Hi Dfahey
Do you feel I am making good progress for 9 months in? I do not seem to get thick dark hairs anymore but I do still get some dark hairs just thinner. When I started I would have about 5 thick black hairs on the chin. Now I have maybe 1 black / dark brown hair on chin each appointment, but usually I have 1 or 2 paler brown ones to treat too. I am happy that I am no longer getting the hidious thick ones I used to but at conceltation I was explained that the time between treatments would spread out but from the hairs coming in every 1-2 weeks to now every 2-3 weeks? after 9 months of going in for treatment every 3-4 weeks. Sorry lot of numbers there was just hoping for more and scared to try anyone else after this length of time. Should I stick at it for the year mark.
She told me to begin with she thought it would take 8-10 treatments to get under control and then I may not see her for months on end and should be 18 months - 2 years to completely dead everything. Then I would not need treatment again until I went through menopause or got pregnant not possible since hubby had snip anything to mess with my hormones may bring new hairs.
I don’t know how many treatments in total I’ve been too wish I had started a diary earlier I estimate about 15 now? every appointment has been 10 minutes long. However the last 3 appointment I have added the corner of my upper lips too.
I was able to go on holiday and didn’t have any hairs at all I went for my last treatment on 22nd May the day before I went to Italy it was 6 days after I returned 16 days after appointment that the hairs couple of hairs popped up on my chin. Although I admit only 1 is really visible I’ve snipped for now.
What would everyone else do ? I would just like rid of these pesky things, I know my case is not as bad as most. Should I stick with her or try somewhere else she is the only one officially registered but there are lots of others that do the treatment too much closer. I worry that she is doing it without plucking but perhaps under treating in some area’s and not killing them completely hence coming back weaker months later? if I go elsewhere will they pluck and make the whole situation worse
I would not say I’m a “word Nazi.” But you may call me that if you wish. Yeah, I’ll go with it. Fine!
A long time ago I fell in love … with the English language. I know other languages are easier and have fewer grammatical idiosyncrasies, etc. However, the shading and coloring of the English language is unmatched.
I remember when I lived in Germany (and yes, I love Germany), that the use of “schoen” started to annoy me: it’s the German word for “beautiful.” But for me, “schoen” (schön) is used too often and for nearly everything. Everything is just “schoen!”
Just think of all the color an English-speaking person can add to the simple idea of beautiful … consider all the expressive words we have for “beautiful.” The beauty of a woman is different than the beauty of, say, a sunset … and we have marvelous words to communicate these diverse sensitivities.
In my own writing, I edit all the time. I take time to attempt to communicate my thoughts. I sometimes fail because I did not spend enough time editing. (And yes, I do intentionally write sentence-fragments.)
Once written, you can’t take it back! I’m often frustrated when speaking with others, because I know some of the words I want to use will not be understood. But our culture’s continual “dumbing down” is repugnant to me. Probably, in a hundred years, we will be limited to a few grunts and gestures?
And the “F-word?” I can barely stand the new movies … not because F-word is a bad word, but because it’s BORING! No originality, no impact any more … the F-word has completely lost any meaning.
In the United State we have butchered the once-glorious English language, and folks are (sadly) doing the same in Britain too. (I do not like the American accent, and if I had my way, we would all speak the “Queen’s English” … like it’s supposed to be spoken).
You only have to read a couple lines of Will Shakespeare to see how far we have ALL come in destroying our language. (Oh, and Shakespeare didn’t have “spell-check” and, of course, no computer. How was that possible?)
Indeed, Helen stridently invited me to not read her posts. And I don’t.
And, you don’t have to read my long-winded posts either! Ah, “choice!” It’s SCHOEN!
The whole point of this as stated was to help me keep track of my progress, I do not mind if people read I simply ask that if you wish to comment you stick with the tread and do not go off point telling me how I should write in my own diary. I find it completely RUDE off point childish on a forum completely unhelpful. When I wish to look back and read through to see how things are going I do not want to read 10 threads on how my English is! either read enjoy read comment on the thread electrolysis or don’t comment at all. To be 100% honest with you Michael you maybe an extremely skilled electrolysis I do not know you only what I have read but I find A LOT of your comments on this forum very Rude and unhelpful to those posting most often for help. If you have nothing nice to say and people frustrate you asking same questions over and over again don’t comment no one is asking you to, you do so yourself. I am what I am I write how I write and I don’t change for no one especially in an online forum, its not work I do write as I think in a diary and do not fuss over corrections so others feel better reading. Just to comment on Queens English, England is made up of many counties and cities and we all have our own unique dialect of the queens English majority of England do not speak the same as the queen herself, we all have our own accents and wordings as I am sure America maybe similar.
