Question regarding my Electrolysis' method?

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hi,

I’ve been on this forum for roughly eight months, however, I have been stalking it like many others for about a year now. Haha! The success stories have blown me away and have really opened up my eyes on how possible and achievable permanent hair removal is within reach.

Although I do know I have many more years of hair development ahead of me (I’m 17), I do have a huge insecurity about my current “issue”. I wouldn’t say I’m over-the-top hairy, but I am definitely hosting an excess of body hair - chest, abdomen, thighs, legs, etc…

I have been going to electrolysis for about two years now because my mum has been going. She got her cheeks, under her lip, chin, and her neck done about six years ago and she goes once every few months now. I did in between my eye brows with amazing results (sometimes I do have sporadic growth with a few thick hairs, but they’re taken care of easily), my lower neck (basically finished it, I’ve been on it for a year now) also with awesome results.

Onto my question:
What method does my electrologist use? I’ve tried looking it up online and matching it with what she does, but no definition actually explains to me what the electrologist does in the midst of the removal. I’ll paint the picture: I walk into her office, sit down on the bed, she throws on a pair of gloves, rubs my face with a wet “nap” (I’m assuming it’s soaked in alcohol or something of the sort), and then she dries it up and inserts the probe into the follicle. She presses a button with her foot and I feel a slight prick, hear a beep, and she pulls the hair out with her tweezers.

Would anyone be able to help me out with this kind of thing? Haha, I’ve already exercised the Search feature, but yielded no positive results.

Thanks a lot in advance!

#2

Connor, it truly does not matter. It’s ALL about the skill of the person using the machine. After 30+ years doing electrolysis, this is the only thing I’m certain about: it’s the technician! If you see results and you are happy — that’s your answer!

#3

Connor, did you ever ask her if she is doing thermolysis or blend? It’s probably one or the other.

#4

I’ll ask her when I go in this week. I am, however, looking at reducing the hair on my arms to about a third of what I currently have. Here are some pictures:

Right Arm - IMG Link
This is my arm. You can actually see at my wrist right near my wrist bone that the hair thins out - I had 20 minutes of electrolysis done on that area back in October before I went on vacation. The results still have me thrilled!

Left Arm - IMG Link
This is my left arm. Although both of my arms don’t appear to be excessively hairy, it really bothers me that I have any at all. Most of my friends have little to none at all, and I’ve forced myself to wear long-sleeved shirts (even when I’m around my family) because of my hairy forearms.

My question: how long do you think my electrologist would take to remove about two thirds of my overall arm hair? Now that I think about it, I do believe she removes roughly 6-8 hairs per minute.

#5

Connor,

You are going to hate hearing this, but probably all of us are feeling the way I do. You are 17, and the hair pattern you have on your arms is, well, normal. At your tender age, you must consider that your body might grow lots of hair in other places (again, normal male pattern). What would happen, for example, if you removed the hair on your lower arms and then grew in thick hair on the upper arms? That would give you a very odd look indeed.

Were you “my patient,” I would first advise you to clip the arm hairs (with a barber’s clipper and attachment to keep the hairs about a half-inch or so). This will give you a less hairy look — and make you more comfortable. In time the arm hairs (which is fine-looking to me) will not be problematic. I know all of us are thinking: “Ah, to be 17 again!” Hell, I’d be happy to be 50 again!

Indeed, I have done work on young people but have always used extreme caution. The electrologist must not “disfigure” you or give you a potentially unnatural look. Several years ago, I had a 17-year-old that detested his upper lip beard hair and wanted me to remove only that. I could not do this, because I knew he would develop a full beard and would look extremely odd with a clear upper lip.

I believe a mark of a true professional is when to say “no,” and to give the patient a good reason why. Every week we see patients that come in for plastic surgery with some request that would make them look odd. Some surgeons will do anything (for money) and their results are “walking among us!”

