New with some questions

Hi all,

I’m new here, and I have been lurking here for a while. This forum is great, answers almost all my questions, but still I need some help.

I’m considering removing the upper lip hair after I was advised to do so in another forum. Here is a little about me:

  • I’m 31 year old female.
  • Middle eastern, pale with beige tint.
  • Have very course and black hair on the upper lip. The two sides have coarse and black hair, but the middle area has fine not very black hair.
  • I have been threading and/or tweezing this area for years now, 15 years or more. I also have a black shadow only on the sides of upper lip; even if I removed the hair, still have this very noticeable black shadow. Looks like many hairs are under the skin.

Here are my questions:

  1. Does the type of electrolysis machine used depend on skin type and color? My understanding from many posts I read is that Flash, MicroFlash, PicoFlash thermolysis are the best and the galvanic is so slow for the upper lip. Does that apply on all skin colors and types? What about the blend?

  2. How would be the frequency of visits after around 7 months of treatment? Would it be monthly, every two months? Given the black and coarse hair I have. I’m asking because I might go to my country for 3 months after around 7 months from treatment beginning. Would 3 months be a long time to go without electrolysis? I know it’s hard to diagnose over internet but in general, how will be the hair growth in the upper lip after 7 months of treatment? I don’t want to start and then stop in the middle after starting achieving results and I don’t know about electrolysis in my country.

  3. When should I stop threading before my first appointment?

  4. I live in Massachusetts, Greater Boston; do you have any good recommendation in this area? I have a list I’m going to call tomorrow for a consultation, but like to hear from you.

Thanks in advance,

  1. For electrolysis skin color is not really an issue. That only matters for laser. Fastest type of electrolysis is always good in terms of getting the most for your buck. The only times blend may be necessary is when the hairs are deep such as on some chins, nipples, etc. For your upper lip, any of the fast thermolysis methods should be good. Finding someone good who uses those is most important

  2. It takes 9-12 months of regular treatments to complete treatments, after your first clearance. Specific timing varies based on many factors and by individul as well as skill of electrologist. Typically, you’ll have to go in once every 2-3 weeks for the first 3-4 months for the upper lip since it’s a small area and you can get to a clearance in one or two treatments. After that, you should have less and less hair so you’ll have to come in less and less often. In 7 months, you should get close to the end, so it’s ok if you go back to your country. Will you be coming back after 3 months? You can restart again for the remaining hairs. You should get a pretty good permanent clearance in 7 months already if you go on schedule. Just don’t remove the hair with any method that removes the hair with the root in those 3 months. Shaving is best.

  3. Let the hair grow out for 2 weeks or so. You can shave and/or clip the hair. The electrologist needs to be able to grab the hairs when they’re treated. And you don’t want to leave them growing for more than 3-4 weeks before they’ll go into the next growth phase after that.

  4. Run a search here and see if there have been past recommendations. Checking people yourself and getting sample treatments is really a good way to go too.

I would like to affirm what lagirl said. WOuld you like to give up some information? If you tell us where you live, or there abouts, we can perhaps point you in the direction of a profesional electrologist so you can get started.

It sounds like you have plenty of hair, made coarser perhaps, by 15 years of tweezing. A first, full clearance using thermolysis would be desirable and bring you much relief. Keep going weekly until hair growth slows a bit and then spread it out. Be aggressive up front and then by seven months, the worst of your hair problem should be behind you, but know that you are not finished. Going home for three months will not kill your progress after seven months of consistent treatments. Just resume after you return with consistentcy.

Hope you find a great electrologist. Remember to get sample treatments and observe the healing. Expect the first several treatments to leave you pink and a little swollen since you have thick hair and plenty of it. Do use witch hazel, cold aloe vera gel 3 times a day during the day and a dab of tea tree oil at bedtime for three days to help the healing process along.

Dee

James Malchionda
781-389-6875

Thanks all for your reply. Yes I have a coarse hair, I will be aggressive and consistent in the beginning, actually I can’t wait to start treatment and see results. I will take your advice regarding post treatment.

