I have been seeing an electrologist for about three months now and go in for 30-40 mins each week for treatments on my face. After the first clearance the growth seemed to slow down quite a bit but after waiting 2 weeks for “regrowth” to appear I noticed there were still a lot of hairs to work on. My electrologist said she’s surprised to see so much hair come through, but she thinks these hairs are much finer than before. Is this a normal thing to experience with electrolysis? I don’t have a hormonal imbalance and I’m currently taking diane birth control pill which is supposed to slow down hair growth (or so I was told). I feel a bit worried that my hair growth won’t ever slow down :S
I should add I (stupidly) had laser on my face. Last laser session was in september and I noticed more hair grow in about a month after that…
Have you done any tweezing or waxing?
I’m going mad with a certain case. I have been seeing a woman, post laser on her underarms and bikini line for several years now. We chase after hair that pops up here and there. Laser reduction actually made a huge difference for this woman, but gosh darn it, she has like a slow drip, drip, drip of all sizes of hair. I know I am disabling the hair follicles, but this whole hair removal process for her seems to be endless. We are both exasperated.
I’m not sure, but I think the laser process has thrown hairs into varying states of dormancy and that is why she needs cleanups every 2-3 months for a few hairs that “decide” to appear on their own random time table.
I have no other logical guesses to make in her case. It is just weird.
So, I’m thinking that maybe your case is related to lasing your face. Electrolysis doesn’t stimulate more hair to grow, but laser reduction can cause this to happen on a woman’s face, especially. Your Electrologist may have to undo what laser caused, so be extra patient. Keep a diary. Take pictures. Be positive.
I’m getting to the point where I don’t like any method interfering with my electrolysis strategy. An untouched, virgin area is always an ideal place to start. We have to put out so many fires as electrologists because people come to us after using other methods that only made the problem worse.
Dee … YES!
The delay that is caused by laser is phenomenal. I’m not knocking laser, but when a person finally decides on electrolysis our job has just become impossible to predict for all the reasons you state. Impossible! I’m at the point that I’m not taking any “previously ‘failed laser’ clients” any more. We get blamed for “all the regrowth” anyway … and this scenario guarantees a couple years (?) of hearing complaints. “Why isn’t this working?”
On a similar note: I’m working on an underarm case. I started the treatment and THOUGHT I was working on untouched hair (it looked like it). During the treatment, the client said she had had 14-hours of work, on EACH underarm (28-hours total for both!) I grabbed my camera and took a photo of this underarm that had had 14-hours of electrolysis (see below … sorry the photos are a bit out of focus).
This “result” is not acceptable. I know the electrologist and she’s using her own (seldom used) technique … and says dreadful and disparaging things about ALL of us! Hummmmm … (But, I won’t say NOTHING neither!)
I will, when totally finished with this case, show all the clearances and the final results. But for now, the clearance you see in the second photo took me 2-hours (one underarm). From this initial clearance, I know that the second clearance will be about half the time (my guess is 1.5 hours) … and the final, about 45 minutes. Then a few “pick-up” sessions for the random hairs. Total time for the whole deal will be around 9 - 10 hours (this is more than my average).
She should have been finished and completely smooth, hearing that she had 14 hours per underarm. Sad. She has a lot of hair left after investing all those hours.
I agree with your numbers, Mike. Depending on how much hair, it should take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours to totally clear an underarm the first time. Maintaining that clearance is roughly half the time if one waits about 3 months without touching the area with a razor.
I can’t believe all the hair that is left after 14 hours of treatment on her underarm. You said it, “Not acceptable!”.
I haven’t waxed, tweezed or shaved the area at all. I suppose it’s still too early to tell what’s going on, but I agree it’s most likely regrowth from laser. Thanks for the advice. I’ll keep a note of treatments and try to stay positive about the process. My electrologist said if we keep the sessions consistent I should notice a difference around the 6 month mark. I trust her and think she’s doing a good job.