Look, I have the same personality you do (most likely). I had tons of hair removed (back and chest). Now, I want the surgeon to whittle down my ears. He tells me to “take a vacation.” I’m now thinking, “face lift” but can see, as the surgeon tells me: “Michael you have nothing to lift. Some people droop and some shrivel — you’re shriveling! I cannot lift a withered face.” Nice guy! But I’m sure I’ll find “something” — eventually. You did get me looking at my arm hairs — again.

#6

I think laser would be worth a try as well, but I am not the resident expert here on laser.

#7

I’m looking again at Connor’s arm. It’s a perfect arm — look at that left arm! I wish, somehow, I could get “kids” to understand just how beautiful they are (and boys are just as beautiful as girls). I’m working with a 20-year-old right now (his dad is a well-known movie star — lots of those where I live, no big deal).

Just a couple minor “defects” and this great handsome kid hates himself and won’t go out without a shirt in our “eternal sunshine.” Then, I look at my old barnacle-encrusted arms with scars and brown & white marks and scraggly hairs and veins and moss growing and I think: What’s wrong with this picture?"

#8

The hair is not super coarse, but laser should still get rid of at least half of it and make the rest finer. Electrolysis would be faster and easier afterwards too.

Also, keep in mind that you’ll likely be developing more hair until at least your late 20s. So you’ll need touchups later in life.

And I agree with Michael. You may want that hair back when you’re older. I wouldn’t do anything too drastic just yet. Your arms look pretty normal to me.

#9

Thanks LA girl … come on, the rest of you, help us out here!

#10

Thanks for your well-thought reply, Michael. I don’t know. I do know what you’re getting at, but I am a very comparative person, and when I see that I don’t necessarily “fit in” with a certain group, I feel very foreign. I’ve almost thought that all of this is something psychological that I need to clear up, but for now, hair removal seems to be a huge help. Especially with the “social group” I’ve found myself in, it’s really easy to feel left out fast. You know?

I do get at what you’re saying, tough, Michael. Thank you very much for your reply! I really appreciate it!

Yeah, I have considered laser, however, there just seems to be never a good time to get it. The reason I don’t go ahead with laser is because I’ve heard too many horror stories about even more regrowth, and at the fact that I don’t want to go from hairy arms to completely clean-shaven arms. Many would argue that I could do it on a break (Spring Break, Summer Break), but during those times I’m usually going out a lot with friends, and again, my suddenly hairless arms would make an appearance. The reason I’m going for electrolysis is for its subtle nature.

Yeah, I know what you mean, Michael. I guess it’s just the world we live in? Ha ha. If the models and advertisements hosted pictures of hairy people, maybe that would lessen my insecurities, but I do (as all teenagers) feel the need to “go with the flow”, and right now, that’s being hairless, “unfortunately”.

Thanks a lot for all of your replies guys, it really shows me how supportive this forum really is. Great atmosphere here filled with very skilled and experienced users. Thanks a lot guys!

#11

Remember the mantra of Madison Avenue:
Comfort the afflicted, and AFFLICT THE COMFORTED!

#12

Connor, there is another benign alternative. After you shower each day, splash on normal 3% hydrogen peroxide (the standard over-the-counter antiseptic). Gradually, you will bleach out the hairs and they will look less noticeable. Once you get the color you want it’s easy to maintain the look. Try this before anything “drastic.” The H2O2 is also dirt cheap — maybe a couple dollars will last you half a year. (Don’t use the hydrogen peroxide for bleaching hairs, it’s not necessary.)

Oh, also, try to find some Italian or Greek boys to hang out with!!

#13

Oh, also, try to find some Italian or Greek boys to hang out with!! [/quote]

Ha ha ha I like that.

Connor when i looked at my seventeen year old nephews arms and then looked at your photos, I have to say your arms looked pretty normal to me. Do not forget it is masculine for a man to have body hair and many girls like that!

#14

Being a nerd used to be so uncool. Now, being a nerd is cool. People wanna be nerds now!!!

