Hi all,
(This is going to be long…)
I’ve been reading on this site for months now and it has been a great help for me. After reading many of the posts, I’ve decided to give electrolysis a try. I had a consult with two electrologists and both looked like they knew what they were talking about. But I decided to start treatment with the second one I went to as she was more thourough on her description of the process and she seemed to really know what she was talking about.
I’m from India and I have dark skin with very coarse hair on my face and neck. I’ve decided to work on my cheeks for now because that’s where my hair is at its worst and it’s leaving a dark spot on the area looking like I have an extended sideburn that takes up most of my cheek area. I’ve been using Nads for about four years now and I’ve also been tweezing and threading. It finally got to be too much and I went to an endicronologist and she has me on aldactone/spironalactone as well as Yasmin to help with the hair. She states that my hormone levels aren’t bad and that they are not ridiculously imbalanced like I thought they were. Anyways after reading this site I thought I should give this a try as I am tired of pulling the hair out on a daily basis.
So I’ve had two treatments so far and they were both not too painful. My electrologist first rubs alcohol on it to clean the area and then she puts on something to numb it a little. I’m not sure what it is. I don’t feel the probe being inserted but I do feel her tug at the hair some time. Its not exactly the tweezing sensation but I can still feel the tug. She also squeezes the skin when there is an ingrown hair to try to get the hair out. That part hurts!. Apart from that I’m feeling pretty good about my treatments so far. I’ve had half of both cheeks done so far and it feels much smoother that I have felt it in a loooong time. This has been for a total of 1.5 hrs.
I just had a few questions for anyone who can help me. My electrologist uses what seems to be a really old machine. The name on it was Proteus EP 2000 and I was just wondering how good the machine is on performance? She told me that she does shortwave/thermolysis as that is pretty much all they do in Connecticut. Also is it ok to feel the tug that I am feeling? I feel it for about every 1 hair for 5-6 that she pulls out and it seems much more frequent.
As far as my skin reaction is concerned, it’s not too bad. I have a few bumps still from the first treatment that I had on Monday, Oct. 13 and now I have a few more extra bumps. My skin isn’t red or anything and it’s been about 5 hours since I had my treatment. I can still feel a slight sting though and I found that its gets a little irritated for around ten minutes after I take a shower/bath. I use Dove soap and I don’t know if that might be the cause.
It would be great to get any feedback I can on this and thanks to all that have helped me understand the process much better. 
Hair, in the begining sessions of electrolysis are in all stages of growth. If the proper amount of energy is used for good growing MOIST hairs, and if the insertions are good, the hairs will slide out. If you use that same energy level on non-growing hairs, they may resist. Those non-active hairs have a dry environment and it is hard for them to slide out nicely. If the bulbs are bigger than the follicle opening from which they have to emerge, then you may feel a pooping sensation. These beginning sessions don’t present ideal hairs for treating for the most part. That’s why first, full clearance asap is an important concept to strive for.
I have my personal preferences for electrolysis epilators and Proteus is not at the top of the list. That is not so important if your electrologist can give you a good treatment because she/he has skill. So, relax and see how it all goes. Thermolysis is fine. Many Eastcoasters use thermolysis.
I don’t squeeze ingrown hairs, but rather will use a sterile lancet to gently lift the hair out and then treat it.
Your skin reaction is temporary. Give feedback about your healing to your electrologist and maybe she can make some slight adjustments to lessen this so it last only a day or two and is barely noticable.
Lots of people like to use mild soaps like Purpose or Aveeno. Some swear by liquid Dial. Use witch hazel and aloe vera gel to soothe the skin for the first three days. A slight “pinch” of tea tree oil will help at bedtime as well. Test on a small spot with the tea tree oil and see how it goes.
You appear to be in good hands and I’m feeling so happy for you as you finally start this project for PERMANENT HAIR REMOVAL. Just think about this - no more tweezing, waxing, and threading. Those are ridiculous, wasteful, fruitless actions that can make your facial hair worse over time. Hang in there and communicate well with your electrologist and get this job done once and for all.
Dee
Thank you for the thorough reply Dee. I appreciate your advice. I’ll update on how my treatment is going when I go in for another hour on Wednesday.