Well, actually I did read your post, Helen … not easy, mind you.
I agree with you that I can sound “rude.” You are not the first one to say this and I wear my CPA with a certain amount of shame … but not too much.
However, there is a big difference between being rude and being critical. I never state my criticism in a personal way and it should not be taken as such. Furthermore, it takes a good deal of skill and education to be able to hear and understand criticism without getting angry.
Why do people get instantaneously insulted and livid over nothing? I was raised on it so I suppose it’s in my nature.
People that offer constructive criticism do so because they CARE. I have a couple friends that are well-known “names” in entertainment and the arts. Our conversations are all about criticism. Sometimes it’s good and we advance … sometimes not. But, I don’t take it personally.
I left the teaching profession years ago when “bi-lingual education” got started (I was, and am, opposed to teaching American schools in any other language except English). I also got a taste of the “self-esteem politically correct” nonsense that is now the norm in our schools.
I don’t think we should “cave” to mediocrity in any form.
In my class, if a kid handed in a poorly written paper, he got a D or an F. Now, the kid would go to the principle, have his parents complain and I would have to change his grade! I don’t think praise that is unearned helps anybody. As a result, we have become a society of whiners and crybabies.
My only criticism of your post is your demand that people stay within the subject that you have determined. Not happening!
The beauty of this precious and rare website is the openness and freedom it allows. This is the only reason I post here, and no other place. People are free to say whatever they wish and there is no “dictator” making sure that their thoughts are appropriate.
And, yeah, sure, I’m an “asshat!” But a sort of cuddly one.
There are all kinds of writing styles on Internet blogs. For former teachers, like Michael, it is hard to read some of these relaxed styles of writing and for me having gone through 12 years of Catholic school where I was taught by Dominican and Franciscan nuns, well, they spared no mercy when it came to promoting effective, precise writing skills, right down to the last period and crossing of the “t”, all in the name of communicating better. So, it is hard for me, too. I’m still not perfect. In fact, the Internet has made me a worse failure when it comes to spelling. I tend to now memorize the wrong way to spell a word, erasing all the hard work over a lifetime of spelling words correctly. I am thankful for spellcheck!
I have come to ignore posters who are incoherent or hard to understand, not because I am mean, but because it zaps too much energy from me to put the puzzle together or ask obvious questions. If posts are really long and there are no paragraphs, well, I move on in order to keep my frustration level down. Nothing personal. I love everybody and it is not a goal of mine to do remedial writing on Hairtell. That’s not what we are here for and I am not qualified to “teach” others and most of them aren’t receptive to that because they are who they are.
We all want to be courteous to each other and part of being courteous, involves clear communication, which involves standard, simple codes of writing. It doesn’t have to be “Catholic School” perfect (mine still isn’t ),but at least separate sentences and start some new paragraphs when there is a new thought or idea.
There is no need to battle over this subject or create hard feelings. It is no different than following some simple rules for driving a car or first come first serve in the store or playing soccer. Everything has rules attached in order to communicate clearly and to lessen the chaos.
Now dear Helen, about your progress. I think all sounds very good and what your Electrologist told you is what I tell my clients. If you stop seeing her, then the next Electrologist will look like an electrologist goddess because she will be come in on the easy part of this process and take you home in those last six months. She will look like the heroine when in actuality, the first electrologist did all the hard work.
I wouldn’t stop seeing your present Electrologist. You said that you are seeing progress. Just remember though, it does take a good 12-18 months for it to be really under control, however, I have had a few clients that will call me and say one hair, in the same spot is BACK beyond the 24 month mark. Do we really know it is the same hair? No. We just stay patient and get it!
Dear Helen,
These are the words that helped me through some of my toughest times, (found in the middle of a long-forgotten random post somewhere on hair tell) - 'git ‘er done!’.
I’m paraphrasing here but the message was to buckle down, make a plan, stick with it and it will be over sooner than you think. I don’t want to sound unkind, or dismissive, but please don’t let 1 (or 2? 3?) hairs preoccupy to the extent you’re getting ‘scared’ or ‘sad’.
Electrolysis works, and you ARE seeing improvement. You will get there in the end! Be positive!
Michael my only response is as I have stated before I am not writing in School or for work I would of course write as you say I should in those circumstances and do daily for WORK.
In UK when anyone comments as you have done to my posts online the most common response is normally get a life its seen as rather pretentious in England. People do not threat over these subjects as you seem to writing on line is a lot more relaxed sorry if that offends.
Thank you for the positive posts guys I will never go back to plucking but doubt inevitably stick in your mind whilst going though this journey.