Sorry to hear you get a lot of complaints. I would never blame my electrologist like that…
Can I ask maybe an offensive question/series of questions? Ok? Don’t mind if I do…
If there are electrologists out there performing terrible electrolysis on their clients, why exactly aren’t they being shamed straight out of the business? Do they realize they’re as unskilled and awful as they are? Are they skilled but purposefully prolonging the process by performing inadequate treatment?
Oh, I think electrologist’s want to bring success to their clients and try very hard to remove hair with care.
Removing hair via electrolysis is a technically difficult task. Anyone that has put in at least 10,000 hours should be performing with much skill. New electrologists need mentoring in most cases. No one wants to suck at what they do, so I don’t think there is anything purposeful happening.
We are basically on our own. Nobody is watching and giving helpful feedback, so it is up to the individual electrologist to seek help from colleagues if they feel something is lacking. Client feedback is important. Give them permission to discuss their healing concerns or any concern with you, so they can seek answers and grow.
An Electrologist that has been in business for twenty plus years and performs below average, well I’m not sure they can be reached.
When I read the comments posted by electrologists on this forum, I see so much passion, care, and commitment to their clients. However…what fundamentally (philosophically?) constitutes an “electrologist”? Training? Certification? Owning a machine and taking in clients? If a “real” electrologist is one who genuinely cares about permanently removing hair, therefore an electrologist cannot ever be “bad”. This would be begging the question.
And I should clarify, by “bad” or unskilled, I don’t mean an enthusiastic beginner who’s learning the ropes, or someone needing more training regardless what skill or experience level they posses - but specifically someone with an attitude of having little or no attention to detail, or being intentionally careless and only cares insofar they maintain a clientele. Or being extremely resistant to new information that can spare their client potentially thousands of dollars, or in the extreme cases, (actual) scarring.
They may not be considered “professional electrologists” by “real” professionals as a gesture of keeping the name and reputation of electrolysis in good standing - however, the pertinent thing (in my opinion), is that they are self-proclaimed electrologists. They will advertise as such, and someone may end up in the wrong hands.
The comment that sparked my interest is this one:
This “result” is not acceptable. I know the electrologist and she’s using her own (seldom used) technique … and says dreadful and disparaging things about ALL of us! Hummmmm … (But, I won’t say NOTHING neither!)
I mean… >$1000 is not a meager amount when it is spent on treatment that falls way short of the expected results (which I’m assuming was at least paid for 28 hours). For professional results, absolutely it is worth it and more. And then to disparage people who do actually deliver…why? Where is the sense in that?
I’m sorry if I seem wound up…
Any tips on how I can judge the skill of my electrologist?
I don’t have a lot of time to answer this question the way I would like to, but the short answer is to find an Electrologist based on people who are finished and happy with their results. That’s why I like it when a sister, friend or a cousin of a client comes to me. The client has basically done my initial consult for me before their sister, friend or cousin arrives and the new potential client has already seen the results on my client up close. The trust factor goes way up when they actually have seen what is possible.
I have had potential new clients ask me if I could give them the contact information of clients that I have finished (same area that they desire to have hair removed). I give them three names (with permission, of course). If one does not have this opportunity to ride on the coat tail of others. Then get as many consults as you can and try to make an informed decision based on your gut feeling.
No tugging, pulling sensations should be felt. Skin should heal within a week, but this statement needs some in depth explanation because there are so many variables. The office should be clean and uncluttered and likewise the forceps/tweezers and probes should always be sterile.
There is a lot more to look for. Maybe others can fill in the gaps.
Thanks!
I think my electrologist fits into most of these categories. She has told me she has many clients who are willing to talk to me about their successful treatments. I just felt a bit embarrassed to ask for their details. I don’t want her to think I doubt her skill or anything like that.
I don’t feel any tugging or pulling sensations when I’m being treated, just a slight sting from the current. My skin has been fine throughout treatments. Sometimes I get tiny scabs that heal within a few days after treatment, and I don’t have any scarring at all. I think she uses the blend method because I have to hold the electrode during the treatments.
My only big concern is this hair that keeps coming through a week after treatments. It’s still early days (I think I’ve had around 5 or 6 hours so far) I’m happy to wait and see if the growth slows down over the next few months.