any suggestions for medicating the scabs that have now formed?
I don’t know if it’s the best treatment, but for the first week or so we apply antibacterial petroleum jelly (e.g. Neosporin).
In the cases where the treated area has become damaged, we’ve had to resort to bandaging.
In my opinion the most important treatment for scabs is to keep them moist so they don’t stress the healing skin around and underneath.
We also avoid anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen, because we reason that the inflammation is part of the healing process and should only be dealt with if it becomes an issue, such as causing tissue to rub.
We also open or exfoliate pustules when they form.
Thanks Diy’er. The pustules are allready long gone, they took care of themselves. I have lots of tiny little dot scabs, which the Electrolysist gave me an antiboitic cream for, which is probably a lot like neosporin. I stopped applying it after the first two days, but I just applied some more after talking to you. Everything looks like it will heal great, and the swelling has disappeared as well.
You’re welcome!
We’ve found that pustules continue to appear up to a couple of weeks after the treatment, and the scabs are long gone. I think that’s because dead tissue, along with white blood cells, is being pushed up to the surface. They aren’t painful, nor are they inflamed. We gently lance or simply exfoliate these pustules.
We’ve also encountered about ten to twenty ingrown hairs, but only on the mons. I make a tiny hook by bending over the tip of an electrolysis needle, make a tiny incision above the hair, reach in, hook the hair, and pull it out so the free end is above the skin. I try to avoid tweezing the hair, and leave it for later epilation.
Good job on the removal of trapped/ingrown hairs.
You should know that the reason Tea Tree Oil (melaleuca alternifolia) is used over nights for electrology post treatment is that in addition to its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral action, it also dissolves pus, and dead skin. In the case you have described, it would remove both the matter causing the puss to form, and the pus without breaking the skin.
Some people don’t like using it however, because your sleeping partner may not enjoy the scent. By morning it will be gone, and one can switch to Aloe Vera based skin care for daylight hours. Aloe has no perceptible smell for most people.
Is straight Aloe vera worth while?
Yes, straight Aloe Vera is great! Straight from the plant itself is the very best. Most of us don’t have that available, so cold processed, whole leaf Aloe Vera gel or juice is the next best thing.
You may recall that hydrocortisone is one percent of the product when you buy a tube of the stuff. What the other 99% of the product is (called the base) can either be petrolium that does nothing to help heal your skin, or can be aloe that will help heal your skin.
I just have to add that aloe plants rock!! go get one, it’s cheap, easy to take care of and they help out great with minor cuts and burns. so, go out and get yourselves some aloe plants, it’s well worth it!! 