Here is what areas I want to get professionally epilated:
hands
wrists
stomache
chest thinned
back & shoulders
Considering that is such a large area would it be best to get laser or electroylsis? And if electroylsis how many hours and treatments would it take and what price?
Thanks!
And which method is more likely to be permanent?
Jim2,
That’s a large area to cover. Electrolysis would take a LOT of time and money, but it’s more likely be permanent.
I investigated laser vs electrolysis for myself and repeatedly read that laser does not work on everyone. (For a quick example, check out the laser board on this site and you’ll see posts from people that got permanent removal and people that laser didn’t do a thing for.) Unfortunately, there’s no guaranteed way to know beforehand if it’ll work on you or not. A lot depends on the color of the hair vs color of your skin and on your hormones. Men often have stronger hormone levels that don’t want to give those hairs up.
You could probably get permanent hair reduction with laser. So maybe if you’re looking to just thin out those areas, try laser? Or if you want a perfectly smooth look, go with laser for a while, and whatever hairs are still left, zap those with electrolysis?
Either way, there is no easy or cheap solution to our problem. Whatever you do, don’t wax because the trauma caused by waxing makes the hairs harder to remove by either laser or electrolysis.
Hope this helps,
Susie
Hello jim2;
Your query appears to electrolysis vs laser and that is okay. Stopping hair growth involves destroying tissue. The trick is to do enough damage to prevent the follicle from regenerating without causing irreparable, visible skin damage. I can tell you that electrolysis, if performed competently and correctly, is definitely permanent and the safest route to go. With electrolysis you work with each individual follicle independently of the other skin tissue around said folicle. I am not anti laser as I feel there may be a place for it in certain circumstances and only if performed by a doctor or laser technician under the direct supervision of a competently trained doctor in the laser field. This may sound harsh but lets face it. There are laser machines popping up all over the place like filling stations. This is a billion dollar business. What are all these machines and who are all the people running these machines. Lets remain extremely professional here. Electrolysis has over a 125 year history of documented and proven results from medical case histories. Laser hair reduction is relatively new and may have merits down the road in time. Keep an open mind but be realistic at the same time. In your case jim2 I can’t prejudge you as I do not know your skin color and tone, what kind of hair composition do you have, for ex. dark/light hair, coarse/very course hair, what is your health condition as laser may have contraindications vis a vis your skin type. I can tell you that you are best to have electrolysis on your hands and wrists. You’re back and shoulders “might qualify for laser”. Your chest won’t as you said you just want it thinned out. Electrolysis does a precise job in this case. Your stomach might. Do some research into laser by checking out hairfacts.com as this will give you a feel of what other people have experienced. I have had my whole chest lasered twice but this was done in a medical laser research facility. If I had to pay it would have costed me $400.00 CAD each time. Treatment took approx. 30 minutes. Laser is permanent Reduction NOT permanent Removal at this time. It is very expensive. We know that it is best tried on coarse/darker hairs on light skin. Electrolysis does not come cheap either. My project was probably in the $7900 USD range. But after 3 years I never have to ever think about hair again for the rest of my life. No electrolysis (on me), no laser, no waxing, sugaring, threading, tweezing, plucking, shaving, etc, etc. And it’s a beautiful feeling let me tell you. Do your research, make a wise decision and if you proceed, make a committment and stay the course. I wish you lots of success.
Thanks for the input. It sounds like for permanent removal electroylsis is my best option. I have very pale skin and most of my hair is medium to dark and coarse. I am curious how long is would take to treat different sections of my body with electroylsis? And also how many different treatments would be needed to account for all hair cycles and thus permanently removing all hair. I am wondering, estimated, how many hours it would take to remove hair on:
Entire back and shoulders
Stomach
Chest
Wrists/forearms
Tricep areas
Just the time to clear each area once and then how many treatments would be needed to get all cycles of growth. I have no idea on the time estimates, but would it be possible to book long electroylsis sessions to quickly do an entire area? Say my entire back in 1-2 weeks with a few long sessions? And then come back as the new cycles grow? Basically I am wondering if there is anyway to cut your time of 3 years down to say 1 or less or atleast the minimum to account for all hair cycles and acheive the same permanent results you did.
To describe the density of my hair I would say:
Back - Moderate
Shoulders - Mild
Chest - Mild
Stomach - Moderate to Severe
Hands - Severe
Wrists - Severe
Triceps - Mild
Also I am wondering since I am a young man, and over the last 2-3 years my hair has alarmly began in increase in density, coarseness, and spread to new areas, I imagine it will continue for as long as I live for the most part. So if I remove it now, will new hairs show as I age or will destroying all now last a lifetime?
I am also wondering how I find and determine who is the best electrologist in my area? Are there certain questions I should ask, certain qualifications they should possess, and anything else that I should find out to determine who is the most qualified? Once I find my electrologist will I go right in and get my first treatment or will I need to have a test area done to determine how my skin reacts to the treatment?
Thanks
Jim
Jim, it is not a big deal to finish these areas
Click to ElectrolysisInformation.com It gives areas and how much time it would take to finish and defines characteristics in order to find a good and honest electrologist in your area.
Jim;
As Fino Gior said, it is not a big deal to complete your areas. And believe me it isn’t. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Go to his website as Fino’s data is the best and the most comprehensive and accurate data that you will ever fine on electrolysis, et al.
To answer your question, if I could have cut my time down from 3 (2.5) yrs. to 1 year or less - probably not as I only committed 4 hrs per week for the first year and 2 hours per week in the second year. I find that a 3 hr. session at one time is about what the body can tolerate without too much discomfort. Here the electrologist’s proficiency and experience also has a bearing on how fast the job gets done. Yes, your first meeting should be a consultation and a small 15 minute free treatment to see how your skin reacts and it gives you time to see if you can work in harmony with your electrologist. If you feel good then by all means get on with the program. The sooner you start the sooner you’ll be hairfree.
Yes, as you get older, previously untreated follicles can produce new hairs, but you will already have been on top of the situation and will only have to go back occassionally for minor cleanup. Good luck, Jim.
Just a thought,have you checked with a electrolgist who also does Laser?
I do large areas with the laser first and if still needed finish out with electrolysis.
My Electrologist also does Laser, and if I had dark hair she would say exactly what the above poster said. She feels that this method is not only much quicker, but also less expensive.
If you choose laser, do not pay a big up front fee. I paid $2000 for complete clearing, got 5 treatments and then the place went out of business. To add insult to injury, all the hair grew back plus more! Laser effectiveness seems to be variable across different people.