Oum's Electrolysis Diary

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hi guys,

I’m new here and stumbled upon this forum while I searched for an efficient way to embark on a hair removal journey! I’ve read about Electrolysis being a fab way to get rid of what my Dad’s genes so lovingly bestowed upon me :wink:

I am 25yrs of age from London & have have a lot of vellus hairs on my face (that I usually bleach) and virgin sideburns that have been with me since eternity! :slight_smile:

Well, I believe the time has come, where I’d like to see the sideburns go (first, and then move onto the other parts of my face)

I’m mainly here for support, guidance and a way to record my progress. I’ve seen a couple of electrolysis diaries here and I’m very impressed…almost to the point of disbelief at some before & after pictures! :slight_smile:

Can’t wait to get started! (and meet a few fab people here).

:slight_smile:
Oum

Right side:

Left side:

#2

Ok, since nobody has responded or welcomed me, I’m going to rant on my own.

Have been reading a lot of threads about good Electrologists in London, here on Hairtell. I have now gone ahead & secured (consultation) appointments with Stephanie @ Episoft and with Sharon @ Parkside in the coming weeks.

I have very little (almost no) knowledge about the merits/demerits of technology or methods they are going to employ. But what I see you guys mentioning over and over , is how it boils down to the skills of a person.

Hmm…so here’s hoping it all goes well, and I have some more stuff to talk to you guys about.

:slight_smile:
Oum

#3

My daughter suffers from PCOS and has severe side effects because of her condition. Laser did not help even after 3 years. after gratduating she became a recluse and did not persue her career. that was the time I thought I had to do something. So I got training for electrolysis and after I got my qualifications I saved and bought apilus cleo. the hair on her face was twice as much and twice thicker then yours when I started the treatment on her. That was 2 years ago and almost most of the thick hairs dont grow anymore and I am now working on finer hairs. It has taken me longer because I am not very experienced but I feel it was worth the effort. ELECTROLYSIS WORKS.

#4

Totally inspiring, zarin. Thanks for your story and congratulations to YOU and your daughter.

I copied and pasted your post and put it on the ELECTROLYSIS SUCCESS STORIES thread.

You are the total Mom!

#5

Apologies for not seeing this sooner!

Welcome to Hairtell!

It’s good you have two consultations set up. You are going in the right direction.

Let us know how it goes. Do not be sold on getting IPL for this problem.

#6

Welcome Oum, you will find many answers here as your journey for a hair free life begins.

Zarin, Awesome!

#7

Dude zarin, you’re ultra-mom. You rock!

Good luck Oum!

#8

I’m sorry Oum, I’m usually one of the “first responders” around here, but , I’ve had nightfrost here for two days and aside from a marathon session on my cheek, we’ve also had something else important going on I cant really discuss. So , I’ve been absentee for the most part.

You are right that skill plays an important role. That said there are plenty of good qualified electrologists, that wouldnt necessarily meet up with every one of the standards we tend to pontificate about around here. Whats far more important is if YOU are comfortable about what is being done. Because you will notice the dificientcies that sometimes crop up all on your own, and largely wont need us to tell you they exist. But you are certainly welcome to ask.

And speaking of asking, I didnt note any particular question ? Which might be why you didnt get a lot of response.

Seana

#9

Thank you everyone. I have one regret though I wish I had known about haitell before. I have learnt so much within the last few weeks since I registered with hairtell. Thank you so much all the pros and people participating in the discussions and sorting out so many problems. I have more confidence in myself now. Once again a huge big THANKYOU

#10

Don’t be a stranger. Come back, with pictures if you feel comfortable doing that, and show us your progress over time.

I dream of having cases like yours. I’m jealous of whoever gets you as a client.

#11

Thank you guys! Sorry for the late response.

@Zarin: You are one Super MOM! way to go girl :slight_smile:
That reminds me, I had my hormones tested, and they are all normal and the GP says its all down to genes! So, hopefully, I find someone as good & dedicated as you!

@Dee: Oh! your just too sweet! I wish it were you, who was working on me! Thank you for having me here, and yes I am going to post pics as and when :slight_smile: I have my first appointment scheduled in 5 days for a marathon 2 hours to get sides of my face cleared. When i had a test patch done (where Sharon worked on 7-8 hairs on each side) she mentioned that the hair is in the Anagen phase and that means better results much quicker. I am elated at this piece of news but have a question:
What makes hairs I have never touched in 25 years, Anagen? Should they not be in the dormant Telogen phase, technically?

@Seana: Going forward, I will put forth questions as & when I want to pick your expert brains :slight_smile: Thank you very much for making me feel welcomed. I tend to get into my shell often but I guess its time, I break free.

