Hi everyone, I’ve been reading the threads on laser and professional electrolysis and they have been soooo helpful. I hope you guys will be able to give me some much needed advice and a recommendation.
A little bit of background first (though you can prob skip this bit). I’m 25yr old female of Indian descent with reasonably fair skin and dark hair. I’m commonly assumed to be of Greek descent to give you a clearer idea of skin colour. I have hair all over my body and face and it’s all black. On my body I do a combination of waxing and bleaching. I have hair all over my face and neck, it just varies in thickness and length, the thickest and longest being my sideburns
It pretty much looks likes a beard. When I was 19 I started bleaching my the lower half of my face and neck. It made a huge difference to my appearance and confidence since from then I just look like a normal person with peach fuzz! The hair is only noticeable close up or in sunlight - except my sideburns. These really bother me. I’ve never given in to waxing/threading/shaving them like most other people I know because I have never wanted to make the problem worse or to ruin my skin (I’m quite susceptible to ingrowns and they scar quite badly). I always wear my hair down to try and cover the sides of my face but I really wish I could wear it up sometimes. In photographs it’s the only facial hair that really shows up. I’m getting married in about a year and I really want them gone so I wear my hair up with confidence and not worry about how the pictures will look.
I have been considering laser for ages now, finally being in a position that I can afford it. But a combination of things have started me thinking that it may not be the best option. From what I’ve read it sounds like I will be needing a yag laser – not so good for the face? (Even though to me, my sideburns seem coarse). I don’t want to risk laser induced growth and I’m really scared about scarring or in any way damaging my skin. Especially since it’s summer and it’s going to be really hard to completely avoid sun exposure. I also hear that the area is shaved prior to treatment, is this correct? I wouldn’t be keen on that. I’d also like to keep on bleaching between treatments but that also is not advisable?
My questions are, are my fears justified and am I better off going for electrolysis for this area? From other threads I’ve gained quite a bit of knowledge about what I should be looking for in a practitioner and what to expect. Am I correct in thinking that I should be going for a thermolysis practitioner?
Would anyone be able to recommend me an experienced one in London, UK?
Thank you so much for your help and for the existence of this forum!
Unless the hair on your face is coarse (like underarm hair) and plentiful, I would advise you to skip laser and go with electrolysis. You won’t really need to bleach because you should be going in to remove all the hair you want gone right away. Afterwards, you need to come in as soon as new hair pops up to kill it while it’s weak.
Shaving does absolutely nothing to the hair. So you should feel no problem doing this or clipping. The methods that can affect the structure of the hair are those that remove it with the root (i.e. threading, waxing etc).
For the other areas on your body with coarse hair, a Yag laser would be the right type.
You can find some past recommendations in London by running a search here with your city name. And yes, thermolysis type of electrolysis in good hands will be best and quickest for you.
lagirl - thanks. i’m feeling much happier about starting electrolysis on my face than i ever did when considering laser.
Since I could only find one recommendation for an electrologist in Central London, I’ll continue to update about my consultations and treatment so there’s some more info about electrolysis in London.
Is your recommended practitioner asking you not to post her details? We have so many people from the UK wanting leads for good electrologists. Of course, we always respect one’s right not to be recognized on an open forum.
So today i had my first consultation at The Parkside Beauty Centre (Diathermy, Galvanic and Blend) The electrologist was really nice and addressed my main concerns. She has been registered with the BIAE for yonks, as have all the electrologists at this clinic (I think there are 4). She says she treats many women similar to myself and it’s very rare that there will be any scarring from the treatment. She seemed to take pride in doing good treatment and spoke about some of the women who come in who have had bad treatment elsewhere. I had a 5 minute treatment on my sideburns. I felt some discomfort but I wouldn’t call it pain - it was more like a prolonged pull on a hair. That was this morning, it’s now the late afternoon and there is no redness either.
I know it’s best to check out as many places as possible but I’m thinking of not going to a consultation at renew medica now. When I spoke to them on the phone it sounded like the consultation wasn’t even going to be from the electrologist herself. And she only has 5 years experience.
I will hopefully be seeing the electrologist that Morrissey recommended. The thing is, if she uses the same method as the electrologist I saw today and even if gives me a short treament, from this how can i distinguish if she will give better treatment over time?
My remaining concern at this point is that is seems awfully slow (which of course I was aware of). At the rate of 5-10 hairs/min I will be doing hours and hours of electrolysis just on this area = costly.
I have read that the computerised electrolysis is much faster. Would you all suggest that I go for this method if I can find a practitioner? Unfortunately the only recommendation I have found in this forum is too far for me to go to every week. Searching the internet hasn’t lead me anywhere either - they are all far faaar out of London. Can anyone recommend anyone using comp elec in London?
Would it actually reduce the overall cost significantly? If not, I won’t feel so bad about continuing with the traditional treatment. Is it also significantly less damaging to the skin?
Five to ten hairs per minute is nothing to sneeze at. It will not take forever. If she goes after the thicker hairs first, you will be greatly elated. Removing those coarse hairs makes a huge difference early on. If you have a found a good electrologist, then increase the time on the table and aim for a first,full clearance.
