Taking the plunge! My experience with electrolysis

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#21

Thanks so much Seana. Means a lot!!

Just to keep things updated, I have just found out that we will be moving provinces at the end of this month. Such is the life of a military couple. Good thing is, it’s back ‘home’ where our families and friends are, so that’s exciting. The only problem is, I have just become comfortable with my electrologist here. I’m sad to have to leave her and start the search again.

I have emailed quite a few electrologists in the area I am moving to and one lady got back to be almost immediately. She is part of AAPE (Atlantic Association of Professional electrologists, I think) and is a CPE. I knew exactly what questions to ask (her experience, what machine/modality, her magnification) mostly from my experience but especially from this website. She even asked if I was an electrologist (I like to think it’s because I sounded smart about all this stuff!!) and was happy to answer my questions. In fact she encouraged me to ask more and told me she was looking forward to meeting me. So I’m hopeful.

I think, however, that I have reached the point of frustration and struggle in my treatments. The hairs just keep on coming back, and I know that the only way to get the upper hand is to keep at it and find ways to repair my self esteem while I do it.

To anyone reading this who is also struggling, please just talk to someone about it. Start a thread on this site, talk to a friend - I opened up to one of my best friends about this and her help and support has been invaluable. Trust your friends and give them he credit they deserve.

Anywho, that’s my feelings today. I have another appointment on Thursday and I am downing lots of water everyday to get moisture to those follicles!

#22

Hang in there, girl! Seems like so far things have been going well for you. You are so right about talking to someone about this. It’s very difficult dealing with things alone.

#23

Thank you for the encouragement, sevastra! Really appreciate it.

I’m feeling a little better about everything today, going in the winter months will make things a lot easier for work on the body, so I feel a little more optimistic. If I stay on track next summer I will have a huge difference!!

I’m hoping to have a better/faster outcome because I never messed with the hairs before electrolysis. I’m proud of myself for doing this now, I will be that much better off in the long run when I hit menopause!! Lol! I have been stressing about things getting worse for me when I get pregnant one day, but I realize it’s no use stressing about that. Since I am doing the work now, if something did pop up because of hormones during pregnancy it will be easy to clear that hair.

Electrolysis is an amazing thing. I’m already planning all the areas I want to et done.

I do still have some red marks/few indentations on the corners of my mouth. From everything I’ve read, these will heal with time and I have no problem covering them with makeup for the time being.

Thanks guys, I will keep updating as I go along. Have another appointment tomorrow morning.

#24

Had another appointment this morning!

Things still going alright. The electrologist said that the right side of my lip is having faster results than my left. The abdomen was very painful today, but she did a wider area. She also did the hairs around my nipple area and cleared them so I’m happy about that.

She did make me feel a bit down though, commenting again on how coarse the few hairs were on my chin (she’s said this a few times before and I don’t want to keep hearing it! Lol!), and said that I’ll probably grow more hairs when I get older which I know could be true for everyone, but she made it seems like I’ll have to keep coming for the rest of my life. If that’s true then what is the point? I’m sure I’m just being over sensitive, but still. As a young woman I want to be encouraged and hopeful, not burdened by what could be.

#25

From what I’ve heard, a person is born with all the hair follicles they ever possibly could have when they’re born. Theoretically, if electrolysis could treat every last one of them, you wouldn’t have any more hair growth - ever. The problem is rarely are all the hair follicles “active” at once for an electrologist to treat. But neither is it common that you’ll ever need electrolysis in the same amount you’ve done before, after you’re “finished” the first time. Also, from what I’ve heard, doing electrolysis on the legs, arms, and underarms is completely permanent. Face and abdomen stay clear unless a major hormonal change happens or you gain a lot of weight (thus activating inactive hair follicles) but even then it doesn’t always necessarily happen.
Regardless, pease do not worry about. You will feel a lot better when you’re all smooth and clear :slight_smile:

#26

Gorillagal, thank you SO MUCH for that. That reassured me in a way I can’t even tell you. Thank you.

Well, I have officially moved provinces and found my new electrologist. She is fully certified, answered my emails promptly, encouraged me to ask questions, and is just generally pretty kind. I had my consultation with her a few days ago and then a full treatment yesterday.

The consultation was pretty scary. My nerves were shot from anxiety about the move and anxiety about the whole process in general. I had become comfortable with my other electrologist and it’s very hard to trust someone new.

