new electrologist said plucking is ok?

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

I’m trying out new electrologists because I moved out of state from my old one (over a year of treatments on my face with the old one).

I had an hour appointment with a new electrologist today and I find myself not knowing if it was a good session or not because everything was so different from my previous electrologist’s setup though both used thermolysis. My previous electrologist had an older machine - the machine had dials and I felt heat from the needle when she treated each hair.

This woman has a newer machine, it’s an Apilus. I felt no heat with each insertion but did feel what I can only describe as a very slight electrical charge. She worked much, much faster than my previous electrologist and now several hours after treatment, I have very little redness or swelling whereas I previously had a lot of redness and swelling for 2 or 3 days after. These are both very good things.

Three things concerned me though:

  1. A few times I felt the smell of singed hair. I’ve never smelled this before and don’t know if it’s normal for this type of machine.
  2. I felt a good deal of tugging on the hairs. She said that the idea that hairs needed to just slide out was very “old school” and that as long as the follicle was treated, it didn’t matter if the hair had to be plucked out or not. When I described how my previous treatments felt she said my other electrologist was melting the hair and that this was unnecessary.
  3. She told me if anything got infected to put some neosporin on it. I found this the most alarming because I’ve been getting electrolysis for 14 months and I’ve never, ever had anything get infected. Is this common? Have I just been lucky?

So are these valid concerns or am I overreacting? I’m prone to overreacting so I’m ready to accept that.

Thanks for any input.

#2
  1. Perhaps… are you sure it’s not skin? With a very ‘shallow’ insertion near the skin (< 30°) the skin will actually singe so what you may indeed be smelling is burnt skin. Although you say redness and swelling is down. Perplexing!
    Note: If indeed it is a improper insertion you would be hearing a snap of the skin which lets you know that the heat has made contact.
  2. Not ‘old school’ by a long shot. The hairs sliding out usually means that the sheath and the root is coming along with it. Unless she is talking about cauterizing the follicle which should be avoided (this takes many treatments).
  3. Infection can occur, sounds like a precautionary warning. I’ve had one or two follicles get infected (yellow fluid) over a large area, its uncommon but not unheard of. So yes, keep the area clean.

With some of these you may be taking what she says out of context.

There’s no doubt that the Apilus is a fast machine, but some operators are mindless when removing the hair, meaning they go on ‘autopilot’ and start inserting anywhere and everywhere without any regard to the direction the hair is growing out of the follicle.

Keep in mind i have no formal education, i perform this on myself :).

#3

Which means that it might be anything from a very entry level machine to a sphisticated high end device.

I felt no heat with each insertion but did feel what I can only describe as a very slight electrical charge.

I do not feel any electrical charge if i treat myself. And i do not feel any electrical charge if i am being treated by a professional, regardless what device or technique she is using. And i hope that neither of my own clients ever feels an “electrical charge”.

What is to be felt is the pain caused by the signal. In flash theremolysis it is more or less always the same, maybe a bit longer or shorter and weaker or shorter, dependent on the details of the pulse and the needle chosen.

  1. A few times I felt the smell of singed hair.

…should not happen

She said that the idea that hairs needed to just slide out was very “old school” and that as long as the follicle was treated,

You remember Jossies videos where she takes out the hairs with her fingers? You can apply a lot less of force with the fingers than with the tweezers, even if You are careful with the latter.

other electrologist was melting the hair and that this was unnecessary.

Melting the hair is indeed not necessary. But a correctly epilated (anagen!) hair flushes out so lightly that You won’t notice.

  1. She told me if anything got infected to put some neosporin on it.

Electrolysis always leaves small wounds which of course can be infected, although noticeable ones are usually very rare. And should be.
But imagine, a client freshly treated in the face is traveling in winter by train …
We do not have any chance to warrant negligeable infection rates. We can only do our best that our client can leave our office without an infection. Therefore such an advice is always a useful one.

#4

Ok, thanks for the responses. I will not worry about the infection comment. I’ll just be happy it hasn’t happened before and continue to keep everything clean so it hopefully won’t happen in the future.

I can’t know for sure if what I felt was an electrical charge or not. The machine beeped twice in close succession and with each beep I felt what I perceived to be an electrical shock. I told her that’s what I felt when she asked if I was comfortable and she only said something to the effect of “okay.” So for whatever reason, she did not see the need to correct me. I can’t speculate on that reason.

I always felt my previous electrologist pull the treated hairs out but since I tweezed the hair for years before electrolysis, I can tell the difference between a pluck and a pull. What I felt yesterday was definitely a pluck and with the previous electrologist it was just a pull. However, this new electrologist did show me a couple treated hairs and I could see the sheath and root and all.

I have not seen these videos - I will search them out.

At any rate, I have a consult with another electrologist next week. I live in the San Francisco Bay area and there are plenty of electrologists here. I will keep looking until I find the right one. I was a bit put off by this electrologist anyway because she was late, spent a full 10 minutes getting herself, her office, and her equipment ready, yet still charged me for a full hour.

I very much appreciate the information, it really helps me figure out what I should be looking for.

#5

My description for this electrologist sounds like your username.

Read the currently active “electrologist efficiency” thread to appreciate how easily hairs should slide out if the follicle is completely treated.

Plugs, pulls, tugs… whatever you call them, I personally would not part with my money or time for this kind of treatment.

#6

Double post

#7

Old and modern schools have always maintained this premise: The treated hair should NEVER resist.

This must be a new way to justify what is unjustifiable.