Hi,
I started having electrolysis done and I am working on getting the full face done (sideburns, upperlip, cleaning up the area around eyebrows, jawline, and chin).
My question is: After working on the upper lip area, I am left with scabs or marks, and they are purple now. It is the 3rd day now. Are these scabs/marks normal, or is my electrologist not doing it properly?
She hasn’t cleaned up the area under the nose, so primarily the outer edges have the scabs.
Any help is appreciated!
While you might have an occasional tiny scab, too many would indicate too much timing or intensity…
Three days later and purple marks on the upper lip are not normal.
I have attached a picture. it is not the best quality, but it 4 days later. On the third day i had to unfortunately apply concealer and it was very visible and purple. and while taking off the makeup the scabs fell off. These are the remaining marks.
The best thing to do is to ask your electrologist if she or he can change something up so you aren’t left with these marks. If it is possible to sample someone else’s strategy, skill and equipment used, that may be very helpful.
Personally, I don’t want my clients having a prolonged skin reaction. It scares them and it is embarrassing. It is not a good promotion for the electrolysis profession as a whole . A modern, professional electrologist can mostly prevent this kind of outcome FOR THE FACE. Just inform your electrologist and see where it goes.
Thanks for the picture. It was blurry. If you could re-submit a quality photo, that would be helpful.
Its really hard to know what is going on - not knowing the situation with treatment or aftercare or your skin sensitivities. Are the insertions too shallow? Would it be better to use an insulated probe in your situation? These choices are not in your control but discussing your concerns with your electrologist is. What you can control is the aftercare. Try this: if you have oily skin, apply a warm compress to your upperlip immediately following treatment. If you have dry skin, apply a cold compress to your skin.
Why not ask your electrologist to join the HairTell discussion and we will all help troubleshoot your situation.
I have no insight other than to mention that when I had my chin done professionally I had a lot of scabs (same case with both women whom I went to), way worse than your photo. But it all healed just fine and I just told people I was having electrolysis done so they wouldn’t wonder what was going on.
I had lots of scabs too on my cheeks and on my chin. I switched to another electrologist and it happened again. I stopped bc my last electrologist told me to. She did not like how my skin was reacting. Unfort I am left w scars that I am hoping will eventually go away. If I could turn back time I would have stopped my treatments at tje first sign of scabbing lasting more than a few days. The scars are really upsetting to me. Just my experience! Good luck!
Too bad for both of you. Just know and be reassured, that many electrologists would know how to manage and adjust treatments and they would guide you about proper aftercare, so as to minimize a prolonged reaction.
There are differences and it is too bad that we are not all on the same page. We do like to mentor each other. A lot of that takes place on a closed AEA blog, so if your electrologists would like to join, that can be arranged. With that said, it is probably not realistic that anyone is going to tell their electrologist to bone up on their skills by joining an electrologist only group. Ha! Ha!
Ideally on the face there should be no scabbing, if there is then as Dee said everything should done by the electrologist to reduce the amount and following good aftercare as Arlene stated. Some skin types can be prone to scabbing mainly Asian(Indian,Pakistani).
The main concern with your treatment rk123 is not so much the scabbing, but the purple marks under the scabs a sign of too much heat being applied or/and poor insertion. .
If scabs do appear on the face they should be pinprick in size and fall away in a few days depending on your own skins healing time.
Thanks all for your feedback. As I haven’t had an actual session with any other electrologist, I wouldn’t know if she is doing it right.
As well, I really don’t think I’d be able to tell her that she should join this group, as Dee mentioned.
I will see her today and let her know the reaction I had.
As for my skin type, I have very dry skin and I follow up with witchhazel as after care to keep the area clean and from getting infected. She does apply a cold wet cotton ball as she is working in the area.
Thanks again everyone!
As a non-expert, it is very hard to tell if the electrologist is too slow or lacking in skill.
Hi everyone,
This is a follow-up. The scabs did turn into scars. Its been over a month.
I was wondering if anyone has proven NATURAL methods to reduce the appearance of the scar on the upperlip?
Thanks!
Time is the only thing that has ever worked for me. Time, and makeup when necessary.
It’s been 4 months since my last treatment that left me with scars. My scars are small indentations and my texure seems different…not as smooth as it used to be i can say that I don’t notice them as much…they are still there but I’m not as focused on them as I was. I used 100 percent pure aloe for a bit as well as vit c supplements and I do eat very healthy. Who knows what really helps, but I think time and treating your skin right is the major factor…as well as sun protection. I i was really down about mine, but I had to realize that no one else is staring at my skin the way I do. If your wear foundation, using a nice primer prior to it may help skin look nicer. I’ll update in a month or so if my skin seems to be getting better. Btw- what kind of scars do you have?
Time is the great healer when it comes to skin. What looks awful a few months in can be totally vanished by a year. My advice to you is to stay out of the sun, use sunscreen on the area, and avoid using too many products or such on your face. If you have dry skin, rosehip oil may (and the key word is may) help to heal the skin and lessen the chance of scarring. If you still have issues a year later, you could consider using Retin-A (prescription only) which has been clinically proven to lessen shallow scarring.
Hi all,
I will try the aloe vera, and look into the rosehip oil.
For now, I have been using polysporin on the area scarred at night, and sunscreen during the day for extra protection.
@Michk- the scars are noticeable on the upper lip. There is a slight dent and its brownish in colour. Its left from a scab that fell off about 4 days later after the electrolysis.
I have since changed my electrologist and I am not left with scars or long scabs on my face. I have noticed a huge difference in the skill.
I don’t think that polysporin will do much. If you want to use something similar, use vaseline. Polysporin might be effective if you had an open wound, but it won’t decrease your scars. And neither will vaseline, for that matter, but it can play a role in keep your skin hydrated, protected and healthy, which will improve its appearance over time. Polysporin is basically vaseline but with anti-bacterial properties (whose efficacy is unproven anyway) and it’s not bacteria affecting your scars.
Honestly, there isn’t too much you can do to the surface of the skin that will reduce scarring. There are lots of things you can try (like vitamin E or whatever, or that bio-oil stuff), but efficacy is debatable.
REAL, immediate results would require laser treatment or plastic surgery or whatever. Otherwise, keep your skin healthy, wear sunscreen, wear makeup when you need to, and wait it out. It will decrease in time.
I would try rosehip oil (I have it slathered on my face for a v. similar reason right now)
Do feed your body what it needs from the inside so that it can push the healing to the outside. As such, you need vitamin C, Zinc, and Magnesium. You can do this with vitamins, or better yet, have two portions of greens 3 times a day (broccoli and kale are wonderful for this) and 2 to 4 raw organic Brazil nuts.
Interesting thing (ok, get ready to call the guys with the white hug me coats) Kale and Dandelion are both plants that nutritionally can support human life indefinitely. All the nutrition you need is contained in them. So, if you juiced your dandelions ala wheat grass, or ate them in a salad instead of spraying them with toxins, or pulling them and tossing them in the trash, you could have clear glowing skin and eliminate many nutritional deficiencies (yes, it is a bitter herb like arugula and kale for that matter).
The good thing about juicing is you can add something sweet like an apple to take away the bite of the bitter if your savory taste buds have not come on line yet.