Computerization is a great development for electrolysis. Computerized epilators help the electrologist and the client in many ways, however, if you find someone that does not have a computerized epilator, you can still get excellent results with good skin outcome (healing). This is and has always been about skill, but I am sold hands down on good equipment and say so ad nauseum here on hairtell.
Think about what you have found and increase the time on the table. Move forward and stay on a schedule.
If your looking to try out a couple more places, there’s one on one of my old threads about electrolysis and I think a couple of others mentioned on there.
Hi Dee, thanks for your advice. It’s true what you say - once i got home and had a proper chance to examine my face it was clear what a difference the 5 mins had made. The thickest most visible hairs were already gone making a marked difference. I think my problem is that I feel I won’t truly be able to tell how my skin is responding until I’ve had a few treatments with one electrologist at least. Which is fine except most places offer greatly reduced costs when you buy in bulk!
I’m totally committed to keeping on track and going as much as I can, which is why I’m so keen to find someone in Central London as this is where I work.
Benji - the link doesn’t work but is the thread the one about your various consultations? I found that really helpful. Sara sounds perfect but it would be a real trek from Surrey
Do you think she would be able to recommend someone more Central?
It’s a shame about the apparent lack of electrologists using computerised systems in the UK, especially in London. Everywhere is obsessed with Laser or IPL.
Yeah that was the link, seem to be having trouble with links recently. I don’t know Central London so well, she might have some information, but who knows.
I saw your posts regarding finding a good electrolysis expert in London. I am at my wits end with my full beard…I too have really bad side burns and have now developed hairs coming out of my cheeks, I am so distressed.
I am really pale (celtic skin) my hairs are really long but pretty fuzzy kinda like a bad old lady beard with a few spikey hairs in there for the mix, I tend to bleach but I noticed a change in my facial hair recently. I has gotten coarser and I went to the doctor who was useless and wanted to put me on Dianette???!! I suspect I have PCOS but am having trouble getting any help off the doc.
Anyway I live in London too and I am having a nightmare deciding where to go for treatment. I was just wondering if you have continued with treatment at Parkside and how effect it has been? Any help or advise you could give would be fab!
What a coincidence! I just remembered after ages that I said I would update this thread for other Londoners, thankfully not too long after your post.
I totally sympathise with how you’re feeling
I have always had a full beard since puberty but no one has ever suggested that there might be a medical reason for it and I’ve never had it checked (maybe I should?). My sister has the same facial hair pattern so maybe it’s just in our genes. I’m sure someone who actually knows about this stuff can give you some advice on the diagnosis situation but I think birth control could help whether it’s pcos or another hormonal cause.
Anyway, on to the happier stuff! Have you looked through the British Institute and Association of Electrolysis website? They have all the registered people in their directory. The ladies who were mentioned here are all on there:
Sara in Harrow (rec by Benji), Geri in Walthamstow (rec by Morrissey) and the Parkside gals (they are all registered). Sara was too far away for me to go to regularly so I ruled her out but if you think it’s feasible you should. Geri was not working at that time and I really wanted to get started so I couldn’t see her then either but if I later decide I want more of my face done I think I will go and have a consultation with her. Not because I’m not happy at Parkside but I think I would be able to get longer treatment times with someone who works from home (therefore quicker full clearance for whole face). The cost she quoted me per 15mins is the same as if you buy a package from Parkside (significantly cheaper than their 15min rate) but after the package I bought runs out I think I’d rather pay as I go along and Geri is a lot cheaper for that.
The electrologist I am with has been registered with BIAE for 10 years. The other electrologists have been registered for a similarly long time as well (one I think for a realllly long time). So far I have been going once a week (except for when I was ill for a while) ; first a 15min appointment and then 4 x 30min apps. In this time she has cleared the sideburn areas that were causing me the most upset. She has also taken care of some coarse chin hairs that don’t bleach that I usually pluck and also some around my eyebrows. I was having some doubts in the beginning but once I clarified with her why I wanted the particular area of sideburns to be treated and what hairs were causing me the most upset, everything has been fine. I think she now knows that I want the areas I want treated, rather than what she thinks is best (prob the whole face!), so she does hand me a mirror during the treatment so I can check if it’s going okay.
As for the treatment itself, it’s going well as far as I can tell! I would say she works at least at about 1 hair/10 secs. There is a little discomfort during the current but it doesn’t hurt, I’m usually almost falling asleep! Afterwards, the skin is a bit red but not for too long, about 15-30mmins. A few times, when she’s treated a stubborn hair, there has been a little mark left (she did let me know this would probably happen) but it’s like the kind of scar I get from a spot when it’s half faded away, so it hasn’t bothered me. They have almost faded completely now anyway.
So far there hasn’t been any regrowth although I imagine it will start appearing in a few weeks. The chin hairs that she removed would have definitely been back by now if they had been plucked so I’m so happy that they aren’t! It’s such a difference to be able to move my hair back and know that no one is staring at my bleached sideburns!
She also treats/has treated people who have had bad electrolysis or laser treatments.
