I tried the tea tree oil again in a small amount. It still seems to have an adverse reaction to my skin. I’ve been holding off on it and using the witch hazel and Aloe vera gel instead. How long should it take before the scabbing goes away? It has been about 4 days now and I don’t see much of an improvement. Ugh, I have to go back to work tomorrow looking like hell.
Did you put the aloe vera on right after you applied the tea tree oil? Can you describe your adverse reaction? Clean mineral makeup, applied with clean applicators can be used for work. Can you submit another picture,chewie?
Yes, I put the aloe vera gel on after applying the tea tree oil. I kept feeling a stinging sensation on my skin and it was turning a bit of a sunburn red. I didn’t apply much tea tree oil either, so I’m not sure. My skin is still really sensitive since it has been through a lot over the past couple of months. The pictures I’ve posted are of the left side of my face, which is the side I have more troubles with because that is the side where the skin had been inflamed a couple of times over the past couple of months. The right side has some pin prick marks, but not nearly as bad. I would like to be able to keep up with a routine treatment, but I don’t know how that is possible with the way my skin is reacting!
Picture taken a couple of minutes ago – 4 days post treatment.
What brand of tea tree oil are you using? Does it say pharmaceutical grade on the bottle? Ideally, the tea tree oil and aloe should be done immediately after treatment and then used for the first three nights, especially.
If you don’t like it, don’t use it. I’m not sure whether you are doing a test area with tt oil and aloe and one without??? If so, what is the difference?
Have you shown your electrologists these pictures and asked her if she can make adjustments? If she shruggs and says no big deal, ask her again if she can tamp it down some.
It’s been really hot here in Ohio. If it the same in Michigan, do avoid sweating too much. Keep the areas clean and dry.
The brand is “sundown naturals?” It does say pharmaceutical grade and 100% pure australian oil. I didn’t put it on directly after the treatment. I waited until about the third day and I did it over the whole area and applied aloe vera gel afterwards. Next time I will try testing one side like you said and see which gets better results. I may just have to be even more careful on the amount that I apply. I try not too put on too much, but maybe I need even less.
My skin reaction is a bit better. I haven’t showed her a picture, but I have another appointment coming up in a few days and I will probably have her work under the chin area which wasn’t touched before. I will have her take a look and suggest turning the settings down. My skin is quite sensitive and dry lately. I’m getting a ton of ingrowns on my neck that is adding to the discoloration. I just hope my skin can make it out alive!
Here’s a thing 
There aren’t many things more enthralling than mystery, something you don’t understand, haven’t seen before or top of the list, Secrets! We all love a secret, particularly if it’s someone else’s… There’s a point in there somewhere.
I have gone through the whole hair removal process and I did wrestle with the best way to deal with peoples observation and subsequent interest in my post treatment reactions. I have had my beard/facial hair/stubble, call it what you will, removed and it is hard if not impossible to keep things hidden outside of wearing a bag over your head 24/7, which may cause problems with crossing the road, driving a car and eating, to name but a few. I personally decided that when any questions were asked or opportunities given I would just come clean, be honest and explain that my redness/light scabbing etc was the result of my hair removal treatments that I was currently undergoing. I was actually quite surprised at how quickly people accepted what I was doing, I honestly thought they might think it strange or see it as something worthy of some mickey taking or similar. There shouldn’t be any stigma or shame attached to having having superfluous hair removed and I honestly don’t think there really is.
There are so many things far more noticeable and upsetting than some tiny scabs on a persons face, it’s not the end of the world. When i looked at my own post treatment reaction I was actually kinda reassured because I knew I was on the way to being clear I was lucky in that I didn’t have to present a flawless front to the public as part of my job, in this or similar circumstances extra care would need to be taken but with the understanding that the treatments might take a little longer.
