Hi. Im a guy interested in doing electrolysis on my facial hair. its not that thick or dense but i have sensitive skin. i dont necessarily care for permanent removal, i enjoy shaving (i shave old fashioned, too) but i cant shave my upper lip every day because of sensitive skin. i have to do it every 4-5 days which means im only smooth for 1-2 days tops there and i want to be smooth there 24/7. i want my hair finer, thats all. does this mean i should use a low setting to get the result? also, im scared of anyone touching my face, is it possible to have this reduction done myself safely? will i get these scabs even on a low setting no matter what? would like some input from the pros and those who have done it themselves. oh and ive considered laser and dont want to do it becasue of possible induction of hair growth. thanks!
Guys don’t get induced hair growth with laser for the facial areas, but they can get a marble cake effect or patchiness. You can do a couple of treatments and see where it goes. If you need some evening out, then electrolysis can help refine things.
there are many reasons why i am afraid of laser. for one, i heard about the induction of hair growth. i dont see why it would be limited to a man’s face if all coarse hair grows quite the same. another reason is that its not permanent. also, the patchiness, and who knows if that laser is set at a high setting and damages my skin. i did have tattoos removed on my arms with laser but when it comes to my face, i think thats a different story. the main areas are the upper and lower lip and around the mouth (faint goatee line even after i shave) and chin. my neck is dense but the stubble isnt dark. my cheeks are the least of my problems and easy to shave.
Maybe try combining the 2 thats what alot of guys do witht hefacial hair .
I had a few clients over the years who reported induced facial growth from L.A.S.E.R. treatments. Additionally, I have had some who had some rather unpleasant side effects on their skin, including a shingling effect over the hairs.
Dear James.
What is a shingling effect???
Think roof shingles, with a hair coming out from under the flaps.
yeah thats why im gonna pass on the laser. its either electrolysis or nothing. i dont want any permanent scars or deal with anything like that. i can always work on mastering my shaving technique i suppose. been using an old fashioned double edge razor (invented around 1904) and want to switch to a straight razor soon which is said to shave closer and more comfortable than the double edge. i guess even if i cleared once with electrolysis, i’d be good to go. just want the hair to be easier to shave (finer).
If you were to clear your face several times with electrolysis from a good practitioner, you would NOT have finer hair, but you would have growth that was less dense.
There is disagreement as to what used to be called “piece-meal destruction” where the hair becomes smaller in diameter (finer) with treatments. It’s one of the theories of what happens with electrolysis treatments.
In my opinion…it could happen. You could end up with “finer” hair. Realistically, good treatments kill the hair the first time. Any finer growth that shows up is new hair and it will very likely become larger in diameter with time.
new hair to become larger in diameter? why?
Certain areas of our body are going to grow terminal hair. Terminal hair is large in diameter (coarse).
All hair growth STARTS as vellus - small in diameter. When a person has a reason to grow hair (hormones, genetics, medications and other unknown influences) then the vellus hairs are influenced to accelerate into increasingly larger diameter hairs.
Stimulation of previously dormant hair follicles results in new hair growth. Those newly turned on follicles begin producing vellus, and possibly even accelerated vellus hairs, which in turn can become terminal (coarse/large in diameter).
The amount of hair follicles we are born with…the amount of influence hormones, genetics, medications and unknown causes have on our hair follicles…these are the factors that baffle us all.
Point of my post is that if a hair were to become smaller in diameter from an electrolysis treatment, the fact that the follicle was not completely destroyed could result in that smaller diameter hair reverting back to it’s larger diameter over time. Since all of the “hair growing” cells were not destroyed, the body’s other influences would not only cause newly growing hair to become larger in diameter, but it would cause previously treated, but not permanently destroyed hair follicles to produce larger diameter hairs.
So i guess i better hope it kills the hair completely. im going to have to get a test spot done under my lip and see where that goes. do most people have problems with electrolysis not completely destroying the hair follicle?
The problem most people have is that they don’t get full clearances, and then work to have the area maintained as clear if a first clearance is ever done in the first place.
If good work is done, there is no problem with partially treated hairs. One just has to understand that one has to treat hairs in all cycles, and over the course of 12 to 18 months in order to get what one wants.
why do they not get full clearances? is that because of the electrologist or because they dont feel like waiting the length of time having it done?
It could be both. If the treatment is especially painful, the client may not be able to endure a long enough session to clear a large area.
A friend of mine went to an electrologist who could not do more than two hours of work a day with her. Her setup was not at all ergonomic and after 2 hours she was too fatigued to go longer, even with a break inbetween. Since my friend had to drive a good distance to see her, you can imagine how frutsrating it was to try to get a clearance on a full beard.
Most people don’t get full clearances because:
-
They are not willing to come for longer appointments
spaced closer together in the first 4-6 months. -
The electrologist has not set herself up for being able
to do longer appointments with a modern epilator, lighting,
and magnification. Table and chair choices matters for proper
ergonomics so she/he doesn’t tire easily. -
A slower modality (galvanic and blend or manual thermolysis
will still work, but total clearance
cannot be achieved asap and thus, the client suffers and frets
about when will this all end? The client ma simply give up.
I am a huge proponent of using the faster forms of thermolysis, with proper probe sizes and types, surgical magnification so one can sit correctly and not tire sooner than an hour, bright halogen or LED lighting so one can see the slightest changes to the upper skin and thus, make adjustments to avoid scabbing. Full clearances can obtained with better tools that will lessen skin reaction. Full clearances have trade off’s in some cases where the client will stay swollen and red for three-four days and may have a few minor scabs, but they are worth it. Let it heal and then move forward. As the hair count diminishes, so will the skin reaction.
If an electrologist is not comfortable with doing this because she/he has not the stamina, proper training or modern equipment to do this well, then you are stuck with mediocre, slow hair removal. The good news is, you will still get permanent hair removal - eventually.