Shaving, Plucking - Plucking, Shaving HELP!!

Hair Removal Methods Shaving/Trimming
#1

Thank you so much for the feed back!!

You mentioned that if you shave it does not matter the HAIR will grow back the same way it has been growing out in the past. And that it won’t come back thicker or more manly by anymeans. And you’re sure of this? And would I be shaving more and more compared to plucking? I tend to think I may be.

And I just have one hair that comes and goes on the bottom of my chin and I just pluck it. It’s been a long time now since I last plucked it, but it may come back again. I just check by feeling the area every once in awhile and when it starts to come out, I pluck. And sometimes it’s gone for a long time and sometimes it’s gone for less. It seems for me anyways that hair growth is stronger in the hotter months then in colder months, that’s when it tends to stay doorment. And I’m sure it has to do with the fact that the blood flow is much better in us during warmmer months. I’m just affraid if I shave that I will have to do it more often then plucking and this just makes more work for myself then I care to deal with!?! Also I feel ingrown hairs may be a worry when shaving the face, true?

And does shaving the face or any other part of the body for that matter will it stimulate hair growth as well? And what is the best way to shave down or up when it comes to a womens face or does this matter or have an impact on the way the hair will grow back? And is waxing your legs better to do then shaving if you don’t do the electrolysis that is? I know I won’t wax, but would just like to know.

And when shaving your sensitive areas like bikini line or gential area, my friend saids it’s better to shave down first then up is there a proper way to shave this area? Actually I think she may shave it all down, but for me I’m not able to get all the hairs this ways.

And as far as the nipple area is plucking okay? Because it seems like shaving would not make for a good look. And again are we making more work for ourselves. And what makes plucking so bad, what happens to us in the long run if we PLUCK verses shave?

It sounds like shaving is the best way to do it, all around that is for a temperary fix. And I never liked waxing, I really feel it’s a scam!! I had my legs done once and this was crazy!! But does it really make the hair on the legs less and does it really make the hair thinner as well? I mean there are people who started WAXING young and after five years of waxing they barely have any hair and they are not old.

But as far as shaving what do some of you recommend as far as shavers go. I use the Venus Divine and I use the Venus Breeze which is nice because of the extra moisture added to it. I think Gillete makes some good products and the others really out there don’t compare. But I would really like to know what others recommend. And are electic shavers better? I never thought so myself but if someone could tell me otherwise this would be great!! It just seems like shaving dry is not the way to go and I know there are wet ones out there so my question is what really works best!?! And how about shaving creams or gels which ones do some of you swear by that really make a difference in the shave.

Also I would like to know if it’s a good idea to use alchol to rinse your shaver or clean your shaver. I feel I may have picked up an infection once due to the shaver not being disinfected. Is this a must when shaving?

I mean, I usually just rinse it off really good with hot water and hang it up to dry on its own little hook, but I wonder if you can catch stuff if not disinfected a certain way. Especially for those that carry them to the gym as well. Any advice or info?

Thank you so much for your time and listening!!

Cinnamon (:

#2

shaving doesn’t do ANYTHING to the structure of the hair. it’s been proven by many studies over and over again. if you run a search here, you can find the links. all you’re doing is cutting the hair above the skin’s surface. it doesn’t do anything to the root of the hair, so it has absolutely no impact on the structure of the hair.

you should do some research on the way the hair grows, which is in 3 phases. you can read about it in the Laser FAQs below. the reason you see the hair come back sooner sometimes is probably because you plucked, but it broke off half-way instead of coming out altogether with the root. another reason could be that you actually have more than one hair in the same place, and you’re seeing these several hairs at various phases of growth.

In terms of the bikini line, I’ve always found it’s best to wax if you’re not seeking permanent removal there with laser or electrolysis. That way it is gone for at least 2-3 weeks and there is no stubble when it comes back. However, waxing doesn’t make the hair any finer or less plentiful. It may seem like it when it’s first growing back after a waxing session, but if you wait long enough for all hair to grow back in, it will come back the same. On some areas, plucking and waxing can bring more blood flow to the area and actually stimulate it to get more coarse. This is more of an issue on the face.