I have read here in the forum that it’s not necessary to have any scabbing on the face and that it isn’t necessarily an indicator of more effective treatment if scabs are present, I’m not sure that I agree completely. For body treatment where post treatment reaction is easy to hide it’s ok and acceptable to have scabbing, obviously not huge interconnecting scabs but small scabs are ok… But why don’t we avoid scabs on the body like we do our best to avoid them on the face, if it’s not an indicator of more effective treatment then why does it happen and why is it ok??? The reason we allow it to happen, the reason it does happen is that we use more energy to “More Effectively” destroy the follicles ability to grow hair. It is an indicator of more effective treatment, how can it not be… We’re reluctant to do it because all you ever hear is that it shouldn’t happen when in reality it sometimes does, but if managed correctly it shouldn’t be a major concern. These reaction can be tailored to within limits that are acceptable or not to the person being treated.
I’ve ranted before at the un-truths and the myths which abound surrounding electrolysis. Very competent, capable and vastly experienced electrologists have been slandered by individuals with a head full of unrealistic expectations and seriously flawed opinions.
I’m presently still training and putting the finishing touches to my studio but I will be taking on clients in the not too distant future. I do worry about coming up against this very established wall of BS or ammunition for people who are quite likely to use it against me when they haven’t taken proper notice of what I will be telling them during the first consultation. People who are serious about hair removal need to understand that some post treatment reaction IS! NORMAL. Coarse terminal hair Needs a fair amount more energy to effectively treat it than finer less established hair and therefore more post treatment reaction can be expected. It’s not the same for everybody and obviously depends on the persons ability to heal and the electrologists competence. It’s not practical or fair to generalise about post treatment reaction because there are no constants…
In my hypothetical world I’d take a cloth and wipe the slate clean, get rid of all the myths and write indelibly the facts about getting rid of hair permanently, leaving no gaps, spaces or room for any ridiculous information to be shared. I’d then be free to get on with my job effectively leaving people hair free, quicker, cheaper and above all happier…
I can see a purpose and reason for forums, when used properly they do provide a wealth of useful information but they can be… abused by some for reasons I cannot fathom. When individuals with a little quite often unfounded information persist in giving bad and misleading advice based on what seems to be, a lot of the time, not much better than chinese whispers.
Somebody kick this soap box out from under me, I must sleep, it’s 01-45 here in the UK and I’m supposed to be driving to the coast in the morning for a kite boarding session, thank goodness for Red Bull
May I simply say “ditto” to all the above?
Why, I believe you may. 
With all due respect, I do not agree with some of the above.
I will state this again and again - It is possible to work on terminal hairs on the face and NOT get scabbing at all or to a small degree that is hardly noticeable. It is not a myth. It is not unreasonable. It is a hopeful sign to the client as well. I do it every single day, James does it, too (he taught me how).
Most people do not want to walk around for weeks with an outcome like poster “chewbacca”. One shouldn’t have to be in a position to garner the confidence to explain to people that their face is messed up because of electrolysis. This is hardly a good advertisement for electrolysis! We need all the positive factors we can get, so people need to be happy with healing outcome. Such outcomes, like chewie’s, perpetuates myths about scarring and scares people away from a procedure that may be the only thing on earth that will help them with their unwanted hair situation.
It is not a high hurdle for any electrologist, both old and new, to figure out what many other electrologists are already doing to completely eliminate the growth potential of a hair follicle, while maintaining the integrity of the skin. We can choose to either live in the past where this kind of reaction is still shrugged off as a sign of good treatment or we can invest wholeheartedly in learning how we can make this better for the consumer who pleads and worries about such reactions. I stand on the side with the consumer because I know that scabbing and such marks are not necessary for clients to suffer with for weeks and weeks, in order to maintain an excellent hair removal outcome.
The bar has been raised and consumers who have experienced the other side of permanent hair removal via modern electrolysis care, or otherwise, understands what I am saying because they have lived it. It’s really just that good.
