My Story / Some Questions

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hi Team,

Long time lurker, first time poster. Thought I’d share a bit and ask a few questions. Thanks for all the info across the boards and thanks in advance for reading / input on my tale.

I’m a male, 29, who started electrolysis on upper arms with a reputable (highly reviewed, etc) young man in Virginia about 9 months ago. I’ve gone pretty consistently, almost weekly for 1.5-2 hours per session, so I’ve logged 60-65ish some hours.

In theory, the treatment is coming along well. I watch a few minutes each time and the hairs are generally removed smoothly, often with black bulbs and about half of the time with the root sheath too. The skin is pink and white and bumpy for about 24-48hrs and scabs for a few days after, but generally heals to a cosmetically unconcerning point in 7-10 days. I use TendSkin and Witch Hazel with a spritz of Tea Tree Oil every night, and a skin balm every morning to keep clean and moisturized.

Usually, I feel I’ve made good progress. I can now go a few days without shaving in between sessions (vs. 12ish hours from blade to stubble before I began the process) and when I do get regrowth after a shave it is fine / sparse enough to not feel stubbly and rough.

All that said, hair just keeps coming. Though we’ve gotten to the point of clearing everything he can find each session, there’s always more to go after the next week. And when I take a few weeks off (for vacation, etc), there seems to be fine regrowth from most follicles.

A few thoughts / concerns, on which I’d love any thoughts / input:

  1. Are the signs of success mentioned above really signs of success? Or would I, theoretically, be seeing the same things (reduced density, reduced stubble thickness, reduced growth speed) if I had gotten some 60 hours of tweezing? The consistent regrowth and the amount of regrowth when I take time off concerns me.

  2. I’m nervous that the hairs are getting so fine that it’s hard to tell if the removals are smooth because they’ve been fully treated or if they’re just small and weak and give no resistance naturally. If I use my fingernails, I can just pull a hair out with almost no pull or sensation of tweezing. How, then, can I now tell the difference between a tweeze that slides out and good treatment?

  3. In the most recent month or two of treatment, the % of hairs removed with a black bulb and / or root sheath is down. Should I be concerned the treatment is loosing effectiveness on finer hair?

  4. I’m wondering how much longer I should expect to be at this. I know 9-18 months is the generally cited length of treatment, and I know nobody can really assess without having been along for the ride to understand where we were and where we are now. But I guess I’m just a bit concerned that I’ve really got another 9 months of weekly treatment that I’m going to run out of time and money.

I raised this concern with my electrologist, who recommended dropping to every other week or even once a month. The hair we go after now is so fine that we spend a good deal of time hunting, so he thinks we can compensate for less frequency with greater efficiency after a bit more regrowth between sessions. Theoretically, this could save money without elongating the ultimate duration. But I’m nervous coming less frequently will really drag things out and don’t want to be doing this forever.

That’s all I’ve got. Like I said, thanks to all for the info elsewhere on the board, and thanks in advance to anyone who got through all this and has any thoughts!

Oh, and happy new year!

#2

Happy new year too !

I just read your message. Let me ask you just a question : before beginning your treatment, did you use to shave or wax your arms or did you let the hair grow just before the first session ?

The results of electrolysis are 100% predictable as long as you follow the good protocole, between skilled hands.

#3

I waxed a few times over the years, but not for at least a year before starting electrolysis. I did keep it shaved regularly tho.

#4

It is difficult to assess electrolysis progress if you regularly shaved during the 9 months of treatments that you had so far. Stop shaving, allow your hair-growth to cycle. The fine hairs that you’re chasing could be new growing hairs or telogen hair that you’re not letting to develop in-between treatments.

Get complete clearances every 6 weeks and that way you can track progress better. By 9th month you should have been seeing significant less time it took to clear your areas.

#5

The hard work is mostly done now. This is definitely not the time to quit, it takes one year to treat all of the body hair growth cycles, then there is only regrowth to finish up.

#6

I’m not so sure, the treatment sounds ok, but I dont know any body area that takes 60+ hours…

#7

I second this. 60 hours on the upper arms and you’re still not done? Even if you weren’t “done”, there should be a tremendous reduction and I would think you’d only need touchups after that many hours. This just doesn’t seem right.

#8

I agree, more than 60 hours just for the upper arms and still not finish, is quite a lot.