In terms of shaving devices, I find Gilette 3 or 4 blade shavers good. And shaving GEL is better than a cream. Also, it’s best to soak the area for at least 10 minutes in lukewarm water and shave against the grain. Don’t forget to change blades often if you use it a lot.

If you’re interested in permanent hair removal, you can look into electrolysis for your face and nipple area. Those areas are pretty small and the hairs there can be easily killed with electrolysis, permanently. If your bikini area has dark coarse hair, laser hair removal is now affordable ($100-200 per treatment, and you need 6-8 treatments spaced 3 months apart) and works great on dark coarse hair.

#3

Thank you for your great advice on this, I will check it out!

I do have a question and that is when shaving the face will you see your hair grow back quicker verses plucking? And is there a higher chance of getting ingrown hairs shaving? And when you shave your only cutting the hair and your not getting down to the root so will I have little black or white DOTS on my face like men do, due to shaving? And does SHAVING stimulate hair growth just like waxing and plucking??

And can anyone tell a rough estimate when it comes to doing your face via electrolysis?

Thanks again for listening and pain free days for all!!

Cinnamon :slight_smile:

#4

Unless your facial hair is curly, you have more chance of getting ingrown hairs from plucking than shaving.

You would only have “black dots” or “5-o’clock shadow” if your hairs are male beard thick and your skin is bright white, and your hair is jett black.

Not having seen you, how can anyone give you a rough estimate of what you need to do to clear YOUR face. I tell people all the time, I have one woman whose face I cleared in a total of 3 hours spread out over six months, and I have a man with a testosterone problem whose face required 500 hours spread out over 5 years. How can I know where YOU will fit in on that scale without seeing you? Furthermore, it doesn’t do you any good to even hear about those people on the extremes, as thinking you will be closer to the lowest treatment time may tend to make you frustrated when your treatment needs turn out to be more normal, and if you think that you will be closer to the longest time stated, one might quit without even trying, even though your problem really is closer to a normal job that would be done somewhere between 50 to 100 hours spread out over 1 to 2 years.

#5

You were already told that shaving does not affect hair GROWTH, but it will affect the way the hair feels to your fingertips. The act of shaving will cut the hair at the thickest part, so instead of having nice tapered soft ends, you will have blunt coarser feeling ends. We call that stubble.

Shaving is a great temporary method, but for a woman’s face, it would be better to affect the hair permanently with electrolysis. Who wants to chase hair the rest of their life with shaving or other temporary methods. You will need to get a complete consultation with a SKILLED, modern electrologist.

#6

I have received comments/advice from ‘dfahey’ as well ‘James W. Walker’ and felt absolutely comfortable with their expert advice in regards to shaving whilst receiving electrolysis. My electrologist was trained that shaving should not be done and that shaving makes the condition worse. I understand that shaving is simply cutting, and that also makes sense to me. In the beginning of my treatment when my electrologist expressed a dislike for shaving and said it makes the condition worse, I told her that I had read otherwise on this site. She said she comes from the ‘old school’, and that perhaps American electrologists have different views on this. I don’t know, but all I want to do is get rid of this hair in the most effective and quickest way possible. I have been shaving in between the total of two hours of treatment I have received since last December. I had a treatment today after not having one for almost two weeks and she expressed to me that she is not seeing the results she was expecting to see after this amount of time and she is concerned that it might have to do something with shaving.

I am so frustrated and quite frankly getting very p.o’d about this whole thing! I have dealt with this issue of facial hair for almost two decades now - have heard so many opinions and received so much advice, and all I want to do is whatever it takes to get rid of it.

My electrologist really had a bit of a go at me today - and even though she expressed that she was not upset at me, but at the situation/condition/present results, it still really made me question all of this.

Bottom line. Is shaving whilst receiving electrolysis okay to do- it doesn’t make hair growth worse??? Does it really cause problems during treatment? This lady is wonderful and I thoroughly trust her, but after getting different viewpoints, and hearing her say that she is not seeing the results she expected after 2 hours, I don’t know what to do, or who to believe.

Somebody, please clear this up for me once and for all!

