Hi all,
I have been thinking about getting my hair removed by electrolysis. I dont know which kind as of yet, coz from what I have read in this forum there are more than one.
But my main concern is that I am an asian with dark skin that tans very easily. Even a shoe bite will leave a mark and take years to fade away.Cuts,nicks,scratches u name it they all stay with me for a pretty long time.So I was wondering if bumps and inflammation from electrolysis will cause problems and leave scars, which I dont want because I take care of my skin very religiously.
Any info will be much appreciated.
You should fill out your profile. Without knowing where you are located it is hard to help you. In your case it will be VERY EXTRA IMPORTANT to find someone good. You may even need to find someone great, if you are to have any hope of avoiding temporary discoloration.
Here’s my info:
Location:Albany,NY
Hello vacua,
I dont know which kind as of yet, coz from what I have read in this forum there are more than one.
I would like to suggest you take a look at HairFacts’ Electrolysis section. You will have basic understanding from HairFacts’ informative site.
As for your skin reactions, you will need to some an electrologist who is careful, and you need to tell him/her your skin condition and your concern.
Personally, I’d like to suggest you find multi-probe galvanic electrolysis, which will give you result gradually. Admittedly, multi-probe galvanic is a lot harder to find compared to the popular theromolysis. However, you might find faster clearance (each visit) by theromolysis suits you better, but it requires a lot more re-insertion of the probes to the same hair follicle. You should take your skin’s reaction into consideration.
While I am not familar with the internal geography of New York, if you are from anywhere inside there you are lucky if you are chosing an electrologist. Both James and Fino Gior are in New York. Either way, it will be the task of both you and the electologist to protect your skin while permanently destroying the skin, but if both of you do your part then you shouldn’t suffer major complications. But with skin as sensitive as you describe I would suggest being very cautious as you proceed and letting your electrologist know ahead of time of your condition as well as concerns.
And before this thread gets near-conspiratorial, I’d like to point out that you may have a hard time finding an electrologist who will only do this method, for reasons which have been discussed in another recent thread. Thermolysis will give you results too in a desirable period of time, but as both above posters have said, it is due to the skill of the electrologist. Good luck.
Ants:
What do you mean by a “a lot more re-insertions of the probes to the same hair follicle” (how many is a lot?) and how do you know you are retreating the same hair follicle over and over again???
The original poster,vacua, did not even state specifically what kind of hair she wanted removed, coarse and thick, thin and shallow or what body area. Have you ever tried to do multiple needle galvanic on shallow, thin hairs? If she has thin shallow hair, multiple needle galvanic is NOT the way to go, ants. If her hairs are coarse and deep, mutiple needle would be fine for her, AGAIN BE IT SAID, if she finds a competent practitioner who even has a multi-needle galvanic epilator and knows how to use the thing properly. Those that actually still use a multi-needle epilator are like finding a rare dinosaur in the United States. So in all practicality, though multiple needle galvanic may be good for vacua, if it is not preformed by someone in her area, it’s not even an option.
Offering all three modalities in my practice, I appreciate the benefits of all three, but you have to size up a particular persons problem first before deciding the best way to attack the hair. Giving samples of what each modality feels like tolerance-wise, anticipating how long it takes to clear an area, seeing how the skin heals afterwards, etc., etc. is truly a rational approach where the client is elevated to a participating partner in the series of treatnments needed to get rid of the hair. The client can help with the modality decision if one presents all the options.
I agree, that vacua needs to alert her prospective electrologist about the sensitivity of her skin and have a discussion. I have worked on people with the same concerns with darker skin and we usually start with a slow, gentle blend. Blend is faster than galvanic and the skin does well.
This is all more encompassing than having someone lie down on the table and then start the zapping away with one modality over another. An complete assessment is made followed by a plan. Sometimes that plan stays the same early on, and sometimes that plan changes early on. The electrologist should always be watching the skin and listening to the clients feedback no matter what type of electrolysis is used.
I can’t say that all electrologists do this because some never venture outside the box of what they are familiar with because they do achieve good results year after year with their particular modality and their equipment. I know that you seem to be very satisfied with your multi-needle galvanic operator and I’m not surprised that you are. It’s a great method, but we have two other ways to do this just as well.
In conclusion, I do challenge your statement about re-treating the same hair follicles “a lot” and again ask you to explain how you know the same hair is being re-treated
many times when thermolysis is used?
I would appreciate your comments, ants.