Since I haven’t seen anyone else,I can’t really compare but so far I’m happy with the treatment at Parkside and the fact that I chose electrolysis!
Hope that helps, feel free to ask me anything else!
Yes, you should definitely get tested. The fact that your sister has it may mean that you both have a condition that’s inherited. Find a good endocrinologist.
Thats really put my mind at rest. I have an appointment with Sara next Thursday and she lives quite close to me so I am really happy about that and she was really lovely on the phone.
I got told off for pluking my moustache hairs…she told me to trim them, and I have been bleaching my side burns, but they look ginger because I am so pale. I am both scared and excited about treatment, I never leave the house with out make-up especailly when I go to work, can you wear make up a day or so after treatment??
My hair is so fine but very long and lots of it…will it grow back finer or stubbly??? I just want to be able to wear my hair up without people pointing and saying I have a beard!
Wish me luck for next thursday and I will post how I get on!!!
Lucky you! That sounds really good. I wish I was closer to Sara! Benji mentioned in his treatment thread that Sara also uses flash, so if you decide to go for this your treatment should be much faster to begin with!
If you can get all the areas you want treated cleared as quick as possible, that’s it! Then you just need to keep going back regularly to catch the regrowth as soon as it appears. I do hear that it can be frustrating when you’re still going after a year but as far as I’m concerned the areas will more or less be hair free for all this time (if you keep on top of the regrowth) and you will get permanent removal eventually!
Since I haven’t had any regrowth that I can see yet I can’t tell you from my experience but my electrologist has assured me that it will be finer when it comes back. She also told me that it’s a good thing that I never plucked/waxed as the hairs are much easier to remove because of this and hopefully the follicles will be destroyed sooner. Oh, and she said that the hairs do take a few weeks longer to come back than if they had been plucked, so yay for longer hair free periods!
I actually have my treatments in the morning so she has to clean my sideburn area and any makeup that’s there! But it’s fine, I go to work straight after (smelling a bit of tea tree oil though). During the day I apply some aloe vera too (because it doesn’t smell) and more tea tree oil when I get home. The next day I will be wearing makeup as usual! I keep on applying tea tree oil at night for a few days after too. As long as your skin doesn’t have a reaction I don’t think it will be a problem to wear makeup the next day, as I do. If there is any problem, maybe make your appointments on a Friday evening, then your skin will have the weekend to recover.
Best of luck, I can’t wait to hear how it goes - hopefully you won’t be able to stop looking at your hair free skin in the mirror!
You should get witch hazel at a drugstore and apply it several times a day to help the skin heal fast. Try to avoid makeup for a bit to avoid irritation etc.
The hair grows back thinner and thinner each time.
As I mentioned before, you get tested for any hormonal conditions that may be causing the growth. This is important because electrolysis can only remove hair that’s currently there. It can’t prevent your body from producing new growth if you have a condition that’s causing it to do that.
Unfortunately I work shift patterns so I don’t get the same day off everyweek hence why I can’t really go mak-up free (I have hyper pigmentation on my upper lip after all those years of waxing, I have been waxing including my arms since I was 11 - I am 28 now) Oh if only I knew then what I know now, I would have just bleach all my hairs instead of waxing/shaving/plucking, luckily I didn’t touch my sideburns, as tempting as it was!!!
I don’t think my hair growth is hormonal as my grandma had a full on beard and my mums got sideburns…although I think she trims them, I certainly don’t wanna be doing that!!!
Thanks again for all your advice, I really wish I had found this site sooner, I have been suffering for years thinking I am a total hairy freak and none of the girls I know seem to suffer with hair like me. It’s such a comfort to know that others understand what I am going through and how this dreaded hair can ruin your confidence and relationships in everyday life! But hopefully when I see Sara next week I will be on the road to a hair free face.
Just one other question Stopit&tidyup…you say you haven’t seen regrowth as such yet how long have you been having treatment??
hmm yea, i do bleach an awful lot! my face, my chest, my tummy! i was never able to bring myself to wax these areas.
i think we should both keep bugging our doctors to find out if we have any medical cause for our hair growth. i was talking to my sister yesterday (she’s younger than me) and she agrees that even though most of our facial hair is not long, it’s just way too much and we both have a lot of hair on our chests (between our breasts especially) and tummies. it just doesn’t seem ‘normal’. so we have both decided that we will keep going to our GP until they take us seriously and look into it. it will probably take forever!
i had my first appointment on 13th May and my first 30min appointment the week after. So it’s been about a month since the first hairs and so far no regrowth!
i usually spend the week looking forward to my next appointment as it means more hairs gone!
Like I said, the fact that it’s in your family doesn’t mean it’s not caused by anything. Hormonal conditions are hereditary as well. If I were you, I would looking for an experienced Endocrinologist doctor (specifically this type of doctor) who has lots of experience in the field.
Thanks for your advice lagirl - it’s definitely spurred me to have it checked out. i had considered it before but i thought the doctor won’t take me seriously or think i’m a hypochondriac. the problem in the UK is that you need your GP to refer you to a specialist and convincing your GP that you actually have a problem that needs a specialist to look into is often a struggle!
