Should I pause electrolysis till the hyperpigmentation fades? What happens if you treat over unhealed hyperpigmentation?

I’ve had 4 sessons on my upper lip, 30 minutes once a month. Although I’ve had great electrolysis in the past for other areas of my face with other practitioners, they retired and I had to look elsewhere. The two new people I tried over-treated my lip once and the other did either poor insertions or too superficial and left me with large scabs and wounds for over a week. And I’ve seen no progress either. I found someone further away who seems much much better, and immediately knew what had gone wrong but I’m now nervous because I have purple splotches on my upper lip now from the treatments. I’m not sure if it is best to wait till that fades, or wait a few months or so before treating again. What happens if you treat over hyperpigmentation? I’m worried of over inflammation of the area. This photo doesn’t show how purple and splotchy it is - it looks worse than the photo captures. I have never in my life worn foundation, and I am now wearing it on my upper lip every day.

Based on your photo, I do not see any problems with your skin. I also do not see any lasting evidence of past “wounds” from electrolysis. Hyperpigmentation (skin discoloration) can be normal for some clients and is ALWAYS temporary. If you are overly concerned about hyperpigmentation, I recommend you stop electrolysis immediately. If you are unwilling to accept temporary side effects to achieve permanent hair removal, you are not a good candidate for the procedure.

I’ve gotten years of electrolysis on my face before successfully, at times going in an hour a week, and never had the problems I had with these two last electrologists where I have had puss, large scabs that last a long time, my entire lips swelling up and hyperpigmentation, red/purple blotchiness that remains months after etc. Perhaps problems is different for everyone. Having red/purple splotches for months on end that I never had before or with other electrologists is unusual for me and my past experiences and noticeable (my mother asked me what happened to my upper lip as it is noticeable) and so I’d like insight on it and may stop if that is going to continue to get worse with each treatment and if that’s normal and can last a year or more. And I had a specific question about it, which remains, as to whether it is fine to do further electrolysis on hyperpigmentation.

I recommend that you change electrologists.

Try someone else, but do give the electrologist that treated you helpful feedback.

Let it heal completely if that’s what will ease your discomfort, then restart again with someone new.

For those prone to hyperpigmentation, I like to use refrigerated cold-pressed aloe vera gel immediately after a session. It calms the skin.

I think Dee both you or I would recommend refridgerated aloe after treatment whether someone was prone to hyperpigmentation or not!

Hyperpigmentation isnt really a concern, since it always fades. If you are really concerned however, try another modality, like blend. You might find that some modalities create more or less hyperpigmentation just the same as some practitioners may cause more or less than another due to method.

Thank you. I did the aloe and everything, and stayed home and iced on and off as I could tell it was extra painful. It was blend method. My main concern, I forgot to add, was that 2 weeks after treatment the most hyperpigmented spot is raised. And larger than the initial marks of treatment. It is like the splotch spread out and got larger and has risen. That concerns me. It keeps changing, and not necessarily for the better.

Mine has not faded after several years. I had one session of electrolysis and it caused a hyperpigmentation effect, darker shadow and I really dislike it. Make me feel very uncomfortable. I have light/ medium tanned Asian skin.

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Very, very rare for that to happen. I don’t know what all the variables are with your treatment, by your practitioner, but I do know that skin cells are constantly shedding and renewing and that is how hyperpigmentation eventually resolves.

I would bet that the hyperpigmentation is caused by or renewed by growing hair causing inflamation and irritation. Likely not from the electrolysis treatmetn you recieved. As stated by Dee the cells present when that hyperpigmentation will have shed and renewed sothere has to be another cause of the hyperpigmentation if it has persisted for 3 years. Somehow inflamation is occurring , and it is that inflamation that is causing ithe hyperpigmentation to renew. Your skin type is susceptable to hyperpigmentation and have seen this happening from hair growth itself on your skin type.