need advice on electrologist experience

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hi everyone! this is my first post. I suffer from thick facial hair (thats undiagnosed at the moment) and I’ve been checking out electrolysis for a while. I finally decided to go ahead and do my first session, which was not painful at all, if anything it felt like a pin prick every couple of minutes (I went for 45min). Apparently my chin hair is really dense( although i don’t think so but this is what the electrologist has told me) so she couldn’t clear the area in the time allotted, only doing a small area of the right side of my chin. She would treat the same hair follicle 3 or 4 times before she plucked it out, and i could still feel her plucking it out. Towards the end she stopped treating the follicles multiple times and instead just zapped it once and plucked them out.
I started to get nervous and question her ability to go on with these treatments so that same day i went to a more well known specialist and she was VERY ROUGH with my hair. I felt the needle go inside my skin every single time! this lady is in her 70s and a lot of people have recommended her yet she used antiquated equipment, and the surroundings of her establishment do not look very sanitary.

I guess my question really is that i don’t know who i should continue my treatments with. First establishment charges 55$ for 45min, uses the blend method, i felt her plucking my hair even after the second treatment, and she didn’t seem confident or experienced with thicker hair and ethnic skin, but she as a person is very pleasant to talk to. the second establishment charges 75$ for 45min, treatment was extremely painful (and i have a high pain threshold) so she may have been using the galvanic method. Also i didn’t feel any zaps with either of them but with the second person she left the needle in for about 2 seconds and moved on. Also my skin scabbed after the second lady and i can see the entrance of the needles in my skin, and because i am black i also get keloids.

Im sorry for the long post but i would like to get some insight from others about what they think of the procedures (i.e pain, lack of feeling of “zaps”, big or small needles, feeling of plucking)

#2

Welcome to Hairtell L of the V.

No, you don’t want to feel as if you are being tweezed, but I will tell you that first clearances can sometimes be difficult for both the client and the Electrologist.

So you have seen that electrologists are not all the same. We have different ways of approaching those strong bothersome hairs you described and that’s what you have discovered by seeing the two electrologists.

Consider seeing a few more electrologists if possible. Communicate with them about the tweezing you felt before. We all should know that tweezing is a no no, so make sure that is verbalized to you. Scabbing can happen, but they shouldn’t be too big. Never pick the scabs. They will fall off naturally.

Do you have it on your to do list to get a medical check concerning your facial hair?

Would you like to submit a picture here?

#3

Thank you Dee!

To be honest I’m a bit shy of my hair and my scarring, but I will post tomorrow before my next appointment. I changed electrologists so I’m going to see the new one for the first time. I just felt uneasy about the plucking.

I also noticed something strange as well. I’ve read on the forums of people experiencing hair growth after getting treatments. On one forum you notes that it’s just a new phase of hair that is growing that was already there. For me however, it’s an excessive amount that has grown and I’ve only done 2 hours on my chin. I’ve been tweezing for years and my hair has probably tripled since my last visit… I’m just a little down right now to be honest. I was informed that my next appointment with my endocrinologist would be in June

Thanks for your reply though! I really appreciate it
C

#4

Hi LillyoftheValley,
I just wanted to say keep the faith! This first few months after stopping plucking can be tough as you see your actual extent of hair growth, but dont let it discourage you. You are on the right path looking for a good electrologist who will lead you through this experience and in a year’s time when you look back you would think: why didn’t I do this earlier!
Good luck!

#5

Hi geri,
thanks for the encouragement! it is tough to keep with it… although i came across something alarming today

I went to go see my third electrologist and when she took a look at my face she suggested i get laser treatment. So a laser professional came in and told me despite my concerns with my skin tone and scarring, laser would be the best option for me, because i have so many hairs. I asked her A MILLION and one questions, one of them being the critiscsms behind laser hair REDUCTION therapy vs permanent hair removal electrolysis therapy and she stated that laser is a form of permanent therapy. Any thoughts on this? Based on what I’ve read on forums and internet research i was told that it was not.

I told her about a girl i knew who had laser done several years ago on her legs and now all the hair has grown back and she said that it was due to ineffective application by the professional. She said that laser was the best way to go because it is reduced inflammation and hyper pigmentation compared to electrolysis.

The price is way below what i would be paying for electrolysis (600$ vs. $2000) as well as the time, but to be honest money isn’t a factor with me, i just want a permanent solution that won’t affect my skin adversely…I can’t remember exactly what the machine was called (cool something…) but she did a test patch and advised me to come back in about 3 weeks for treatment to make sure the hairs have had a chance to fully come up without any previous plucking.

i will probably post this in the laser forum as well… any opinions would be great thanks!