Just wanted to post an update to my treatment. I went in for my third session on Friday and she worked on my left cheek. I would say most of the work was only for half my cheek as she had cleared the half closer to my mouth earlier. She did one hour of thermolysis with her Proteus 2000 machine just on my left cheek. It was much more painful than the previous sessions but that could be the cause of all the coffee I drank or that one hour was too long for one cheek. One good thing was that I did’t notice too much of the plucking that I had previously said that I feel.
I have a question to anyone who cares to answer it: Is she taking her time with the work? Half of my cheek took her an hour, but to be fair I have a dense amount of hair growth and my hair is quite thick. She even said so :). Another question I had is, does the angle that she enters the probe matter? I had my face turned toward her but it seems like she couldn’t possibly get the probe in at the same angle as the hair but she seemed to be fine with that.
I also have a question for those of you who have or are getting electrolysis done on your face. How long did it take you to just get your cheeks cleared? I’m just curious.
I’ll be going again tomorrow for my right cheek. I’ll update the progress afterwards.
If it hurt more this time and you are feeling less plucking, then it sounds like she has increased the intensity. As far as her taking her time with her work, I’m not sure what you are alluding to here? Electrologists go as fast or as slow as needed to make perfect insertions to release the hair. Some areas are very challenging due to positional issues and some areas are flat and easy and we can go faster. The face has a good amount of hair. She probabaly is seeing hair you don’t see or hair that looks like it is accelerating toward becoming big, bad hairs someday. She is doing you a big service by getting those hairs before you notice them someday. That can explain the time issue. Just ask her what you are asking here and see how she explains things. When clients ask me to get only the bothersome hairs, I can do this for sure, but what they don’t understand is, when the hairs that are more noticable go, then their eye is attracted to the next size or length of hair. Electrologists will just take these hairs as well and the client is left there wondering why only a few hairs that they see are taking so long to clear. I hear comments like, “Gee, did I really have that many hairs on my chin?” Yes, you did and I’m saving you from coming in here someday when these transitioning hairs turn into big, bad highly visible hairs.
Angle of insertion does matter. The probe and hair should look as one once the probe enters the follicle. Some hairs come out of the skin at a 10 degree angle, some at a 45 degree angle and so forth. Wrist movement has to change according to the angle of the hair. She needs to position you to HER comfort level so she can work longer. So many of us go home with neck and back strain if we are not aware of good body mechanics. She will know what to do.
You cannot really compare your case to another electrologist’s client’s case because of so many variables. How long??? depends on how much hair? Structure of that hair?? Speed and skill of the electrologist??? Equipment used??? How often you show up for your appointments??? etc. I guess if anyone consumer wants to answer your last question, then that would certainly be encouraged, but keep in m ind, YOU ARE NOT THEM.
Thanks for your update and for the updates to come,
Dee
Dee I read this reply of yours and I must say I found it very useful. Even though you are not addressing me it’s so useful to read all the details you give. Thank you.
I started growing so angry with my electrologist inside. I was thinking like come on is there that much hair damn it!! But now that you explain the benefits of taking hairs away even though they are not noticeable, I will be grateful to her.
But Dee I do have a stupid question I guess. Why do they increase the intensity? For myself the first 2 seasons I had on the back of my neck the intensity wasn’t as high as the 3rd session. Does it save us time and money? I’m sure there’s an obvious answer. Thank you for everything.
If the electrologist is feeling like the hair is not coming out well, they may increase the intensity in order to fix the problem. It may take a few treatments to figure out what your hair needs to be killed.
What lagirl says is correct, but additionally, if clients come to us well-hydrated one week then intensity can be decreased. If they come to us dehydrated the next week, then you are looking at having to increase the intensity, thus increasing the sensation. Advice: Drink the amount of water that is necessary to hydrate your body so we can lower the current. The hair releases better in a moist environment if it’s a growing hair.
Man hairs need a good one, two punch. They are very hardy and deep. Intensity and timing matters with these hairs. The better MicroFlash and PicoFlash epilators offer the power, comfort and speed that older epilators do not. Thought I’d throw that in because it truly relates to better electrolysis care and greater client satisfaction when used properly with skill.
Dee
Thanks for the reply Dee, the information was really useful.
