Hello everybody…Im about to start with electrolysis on my whole back, neck and shoulders. Ive had 8 lhr treatments which didnt clear away the hair that much. It looked nice before but the hair has eventually grown back. I was wondering, how much time would it take OVERALL to get total clearance of the back and neck? Just a rough approximation would be great <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />…I hope it doesnt hurt though. Lhr didnt cause that much of pain. Im a type-4 with dark hair and pretty course on my back. Also, what method would be successful on me,thermolysis, blend or any other method?
Thanks y’all for your input <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
I know you are saying you did not have good results with LASER. Skimming over your previous posts, it sounds like your LASER treatments were not agressive in the beginning and the LASER they used was not ideal for your fitzpatrick skin type. Also, you said it didn’t hurt. That sounds like a big red flag and makes things more understandable as to why you didn’t get results. A YAG would have served you better. It’s too bad that you didn’t have more reduction, but maybe if things are done correctly with the right LASER, with the right amount of power, you could whack a greater majority of hairs and then do electrolysis.
If you are not in the mindset to start the LASER thing over again, then generally speaking, a skilled microflash thermolysis electrologist with decent speed could get you to first clearance in 12-15 hours. After that, you would be doing maintenance by going in when new hairs pop to the skin’s surface every 2-3 weeks for awhile. This tapers off to maybe every 4-6 weeks appointments. For such a large area like the back, with the neck, you could be looking at a total of 70-80 hours of electrolysis over a 12-20 month period. These are ballpark figures. That’s my best estimate after looking at your pictures, khiz. Some areas will hurt more than others, but if the electrologist has good equipment and makes adjustments for you personally, all can be tolerable.
Dee
WOW…thank you so much for your kidn input. Yes, seems like my begining LHR sessions werent aggressive. After reading many posts, i noticed that electrolysis is “permanent” in the real sense. Its okay if it takes 12 to 24 months. All i want is total hair removed. So, u suggested a THERMOLYSIS type of treatment? BTW, forgive my ignorance, but whats flitzophrenic or whatever its called.
Ill keep you all posted with my progress. I hope i have permanent results with electrolysis. Thanks again <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Electrolysis, more specifically, thermolysis, more specifically, microflash thermolysis, will give you the fastest results for a large area and it will give you total hair removal or just a controlled thinning of hair you want gone. Electrolysis works on any color of hair, any color of skin. No real significant down time to avoid the sun after a treatment either.
Now, there is nothing ignorant about your question, I really should have explained the Fitzpatrick thing better. The Fitzpatrick classification system (named after a guy called Dr. Fitzpatrick), is a tool that is used to determine your skin type based on pigmentation (color). After you determine what color of skin you have, then you can choose the correct LASER that may bring you the best results possible, only if the the practitioner knows what the heck they are doing. Time to take the test!
Dee
- Genetic Disposition:
Score
0
1
2
3
4
What are the color of your eyes?
Light blue, Gray, Green
Blue, Gray or Green
Blue
Dark Brown
Brownish Black
What is the natural color of your hair?
Sandy Red
Blond
Chestnut/Dark Blond
Dark Brown
Black
What is the color of your skin (non exposed areas)?
Reddish
Very Pale
Pale with Beige tint
Light Brown
Dark Brown
Do you have freckles on unexposed areas?
Many
Several
Few
Incidental
none
Total score for Genetic Disposition: _____
- Reaction to Sun Exposure
Score
0
1
2
3
4
What happens when you stay in the sun too long?
Painful redness, blistering, peeling
Blistering followed by peeling
Burns sometimes followed by peeling
Rare burns
Never had burns
To What degree do you turn brown?
Hardly or not at all
Light color tan
Reasonable tan
Tan very easy
Turn dark brown quickly
Do you turn brown within several hours after sun exposure?
Never
Seldom
Sometimes
Often
Always
How does your face react to the sun?
Very sensitive
Sensitive
Normal
Very resistant
Never had a problem
Total score for Reaction to Sun Exposure: _____
3.Tanning Habits
Score
0
1
2
3
4
When did you last expose your body to sun (or artificial sunlamp/tanning cream)?
More than 3 months ago
2-3 months ago
1-2 months ago
Less than a month ago
Less than 2 weeks ago
Did you expose the area to be treated to the sun?
Never
Hardly ever
Sometimes
Often
Always
Total score for Tanning Habits: _____
Add up the total scores for each of the three sections for your Skin Type Score.
Skin Type Score
Fitzpatrick Skin Type
0-7
I
8-16
II
17-25
III
25-30
IV
over 30
V-VI
Hi…Thanks for the test:…Im right on the border of type 3 and 4. DOes electrolysis work better on certain type of skin? Ill remember the name “microflash thermolysis” when i go to the electrologist. ANy reason why LHR didnt work for me? Maybe the settings were too low or something. I also heard that LHR isnt permanent, and that all the hair comes back.
There are a couple of disgruntled posters on the forum spreading the rumor that LHR doesn’t work. It’s not true. When done with the proper equipment, with good practitioners, on the right skin/hair types, LHR is permanent and rewarding.
My back was totally cleared six years ago with LHR and it hasn’t grown back.
I concur with NoHair.
Electrolysis works on all types of hair, but it makes sense to get LHR on large areas with coarse hair because it would be more efficient. If LHR didn’t work, there is usually a reason for it. If you read the FAQs, it should give you first step towards figuring out what happened in your case.