I live in Massachusetts, Middlesex county (Marlborough, Hudson, Northborough, Southborough), but anything in Worcester or Framingham would be ok. I have a list of many electrologist in Worcester, I’m in the process of calling them. I will give update soon.

James, does James Malchionda work in Ma? Where in Ma?

Thanks again,

Hi,

Isn’t the sample treatment or a patch test something I should expect in my consultation? I’m asking because many electrologists I talked to them by phone, said they offer a consultation but no need to the sample treatment!

What do you think about these electrologists? Should I still go and only see the place and the equipment? How I will base my decision without a treatment?

Thanks,

You will have to call Mr. Malcianda and find out where he is currently practicing. I can’t keep up with him. Last I knew, he was working in Boston and other areas at the same time.

A sample treatment is not NEEDED per se by the electrologist. After all, the first 15 minutes of a first paid appointment would do just fine for the practitioner to figure out what needs to be done. The person who benefits from a sample treatment is the client. One gets to see what the treatment would be like with that person, one gets to find out what the electrologist estimates one’s treatment protocol might be (sometimes) and one may even figure out if the person knows how to use his or her equipment well.

Of course, some practitioners have the attitude “I aint got nothing to give away for free!” I even know of practitioners who charge for consultations, and they want that money up front, as in mail me a check, or give me your credit card over the phone. Now that is really up front!

Thanks a lot.

I have another question, if the license status is “Expired beyond 1 Renewal Period”, should I still consider this electrologist? Does the fact that the license is not renewed, affect her professionalism? Although she has more than 15 years experience.

Thanks,

I wouldn’t worry about license as much as their experience. Read all you can on proper treatments here and get a sample treatment. See how your skin reacts. You can always switch if you don’t feel you’re getting a good treatment. Also, I would recommend asking what type of electrolysis and machine they’re using before going in.

In my state it is a felony to practice without a license. I would have to question why she’s not renewing? Maybe her office isn’t in compliance with state requirements? Maybe she didn’t get her CEUs? Ask her.

I cannot tell you how much it ticks me off when someone in my state doesn’t play by the rules. It costs me big bucks every year to get my CEUs, and pay renewal and inspection fees. Why shouldn’t the electrologist down the road meet the same legal responsibilities I have?

Hi all,

I have not posted for a while here, but I was in the process of searching electrologist, getting sample treatments and finally I made up my mind and today I had my first treatment on the upper lip.

Well, I had 15 min. treatment with a nice lady that works on Apilus Junior. I don’t have a full clearance, I don’t know how much hair she removed, she said that this machine doesn’t tell how many hairs are removed, but I can say she removed those very coarse and dark ones. The redness is gone by now after almost 3 hours, I used witch hazel.

I mentioned in my previous posts that I have really VERY coarse hair. I noticed how much it’s coarse after I stopped plucking/threading for almost 10 days before my first treatment and ofcorse I was shaving during that time. So, I saw how much it’s coarse and thick, you can say it’s like a man mustache but with less dense hair.

Ok, based on the above, I can say that today I had felt EVERY hair NOT sliding out; I felt every hair plucked, she would insert the needle twice in the hair and still I feel it plucked. She said that this is because I have very coarse hair, and this would be in the beginning, then the hair will be softer and softer after many treatments. I asked her why not to use a higher current, she said that she can’t go higher on treating the upper lip because it’s very sensitive area, she can go higher on other places like chin. I asked her why she doesn’t use a larger probe, she said she wouldn’t either for a reason I don’t understand :s. Honestly, I don’t want the 15 min to be lost on discussion but I will ask her again.

My question is, is it ok to feel the hair plucked in the beginning if it’s VERY coarse? When I was sampling other electroligists, I felt also that the hair was plucked and they told me the same reason that the hair is very coarse. They were using other machines like proteos 2000 and I chose this electrologist because she is using Apilus, and for other factors based on location, price, and she is nice too.

I’m confused, I’m afraid that the hair will still be plucked even after several treatments. What should I do? Should I continue and see when the hair get softer and it will not be plucked anymore? Please advice.