I wish it weren’t all about popular culture!!!

If I were being interviewed as a finalist in a beauty contest, instead of saying I wanted world peace, I would say I wanted people to love themselves as they are.

Whether it’s wrinkles from aging, excess hair, an imperfect body shape, autism, a personality disorder or a birth defect, we need to know that our differences make us unique and beautiful. My granddaughter, who can’t carry a tune in a bucket, wrote a beautiful song, (she just turned 8) and the words go something like this: “The world is a better place with you and me in it.” She can sing to me all day long…

#15

Exactly Barbara. We all work a life time to get to a healthy level of self acceptance. As we get older, we care less about our perceived flaws.

Connor asked a question about hair removal and he received honest straight forward answers. He was very gracious about the extra advice given by others older than he, about accepting his arm hair and finding new hairy friends. Some people would not have been so gracious and polite. They are not asking for opinions about whether their arms are acceptable or not - they just know how uncomfortable they feel about their situation and they want relief. If people want tattoos on every inch of their bodies, if our dear transgender population want hair removal or want more hair to grow, if they want the brow bone and chin shaved down or the larynx made less prominent, if a balding man or woman want hair grafts, if a person with a nose like the now dead Jimmy Durante wants plastic surgery, then we are far more less reluctant to tell them to accept themselves as they are, are we not? Actually, Jimmy Durante is a bad example - his nose was cosmetically pretty bad, but it was his trademark and he made a lot of money because of that nose.

Words like that are very loving, but are easier said than followed. A 22 year old adult man is bothered by his arm hair. No, it doesn’t look oddly abnormal and yes, we lovingly support him to accept something that appears normal to us. I was told by my parents when I was teenager that hairy people are strong people. I believed that for a short while, but always had a nag and tug pulling me toward actually doing something about it and I am glad I did. Supportive words help for awhile, but the person feels what he feels.

In this day and time, some? many? men want less hair, JUST LIKE WOMEN DO and it is our job to help them reach their goal. I like this thread because connor received good information. Pop culture or not, people want certain things for themselves and as adults they should research and weigh pro’s and con’s and then live with the consequences of their decisions. Give people good, well-rounded information and they can take it from there.

#16

Well, electrolysis wouldn’t be that “subtle” either. You’ll likely have some scabbing and side effects that would clear up within days or a week, but it would still be noticeable trauma.

I think you’ll find that as you get older, you start to care less and less about what others think. You’re at a tender age where people your age call each other out to make themselves feel better. That’s not going to be the case when you get a bit older.

#17

The good news for Connor is that your arms have the same hair density that many women with hipertricosis in the arms. So at first, you should not use any more time in Electrolysis that any girl of your age.

Before:

DSC01094-1.jpg1024×768

A few months after the first clearance:

DSC01696.jpg1023×682

DSC01692.jpg1023×682

Observation: Treatment begun with a maximum of present hairs, more than 80% hairs was in telogen phase.

#18

That was an interesting alternative. What kind of tube with 3% hydrogen peroxide could I buy at the pharmacy?

I am located in Australia.

I actually have much more dense hair compared to Connor.In some places it is not that dense but in others, it very very dense. I have for instance, two-three hairs growing from one pore which create a dark shadow from above.

This the hair on the arm is terminal, would electrolysis completely kill the hair when applied? If that is possible , then I would opt to thin my arms out.

#19

Hi nokingo, 3% hydrogen peroxide is a liquid, it will come in a glass bottle. You should be able to buy it at the pharmacy but will have to ask for it.

Electrolysis is great for thinning areas out as you only work on the hairs you want gone. For example, where you have 3 follicles so close together that it looks like they are coming from one, remove 2 and leave 1, so that you don’t have a bald spot but it looks much less dense.

#20

I quite like the peroxide idea too, but wouldn’t it bleach your clothes and / or itch like hell? You’re supposed to rinse it off after x number of minutes, I presume…