I’ve had electro done on my face for about a year now - and it seems worse than ever. Did some laser before that as well, but it didn’t take as my hair is light, though very coarse. Admittedly, I’ve sometimes gone 3-4 weeks between treatments - but I gather that’s too long… am I throwing money away by getting electrolysis done once a month, rather than, say, twice a week?
Also, is alternating between laser and electrolysis a good idea? My electrologist says it’s a good thing - hasn’t really worked for me so far though…
laser won’t work for you since your hair is light. i don’t see the point of alternating with somethign that won’t work.
are you male or female? are you getting complete clearance each time?
Female, 25.
And yes, I get pretty much complete clearance each time, with the exception of the really fine blond ones - takes approx 45 min per visit.
it doesn’t sound like you have a lot of hair now. was it always like this or you got to this point where it takes 45 mins to remove most of the hair?
what method does the electrologist use? how often do you go in? how many did you check out before selecting this one? it sounds like lack of skill on the electrologist part, rather than hormonal imbalance since you don’t seem to have a lot of hair.
I’ve been to a couple electrologists and the current one seems best; very efficient ‘n’ all that, she can get a lot done in 45min-1hr. Still, I’ve been at it for a while, and though I have less hair now than when I started almost a year ago, the ones I do have are so much thicker and more coarse. I’m thinking it’s b/c I just don’t go often enough (3-4 weeks between treatments, maybe more…)
(Oh, and yes, my hormones probably are out of whack as I grew up close to Chernobyl.)
Do you leave the office cleared of the noticable hair every time?
Have you had a medical evaluation or a hormonal workup?
Maybe these coarse hairs were dormant until now? Hair is mysterious, but at least you are seeing that you have progressed. You are getting effective results, so just stay on it and get any new hair once it protrudes from the surface of the skin. If that means every 3-4 weeks or every 2-3 weeks,stay on it.
OK, so I’ve been at it for a year - diligently, every week or 2 - and honestly, I think it’s actually gotten worse. The hair is now more coarse and there seems to be more of it, too. I do get pretty much full clearance in 45 min, but it’s all back the next week - and quite frankly I’d rather just pay for a few serious treatments and be done with it - I’ve got better things to do than spend 45min per week at an electrologist’s place for the rest of my life!
I’m thinking of switching to laser - but most of my hair is not dark, so I’m worried that won’t take either.
Any pointers?
Forget laser if your hairs are not dark and coarse. You should be worried that laser won’t work if you are not a good candidate for laser or else it is wasted effort, time and money. What is the color and structure of your hair and what area are you focusing on?
You never responded about whether you had a medical evaluation to rule out something internally that may be causing excess hair. If you have not checked out your condition on the inside of your body, then it may not be possible for any electrologist to get control of the visible hair on the outside of your body.
Hair that was treated and lifted out of the damaged follicle one week ago cannot resurrect itself one week’s time. So, I hope that is clearly said so you understand.
Are you tweezing in between treatments? Do you feel a lot of tweezing at your electrolysis session? Is a probe being used the size that matches the diameter of your hair? Is the professional epilator powerful enough to affect your hair structure? Have you talked this over with your electrologist? I would expect that you would not know the answer to some of these questions, that’s why we suggest that you raise concerns with the person that is in charge of removing your hair. I’m assuming that you visited a couple electrologists before you settled on the one you are seeing now. Right?
Can you explain or re-explain some details about your unwanted hair situation? Say as much as you can think of, no detail is too insignificant. Then, maybe we can help you more. Electrolysis works for anyone when all is performed correctly and certain behaviors are in place. Sometimes we have to do some detective work to pinpoint why you are not going forward.
Dee
It sounds like you may have a hormonal issue or something else causing your body to develop more hair. How old are you? Have you seen an endocrinologist and got tested for possible hormonal issues? The problem with hair removal in your case is that it only kills the hair that’s there now. It can’t prevent your body from developing new hair. So you need to find out what is causing the hair to grow first.
It sounds to me like one of two things could be going on here.
At age 25, you might be in the early days of growing a lot of hair. Starting out with electrolysis treatments as soon as you see hair will help you from being a 40 year old woman with a beard. I have a 45 year old woman who began her treatments with me when whe was 18. She did come consistently during her college years, then I didn’t see her for many years - and now she comes in about 4 times a year to have me treat hairs that show up. Those current appointments are less than 10 minutes long. Some people just do grow hair throughout their lives - and even with medical tests - are given no reason for the hair growth.
My concern would be that if you are seeing coarser and coarser growth over time, then the electrologist might be improperly treating the hairs. Good treatments result in the coarse hair being gone. Any finer hairs that are left untreated can become accellerated, BUT once they are more noticable, they get treated, so there are no coarse hairs.
When you say “thicker and more coarse” do you mean more dense and larger in diameter?
I’m reading several conflicting things from you. About your consistency of treatments: “sometimes gone 3-4 weeks between treatments” and “(3-4 weeks between treatments, maybe more…)” and “diligently, every week or 2”. It is important to be consistent. Also: “I have less hair now than when I started almost a year ago” and “I think it’s actually gotten worse. The hair is now more coarse and there seems to be more of it, too.”
Obviously, you have a concern about the growth and the time involved with removing it. My concern is your electrologist wants you to have laser and electrolysis, and the treatments might not be working as they should for you.
The key is consistency of treatments. Answering Dee’s last paragraph above might also give us some clues to help you out.