Normal or slow progress?

[GreenTree3]

Hi all - I’ve been getting professional electrolysis (thermolysis modality) done on my underarms for 13 months. Here are a few stats for context:

Total Months: 13 months (consistent monthly treatments since May 2022)
Total Spent: $ 3,502.60
TTT (left underarm): 15.6 hours
TTT (right underarm): 17.85 hours
Total Clearances (both underarms): 12 clearances

I’m at the point where I am unsure if progress is being made. There have been one or two months in this past year where I felt the hair was getting patchier, however, then for the next few months it would seem like most of the hair density was growing back. I went to five electrologists in April/May 2022 to find a good fit and have been with the same electrologist since. I very rarely feel plucking and based on her credentials and reviews I felt good about the treatments. Prior to starting electrolysis I had mainly shaved my underarms, only waxing them 3-4 times in my life. I also didn’t start with laser because I had very disappointing results on my bikini line which is darker/coarser than my underarms. Since starting electrolysis I refrained from shaving at all for the first 6 months (just letting the hair grow) and have only shaved twice in between treatments since then.

I have attached some photos to show the progress over the last year. Is this normal progress or is there any way (changing modality) to speed up the process? From Hairtell I’ve read about underarm estimates as low as TTT 8 hours, and I understand that’s best case scenario, but now I’m 4x that TTT (~32 hours across both underarms) and after talking to my electrologist about this in March 2023 she said she was confident I’d be done by summer. I’m a bit weary of that estimate now that we’re in June. I want to think the end is in sight soon-ish! Any advice is much appreciated

Before Electrolysis (May 2022):

January 2023 (after 8 clearances and 1 week of hair growth):

February 2023 (after 8 clearances and 4 weeks of hair growth):

June 2023 (right before 12th clearance and 1 week of hair growth):

[Andrea]

It definitely looks a little thinner. Does it feel less coarse?

The hairs look pretty curly. You might ask about increasing energy level and confirming insertion depth is OK. Maybe try different things on each underarm.

[Deedra]

Did you not consider laser hair reduction for your underarms first? You look like you would be a good candidate.

If you were getting cleared every time and you didn’t feel the hair being pulled out, it should look better than this at 13 months, but don’t expect to be completely finished just yet.

[Thermo]

Comparing the one week of hair growth at the different stages of treatment, I can’t see a noticeable difference. If I took the time to count the hairs, there might be a slight reduction. Regardless, after an unbelievable 32 hours of treatment across 13 months, your underarms should be looking much better than this.

If I had produced these results after this many hours of treatment, across this many months, and after $3,500 invested, I would be refunding the client out of embarrassment. I would encourage you to find another electrologist if possible.

[GreenTree3]

Thank you for the response! I did a series of 5 treatments of laser on my underarms 6+ years ago and saw no reduction. Maybe the technology has gotten better since or I could find a better laser practitioner but I liked the idea of truly permanent results with electrolysis.

[GreenTree3]

After a treatment it feel less coarse until I shave the new growth. Then it feels like what my underarm hair used to feel like pre-electrolysis. Thanks for the advice, I’ll ask about the energy levels!

[GreenTree3]

Thank you for your insight! It’s good to know I’m not crazy thinking the results have been basically stagnant for 6 months I will definitely be reevaluating my approach to getting rid of this pesky underarm hair.

[thinou]

How can you tell whether your electrolysis hair removal is effective?

[Penketh]

Looking at your pics, there is definitely progress being made here. Personally I find that underarms take quite a while to complete, due to the sheer number and tenacity of hairs: but don’t be disheartened, we always get there! I use the flash settings on my unit (very high intensity for around 1/10th of a second) to achieve full clearance as quickly as possible, then to keep on top of regrowth each session. It speeds up the overall treatment time, but it’s still a long haul. Maybe discuss your progress with your electrologist and talk about possible options to push things along?