Fingers crossed I keep seeing progress, the main think I want at present is longer between a hair cropping up. I do feel so happy when there isn’t a hair at all I am so confident and really try to make the most of those days.
Yes, just keep moving forward, Helen. You won’t regret it!
Time for some fun with Nuns with Guns.
Dee, they might be nuns with guns, but maybe not the Vatican Women’s Rifle Team…still a great photo, thanks for sharing!
…Lynda Gutierrez • 13 weeks ago
Hoax. There was no such Vatican Rifle Team. This photo is from the summer of 1957 in Kingston, MA at the Sisters of Divine Providence summer camp, Mishannock.
S.r. DiMarco • 13 weeks ago
How sad!
Yes, the person who sent this to me said it was a hoax. Good job, for investigating that SIGMA!
I loved the nuns of my day. They were truly angels on earth!
Sigh. I really should leave well enough alone, but instead I’m going to step in the big pile. I dont know why I do this , but whatever.
Since it was me that first gave reference to “asshat” I suppose I’ll address it. Honestly, Michael, you hit the nail on the head with your last quoted statement , well almost. While the few moderators around here dont often interfere with what is said they have in the past, and do have the authority to do so. Just ask the monkey pee spammers.
But by hitting the nail on the head, I meant that for the most part, people are free to say what they want within reason. They are also free to express those feelings in the MANNER that they wish. It must absolutely drive you batshit to read one of my posts, since I dont always break paragraphs the way I should, and I often leave glaring spelling errors. But that is how I feel comfortable, and it’s how I express myself in writing (some minor autism and dyslexia symptoms probably dont help either!) . When you read one of my posts, quite often you’ll find that it’s changed before you even finish reading it, I often go back and edit after posting, adding things, looking for the red underlines to see where i screwed up spelling something or other… But guess what? It’s how I express myself, how I’ll always express myself, whether or not it annoys some guy half a continent away who used to be an english teacher.And Helen is right that she has every right to keep her removal journal, in whatever format she wished because SHE TOO has a right to express herself in the manner she is comfortable.
I’d like to point out one of the primary goals of hairtell. It’s one of the main reasons that people post here. They are seeking the opportunity to express frustration, to talk about what is causing them problems with hair removal, concerns over skin quality or the possibility that the treatment is causing lifelong scarring. Or lack of progress. And they are willing and able to do so, so long as they dont feel like they will be overly criticised, called out ( by name) in other unrelated posts and made to feel like their experiences arent valid, or called OCD. That’s contrary to what hairtell is trying to accomplish.
Michael, I have to tell you, I have the utmost respect for your level of experience. You know things that some of us can only dream of attaining knowledge of, knowledge that is commensurate with someone who has practised electrolysis for over 40 years. That experience is a valued resource here, and there have been several here who have stood up and said as much, and overlooked that on a fairly regular basis people get pissed because you’ve been overcritical. People who, came here for help and advice, and got overly aggresive or critical responses in return. On multiple occasions I myself have stood up for you, and said that while you do come off as more than a little rough around the edges, that your opinions ( and criticisms) are often right on the mark. Yet I called you an asshat. Why?
Because being overly critical has driven away some of the people that we try to help here at hairtell. I’ve watched you call out Helen by name, multiple times, both to myself in private, and publicly on these forums. I’m really not surprised then that she would eventually take serious offense to what you have said about her, or even say screw you if you dont like what I post dont read it. Or that others have left because they didnt feel they could post further, when the result is that they get called OCD by someone who likes to think of themselves as a medical professional, but has never been to medical school. While I personally think it’s right on and acceptable to take on the technical aspects of electrolysis (something you do very well) I personally think it is completely unacceptable to belittle someones personality because they have very legitimate concerns about their treatment , progress, or feelings over their hair removal process. I honestly think that that does hairtell, and everyone here, a dis-service no matter how you feel about a certain individual, or how many times the same issue has been addressed and you dont feel like addressing it for the 1000000001’st time .
Honestly, I think it better that you stick to commenting on the technical aspects ( that part you do so well) but take a skip on the personal criticisms. But in the end, what you post is up to you. Just like what Helen posts, is up to her, most especially on her personal blog of hair removal progress.
Helen, I have to Echo Dee’s comments about staying with the same electrologist. IT does sound as if you are making progress and the returning hair is getting less and less.And I’d like to share some experience with you.