Thank you…:slight_smile:

#7

Listen to me. Shaving is not the problem here. It doesn’t matter if we are American electrologists, as we see the same data that a Dutch electrologist sees, that is, if she’s looking. Old school??? How old is she? Shaving studies WORLDWIDE have been conducted from the beginning to the end of the 20th century (1900-1999) and they all ended up with the same conclusion - SHAVING DOES NOT AFFECT HAIR GROWTH! http://www.hairfacts.com/medpubs/shavemed.html

Not mentioned in the above link: J.I.D., Saitoh, M., Uzuka, M. and Sakamoto, M.,1970, 54:65-81 This paper demonstrates that shaving does not have any effect on hair growth.

J.Invest.Derm.,Lynfield, Y.L. and MacWilliams,P., 1970, 55:170 This study confirms the studies of Mildred Trotter in 1922: shaving does not affect hair growth.

It is not our opinion, or an uniquely American viewpoint, that we provide you with about shaving, but rather it is scientific fact that we ever so patiently try to pass on to all the consumers that ask this same question over and over again. For an electrologist not to know this is ludicrous and an embarrassment to the profession! Maybe you can present her with these studies.

If you want to get rid of the hair, PERMANENTLY with ELECTROLYSIS, in the quickest most effective way posssible , then here is what you need to have in place:

A skilled electrologist who can make perfect insertions

Preferable: A modern, computerized professional epilator

Medical grade surgical magnification like dentists and doctors wear so one can see the target

A good light source: halogen or LED, so one can see the target

The proper size of probe to match the diameter of the hair

The proper intensity of energy and timing to kill the hair structure

A first, full clearance for all offending hair as soon as possible for the area being treated

A schedule, timed to catch all new anagen growing, fragile hairs

A schedule that keeps the area cleared after that precious first full clearance is obtained

A client who understands that permanent hair removal, via electrolysis, can not be achieved any sooner than 9 months. Mother Nature dictates these planned hair growth cycles. We have to wait for the hair to cycle in, in order to “kill” it! It may take as long as 18 months depending the area, the amount of hair you have and other important variables.

If your electrologist doesn’t know about the relationship between shaving and hair growth (there is none!), I’m seriously wondering about whether she knows about the above stated principles to make you successful. These are necessary ingredients to get this right, otherwise, you are going to go nowhere at all, forever and ever. It is her job to educate you every time you lay down on her table so your mind doesn’t run wild with false expectstions.

Would you like to provide more detailed information about your electrology experience so far? No detail is too small. Detective work always reveals the missing ingredient(s) that lead hair consumers like yourself to question all this.

What I truly suspect is, you are expecting too much after only 2 hours of electrolysis since December. You are in month 2-3. You are not finished or close to being finished. You need at least 9-12 months, minimum. The first six months are the hardest as the hair growth cycles keep rolling up new hairs or regrowth to the surface.

Shaving is not the culprit. Please review and memorize the list above and study up on hair growth cycles so you keep your expectations in line. You can’t be successful without correct information. Correct information leads to behavior that will make you a winner in the end.

Dee

#8

Dee,

Thank you. You need to understand that I am not negating American electrologists (I am American myself), and my elctrologist is not Dutch, she’s British. I am using the term ‘old school’, and she is only in her mid-late 50’s. She really is fabulous and very passionate about what she does and is there to help and support. Apparently, what she learned in her initial training was that shaving is bad. She is the one who introduced me to this site, and I have shared past information with her - that shaving is OKAY! She has listened to me, but after 15 treatments of 15 minutes, she says that she is not seeing the results that she wants. What can I say?

I still have a great deal of noticeable hair on my chin, and I was indeed under the impression that I would have to wait about a year for all of it to be gone. I can be patient, but I cannot walk through daily life and interact with others with this disfigurement. Unless I constantly engulf my chin with my hands (which I have to do quite often) to try and disguise even the slightest glimmer of hair, I basically end up feeling like I am transformed into a circus act.

You have no idea how much I appreciate your insight. Actually, I’m sure you do now that I think about it, otherwise you wouldn’t be here helping those like me. : )

Thank you.

#9

What we should be discussing here is effectiveness of your treatments, i.e. her skill, your schedule of treatments, etc. Shaving is not the issue here.