#6

Laser is a permanent reduction but it is not suitable for the female face.

As it is only a reduction you will end up having to deal with the remainder of the hair using electrolysis, and that will still take the same amount of time as electrolysis normally takes (as there will be hairs spread out over the normal cycles), but you wont be able to start it until much later as you will be having laser treatments spread out over months and months.

Starting electrolysis with a good practitioner NOW is a much better idea.

#7

Lillyofthevalley stay well away from the clinic others may differ but I would never ever get laser done on the face just too many laser enduced stories body yes face no and its not permanent removal its permanent reductions and for her to claim otherwise again makes me think stay away. Sorry your having so much hassle finding a professional electrolysis in your area but I would keep looking if I was you. x

#8

Thank you everyone for the support! It is pretty fustrating trying to find a practioner. I’ve always been wary of laser and told myself to stay awayfrom it so I will continue my search for an electrologist. I just found it weird that the electrologist at the clinic suggested to do laser. Maybe because it was too many hairs and she didn’t want to deal with it ?,lol. Also I found the price very suspicious as well.

Thank you everyone for the responses!

#9

I’m biased. Electrolysis works for me, but I was left with a lot after laser.I have a hard time recommending laser now and think how much further along with electrolysis I would be if I took the money I spent on laser and did electrolysis instead. But that’s just me. I understand it can be a good choice for some people

Seana

#10

Hi again, Lilly. Would you consider posting pictures on here? It would be easier to comment for us.
I do both - laser and electrolysis. I prefer laser for legs, bikini and underarms, and electrolysis for everything else. However, sometimes, on a very dense, thick black facial growth I would do 6 laser treatments and finish with electrolysis.

#11

okay, ive uploaded some photos. Please be aware, my face and neck are full of scars from the ingrowns. As well, i have a couple of really deep ingrowns that i can’t get out at the moment so i have a lot of pimples from it. you have been forewarned lol!!

as you can see i do have really thick facial hair, but it became really dense about three weeks ago since my last electrolysis treatment. these hairs weren’t here before =[ either i just never realized it or the electrolysis stimulated dormant hairs.

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#12

Hi Lilly,

Electrolysis is a localized reaction in the follicle that is treated.It CANNOT induce hair growth at all. What you are seeing is “normal” for you and the way your body’s endocrine system is working at the moment.It takes 2-3 months to grow a new hair, so if you saw these two weeks after electrolysis they werre definitely already growing before that.

I have to be honest, that is some thick growth but it can be addressed very easily with electrolysis provided you shut down the mechanism that is inducing hair growth. I have to be honest, when I first saw these pictures I questioned if you were a transwoman. You are right to be seeing an endocrinologist because if it is hormone related they do have medications that can help.

What I see is a combination of things. A mix of two different colours of hair, both dark and very light (possibly greying?). What is your age ( alright a lady never asks, so to the nearest decade :)) Greys can be caused by smoking as well, so if you are a smoker please stop.Laser will help with the dark hairs only and wont have any effect on lighter colour hair.Stick with electrolysis for the best results.

There appear to be two very sunken areas on your chin and I’m wondering about this. Are these from plucking? They almost look as if you had some very poorly done electrolysis some time ago and it’s scar tissue. While I think this can happen possibly with plucking it’s more likely to be desicated flesh sub-dermally and maybe Michael , Dee , Josefa or James will give an opinion on this( or any of the pro’s) . Unfortunately electrolysis wont help this, but it is likely to improve your overall skin quality. If you havent been told already, dont pluck not now, nor ever again.You already have what appears to be some hyperpigmentation from plucking underneath the chin but if the skin is left alone it should fade in 1-2 years.

I get questioned quite often about good electrologists in the Toronto region, unfortunately I dont get anyone giving names or establishments they have worked with. If you dont mind saying, could you say who you are currently seeing as an electrologist?

Seana

#13

I get questioned quite often about good electrologists in the Toronto region, unfortunately I dont get anyone giving names or establishments they have worked with.