@Gretchen: Thank you! Can’t wait to get started :slight_smile:

@Gorillagal: Thank you \m/

This entire week I have been busy juggling between work and visiting Electrologists from in and around London, mostly those I can afford (distance & money wise). I found their names on the BIAE website and have met 6 of them as of now. I have had a test patch done with some of them and had some good & bad experiences with respect to cleanliness, willingness to help & more importantly the selling laser attitude(I met this electrologist my GP suggested(Diane Mattews) who said that it would take between 2-2.5 to see my sideburns disappear and suggested I did an IPL on the full face first and then move onto electrolysis for any regrowth). All this has made me very sad, but then I met Sharon from Parkside and I see light at the end of the tunnel. :slight_smile:

More on Wednesday!

#12

Hi Oum,

Your first thoughts - Sharon and Stephanie, are your best bets in my opinion.

If you can find it, Pokka’s electrolysis diary is a great one. Her hair issue was very similar to yours and she achieved excellent results with Stephanie in a good time frame.

I started electrolysis with Sharon and completed my eyebrows and upper lip with her. I’m not sure if you would see the results you are after on larger areas. My sister’s diary is linked in my sig and the first post explains why I started to look further afield for our work. It also links to my initial electrolysis thread where you can see the work undertaken to clear my sister’s forehead at Parkside and the subsequent regrowth. I think Sharon has the potential improve her work by leaps and bounds with a few changes and thereby offer much faster results, for example, getting over this idea that hairs need to be in anagen for the follciles to be killed.

Since electrologists are reticent to get involved online or don’t believe the information and results they see on the internet, I really think professional seminars on improving one’s technique and how to aim to kill follicles first time (whether anagen or telogen) are badly needed in the UK. It’s in everyone best interests to improve the profile of electrolysis in the UK.

Yes, most of your facial hairs will be in telogen since they are untouched and it would mean that someone focussing on anagen hairs and therefore not trying to kill the telogen follicles will end up semi-plucking those hairs out… in my experience anyway. This leads to a high percentage of treated follicles producing hairs again.

It is also going to take more than two hours to clear both sides of your face, so don’t be dismayed if you don’t see as much clearance as you would hope for in that time.

#13

Also, don’t let distance put you off too much. Look at results. The electrologist who is further away but actually kills most of the follicles he/she treats will end up costing you less money in the long run.

#14

I just wantt to chime in on what Stoppit and you both alluded to. You mentioned avoiding some who were higher cost. I think you absolutely are doing the right thing by trying out LOTS of electrologists and choosing the right one for you. But I would suggest NOT filtering out some of the more expensive ones, especially while you are doing short sessions to evaluate. The reason for this, is you might find the “cost” of some of the higher priced ones are worth it in terms of speed and kill rate.

I’ll use personal experience by way of example. I have tried a few electrologists around town. Some were fast, others slow. I also did electrolysis at a school. The school cost me $30 an hour. Some of the more expensive electrologists were closer to $80. BUT that $80 electrologist, killed at a better rate, and cleared 4-5 times in the same amount of time what the students did. Was I saving by using the school? No. I was loosing big time. The more expensive person was cheaper, because of skill and the rate they worked at. Food for thought…

Seana

#15

For some reason, the pictures I posted earlier went missing. So, I’m posting them again here.

BEFORE: Right side

Left side:

AFTER: First 2 hours to clear the big ones

Any reviews, comments about how it’s looking(to the expert eyes),skin reaction, and how to take care as the area heals would be much appreciated.

I’m due to have another 2 hours worth Rx this weekend to clear the area. Is it a good idea to head back that soon?

I plan to post pics as and when the scabs form and through the healing process.

Thank you all in advance for your comments & guidance.

Oum

#16

It’s not too bad and nothing that won’t heal but neither is it ideal.

I know this electrologist very well as mentioned in my earlier post. I personally would not have advised you to undertake so much work in a small area and to be honest I am surprised she went along with this. “Marathon” work is not for all electrologists.

I wonder if because of what people are seeing on these forums that they are pressuring electrologists to do work that is not entirely responsible. Her equipment/methods/technique whatever you want to call it is not conducive to doing long sessions in small areas on the face. If she was/is doing thermolysis on you, she could definitely do with using Laurier IBP but I wouldn’t force her (she should know they exist because I especially mentioned them in the past). Better tools don’t help if the electrologist is not willing to experiment and learn.

As we keep reiterating, the work you see on these forums is not typical and it’s in no one’s best interests to expect other electrologists to work like this.

The small hairs, which you have not tampered with will mostly be in telogen. They will require shallow insertions to treat effectively which will result in a lot of scabbing. The Laurier IBP helps a LOT in this regard.