You can help us understand the situation better by providing a bit more info. What epilator does she use? What electrolysis method? How much hair do you have? Do you leave after every treatment with a full clearance, i.e. no hair on the area you want treated? I’m asking this because you describe your situation as somewhat bad on your face, however you’re only having 15 min treatments. That doesn’t seem right.

#10

Okay, thanks. Again, you do not have to walk around looking like a billy goat in between electrolysis treatments. You may shave or you may clip the hair. Some electrologists prefer clipping over shaving. To me, it’s a minor detail that has never interfered with my treatment strategy. You will not have to shave or clip for too long; it’s just something you have to do for yourself to disguise the hair until your electrologist gains the upper hand with the hair growth amount.

I am passionate about correcting misinformation because many consumers give up too soon on their electrolysis quest when it appears that this is isn’t going well. There are up’s and down’s for the first six months especially. They will never know what could have been, what could have permanently brought an end to all the anguish they feel, if this isn’t done correctly. It’s a delicate balance of behaviors coupled with state of the art equipment and tools that bring the fastest most effective results.

Electrolysis really, really works. It is a life transforming process for many. It is so neat to see personalities change as the hair problem is resolved gradually. If clients are not getting hair removed properly by an electrologist, then they have no where else to turn. That’s why it is important for hair removal consumers to know as much, if not more than the practitioners, so as to assure themselves they getting the best shot possible to end their suffering.

Now, you appear to understand the few principles that will bring you hope and success. If you are not seeing some kind of measurable changes by six months, then we need to have another conversation.

I, too, would be interested in hearing the answers to lagirls questions if you care to share.

Thanks SMF1,

Dee

#11

I have to admit, for me my faith in English electrologists has begun to slowly diminish or at least the ones who train in England (this is not to say that there aren’t one or two goodies out there). The reason being is that the new equipment side of things hasn’t really caught on in my opinion, I can literally count on my hands the number of electrologists Iv’e found that use computerised epilators in England (and I have systematically researched this, from the Apilus website, calling up Dectro.com, reading websites, hearsay, BIAE etc.). That’s just the epilator side of things, surgical loupes for electrolysis are literally unheard of in England.

There ironic thing is one of the electrologists in England who seems to be the best (understands the importance of full clearance ASAP, uses modern equipment aka Apilus SX-500, very sound knowledge of electrolysis and so on) actually trained in an Apilus institute abroad.

Where I’m going with this really is you might want to ask her where she trained. That may be another little indicator of her skill (this isn’t to say that English electrologists are bad, the ones Iv’e been to have good inserions and so on it’s just that they may not be able to get you to where you want to be in the shortest amount of time).

Regards,
Benji

#12

I just talked to one of my long distance clients who has “graduated” to not needing to travel to see me anymore. During the time between our treatments, shaving or clipping the hairs was the temporary hair removal method used. With a total of 41 hours of hair removal spread out over 3 visits we were able to clear out two areas to the point where the local talent has only 30 minutes of work per month to take this client to finish. Not bad for someone who needed a little more than ten hours first clearance on my table less than a year ago.

If shaving had any negative effect, this person would still need to be seeing me so that I could finish what I started. It is like the industry joke says; “The best electrologists lose all their best customers, bad electrologists keep them coming back for more, and more, and more.”

#13

Hmm, rather like other professionals who are tasked with resolving an issue, the good ones finish the job, while the bad ones don’t. Chiropractors, plumbers, lawyers…

#14

I do not know what the name of the machine is. I do know it is new, and the last time I had a treatment with her she wanted to try the blend method on me. Up until then she had been using diathermy on me.

I have a great deal of hair on my chin, with a few strays trailing up my cheek. Many are dark, but even more are white now that I am getting older, I am assuming is the cause?

I don’t leave with a full clearance. I’m not even quite sure what that is supposed to mean. Full clearance of what amount of space? A centimeter, less? There are some bald spot, but as my electrologist says, she is not happy with the results after 15 treatments of 15 minutes. She has tried to do 30 minutes but has concluded that it is too much for my sensitive skin.