#9

I think that both upper arms takes for the first clearing 10 to 14 hours. Am I Wrong?
If you electrologist can remove about 50% per clearance the second would take less (50% of time of first clearance), so 5-7 hours, and then the third clearance would take 2:30 to 4 hours.
Then you would have achieved at least 90% of hair removed.
The fourth clearance is generally to achieve better than 95-99%.

So the amount of hours doing 3-4 clearances strategy or clean and wait strategy would take about 20-25 hours or 30hours for very hairy upper arms.
ps: i considered the area from elbow to the shoulder (deltoid)

#10

Post LHR can be a big game changer, has the poster had laser treatment prior to commencing electrolysis?

#11

Hi to all, and thanks for all the information! Never tried LHR for fear of stimulating growth. Just a few waxes over the years, but only shaving for at least a year before treatment.

To be totally honest, I’m a little confused. I don’t want to throw good money after bad, and continue treatment if it’s not effective, which it sounds like it may be based on replys above. That said, I’ve also heard that it may take 12 months for all the hair to cycle thru, so I may just be dealing with new hair rather than regrowth, regardless of the cumulative number of hours of treatment. And then there are a few posts on here about guys whose jobs took 100+ hrs.

Maybe I’ll stick it out a few more months with less frequent treatment and let a year’s worth of hair cycle thru. I can re-evaluate then without wasting too much more time & money?

#12

Hi,
Firstable, are you talking about electrolysis hair removal ? If so, there is a very easy test to do in order to see if your practitioner knows how to remove hair properly.
In this way, you will know if you can invest your time and money choosing the right specialist.

In an area where you will not shave or wax during at least 5-6 months (for example the upper arm) ask to your practitioner to remove a little patch. (Absolutely all the hair in this patch). After 8 weeks, you should see a big reduction of density in the patch previously treated. If you see no results, no differences between the treated area and the rest of the body part, it means the treatment test is a fail and you should consult an other practitioner.

#13

Hi everyone… I wanted to provide an update on this very old post.

One of the questions I remember seeing on this board several years ago, when I was a frequent guest, was why there weren’t more success stories… and folks often theorized it was because the boards were full of people starting their journeys, but who would sort of drift off and never come back to post when they finished. Well, I’m the case in point – as I progressed through my treatment, I became less and less worried about the hair problem, came to this site less and less, and eventually drifted away without every providing proper follow up. I have occasionally had the random thought to come back and post, but it never struck at the right time, but I’m finally getting around to it.

I originally posted in early 2017. After reading the advice here, I kept seeing the same electrologist for several more sessions. By fall of 2017 (about 18 months in), I really started to see such a difference that I started to think about winding down treatment. I wouldn’t say I ever got fully cleared, but it was thinning out enough that it didn’t bother me the way it used to. It’s quite interesting - it was a problem that used to take up so much of my time and energy, and I just got to the point where it took less and less until it was no longer a problem.

I’d say I probably stayed away from electrolysis for about a year, allowing my arms some time to heal, before I started getting the urge to finish the job I had started. In the fall of 2018, I found a different electrologist who was convenient to my office, so I could dip in over lunch. I saw her maybe once every 6 weeks for 30-45 minute touch up sessions until the end of 2019. I didn’t plan to stop then, but with COVID forcing her place to close, it’s now been another 10 or so months since my last treatment. And I guess at this point I’d consider myself done! I could probably go back in 2021 when she’s back open for a final touch up or two, but it’s no longer a problem for me.

Looking back, I’d say my electrolysis experience was interesting. It took a lot of time, and ultimately a lot of money. (It’s possible that my first electrologist was less efficient than another could have been, so someone else looking to do the same may have a quicker and therefore cheaper experience.) But even with that considered, I am very thankful that I did it. I used to spend so much time worrying about my arms and the hair and it’s just amazing that I don’t really ever think or worry about it anymore, and it’s quite the weight to have lifted.

I never tried other hair removal processes - no IPL or laser or whatever - so I can’t compare to those. But I was worried about triggering more growth and am lucky I found these forums so I could learn more about electrolysis. I’m hopeful that by finally following up my post with an update on my path to resolution, someone else who is worried about their hair can find a little inspiration that it works and, if they are ready for the journey, it’s worth taking.

#14

Thanks for following up Causmonaut!
So many cases go just like yours. Its good to hear from you after the process was all over. That sense of relief when it was “just not as much of an issue anymore” is what many electrolysis clients are seeking, and its good to show them that with persistence, you will get there.