When I started doing electrolysis, I thought the hair would never end. I did so many hours I though my eyeballs would start to bleed. Over time, I did less. There was ALWAYS hair to remove, but I had to schedule around my life, around the kids schedules, but always the hair was there. Then at some point I realized it was becoming less and less. It would take me 2 days to clear my right cheek. Then a day. Then a few hours in the afternoon. I would alternate parts of my face. I removed so much hair , there was just no accounting for all of it. I honestly think that the number of out of phase hairs is massively underestimated and reported.At the time, I honestly didnt think I was doing it right! How could I be? I was putting in easily 20-30 hours a week of electrolysis on myself alone and there was still hair.
But that “less and less” factor really started to show itself in a very short period at the end. By the time I hit 6 months, I was spending maybe 3 hours a week where I used to do 30. Then 2. Yesterday I cleared my face in under an hour , with blend ( and my self-blend is SLOW ASS!). I hadnt done any work on my upper face in a month! I reached that point around 6 months in, like it was someone was at first slowly, then very quickly, turning off the hair tap and I REALLY noticed it in a very short time period. I do far more electrolysis on others , than I do on myself these days.
When I read your journal Helen, I am looking at where you are progress wise, and thinking to myself , someone is slowly turning off the hair tap. It’s going to go much faster from here on in, and Dee is absolutely right that the hard work , is done at this point.Congratulations!!! Going forward, that tap will get turned off at a much faster rate.Stick with it, you are almost there.
Seana
Way to fan the fire there.
he he he … iLikeDIY! Funny comment!
But seriously, no problem with a little well-earned criticism. There is absolutely no “fire” on this end. Besides I already know what Seana is saying is pretty accurate (I think I already usurped all her basic points myself in an earlier post … I’m pretty good at self-flagellation.)
I almost never defend myself from criticism; instead I try to learn from it. When people criticize you, it’s because they care about you. I really believe this. Besides, I don’t think Seana was trying to be mean-spirited, I really don’t. I have come to understand her character and I like it!
Sure, I’ll try harder to put less “edge” on my writing … I can do this.
I’m not completely sure that everyone here would want me to limit myself to the subjects Seana thinks I should limit myself to (YIKES, talk about bad grammar!) I mean, I’m supposed to only talk about “technical things,” when there is so much fun stuff going on in this big crazy world?
Remember too, with a truly open forum, like this one, you never know what “you’re in for!”
Personally, I do not feel proud of my bad writing and all my grammatical errors. And believe me, Seana, ignorance of the language is not a valid excuse to express in any way. At least not for me. If I do not participate more often it is precisely for this reason, because of the respect they inspire me poor readers.
That said I would add that some of us consider ourselves fortunate to be able to read almost every day something that Michael wants to write, whatever the chosen topic.
And finally a quick reflection, if I had an English teacher in elementary school as Michael, I would be participating here much more often.
Being an autodidact is a real disgrace in any field!
now you are making me run for the dictionary.
autodidact= Self taught person.
Mix feelings at present, I worry all the time whether things are working or not and have to fit appointments around work and family.
I have a secondary school open evening for my son on 3rd July, my 9th Wedding anniversary on 9th July a school fair to help out on 5th July private wax appointment 8th July lol along with eye brows and eye lash tint and girls night out 4th July.
Any how lots going on within those 2 weeks so I have stretched my currently electrolysis appointment so I can have it done as near as possible to these dates and not worry about hair coming though.
Well my nephews baby only went and arrived 2 weeks early along with an unexpected visit for an old friend this Sunday I went up to the bathroom and snipped what hairs I have on my chin 3 long blonde 2 brown and shaved upper lip frown
I am looking great at present zero hairs, off to visit great nephew at 7pm UK time
however I feel so stupid that I couldn’t just leave them along I hope they will grow back through for this Friday or next Monday so that aim is no more temp measures only electrolysis and perm its OK with 1 or 2 but 5 I really should have left alone ready to go in. waiting for all 5 to come back through before can call her and book is frustrating on the lucky side zero hairs around nipples 4.5 weeks since last appointment.
Haha… the only thing I have done so far is just using a pair of scissors to cut thick, obvious hairs back closer to the skin. Luckily for me I don’t have many hairs grow through (I had almost a month between my last appointments and only had one thick hair grow in on my upper lip and maybe 4 or 5 darkish hairs.
On my chin I haven’t had any really dark hairs, just darker/thicker than the rest - maybe 5 or 10 of those?
Anyway, all up it’s looking great except I still have plenty of light brown hairs - that is the thing which takes a long time. 
Its deeply frustrating been 10 month since I started 14th August 2013, the amount of hairs coming in seems to be same on chin just thinner and paler I have a couple of sessions when they took 3 weeks then 4 weeks to come in but now they have gone back to every 2 weeks at least 1 pops up It is my most hated area. Just wish they wouldn’t come up so soon and I could have longer hair free days.