#15

Her credentials are: ANBOS B.A.B.T.A.C. C.I.D.E.S.C.O. L.I.B.C. Adv Elect MRdip

#16

Perhpas you should consult our photo gallery and see what Tina Marie and I did with 3 hours of our time on her first treatment. That will give you a good apporximation of what “First Clearance” is all about.

#17

Okay. I think I know what the problem is now. A couple things are happening here that are keeping you frustrated and will continue to frustrate you. Even though you have only been at this for 2-3 months, you should have had a first,full clearance by now. First, full clearance means that you lay on the electrologist’s table for longer and more frequent appointments up front in order to get all the noticable hairs off fast. Yes, everyone, fast still means accurate insertions and deadly treatment energy that affects GROWING anagen hairs and leaves the skin in great condition. Principle Alert: Get the hair off fast -put the time in up front and get that precious first, full clearance.

After that first, full clearance, you then must show up when new hairs or regrowth pops forth and get that next group of new hairs coming in cleared. Keep doing this. The first six months are the hardest, but keep going forward with this strategy. Regrowth for some hairs should be expected after the first, full clearance a couple months later because not all hairs that were treated in those first early treatments were “killed” because they were in the wrong stage of growth when you first started. So we wait and fully expect those hairs to come back later so we can have the advantage of attacking them when they are new, growing fragile hairs. This needs to be timed right or you prolong the outcome uneccesarily.

The way to get a precious first, full clearance asap is to go to someone that has invested in one of the many brands of modern computerized epilators, medical grade vision equipment and light source. This facilitates getting the hair off fast and keeping it off until you have journeyed through the 9-12, 14?,16?, 18? months that are necessary to bring you to permanent hair removal via electrolysis.

Fifteen treatments for 15 minutes with no clearance yet? If she can do more time than that, then your time to completion will be enhanced. Sensitive skin? What does that mean? Do you scab? How do you look immediately after treatment? How long does it take for you to look “normal” again?what is your aftercare regime like?

This is why we shout out daily that the newer generation of epilators and vision and light equipment allows clients to stay on the table longer to get cleared and keep cleared for the duration. I don’t like anyone leaving my office with any noticable hair after they get a first, full clearance. If they only want to give me 15 minutes, then they will not be finished in 9-12 months. It may take two years or more because they are dooming themselves by dictating to me what they want to do. I understand budget constraints and time constraints, but they need to understand that this is not an ideal plan to get them to the end faster.

I think you need more time on the table to get a first, full clearance and thereafter, you need to get on a schedule of every 2-3 weeks to clear the next, new group of hairs that will cycle in. Do you think your electrologist can handle this? If she can’t, still be reassured that you will still get to the end. Her insertions sound good and you don’t feel tweezing after the hairs are treated. Blend is great, but it is slower. If you know how this works, then that is very calming.

#18

In the beginning, I was going twice a week for 15 minutes each treatment. She tried a one- time 30 minute treatment and got very concerned about my skin. She said it became very red (which it does anyway) and thought it better to stick with shorter treatment periods. She also admitted that her eyes got tired after a while. There isn’t a great deal of scabbing but is there and it is very red. I am assuming this is normal. The initial intense redness and irritation go down within an hour or so. The area also stays red and irritated for several days afterwards.

It sounds like you are saying that I should ask her to do more than 15 minutes treatments at a time? Do I ask for 20, 30 minutes? She doesn’t think my skin can handle it.

I don’t want Blend if it takes longer. I just want whatever is quickest and most effective, and she knows this.

What do you suggest? If I ask her why I haven’t had a first full clearance by now I am afraid that she will say that she suspects shaving has something to do with it. How do I answer that?

Thank you again for all your insight.

#19

I’m not sure if I am looking in the right place, but I did not see the name Tina Marie in the photo gallery. Please advise.

Thank you!

#20

http://www.hairtell.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/22
http://www.hairtell.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/25
Also in the photo section are before, during and after shots of my clients M.C. and A.D. Sorry for the black and white pic of A.D. but that is the only surviving picture of what the beard looked like when we started. NO ONE EVER WANTS TO TAKE A BEFORE PICTURE, but it is all they wish they had once the After is a reality.