I came across this names on the forum (the first of them was recommended by James, though it was 12 years ago so maybe she doesn’t do it anymore). Anyways the names were:

  1. Lucy Desrochers
    2181 Queen Street East Suit # 304
    Toronto Ontario M4E 3E5
    416-694-5917

  2. http://www.sarahshrigley.com/

  3. http://www.profilecanada.com/companydetail.cfm?company=630031_Elizabeth_Ann_Electrolysis_Toronto_ON

#14

Hi SeanaTG!

thank you for your responses! To answer your question, no i am not a trans woman, i can see why you would think that because my hairs are thick and stubborn. The lighter hairs that you see are actually not light/grey at all, its just how the light fell on my face. I remember the first electrologist i had been to told me that i have thicker hair on the sides of my jaw and neck, but more denser hair on the ball of my chin. The indentations as well (I’m assuming you’re referring to the second picture) are just dimples on my chin. I was propped up on the bathroom counter trying to get a good picture so i was straining quite a bit.

i have since then just shaved and i have to say it is the most nerve racking thing to do first thing in the morning but i know it will help me with my problem.

I had my blood work done and it came back normal, but i didn’t take this as a final answer because i am 22 years old, there is no way that this can just be attributed to just heredity, as i was told. So i am currently on the waiting list to see another endocrinologist and receive a second opinion. So far to date, i have seen 2 electrologists and 1 laser technician, and I’m going to see my third electrologist tomorrow. (Talk about needing a break!!) One thing i have learned from this forum is that feeling epliation during treatment is NOT acceptable, so i thank all of the pros and contributors on here for providing crucial advice and to educate those who are looking for treatment. Ive felt plucking with all of the technicians I’ve been to so far, i am forever on a hunt !

Thank you for your links!! I actually contacted sarah shrigley couple weeks ago and she’s booked solid until june, so I’m hoping for now to find someone decent and then switch over to her later on when she’s taking on new clients again. Lucy derochers has her clinic in Quebec, and i will check out elizabeth if I’m not confident in my appointment tomorrow. I really do appreciate the knowledge and feedback your providing, it really does help =]

To be honest, i don’t want to name “names” only because i feel as though these technicians are good at what they do but maybe aren’t experienced enough to handle the hairs that i have. The last time i was worked on was some weeks ago and the lady scabbed me pretty badly, so bad that the entry points of the needle made my skin white for a few days (reasons for this? I’ve never had white spots on a wound before) and this was with victoria at bay street electrolysis clinic. Last week i had a consult with Bliss electrolysis and Laser, and i wasn’t confident with them at all considering that the lady had told me that i should choose laser instead of electrolysis for my problem. She also said that i didn’t have a hormone problem and its actually just genetics. Although i question that because i have hair on my body that shouldn’t be there (i.e nipples, some hairs on my chest, and stomach)

As much as it is disheartening as a female to have so much hair, i wouldn’t mind it at all if it didn’t produce so much hyper pigmentation and ingrowns. Hair you can remove easily but the scars that is left behind from it is much more difficult to get rid of

Thanks brenton for the clinics!!

#15

also i have something else that bothered me… the first electrologist had said that the settings were on full blast, yet when i looked up at the machine when she went to go get a thicker needle it read 78%. Is it possible that number meant something else? She also didn’t keep a log of my treatments and when i asked her how much hairs she removed the first treatment she estimated around 100. I read the previous thread about what questions to ask electrologists and the only real info i got out of her was that she was using the blend method.

I am also still unaware of the pain i am supposed to feel during treatment… one electrologist didn’t hurt at all, and the second one was excruciating!

#16

I have thermolosis not spelt correctly there lol but I feel the needle go in I feel the zap doesn’t hurt me sometimes it stings but not painful but I never feel the hair released, you should feel a zap but should never feel the hair coming out if you feel plucking walk away. As for up to his highest? not sure on this don’t have experience myself personally I’d worry about being burned if it was at its highest setting don’t know how this works. I’d definitely go with someone on here if you can visit the one recommend in June hopefully you’ll be able to get good treatment, I would call her again and ask to be put on a waiting list and stated that you’ll call back in June so she’s aware and can hopefully keep open a space.