I don’t think there is any electrologist that will tell a client that there will be no reaction after a treatment. If there are, then their middle name is snake oil. I tell my clients there will be and to expect something. I do not want to sound so contrary, but honestly, I would be very upset with myself if my client had such a reaction where she felt like she had to put a bag over her face. I aim NOT to scab or leave highly noticeable marks all over someones face, such as we have seen here.
Since you have an Apilus Platinum, follizap, you can do what others can do with that great epilator. Have you had a chance to use it?
Hi dfahey
Wow I truly wasn’t expecting to be awake again this early, hopefully I’ll be able to remain conscious when driving later, I generally get slightly more than 4 hours sleep a night.
This a tricky one, I don’t want to get into a dispute with anyone over this so I’ll do my best not to be too dramatic
Of course nobody wants to “walk around for weeks with an outcome like poster chewbacca” I’d be rather disappointed myself if I’d been responsible for chewbaccas reaction but I seriously doubt it will last “for weeks” I truly hope it doesn’t. I counted the scabs quickly and there are approximately 100 of them, I wonder how many hairs were treated on that occasion. without trawling back through countless posts I wonder how familiar chewbaccas electrologist is with her skin and how she reacts post treatment. Does she communicate with her that she’s having a reaction like the one in the picture. Is she someone who bounces around between practitioners not giving them a chance to find workable levels and modes of treatment suitable to her particular needs. There’s other things I’d consider as well before I passed judgement on somebody else’s treatment. Could it be that clothing may in part have been responsible for a % of the scabs, possibly by chafing . Was the area attended to too thoroughly, possibly with a product that may have aggravated the issue. Might the area have been scratched inadvertently when chewy was asleep. My dentist insists that I grind my teeth but I’m having none of it I could probably go on if the beach and the wind weren’t beckoning.
Quite often it seems that we don’t get all the facts with cases like chewys these facts may well be very relevant to get a complete picture, here in lies one of the problems with forums.
I agree that chewys case would not be a good advertisement for electrolysis but when has advertising ever been completely honest. The perfect advertisement would simply be a before and after picture with a slightly dishonest time frame included for good measure. The before picture should be as dull and unattractive as possible with the after picture being totally the opposite, perhaps a sun soaked beach as a back drop with beautiful air brushed images included, I’m joking here of course.
It could be useful, but not as an advert obviously, to have chewy include a picture of her neck once it has healed and hopefully shows no signs of the scabs that are quite prominent at this time, something high resolution would be good to show that these reactions do heal well when left alone. I wonder how many posters have actually included a picture of such an outcome once they have given nature some time to sort things out. It seems a lot of the time people only use forums to rant, I’m guilty of this myself and actually have another one waiting in the wings when I have more time
So far I haven’t had an ideal environment to make full use of my Apilus but I’m getting there, my studio will be finished soon. I have a host of willing guinea pigs lining up for free treatment. It’s a struggle juggling my present work, home life and all the other demands that life makes on us but I’m getting there and once my ball is rollin I’ll be aiming at nothing short of the highest level of competence and efficiency. I am very self critical and wont be happy if I can’t achieve this. I may well be contacting practitioners like yourself and James for extra tips and hints to ensure that this will be the case. How nice would it be if everyone was as open to such enquiries as Mr Bono who I have found to be most helpful, Hi Mike
Right! I’m off to the beach, hope this all makes sense I don’t have time to review it properly
bast waishees everyonee
A breath of fresh air and intelligence rarely seen in my field. Oh, I’m talking about Follizap!
Over the years I must have done 50+ lectures in various countries. Always, I was fired-up about some new finding or technique, but almost within minutes the “meeting” turned into “what to put on the skin after a treatment?” “Fear of after-treatment ‘manifestations’,” “the painless method,” “my machine is better than yours.” and all the other recurring themes. After decades of dealing with these non-issues, I’m probably a little tired.
