scabs and electrolysis

Okay, I’m starting to lose faith here.
I decided to do electrolysis on my arms. They’ve been cleared twice, and while the hair is sparser, there are still hairs growing in. But this is not what bothers me. What bothers me is that after the scabs fall off, there are little pink discolortions all over my skin that look like pimples beneath the skin. I know these are supposed to fade. I haven’t picked off the scabs or irritated the area, so any ideas on how long it will for these dots to go away? one month? Two months? I also noticed that on my upper arm, where I have keratosis pilaris, the discolorations are darker and larger. Ack!
Thank you!

Nancyk:

Did you ever discuss having electrolysis on your upper arms with your dermatolologist? I have never seen literature that says electrolysis is contraindicated on areas that have keratosis pilaris, but since your dermatologist can actually see your skin, she/he should give the final thumbs up as to whether you should have treatments on your upper arms. Are you exfoliating and moisturizing the area before an electrolysis session? This may help because perhaps the intensity could be lowered.

As for the pink marks on your arms, everyone heals differently, but generally speaking, most marks should disappear within 3 weeks to 3 months. I purposely overtreated three hairs on my upper thigh and I had three brown spots for several months, but nothing was even noticable after six months. If your practioner could try to avoid a scab outcome, that could help lessen the skin side effect. Can you talk to her? Any adjustment in the timing and intensity should still result in the hair sliding out gently.

Hope this helps you.

Dee