sore fingers

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hi everyone

Just out of interest … to all the electrologists … I just wondered if this type of work would make you more prone to getting something like arthitis? Does anyone think their finger joints have suffered at all over the years doing this fiddly work? I know backs, necks, eyes could potentially have a few problems but hands? Just asking as I have an index finger which gives me a bit of a pain every now and then from a sports injury years and years ago. Im wondering if it will be a real nuisance to me learning. Of course its on my “main” hand.

Thanks

#2

Could it be a problem? Sure. I know that I wasn’t comfortable with the way the teachers at the school I went to wanted us to hold the probe, but people are pretty adaptable and, after the first day or so, nobody was really paying attention to how I was holding the probe, just the quality of my insertions (more specifically, the lack of complaints about my insertions since I was one of the better students and, thus, didn’t have the teachers standing over me watching all that much, though other students did).

Nobody can tell you if a career in electrolysis is for you… the best thing I can tell you to do, is find a local electrologist that is willing to let you try practicing a little on yourself. I had a client that I let do this and she ended up going into electrolysis. Recently, when I expanded my business and was looking to hire someone, the three people that made it through my interviews each got to try their hand for an hour or so on me to see if it really was something they wanted to pursue (and then, I even paid for the person I hired to go to school).

#3

This is pretty much exactly what I am looking to do in the next few months. My clientele has grown and is continuing to grow and I have extra space to run a second treatment room.

#4

My advice, is to wait for the right person to come along… Despite moving to a bigger suite, I was prepared to stay solo until I found the right person, since the wrong person can ruin your business. I happened to interview the right person the day after I moved in here, but I was prepared to go another year if that’s what it took.

Just 10 weeks after she started doing electrolysis for me, most of her (part time) availability is already full, but she’s about to make the leap over to full time and we’re expanding to offer full salon services too, since she’s already a licensed cosmetologist and we have plenty of (particularly trans) clients that would appreciate those services, plus she’ll be bringing a lot of her existing hair clients with her. I may look to expand again later this year in preparation for next spring’s electrolysis rush and/or more hair styling clients.

#5

Back to the original question: Yes, unfortunately there is the possibility of RSI like problems. After some years of professional experience i face this relatively often - pain in my hands. Usually both. I am working both handed and use either hand for insertions and the other to take out the dead hairs. So i cannot tell if the problem is holding the probe holder - which is too thin from an ergonomic viewpoint - or if it is the strain from holding the tweezers slightly closed over several hours a day. Or both.

#6

Thanks everyone.

I might ring a local lady and see if she will let me experiment a bit and see how my hand feels. Most of the time its fine but Im thinking age will only make it worse. Im worrying to myself about all the time, money and family disruption it is if its all for nothing in the end as I cant actually do it.

I think using my mobile phone a bit doesnt help the matter as the scrolling and jabbing on that could possibly be irritating it more.

Thanks

#7

Ok so I phoned a local clinic and they are happy to let me have a turn with their probe etc. They use a foot pedal not a finger probe. What do most of you use? Foot?

Another thing … she mentioned there are new lasers coming out that can be used specifically for light hair. They work by not using the colour in the hair but rather by the blood in the follicle. They wax the hair first and then the laser somehow focuses on the miniscule speck of blood that occurs from the hair being ripped out of the follicle by the wax and using the blood somehow it destroys the follicle so it cant produce another hair. Sounds interesting. Not sure that I would try this and when I mentioned that I would be worried about laser induced growth she said that only happened with machines not used in clinics or salons. Hmmmm.

Thanks

#8

Sounds like a lot of BS to me. The blood supply is NOT the target, it’s the lower two-thirds of the follicle including the sebaceous gland which is located in the upper follicle. Laser manufacturers snaked oiled us once (only 4-6 treatments, works on all hair colors and types, etc.) grossly overselling the capability of their machines. It looks like they have found a new angle to ply their trade to individuals that know NOTHING about hair growth. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence for which I have not seen. The entire premise is illogical.

#9

…even dangerous - cooking the blood around the follicle is the easiest way for permanent skin damage.

And the hair removal laser industry claims to have found the ultimate way for light hairs all time from the beginning. But physics can only be utilised (which we do with electrolysis as well as the laser people do in those situations where it is appropriate). Physics cannot be tricked or avoided.

#10

Amen…twice.

#11

I like what Beate said, too.

A skilled and well known laser specialist in my locale overheard me telling someone that laser can’t “see” light hair or smaller hair structures even if they have some pigment. She did not agree with that statement. As she put her arm around me, she said, 'just wait… there is something new on the horizon. Light-based treatments will have new technology that will affect light hair."

I will remember what she said. I’m waiting and wondering how you trick the laws of physics.

#12

I dont purport to be any kind of expert on laser at all. The dishonest marketing makes it exremely difficult to determine what forms of laser have any effect on what kind of skin and hair, and so when asked, I have only one bit of advice I can pass on, that is Alexandrite lasers seems to work well in competent hands on people with light skin and dark hair, and YAG is preferred for people with darker complexions.
I get people all the time asking me about this laser or that and I have no information for them.I hear mention of things like lightsheer diode lasers and I really cant tell someone what works, or what doesnt.
I’ve seen all spectrum of results from differing types of laser. I\m right now starting a huge case with a girl from out of town who has significant paradoxal laser hair stimulation over her entire torso and face , and she claims scarring from using the wront kind of laser on the wrong skin type.It makes it very difficult to advise someone afflicted like this on even what to expect for electrolysis treatments now after the fact. I’ve had a parade of clients with everything from good laser results, to patchiness, to complete regrowth.

I at one time considered taking a laser technician into my business, but I dont know if I could do it really. I’m wondering if laser has run it’s course? But again, not all people seem to be privvy to lasers success and failure rates. Marketing a product dishonestly, can and will eventually catch up to you.
I dont find myself recommending laser much at all these days to be honest.I cant really make a recommendation, for a product I simply dont have any belief in its success.

It used to be, the snake oil salesmen were eventually run out of town.

Seana

#13

Seana,

the problem with laser in a business like ours seems to me twofold:

  • formal limitations - the really strong and effective machines cannot be used by “everyone”. At least here in Germany their use is restricted to physicians. Non-physicians may only use machines with limited output and thus limited results.

That’s actually mostly a problems with the IPL devices. From a physical point of view there is no reason why IPL machines should be inferior to lasers. It is all about color (identical), pulse intensity per area and pulse duration and to some degree “modulation”. Actually very similar to fast thermolysis.

  • financial concerns: the photoepilation devices are pretty expensive and running them is not cheap either, since the treatment heads need to be changed pretty often. So You will need to treat as much people as possible with that device just in order to earn your investment.

Another thought: doing large areas with photoepilation is not as easy as it might appear. Just imagine that You have to hold the treatment head for 30-45 min and place it thoroughly on every spot of the skin. And doing the for, say 6 hours a day. Probably not as exhausting as electrolysis, but a lot harder than it might appear on first sight.