When I talk about scabs, I’m always met with horror, and stupid assumptions. (I do mean stupid.) So, do I make “scabs” on the face? Well, almost never. Will a beard case be able to go dancing after 5 hours of electrolysis? Um, probably not. Is my “technique” outmoded? I’d like to put it to the test. Challengers?
I probably have a different attitude about electrolysis because I’ve always worked in a medical office with (usually) a plastic surgeon. The “beauty shop” has a different slant on things. Strangely, I do much better talking with laser operators than with electrologists. The laser folks are much more “matter-of-fact” and don’t identify themselves with their machine. It’s just science to them. Laser technology has added the valid point of “joules to the follicle.” Most electrologists ignore this entirely, but it’s completely what we need to focus on. Whatever you are “doing” you must deliver the correct amount of energy to the follicle to achieve the result — this is a constant and not a matter of opinion. The laser folks understand this. Generally, electrologists do not.
Still, behind all of it is a very serious lack of education. If an electrologist never attended an actual SCHOOL of electrolysis, and only had training from a manufacturer, how can one expect them to really understand the entire field? Furthermore, most schools of electrology are making money from selling a specific machine. So, their “intellectual offerings” are slanted toward the purchase of that unit. Self-taught? Wow, now that’s interesting. (There are, actually, three US schools that are doing a great job.)
I suppose my frustration is knowing that whatever I say here will change no attitudes. Assumptions are going to continually be made regardless of offering as objective (or logical) data as possible. Some of the PMs I have received were beyond “brutal” and I wonder if I’ve ever had any impact on my profession at all. Well, certainly to “Follizap!”
The only real determinants of a brilliant treatment are: 1) permanent hair removal 2) post-treatment skin left in perfect condition, 3) THE TOTAL TIME TAKEN TO ACHIEVE RESULTS! Everything else is just, well, “Tea Tree oil!”
Extra note to above post:
For the last months Jossie and I have been exchanging myriads of photos and treatment data. Jossie has totally become “my mentor.” And the real shock? All of her photos (SCABS and all) look exactly like my work. Not “just sort of like” but EXACTLY! Her results, treatment parameters, all of it, look exactly like my work!
Jossie is using the most “high tech” Apilus unit. I am using a (2-year-old) Hinkle manual blend. So, I ask you …
One observation: the opinions to the contary, are coming from electrologists, experienced and non-experienced, that have not fully visited the other side. How can you form an opinion about what is possible by not doing?
I don’t use anethestic and I don’t get second and third degree scabbing. I don’t like scabbing for facial work and I still get people finished. So is there a problem with wanting to respect a clients wish to look normal asap? I think it reflects well on our profession if people can get electrolysis and not have to hide for several days after a treatment.
I don’t get scabbing on the face either and finish the job too. Anesthetic is the future but there are very few doing this at the moment.
So Michael and follizap, should chewie be satisfied with her reaction as long as the follicles are being killed?
Personally, I do not think that level of reaction is typical nor desirable.
Then…Chewbacca’s post treatment picture is okay with you Mr. Mike? but you don’t get this degree of a reaction on your clients faces and you think it is a breath of fresh air when others voice that clients should just be free and confident to say, “Oh, I’m just having electrolysis, that’s why my face looks a mess”?
I’m sharing on this forum what the possibilities are with what I have been doing in my office, with my equipment choices, in order to obtain a minimal skin reaction so people don’t have to be ashamed and depressed with their appearance for days to weeks. It is my obligation to be honest when I think a skin reaction is too rough. Do you think posters come here to hear fluff and partial opinions? You haven’t experienced the equipment that I use personally, so I respectfully ask, are you really in any position to take on an adversarial role about such issues? Will Dectro lend you a unit and give you some instruction so you can arrive at your own fair conclusions?