As I sat in the waiting room I could hear her chatting with her client. When the session was done, out walks Shawna (the electrologist) and then the client followed soon after… It was one of my mother’s friends!! I quickly looked away because I didn’t know if she would be uncomfortable, but she laughed and said hello. I joked, “well is she good or not!?” and pointed to Shawna, and then was reassured that she is indeed very good. That helped a lot, seeing someone I know and trust go to her.

I booked a 40 minute session for yesterday and I couldn’t believe it as I left. Shawna did more in that time frame of my lip and abdomen than had been accomplished in a few sessions before. Shawna even uses blend, which is slower, and still got more done. I had other areas I want to tackle (toes, some long fuzz on my chest) but we didn’t touch those. I was a little bummed until I looked in my car mirror (the most unforgiving of mirrors) and most of the hairs were … Gone. Very encouraging. If I can leave each appointment feeling like that then it will be no problem staying consistent.

She looked at my lip, which is the area that causes me to be the most self conscious, under her lamp and magnifying glass and then asked me a question I never thought an electrologist would ask me. I even teared up while answering. She asked me what it was about it that bothered me so much. Could I feel the hairs? Had someone pointed it out to me? I told her no, and that it was just all I could see when I looked in the mirror, and she assured me that no one else probably ever noticed. She said mirrors are sometimes unkind to us, and we see many more faults in ourselves than others do. She said, yes, there are hairs there, and she will get them, but she wasn’t going to let me have a bare lip. She also said that some women will have to come in to see her very consistently for a very long time, but that I will not be one of those women and I will get a ‘sprinkling’ of hairs from time to time that I will need to see her for.

So it was a decent experience. I left feeling very much like I was in the right hands. I really liked the blend method.

Anyway, ramble over! Haha. I have been getting treatments consistently for two months now and I’m pushing forward.

#27

Hello all! Just wanted to update this since I haven’t in a few weeks.

So far I am about 3 months in to my treatments, and from all of the reading I have done I have learned that right now is usually a difficult time and I would have to agree. I keep waiting for drastic results to happen and they just aren’t. I am still continuing with regular appointments, and I am very happy with my new electrologist.

Shawna is very kind to me, always encouraging but always very honest and she checks my expectations. But for every ‘negative’ thing she tells me (for instance, tonight it was that the hairs under my nose would be very ‘slow-going’, which in itself isn’t that negative but as a woman I am sensitive, hahaha), there is also something positive. She told me I am making progress, and also said that she would be happy to trade my time for electrolysis appointments. She is looking for someone else to help her in her practice ( data entry, phone calls, etc) and said that she would be more than willing to give me free appointments in exchange for my time. That’s an incredible offer and something I am for sure going to consider.

I have been working mostly on my lip and abdomen. I have also done treatments on my nipples, chest, and toes. Things are progressing slowly, I suppose. Right now I am frustrated, but that frustration will never deter me from my appointments.

Also, at this point I am not doing anything to my face as far as aftercare. The witch hazel really dried out my skin, and since I’ve just been leaving it alone after treatments, it’s been alright. It’s all about finding what works best for you!

Anyway, I’m going to start going once a week as apposed to once every two weeks for a little while and hopefully will progress faster for it.

I still believe in electrolysis and will continue my treatments. It’s very hard sometimes, but I will still push through, because the pain of doing nothing is much worse than the pain of my treatments.

#28

One of the things I loved about the maritimes is peoples willingness to strike a bargain, you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.Civility is the order of the day.I miss that and dont find it in the big city , people are so cruel to each other. Your electrologist looks like a winner, pass me her contacts if you could please so I can add her to a referral list I’m working up.

#29

Hi Karah women develops hairs on their face all the time as we get older, what now maybe every 2 weeks sessions should eventually be only once or twice a year or once every 2 years.
The odd few may get away without needing it for years, but the majority of us experience some hormonal issues if not just stress.

Don’t worry you will not be going in for regular sessions once you are complete its not a life long curse, if we didn’t do the electrolysis, I was told the issue would only get worse I plucked fortnightly it will eventually become daily and end up scaring your skin, or turn to shaving. Couldn’t bare that, hope you get as much success as I’ve had.

I’m now working on the upper lip also after completing nipples and 95% complete on chin what I have now is not noticeable to offers just for my own comfort.

#30

Wow just read your recent post, if you are able to do the admin she wants that would be fabulous, you will have to work out how many treatments she is willing to offer you in exchange for what work.
Free Electrolyisis in my eye is fabulous I’d be jumping all over that one, as long as what you are receiving is equivalent to the work provided, and its from a good electrolysis which seems like you have found.