rant.

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

This is how I’m experiencing “being really hairy and trying to be less so via electrolysis” right now, in labour-hours.

  • 1 hour/day: after-care, tending to ingrowns.

  • 2 hours/week and a half or so: at pharmacy, shopping for various skin care products. (I spent equiv. of 100 $ today.)

  • 5 hours/week: the labour-hours I worked to pay for those products.

  • 2 hours (this week): the amount of time it took me to schedule and wait for the doctor’s appointment, to deal with my folliculitis.

  • 15 very stressful minutes/day: hiding growth between treatments, via shaving/clipping. More stressful on weekends, when I see the guy I’m seeing.

  • 1 hour and 15 minutes/week and a half: bleaching (includes time-sharing the reeking stuff among various body parts, and showering, and cleaning up mess. High stress, high anxiety.

  • 1 hour/week***: relationship management (includes trying to convince the guy I’m seeing that it’s not so important I take my top off in bed + feeling angry that I can’t, not comfortably, + feeling paranoid that he’ll ‘figure it out’.

  • 0.5 hours/day: spent thinking about how ugly and untouchable and paranoid I feel.

Labour intensity: high, for maintenance issues. Involves the fear and shame surrounding the hiding of hair/skin maintenance artifacts and behaviours from roommates and boyfriend, too.

Time lost from other, less neurotic/self-obsessed activities:

19.8-ish hours this week . (Fine, a fair average for most weeks would be, say, 17ish hours.)

I haven’t counted the time/life costs of the treatment itself.

I’m hating being hairy, I’m hating electrolysis.

***Conservative estimate.

#2

I hear you! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

It’s a bore and it’s depressing and it doesn’t seem to get any better. I’m so tired of having stubble (and having to trim between appointments and some of the other troubles you mentioned) and I’m also tired of electrolysis because it’s expensive and painful. It’s crazy how much ‘headspace’ something like this uses - it’s like you hardly have time to think of anything else!

I’ve been having electrolysis for about 2 years and I sometimes feel it’s not much better at all… I just hope it eventually works!!!

#3

2 years? how much hair are you treating and what area? are you male or female? have you been tested for any underlying conditions? that’s too long of a time not to see results. you should be looking into what could be off here. electrologist, modality, underlying medical condition causing continuous growth, etc.

#4

In addition to lagirl’s excellent questions, I think we should also ask you if you have maintained a regular schedule to catch newly surfacing hairs.

It is a problem when a client gets cleared, then simply does not show up or call when new hair surfaces in about 2 or 3 weeks. When you don’t pop back in for another clearing of this new hair, it will get out of phase and not be prime treatable hair. This prolongs the time to reach the end.

If you are not aggressive from the get-go and you stray from a good schedule, you will have wasted your money and time. The best we can offer for certain areas is a 9-12 month time frame to solve your problem. All estimates are off if you don’t stay with the process like a loyal dog.

Could this be your situation?

Dee

#5

Thanks for the questions (and sorry for highjacking this thread).

I’m female (34 years old). I’ve been having electrolyis twice a week for the first 1 1/2 years, and now once a week for about 10 -15mins a time. Each time I have between 10 - 30 thick dark hairs removed. I’ve only missed about three weeks in the whole period (last Feb when I was on holiday).

I had my hormones tested orignally and they came back fine (so no hormone imbalance or PCOS). The dermatologist put me on Vaniqa and Dianette. The Vaniqa seems to have some effect but it means that I’ll have to continue with the electrolysis for that much longer (I’ve also been using it on my upper lip and get electrolysis there when I can handle the pain). The Dianette doesn’t seem to have much of an effect (I’ve been on it for six months). My skin is less greasy though!! I’ve stopped using Vaniqa on my chin and went off the pill yesterday as I’m interested to see what happens (maybe they’re working better than I thought)!

I changed my practitioner around six months ago, and I’m fairly confident in the skill of the two ladies that currently do the work (they have had a good track record with other clients). I get the feeling that the existing hairs may be thinning out, but that new hairs are turning terminal.

Anyway, my situation is not really that bad compared to some people - but it does bug me to tears sometimes! Hopefully soon I’ll see some lasting results. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

#6

Rain,
I understand where you are coming from! While all the questions are valid, sometimes it just feels good to rant about the problems associated with excess hair. It’s crazy how much of our lives it can consume! I for one have been loyal (woof! woof!) with my schedule and meticulous with my aftercare and sometimes I still feel like I’m in a bottomless hairy pit. Other times I feel like I’m making good progress and made the right decisions. All depends on the day. But I feel confident that we are both on the right path with electrolysis, it’s just longer than we would wish.

#7

french wrote: “…electrolyis twice a week for the first 1 1/2 years, and now once a week for about 10 -15mins a time. Each time I have between 10 - 30 thick dark hairs removed”

Goes to show how different electrologists are when recommending a treatment plan. It is rare that I would have someone start out with twice a week appointments, let alone twice a week for 18 months. They simply would not need it! Another difference would be taking 10-15 minutes for so few hairs now.

One topic that seems to be universal is that clients seem to come to a point where they are ready to give up. That point is often right before they turn the corner on seeing the difference in the amount of hair they now have to remove.

#8

Have you Questioned the operators technic? It is only as effectively perminant as the her ability to used use her machine, use proper needle insertion angle/depth, proper timing on current exposure etc… If she uses a digital machine they are usually pre -programmed and cannot be “custom” adjusted to suit each individual need of each individual hair… because each one is different… ugly yes, but some are deeper, darker, finer, more bulbous, avtively growing, shedding… she needs to control her machine (not let the machine “group” you based on averages of everyone else) and she needs to know what she is doing… you should never feel a hair pull out or tweeze… feel the current- yes… the removal of the hair- no. If you feel it- she is doing at least one if not more things WRONG! Also, you have to be good about your appointments, dont miss them- be very regular- dont let her schedule you too far out and dont wait for more hairs to be present to get them all done at once… the longer a hair is present the more treatment ir requires and the more discomfort for you. Im in school to be an electrologyst. the woman I saw gave me some results but upon entering school my instructor said she had been struggling with my hair. She could tell by the skins condition…SCARRING and redness with hair still growing! she treated me twice and they have not returned yet! You should also bear in mind hair has multiple growth cycles and they are each on their own cycle- which is why it is almost impossible to stay hair free between appointments- but it really should slow down and dissapear with a good technician. Im 24- I had a “teranchula beard” with fair skin (Im a red head) I know how you feel. Thats why Im in school to be one more tech to do it right.

#9

computerized machines CAN be taken outside of the pre-set modes and custom treatment parameters may be created IF the person learns how to do that with the machine they are using.

Good Luck and learn all you can from as many avenues as you can.

#10

I totally agree with that. The problem (in CA at least) is not with the more experienced electrologysts but the newer ones. The schools are not doing well out here… look at the pass fail rates of long beach… and the scores of passing is 70% for state board (Thats pretty low dont you think?)My classmates passed high 90’s. Classes are crowded and there arent alot of teachers. People arent being taught well enough to know how to work outside the preset settings, you are never supposed to adjust the settings without first checking yourself and most new graduates dont know how. not to mention 600 hours does not do this field justice.Im one of 4 students and I cant imagine being in a larger class than 8 to have the confidence any electrologyst should in just 600 hours. My teacher insists I learn on a manual machine (clareblend ultra blend) before I can go digital. they just teach digital in long beach. In a large class. Im here to learn and I might be a little too upfront- but even if Im wrong, if someone double checks me and we both learn thats worth it to me!