I went for my fourth treatment yesterday. We only worked on the right cheek for an hour. She pretty much did the same thing as she did for my left cheek. I’m guessing it was the same intensity as well because the pain was about the same. The only thing that worries me and I feel bad about telling her is that she sqeezes ingrown hairs out. At times it gets a little painful. Yesterday she thought there might be an ingrown hair on a zit I had on my right cheek and she squeezed it pretty hard. I’m also still feeling the slight tweezing sensation but I guess that’s ok from what I read on this forum.
My next appointment is on Saturday, I’ll update then.
Do you feel comfortable enough to ask her if she could use a sterile lancet to help to GENTLY lift out the ingrowns?
She should wipe the area with an antiseptic and then open the sterile lancet, lift out the hair, wipe the area again and then treat the hair if it is still connected. Then, she should wipe the area again. A new sterile lancet should used for each ingrown hair. When re-used, lancets become dull and that can be more painful for the client. All lancet’s should be disposed of in a sharp’s container.
Sterile lancets can be found at drug stores. I buy a box with 200 30 gauge lancets for under five dollars and keep them handy in my treatement table. Squeezing hurts and can cause hyperpigmentation. It’s not the best way to lift out ingrown hairs.
It is ideal for hairs to slide out, but there are different sensations associated with certain hair structures and stages of growth. She should tell you why you feel what you feel. Ask her to show you and explain hair structures to you. It’s fun to see.
Dee
I had my fifth treatment on Saturday for an hour. She did both of my cheeks this time. She started off with clearing any new hairs then moved on to do the rest of my sideburns. I have to say that this was my most painful treatment so far. I had even used LMX 5% about 35 minutes before the treatment and that didn’t seem to help much. Should I put it on even earlier? I noticed that my upper lip felt more numb than the sides of the face where I got my treatment done. I didn’t think the sideburns would hurt this much.
I’m thinking about asking her to start treatment on my upper lip. I haven’t done much hair removing to my upper lip so I hope the follicles aren’t as distorted. I’ve done threading to it probably three times total and I’ve bleached it several times. Does the full clearance to the upper lip go faster than other areas? I’ve read in this forum that it is probably the more painful area to do so I hope I can get it finished with several treatments.
Put the L.M.X. on one hour before and use the proper dosage. Keep the area warm so it absorbs. If you use a light coat of these lidocaines, it ususally will not give you the relief. Read the package insert for directions. Most of my clients are numbed up when they use this correctly, but correctly means, leaving it on longer. There are many discussions here about consumers who have used lidocaine creams prior to electrolysis.
Sideburns are usually not painful at all??? Can she see well to make perfect insertions??? Was the intensity and timing higher than necessary to treat the hair??? Have you sampled other electrologists to compare?
The lip areas has a lot of hair! I’ve only seen a small minority where there was not so much hair. Most of my clients need between 8-23 sessions,depending on hair structure and amount, with sessions averaging about 20 minutes, over 9-12 months. Cost is under $500.00.
Do numb the middle, but keep in mind that just because you are numbed, one must be careful not to work longer because you are numbed, unless you are willing to accept a swollen lip for 2-3 days. I don’t know what kind of epilator she has or what her skill level is, so opt to do smaller treatment sessions and observe your healing closely.
Do not rush this and put demands on her to finish you within “several treatments” (whatever this means). Everyone comes with their unique hair thumbprint. Go with a plan and be patient for the sake of your skins’ outcome and for the sake of permanency.
Dee
Thanks for the reply Dee.
I don’t know what intensity she was using but as for her epilator, it is an Proteaus EP 2000 (an old machine). I’ve tried other electrologists and she seemed the most knowledgeable and most comfortable to be around. I can’t describe her skill to you but she has been doing this for 21 years and she also says she is the Vice President of the American electrolygist Association in Connecticut. I don’t know if this means anything or whether they base the Vice Presidency on skill or what else. Maybe you can explain that to me. Thank you.
There are newer generation and brand name epilators that offer more comfort than a Proteus, but again maybe she can do something to make your treatment tolerable. If she can’t, then she can’t. I have discovered that years in practice and credentials is not a good way to measure what different electrologists can do for you as far as skin outcome and sensation and I certainly don’t expect you to know how skillful she is or where she is placing her intensity and timing. Those questions are nor your responsibility, not should it be. You can only judge things by subjective things such as healing outcome and sensation. If you like her and you say she is the best in your area, then you have already weighed things, and that’s all you can do.
