Regrowth: Too soon?

[vampira]

Hi there!
I’m currently on session five of electrolysis on my chin and a couple of questions have arisen that I’d like some insight on.

How soon is too soon, when it comes to regrowth? Generally, I am seeing the ‘zapped’ hairs come back in two to three days after treatment. By day five, they are pretty long. When I tweezed, they didn’t even come back that quickly, unless the hair shaft broke off underneath the skin.

I am starting to wonder if that’s what is happening. I’m actually trying to find another electrologist-- the one I am seeing is very bossy and one of the things that bothers me most is that she’s VERY adamant about using numbing cream. She makes it out to be this horrible, painful procedure, almost akin to childbirth. I feel like because I am somewhat numb, that I can’t really feel what’s going on as far as the hair being removed (pop/tug/break/slides right out). I actually cave when it comes to her applying to cream because I don’t want to hear her rant.

I feel rather dismayed when she tells me that it may take two years to clear these two small nickel-sized patches on each side of my chin and seeing this rate of growth that I never experienced while tweezing.

[emilily]

Hi missT. If the hairs are properly treated during your electrolysis session, they will be “zapped” and then the electrologist will “slide” the treated hair out of the follicle without the hair snapping (so it is intact, root and all).

If this happens, there is no way that the hair could come back in two to three days after treatment, as there is no hair in that follicle.

Sometimes, if you have been tweezing daily/regularly, you are never seeing the hair you tweezed for another three or so months. But you’re extracting maybe 40 - 50 hairs per week (it doesn’t seem like many each time you do it, but it adds up).

When you get electrolysis, you stop tweezing (hopefully!!), and suddenly you are seeing these hairs, which you usually tweeze, growing out. It means there is a lot more hair than you actually realise you have, and each day a few more are being added to the count.

I was a tweezer and I’ve been having treatments for 6 months on my chin. I actually saw a couple of new hairs a couple of weeks ago that my electrologist had never treated before. Sometimes your follicles can take awhile to give out a new hair, lying dormant for months at a time.

As far as numbing cream and time estimates go, I have no idea - although if you’re a regular tweezer it can definitely have a huge impact on treatment time. I know I’ll be going for another six months still, but I’m excited about the future as I’ll be able to slow the appointments down in the future.

You won’t be able to feel much anyway (for the actual hair removal), even if not using numbing cream. I can feel the pain, but as far as the treatment goes, I don’t feel much at all

It’s fine to look for someone else if you feel you don’t get along with your current electrologist. Goodluck.

[vampira]

Hey, thanks for your insight, emilily.

As far as these hairs coming back quickly, I am able to gauge which ones they are as the hairs in question are spread out (there’s approximately 20-25 on each side of my chin), and since they have been with me a while, I know how to recognize them… it sounds goofy, but it’s true. Some due to placement, but others due to color. I actually have a few that look striped. That’s how I’ve been gauging how quickly they are coming back.

And yeah, I’m currently searching for a new one, they are few and far between. LOTS of laser and everything else (Palm Springs, CA area, hehe) but few electrologists.
I’ve actually gone two weeks now without going due to scheduling issues on her part… I’m going nuts, I want them out, at least for a few days

[eternalsunshine]

As it has been said, these are definitely not the same hairs (it’s impossible). My electrologist always says that the less hair we have, the more it seems to us (they stick out more, and don’t blend in as much) which I agree with. As for the 2 year estimate, I know it sounds scary but your practitioner cannot know how your hair will regrow and also doesn’t want to make false claims. It is possible that in less time you will only be going once a month, or less. In regards to the pain, I disagree that you will not feel anything. I have definitely cried during appointments but I know that I will love the results in the long run and bear through the pain. Some people suggest taking a pain killer before hand but I don’t like taking medication if I can help it, but if mine offered numbing creme free of charge I would likely take it.

[slimbrunett]

I have felt some of the zapps like squeezing a spot on your back that just won’t pop and strings ewww lol but that is usually only 1 per appointment I usually get around 5-8 rapped every 3 weeks been 5 weeks this week since I’ve been not because I don’t have hairs come back but because they are not black but pale brown I still want them zapped but waited for a few more to come back as no one seems to notice them this color when they are black I go straight in. I am booked for this Friday though as its valintines day and although I have them on my chin I also have some around my left nipple and don’t think that will go down well with the sexy underwear hubby normally buys me lol. Anyways I’m 6 month in hair comes back at same rate every 2-3 weeks but fingers crossed at present they come back paler each time and in general zero pain it looks like I have a small pimple on my chin when removed so no one would know and the next day I wear make up by day 3 no signs at all. I was also estimated 2 years but I’ve heard its normally 12-18 months for women and 2-2.5 years for men they really don’t know when you just walk in the door so they give you the longest time it could take but hopefully won’t be so long. Bear in mind I was also told I would likely need to come again in the future I’m currently 30 and she said as I reach my late 40’s and 50’s and go into pre menopause and menopause this could course new hairs to grow but the ones she’s treating now will eventually be gone within the 2 years and will make it easier when I seek more treatment in the future because I will know to leave them alone and go straight to the electrolysis and zap them out plucking really does make the process a lot longer and distort your view on seeing the same hair, I’ve had 2 hair come threw on the same foilities at the same time many many times never happened before this is because I was pulling them out separately but now that I’ve stayed on schedule they are coming out together its very strange looking lol.