#17

Lilly,
You cannot tell anything by the numbers on the machine. All the different brands differ on their ability and strength, sometimes even within the same brand and machine you can get different calibration levels.There is a good chance that the “78%” referred to the thermolysis quotient of the machine, but just the strength of the treatment energy essentially means very little without knowing also the make and model of the machine, the type of treatment, and the timing .78% is enough in blend to heat up the lye in a couple short shots of 1/100th of a second but given half a second could seriously damage you. I once tried 30% on my machine, but the timing was way longer than any I have seen on ay of my presets.I was lucky I didnt leave a smoking hole in my face To give you a comparison, 85% on my machine is sufficient with enough timing to remove a skin tag. You definitely would not want that much energy in your follicle! The results may look very similar to that dimple you have in a year or so! Please dont double guess your electrologists settings on their machine.They are the professional and know their equipment , and they know what is safe for you and what isnt. “highest” could simply mean the highest setting that is safe to use or the amount of galvanic used ( likely 1 milliamp).These machines are perfectly capable of causing damage if set incorrectly.

What has more effect in effective electrolysis is how that energy is used.Proper placement of the probe in the follicle ( and not an adjacent follicle) is the more critical component. And this is where the measurement comes in, if it’s done right the extraction should be pain free. If you are feeling a pluck they just plain didnt get it right.Thermolysis is an art form, it takes a lot of skill to do it properly to get that perfect extraction.Proper placement in the follicle to get at the root is critical or it just doesnt work. I’ve tried it a couple times on myself and others and am not proficient enough with it, and the difference comes out in the extraction.

Not all machines keep a client log. Mine does, but it’s only a few models that do so. It’s not surprising the electrologist could not give you an accurate count, especially if she was double treating follicles. I do this, because it works, but there are better ways.That said 100 hairs if it was a 1 hour session, is a little on the low side, about equivelent to some of the students I got treatment from but it could be a perfectly acceptable count depending on the strength of the hair and how difficult it is to get enough energy into the follicle to remove them smoothly.

Pain is irrelevant.Yes it is an indicator, but the same treatment levels can feel very different on different parts of the face or even between follicles on the same part of the face.Also some machines use a different frequency for the thermolysis part, and as a result have very different feel, one of their selling points. It’s also random based on probe placement and the number of nerves present in the follicle.

Seana

#18

Thank you for all your responses! This community is making it a lot easier to cope with this experience.

I went to my appointment today and again was told i should do laser treatment instead. The person who i was speaking to was extremely knowledgable in the area of electrolysis and laser. He sat down with me for about 20 min just explaining the theory to me, which no other electrologist I’ve been to has really done. I am still apprehensive about the laser (should i be posting on the laser forum??) and i still think electrolysis is truly the best method for ridding these ingrowns, but at the same time i don’t want to be stubborn and not take advice from the professionals if they are suggesting i do laser.

All of the information I’ve received from clinics were all inconsistent with each other, even the ones who offered both electrolysis and laser treatments. The person today told me that laser does not induce hair growth, and that the reason why some people experience hair regrowth in the targeted area is because their hormones flare up again (i.e a young girl who received laser treatments, rids herself of hair, then some years later has children and the hair comes back because of her fluctuating hormones)
This is all very stressing and ironically the very thing I’m trying to get rid of is being fed by stress. Sorry if i sound like a broken record, Im just trying to make an educated decision with what i need to do.

Lilly

#19

Seana, I realize this now from the diagrams i was shown today in the treatment room. My hairs are curly, and i remember with the first electrologist i couldn’t feel any zapping at all really. Which possibly might mean that she wasn’t even hitting the follicle needed and instead was just heating up the area… for an hour. I am glad i walked away very early from her. I am sure she is a great specialist but maybe my issue was a bit too advanced for her. Also, at the laser/electrol clinic i went to the electrologist refused to work on me. I thought she was trying to save me money, but now i realize she may have not been confident enough to work on me and instead sent me to someone who is proficient with a laser.

thank you for pointing this out, as it is making it a bit more easier finding a electrologist I’m comfortable with. =]

Lilly

#20

Hi everyone, I’m back with more questions…

Ive been going to a electrologist for about 3 weeks now. I really do like her and I’m comfortable with her however I’ve noticed a technique that she uses with me that bothers me a bit.

When ever she zaps me she YANKS out the hairs. Now I’ve made a comment to her a couple of times and all she says is that “because your hairs are curly i have to pull it to make it straight so that why you are feeling the pluck” …which to me still doesn’t make sense because at the end of the day i shouldn’t really be feeling a pluck similar to when i used to pluck. Again, i don’t know what to make of this and its really bothering me and I’m not a pro at this so for me to criticize someones technique is really not my place. What i have noticed with the following growth is that the hairs come back a bit thicker. What does everyone think of this “yanking” technique? Im so used to reading everyones experiences with electrolysis and they all mention the hairs coming out smoothly… someone please respond?