I have never made it an issue about Hinkel verses Platinum, so why are you? You are skilled and I believe you when you share your outcomes with YOUR setup to this community. I have used several epilators and I am sharing my good news about the newer high tech stuff I use, which is the APILUS PLATINUM. I like the APILUS PLATINUM, a lot, and it is no crime to share that I like this epilator, the APILUS PLATINUM, on this hair removal forum. I don’t fight with others who say their setup is working. I’m happy for them and respect the good work they do for their clients. Others may join in and talk about their Fishchers, Gentronics and ClareBlends, Instatrons… There’s no war about this. It is based on personal preference and CHOICE because we all know it is SKILL that matters in the end. If you want to go down that road with mine verses yours, you will have to find someone else to play with.
I notice that you demean the tea tree oil, aloe vera gel routine. I see that it is very helpful for many, so why do you appear to snub and snicker and hee haw about such advice. Clients can try it, evaluate and decide for themselves to use it or to do nothing at all. They are not babies and I’m not their controller general.
Next, why do you think there are very few electrologists using anesthetics at the moment? Personally, with the setup I have, using the APILUS PLATINUM, my clients find all tolerable without anesthetic. If they don’t, I try my best to use other modalities with different energy configurations.
There! I shared! By the way, I get private messages, too, from electrologists that are very jazzed up by their new Apilus Platinum. If only they would come out of hiding and say what they say to me in this open forum! I also get some passionate stuff from the hairy, wishing their electrologist would not leave their skin a fricking mess that sends them into hiding for longer than necessary. I don’t care about lectures and in-fighting, contests and challenges. I care about the individual who is depressed by too much hair and charting the best path for them to get them hair free as quickly as possible.
The reaction will be what it will be but I also believe the client can help the skin get back to normal with the suggestions given on here.
I only started using tea tree oil, witch hazel and aloe vera since I joined these forums. I also recently discovered rosehip oil and am loving it. In general, my skin has never looked better in all my 28.5 years, since the age of 13 when I started getting acne.
I have seen the difference between using and not using tea tree oil (no whiteheads or whiteheads) or no witch hazel and witch hazel (skin feeling ‘hot’ and staying red for a while against feeling cool and swelling and redness going down within the hour). I have been recommending rosehip oil to everyone I know (even donating small dropper bottles of it) and everyone loves it. It’s great for fading pigmentation.
This is what this forum is about - sharing. I actually bought some rosehip oil based on a past post - yours?
How do you use it? For how long? Just getting started with this on my clients.
Here are some of the healing aspects rose hip oil is credited with for helping the skin:
Scars, including acne scars and old scars
Dry eczema
Skin burns, including sunburn
Rehydrates dry skin
Repair damaged skin cells of all sorts
Reduce wrinkles
Benefit for dry, mature, aging skin
There are some pure moisturizing creams on the market (Aubrey for one). If you have a specific problem, it would be beneficial to obtain pure rose hip oil and massage two to three drops of the oil into the affected area every day.
Well, actually I do agree with you Dee. I’m even suggesting Tea Tree oil. (Emu oil is also a very interesting item.) There is, however, a consistent reference you make to your choice of your machine. I have, indeed, personal experience with this unit and know it to be a fine unit. Besides, if you and James and Jossie say it’s awesome — I believe it!
I do resent the reference to “old” technology and that only “the new adaptation” is worthy of the patient’s consideration. I have trouble with your challenge that “I have not seen this ‘radical’ new technology.” You don’t say that overtly, but it’s there. Well, actually you do say that overtly!
It’s a disservice to the public and others doing great work when you continually tout your machine. I know you say the politically correct thing — “all units work … “ but, you don’t actually believe it or would not be defensive. Looking back at your posts there is a consistency.
Perhaps you have not tried “my way of doing things,” or Harvey Groves, or Fino Gior’s. I know their treatments work, and work extremely well. I do not promote my particular way of doing things because it would be unfair. I would rather promote electrolysis and all my colleagues in general and not be specific.
Of course, I don’t think anything I am saying will change anything you think. And, that’s fine. I know your work is superior and I do not doubt it. You know, maybe we should agree to disagree on this issue and move on. It’s kind of a bore and not provable by talking.