Dee
OOOOPS, I meant permanently destroying the hair. Haha, definitely not permanently destroying the skin. Hopefully I am the only one who noticed that mistake. But if you are interested in permanently destorying the skin, I’m sure you could find ways to do so.
Thanks for all the info guys,
I actually have thick,balck hair. Its not coarse, but it is thick. If I did start electrolysis,which part do you think is best to experiment on?So that if there are any bumps or scratches, they dont get noticed. Plus,which is the most painfully area to get electrolysed?
Vacua: I would start with the underarms. I am a male and I found the bony area over the chest to be the most painful for me in having my chest hair removed by electrolysis.I found the least painful to be the pubic area and often had 3 hour sessions in that area.
could someone please explain multi probe galvanic, i’m a qualified electrologist here in the uk and its something i’ve not heard of ( heard of galvanic,blend ,thermolysis,diathermy but not that)many thanks
Multi-probe Galvanic is just galvanic electrolysis where the machine has many tiny probe holders hanging from strands of wire all in line so that they look like a 60’s style Hippy beaded curtain. These machines come in 8, 16, and 32 probe models.
One inserts all the probes, hoping none of them falls out while you are inserting the others, and then, when all are in place, the current is turned on, and all the hairs are treated. Some have the current on and insert the probes “Live” as they go, and then, by the time you insert the last one, it is time to remove the first one. If this style is done, one must keep track of the order the probes were inserted in order to minimize overtreatment.
It is very important that a client/patient/customer does not move while this is being done, as any movement can cause a live probe to fall out, and you might not know what follicle it fell out of, in order to reinsert and finish the treatment.
Wow, thanks for that speedy reply,I could not imagine that being done,isnt there a high incident of probes missing hair follicles and piercing skin instead?
No, since a professional is doing the insertion, and those are done one at a time, the quality of the insertion is as good as the skill of the practitioner here, just as it is anywhere else.
The problem is that the probes can move while you are inserting other probes, and if the client moves their face.
When I do multi needle galvanic, I liken it to the feeling of a mother duck trying to take care of her 16 little ducklings one at a time. One must stay very focused and it is frustrating when a client says she has an itch or she has to sneeze or her cell phone is must answer while all the probes are in place. These probes must stay in the hair follicle anywhere between three minutes and ten minutes, so it is not all that pleasant for a client lay perfectly still for that long.
If you are thinking of getting a multi-needle probe epilator, consider one that has each wire on a different circuit so that the galvanic action starts separately from the other wires and automatically turns off after the preset time.
I must tell you, that is why most electrologists do not use this modality even though it gives nice results. Clients just don’t like laying perfectly still for several minutes and most electros don’t have the proper equipment or patience. The ones that do are great, I’m sure, but most clients and practitioners prefer blend, flash thermolysis or manual thermolysis to solve their hair problem.
Dee
That’s why most multi-probe people do bikini work, the area, unlike the face arms and legs doesn’t move all that much if the person is laying down.
Thanks for the reply,
If electrolysis probes skin pores to get the hair follicles out, wouldn’t that maximize ones skin pores in the long run and cause problems?
No, it doesn’t.
Unless someone blows holes in the skin, all you get is empty follicles/pores. Since you are not used to seeing them empty, you may think they look “larger” or “more open” but they are not.
thanks for that reply , very interesting, do you know of a website where i can see a picture of one of those machines/probe holders, i cant imagine what it would look like.I dont think i would consider getting one,i’m happy doing blend,I cant believe how sore some of the after treatment pics on this site look, my clients have never looked like that and if they did i would seriously consider further training
I wish more who see that on their clients would consider both further training, AND better equipment.
Hi James,
I have discovered a good pain killer for electrolysis, It’s called Lidocaine.
Electrolysis Topical Pain Killers
Lidocaine (LYE-doe-kane) belongs to the family of medicines called local anesthetics (an-ess-THET-iks) . When lidocaine is applied to the skin, it produces pain relief by blocking the signals at the nerve endings in the skin. Effective Topical Anesthetic! Comes in three types, Lidocaine HCL USP (4%) – Cream – Lidocaine HCL USP (4%) - Salve / Ointment — Lidocaine HCL USP (4%) - Gel
Go to my website:
http://trannyweb.com/membersites/personal/rebeccac/
and check out subject Electrolysis Topical Pain Killers Under my picture. If you would like to purchase this product then click here “lidocaine”
see you soon James,
Rebecca