Painful insertions and some resistance

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
1

Hello all.

I have had 4 hours of professional done since I started electrolysis on my face about 10 days ago. Chin, side burns and eventually, upper lip.

Yesterday, I went for some treatment (a 2-hour session for my goatee :grin: ), and I felt some painful insertions. Could it be that she is missing the hairs and is just killing some other cells in my skin? I think not, as the hairs are sliding out - she sometimes has to give them a gentle tug (she is not plucking them).

She uses numbing cream before the sessions begin - is it possible that numbing cream can disguise the sensation of plucking and make it feel like the gentle tug? I think not, because the hairs usually just slide out of her hand, but some really thick ones are tough to remove. And she always removes the root of the hairs.

I was, however, on my period, so I attributed the painful insertions to greater sensitivity than before. My previous 2-hour session, with the same electrologist on the same setting, was not painful at all, and I could hardly feel the insertions.

In addition, some of the hairs are giving a lot of resistance, and she has to treat them 3 times. There was even one hair that had to be treated - wait for it - 5 times!!! This is, however, after 5 years of relentless and brutal plucking, so those buggers are sometimes very very tough! If you know anyone who is about to start plucking, please advise them against it!

I also saw something really weird: I only started plucking my side-burns this year. Yet these are some of the toughest hairs on my face. Tougher even, than my chin hairs, which have been plucked over the past 5 years. Isn’t that weird?

In general, I am happy with my electrologist. I have 2 more hours on Monday morning, and then probably 2 more hours this week, as I want my chin and the rest of my face to be clear. The plan is 6 hours every week for the next 8 weeks - you do the math: 6 * 8 * 100 = $5000! If my next 6 hours go well, and I feel that we are progressing nicely (i.e. hairs being killed and not being pulled, same comfort level), I can sign up for a 10 hour session, and get the 11th hour free!

OK, just to update you all. Pictures to follow in the following days!

Cheers, all! :smiley:

2

You probably won’t need 6 hours of treatment every week for the 8 weeks. Once you get a clearance, you’ll be coming in a bit less or for shorter treatments, or both, since you’ll just be getting the new growth and not treating the entire area again.

Being on your period is probably the culprit here if everything else is the same. How long is numbing cream left on?

It’s not uncommon for some hairs to need a few zaps if they’ve been plucked and tweezed for a while, especially the very coarse curly deep hairs.

Have you sampled other electrologists? I would still do that no matter what.

Btw, do you have PCOS? If you have enough growth for that many hours of electrolysis on your face, I would look into the reason for the growth.

3

LAgirl, I do not know whether I have PCOS or not. I have a hormone test tomorrow morning. But I have had normal periods all my life, am not overweight, etc. My sisters are also hairy in the same places, which makes me believe it is hereditary.

Maybe I won’t need so much time, who knows? At the moment, my chin has a lot of hair, and it will take 4 hours to remove all these hairs. Afterwards, we’ll see where I stand. The problem is that I had been brutal and relentless and absolutely thorough with my plucking, so I have had increasing amounts of hair on my face over the past 5 years. In fact, I once slapped some hair removing cream unto my face. What an idiot I was back then!

Aftercare is witch hazel. Absolutely no other side reactions - one or two small bumps and some redness that disappeared after 1 hour.

4

LAGirl, I did have 2 other consultations, actually. This was the best place.

5

In the beginning treatments, since all the hairs present are not in the same phase of hair growth, it is not a surprise or puzzle to the electrologist that some hairs are more resistant than others. An early anagen hair is treated and slide outs , then the hair next to it needs three zaps and doesn’t release as well. When we observe the bulb, we notice that it’s structure is that of a catagen or telogen hair, with dry roots. It is not unusual to struggle through the first clearance because of the differnet hair structures present with dry and moist “roots” that are present. Once the hair growth is synchronized, THEN the easy sliding out of hair is possible. You don’t need to look for another electrologist just yet - she is doing her best, I’m sure, to get through all the growing and non-active hair follicles. Your healing sounds good. Give her a chance to understand the task at hand. Tell her if you feel almost every insertion. We all strive to be perfect, buy slip up on a few insertions here and there, so forgive that, but don’t stay quiet if you feel almost every insertion.

Sounds like you are among the millions of normal heredity caused hair growers.

Dee

6

Dee, Thank you. She does mention when she comes across a very old hair and says ‘Oh, that is a very old hair! The root on that hair is dry!’

The healing has been fabulous. Nothing serious, really. Just very minor swelling sometimes - disappears before I get home (I drive 30 miles to the electorlogist).

I have to miss 2 weeks of electrolysis soon, though - I have to travel for work. I’ll look really hairy upon my return, but I have no option. The plan is to keep pressing on. I haven’t tweezed or shaved or done anything since I started, actually. Just been really hairy. I have clipped the longer hairs, but otherwise, I have done nothing at all! I want the first clearance within the first month!

7

You are doing well. Don’t worry. Press on for that first clearance as best you can and then go every two to three weeks to stay on top of this. Clipping is great. You sound like a wonderfully copperative and informed client.

Yes, those insertions and hairs releasing without traction gets better and better after the first clearance.