Thanks Kitty,
Dee
Update: I had my 6th treatment on Friday. It was an hour as usual. She started off with clearing my cheeks and the sides of my face of any new growth. Then I asked her to start on my neck area underneath my jaw and chin. I have extremely thick, coarse hair in this area and I have quite a lot of hair there as well. She had to zap the hairs more than 4 times to get them out. I hope this is alright…I could tell she had to jerk a little bit on the hair for it to come out. New hairs are growing more frequently on the sides of my face. I noticed in the beginning it took longer to notice new hair but I guess these are hairs from a newer cycle. It feels prickly when I run my hands up the sides of my face but its not noticable yet.
I had a question, I notice last time that she took the probe from an oven. Is this for steralizing the needle? Is that ok? This was the first time that I noticed this and I’ll have to ask her next time if she uses disposable or what type she uses.
She is re-using a probe if you don’t see her take the probe out of a sealed package. Probes cost about $1.00 each. I will never understand why one would go through the trouble to sterilize an old probe. The question is: Is this probe really sterilized properly? Who used it last? I would find out what size and kind of probe she uses for you and then pirchase my own box. Be sure and tell her that you want $1.00 deducted from each treatment.
This is one of those electrolysis argument items.
There is nothing wrong with resterilizing probes IF THEY ARE PERMANENT PROBES, AND NOT DISPOSEABLES PUT THROUGH A STERILIZER.
There are two categories of probes made, Disposables, designed for single use, and discarding, and Permanent Probes, which are made of stronger, more solid materials and designed to be cleaned, sanitized, and then re-sterilized.
Both work, both are safe.
Where the argument comes in is that Permanent Probes require the customer to TRUST THEIR PRACTITIONER to do the resterilization properly, and without cutting corners. A similar argument is glove wearing. If you don’t trust your practitioner to wash their hands with a hospital grade sanitizer just before going to work on you, and not to work on you when in poor health, have her/him wear gloves. If you don’t trust your practitioner to do right, then you get yourself some disposables, and bring your own probes and gloves. She probably won’t be offended.
Now, on the subject of resterilizing and reusing DISPOSEABLE PROBES, this is unacceptable! The things frequently don’t last through a full treatment, let alone have anything left to give to a second use! Of course, if the average electrologist had the high magnification vision people like many here at HairTell have invested in, instead of 3-diopter circle lamps, they would see how the polished, rounded probe tip is literally disintegrating as they use it, and will frequently be a sharp mangled shard at the conclusion of a treatment.
I frequently need to change probes during a treatment, just to maintain the integrity of the treatment energy delivered by the probe, and to keep the client safeguarded from the discomfort of a now sharp probe being slid down their follicle shaft.
So, to recap:
Permanent Probes, Properly Resterilized, are good.
Single Use Disposables are good
Permanent Probes, Improperly handled between uses, are bad.
Disposables being Reused, Unacceptable.
Thank you Dee and James for the reply.
I asked her what type of probes she used and her answer was “the kind of probes I use are disposable probes and they are sterilized”. I’m going to guess that she disposes of them after every use. Another thing that I asked her was about her magnification and she said she wasn’t sure what it was as she had used so many and broken them. She uses the type of magnification that is a big round equipment that is attached to a stand that she could move around.
I cleared another doubt of mine with her about the angle that she is putting the probe in and her answer was satisfying and it was similar to what I’ve been reading on this forum.
I’ll be going for another treatment today and I’ll post an update tomorrow.
Quick update: I went for an hour treatment yesterday. She cleared the new hairs on the sides of my face then went to work on my upper lip. That hurt!!! It’s still swollen and red more than 16 hours after treatment. She gave me vitamin e capsules to cut and rub on to the treated areas. I think that helped a little bit. How soon can I go in for treatment again on the same area? I usually go once a week for treatments but now the mid area on the upper lip is darker than the outsides and it looks a little odd so I want to go get that done soon.
Depending on the healing of your skin, and the equipment being used, one to four weeks is standard for retreating the same area. In addition to what you are doing, don’t forget to use real Aloe Vera on your skin to aid healing, and increased intake of vitamins A,C,E and the B complex will help skin as well. You can get these from foods, or you can get them from supplements.