Anyway, I don’t even know what to say. Everything has been said in past posts and people must have read them to figure out this much (i.e. which electrologists to try, doing clearances, treating telogen)… but even then ignoring the other critical points.

Seeing your lower jaw and neck hair, it reminds me a lot of my own before I used to bleach. I started off with no more than 15 mins per sideburn every week with S.
I will repeat what I said above, there was a reason I looked further afield for electrolysis for the rest of the face. It wasn’t on a whim, it was after many first hand experiences and understanding what was required to permanently remove so much hair and the magnitude of such a job.

#17

I agree 100% “stoppit … from the UK.” I’m not responding to the photos here, but responding to clients “pleading” for work that is not appropriate. Indeed, it’s fun to see gigantic areas removed, but there is a downside to this too. It’s “bloody” uncomfortable to have all that work in a short period of time.

Furthermore, your strategy totally depends on the body area and the individual. With face work, I almost never do “clearances,” although many electrologists can do this. Swelling on the body is barely noticeable. On the face swelling can get alarming for the client … even when it’s completely expected by the electrologist.

We all have to stick with what we know … in the interest of our clients.

#18

Thanks Michael… you have summarised what I was trying to say better than I could ever have done.

Bloody uncomfortable is pretty much spot on.

For the poster:
If you’ve read my sister’s thread you will know that we had huge, swollen faces and looked like chipmunks when we had extensive work done. To be honest, the swelling isn’t the worst thing although yes, it is alarming the first time you experience it. We weren’t however left with whiteheads, weeping and extensive scabbing that would take ages to heal…the “worse stuff”. The only reason we went along with such work carried out by Josefa is because this was normal for her.

What you can do for the area now (be very strict about it), is wash it with soap and water only twice a daily. I’m definitely in favour of something like hibiclens; bar soap is gunky. Post washing, you can apply aloe vera gel as a protective layer. I’m sure you will feel like you need to soothe the area: if you get the urge, some cotton balls soaked in saline (you can make your own, try to keep it as sterile as possible) and applied to the area should help. If it were me, immediately after treatment I would have cleaned the area with soap and water and applied some betadine for you. Try not to touch the area otherwise. I imagine it’s going to get pretty itchy soon.
I owe all my aftercare knowledge/experiences to Jossie and Lola. Having tried pretty much everything, I have solid ideas what I would recommend to clients. When you are doing a lot of work, preventing infection is important.

#19

Thank you Seana, Stoppit & Michael for your inputs.
I have had a good amount of scabbing with the blend technique(on the older machine Sharon had) but no white heads or infection thankfully. I’ve been following a rigorous routine of cleansing and moisturizing, and keeping my hands away from any temptation to touch or scratch. So far so good.

Like Stoppit mentioned, the vellus hair needed shallow insertions and I’m so glad Sharon is now equipped with the Apilus and she believes that it would help be better and the added bonus for me is it’s almost painless :slight_smile:

I’ve had another 2 hours with Sharon on the Apilus Senior II 360 (Thermolysis/Laurier IBP)and have been elated to find almost no scabs (and very few pin point ones).

(The scabs in the picture are from an earlier 2 hours of Blend on her previous machine)

When I started out to look into the world of electrolysis for my facial hair earlier this year, I did try a few electrologists and had to make a choice finally between Parkside & Episoft. I found both Sharon and Stephanie equally competent plus now that Sharon has upgraded too, it does boil down for me, to make my choice based on location, distance from home & work. I can pop into Parkside every other week without upsetting my work/home schedule. Stephanie is very very far off from me and she doesn’t work on the weekends. So, it’s Sharon for me and she has been extremely positive & efficient throughout.

Slowly but steadily I’m heading towards the hair free land :slight_smile:
Thank you all once again.

Oum

#20

That’s great news. I’m so glad she has finally upgraded.

The combination of a machine with a mode like microflash and the IBP allows for much more precise treatment and is kinder on the skin. The Senior II is okay but I think to really feel a significant difference in capability (from the electrologist’s POV) one needs an Apilus with modes such as picoflash, multiplex and synchro. For those fine, shallow hairs, picoflash would do great. For an excellent machine in a much lower budget, I have loved what I have experienced with the Instatron Elite Spectrum… believe it or not but it’s significantly less painful than the Apilus Platinum and it’s what I plan to purchase.

The only thing I would suggest is that once you have achieved a certain amount of clearance in one area (say, the sideburns), to not have them treated for 2-3 months i.e. no maintenance. I think it’s important to see how much regrowth you experience which you can only do if you leave the area alone for some time. If it’s quite high then something is not right.