Thanks a lot, sorry for the long post,

There is a difference between plucking and pulling out a very coarse hair. Have you plucked the hair on your upper lip before? Maybe you should try plucking one yourself at home just to see how it feels. There would probably be some pain associated with it. When electrolysis performed, even when it’s done accurately, on very coarse hair, you may feel a slight tugging when the electrologists pulls the hair out after it’s been released. Given this information, do you still feel it was plucked?

What method of hair removal did you use on this area before electrolysis? Some of the hairs may not be in anagen phase at this point, which could contribute to it.

The upper lip is very sensitive, so she is correct in that. Most women can’t handle more than 15-20 mins of treatment on that area.

Okay. There are different Apilus models and true, the junior doesn’t have the insertion counter feature? I thought it did? No big deal, but I think it is a neat thing to have in order to keep a running record over time. Good that she is removing the very coarse, dark hairs first as that makes a big visual difference. Redness gone in three hours - good deal. Perfect. You helped that along with the witch hazel.

She needs to protect your skin. It’s nice to feel no traction when a hair is treated and removed, but in the begining sessions especially, you may feel some hairs resist. It’s hard to say more because she can see you and I can’t. Even with your great description of your hair structure, I can’t say that what she is doing is incorrect. How do you know that she isn’t using a larger probe? What size is she using for those thicker hairs? The probe should match the diameter of the hair. It is more comfortable to use a larger probe so the energy can be spread out over a larger area.

She may still affect the hair, with two separate insertions, even if the hair is resistant. She’s doing some damage no doubt. I’m thinking that her strategy is geared toward something we call the “breaking down process” where thick hairs are gradually reduced so as to protect your skin. A lot of us employ this strategy because we want you to heal well and look great in the end.

Is she doing flash thermolysis?? or blend?? What do you know about that?? Don’t be bummed out. Just keep talking to her and hopefully she will be patient and explain things well enough so you are truly a partner in this process.

Thank a lot. Great information, now I understand :slight_smile:

Right, plucking the hair is associated with pain, and I felt no pain today, so it looks like the hair is being pulled out not plucked and there is some resistance because it’s very coarse. Good to be assured that she is not doing something wrong.

Regarding the hair stage. I was plucking/threading the hair, stopped doing that 10 days ago, was shaving during that time, and stopped shaving 3 days before my treatment. The hair was not long, can’t be trimmed by scissors, and was little bit above skin surface so it can be pulled by a tweezer. She said the hair length is ok for her. So, I’m guessing it was anagen, what do you think?

She is using flash thermolysis. She said that she is using the same probe size for all hair thickness. I’m not sure what the probe size was, I don’t know if it was big enough.

Thanks again, I don’t know what I’m going to do without this great forum and without such helpful and informed people.

Glad we can help you.

All sounds good. Yes, most of the hair she is treating is probably in the anagen phase since you stopped tweezing 10 days ago. Be ready for the hair to keep coming and coming over the next couple months. Those hair growth cycles can be unforgiving, but with a good electrologist and a good schedule to knock out the hair as it appears, this will calm down eventually. That’s why one should never complain at month four that this is not working. It takes 9-12 at a minimum for you to see that this is going to be permanent hair removal. If you don’t see vast improvement by that time, then something is wrong.

Keep checking in if you need to.

Dee

Hi all,

Yesterday I had my third treatment, and so far I’m happy and satisfied with the results and see a big difference. She worked on upper lip for 30 min. and I had almost my first clearance. Today I noticed some new hairs popped up but I think they were under the skin so she couldn’t remove them yesterday.

And Ya, the most important thing that that black shadow I mentioned in my first post is very light now, I hardly noticed it. I still have some redness but it’s definitely better than the black shadow :slight_smile:

Next week I will have my forth treatment, I will keep you posted.

Thanks all for your help,

You are welcome.

One of the hard things is that while I am working on a person’s face, I can see hairs through my stereo microscope that are laughing at me as they sit far enough under the skin that I would need to dig to get them, but I know they will be out in a day or three. I just have to hope that the client believes me when I tell them that is normal, and I did not miss any hairs, and if they stick with it, even this will diminish over time.