hello are there any hair removal methods out there that are 100% permenent? every one i talk to who does electrolysis says that a person would have to come in periodically for touch up cause their methos does not 100% get all the hairs?? also is there certain electrolysis methods that work better than others and dont require so many different treatments to permenently remove one spot? i just want to remove hair from lower neck area and some patches on back but most say it would take 6-8 treatments to achieve permenent and then have to come in periodically to get stray hairs. please help??
The reason why you have to go back in to get the ‘stray’ hairs is because a) they were not visible at the time of your previous treatments and b) there will be a few hairs that weren’t done properly the first time around.
As for it not being 100% effective, this is really just to cover all bases. I’ve only once had a client who experienced new hair growth and she had a thyroid problem. My PCOS ladies have been fine. But it’s just good customer service to make sure you know that a small number of people are going to have NEW hair growth in the treated area.
You really need to read the electrolysis hairtell forum. Books and books have been written about what you are asking. You’ll find the answers to all your questions and much, much more, if you invest some of your time here.
In short, electrolysis will kill any hair, anywhere, for any color of hair on any color of skin, any thickness of hair from fine to very coarse. It requires a series of treatments, spread out over a year (or more, if you have A LOT of hair), timed well to get growing hairs, with a skilled practitioner that knows how to choose and apply the proper amount of energy for the proper amount of time. The practitioner needs to see the hair well and have a steady hand as well. That was a mouthful! Now, go read! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />
Dee
One thing to remember is that your body wants hair as a protective layer over the skin. Even if you get a total clearance of an area, unless something happens and you lose all of your androgen, the androgen produced by your body will still stimulate a small number of the fine downey hairs to accelerate their growth, making them deeper and darker - becoming anagen hairs.
Once an area is totally cleared, there will still be a few new hairs produced by hormonal stimulation over time. An occaisional 15 minute treatment, 2 to 4 times a year will get rid of the new growth.
Joanie
hello are there any hair removal methods out there that are 100% permenent? every one i talk to who does electrolysis says that a person would have to come in periodically for touch up cause their methos does not 100% get all the hairs?? also is there certain electrolysis methods that work better than others and dont require so many different treatments to permenently remove one spot? i just want to remove hair from lower neck area and some patches on back but most say it would take 6-8 treatments to achieve permenent and then have to come in periodically to get stray hairs. please help??
Electrolysis is permanent and shouldn’t require any touch-ups when you are done. I haven’t had any treatment on my neck in years, and it remains as clear now as it did then.
However… some hormonaly charged areas may require periodic maintenance for ANY NEW HAIR that emerges over the span of ones lifetime. Electrolysis will eliminate the hair that is bothersome today, but it can not stop the future NEW HAIR that may be stimulated by hormones, stress, medication, genetic disposition, etc.
Dee
werenotafraid, you are also on female hormones which have effect on new hair growth. people who are not in this situation, will most likely develop some new hairs over the years (especially in areas that are more stimulated by hormones) that will need maintenance. in that sense, it doesn’t matter whether the hair has been killed with laser or electrolysis. NEW hair will need touchups.
Can someone please clarify something. . . I am pretty much done with my facial electrolysis, just going 10 min. every 3 mo. or so. I do not want to do this forever! If I have totally normal hormones, won’t I reach a point where no touch-ups are needed ever? Remember the majority of this area of my face had no growth before laser stimulation. We are thinking of moving cross country and I want to be done. Am I going to have to find an electroligist everywhere I go forever? This totally contradicts everything else I have read here. I’m confused!
it’s very simple. you cannot kill hair that hasn’t developed yet. so if something in your body causes a some hair follicles to become active (pregnancy for example can do that, or menopause), you will need some touchup treatments. It shouldn’t be on a consistent basis though as you’re doing now. So a lot less often than once every 3 months.
werenotafraid, you are also on female hormones which have effect on new hair growth. people who are not in this situation, will most likely develop some new hairs over the years (especially in areas that are more stimulated by hormones) that will need maintenance. in that sense, it doesn’t matter whether the hair has been killed with laser or electrolysis. NEW hair will need touchups.
But surely most women, who have similar hormone levels, would have the same experience? After all, I don’t take any anti-androgens or anything. I should think that, unless people have some kind of weird testosterone surge, they shouldn’t have a problem.
Many people do not have to have electrolysis forever. I’m one example. I have been very stable for three decades, which included four pregnancies, and lots of stress related to having four very active little kids, who are now very active “big kids”.
You just can’t predict if the areas with hair controlled by hormones will be quiet for the rest of your life or make some noise. Just know that if you need electrolysis ten years from now, you are not needing treatment on the same hairs you had treated last year.
I think the contradiction you’re thinking about relates to all the comments that electrolysis is permanent hair removal, which it is, but the turn that is throwing you is the information about the possibility of new hair being recruited by certain events in ones life span. I’m not saying you will absolutely grow NEW HAIR in the future,but rather, I’m saying there may be a possibilty that you may sprout NEW HAIR in the future. Please don’t worry about this now. All has gone well for you and you are enjoying life. If you need a few hairs zapped occassionally, at least you know what this game is all about and you are now qualified to handle the task at hand easier.
Dee
But surely most women, who have similar hormone levels, would have the same experience? After all, I don’t take any anti-androgens or anything. I should think that, unless people have some kind of weird testosterone surge, they shouldn’t have a problem.
Why does one woman have no problems at all, yet another woman with EXACTLY the same hormone levels/health/heritage/etc grow a full beard. Adding or taking away hormones is not as exact a science as we have been led to believe (let’s not even get into bio-identical hormones, prohormones and the different types of testosterones, steroid abuse etc). Even though we can affect our endocrine system with our diet, medication and lifestyle we still cannot predict what is going to happen with 100% accuracy. Or even 50%.
To go back to the original post, it is just far easier and quicker to say “Electrolysis will permanently remove your hair, but you may need to pop back in a few years to zap any stragglers” than to go into a discussion about hormones, health and the way our body reacts to the ageing process.
May I add (and I don’t direct to anyone, it’s just an observation) it’s easy to think that removing hair is going to solve a lot of problems, so the thought of new hairs growing in the future can be absolutely terrifying. But once you get to the end of your electrolysis treatment you will feel very different about yourself. For example, you may have found it impossible to leave the house without a thick layer of makeup to cover any sign of chin hairs, but after lots of treatment you may start to go out without even bothering to shave or disguise the last few hairs left on your face. Even if they are as thick as the hairs in the first place.