I have had 6 treatments with James Walker over the past 9 months and I drive almost 3 hrs to get to Buffalo. I never expected to be doing such crazy shit before puberty hit me and continues to hit – especially being male and able to accept a lot of excess hair. I just got more than excess in many places!
Thanks to James for giving me treatments that each last 2 hours or more. The longest one was for 3 hours. The one electrologist I went to see in Cleveland only treated me for a half hour stretch at any one time (because of her bad back according to her… although she treated other people despite that bad back right after I was done?!), and used only blend. She also used an atiquated machine by today’s standards, unlike James’ machine.
Another important thing that I need to thank James for – he ONLY charges for actual treatment time. Any bathroom breaks, rest requests by me (when he puts on some cooling stuff on my treated areas) etc… are not counted. Again, this is the opposite of what my electrologist in Cleveland did. Even after accounting for gas and tolls I pay in addition to James’s fees, I still get a good deal because I only get charged for the actual treatment time.
I have to say this, but it was James who referred me to this Cleveland electrologist initially, so I have learnt to always be suspicious about someone working on you even when that person has a good reputation in the industry – since you are the one being fooled in the end. I would have never realized that this electrologist was bad if I hadn’t gone to see James. On a positive note, this subpar electrologist’s office looked much nicer than James’ office.
Going back to my treatments with James, I waited for 9 months before posting this testimonial since I didn’t want to mislead people if I got bad side effects or regrowth. I am still a bit sceptical about how permanent this will all be, but pleased with results so far and especially pleased with the lack of any scarring. I have done the middle of my unibrow and there is a striking improvement that I can easily tell. The only problem was that on the first treatment, James used the faster thermolysis on my eyebrow area due to the large number of hairs there, and I ended up with some scabbing and swelling that was visible for a few months. However, it is all gone now and since we moved to blend in the eyebrow area, the scabbing/swelling lasts just one day after each treatment.
I should also point out that both termolysis and blend treatments in other areas of my body have resulted in little swelling and/or scarring that is almost completely gone in a day or two. I also make sure that I apply Tea Tree Oil and Aloe Vera Gel for the first few days after each treatment (Tea Tree Oil at night and Aloe Vera after my shower in the morning).
The other areas where I have had treatments include my back of neck and lower back. I know that all areas have improved, but it is harder to get impressed in those cases since the hair is more widely spread compared to my eyebrows and I have a lot of other untreated hair in or near those areas. Additionally, I don’t try to see the back of neck and lower back in the mirror. I would wish that all electrologists used digital cameras and took before and after pics over the long-term. It is a small financial investment with many benefits.
Overall, I am definitely happy with my decision to begin electrolysis. I want to get my beard reduced too, but there is no way I can get to the Buffalo area so regularly and for such a lengthy period of time. I will be very glad when scientists discover something simple and fast to remove body hair that puts all these electrologists out of business forever!
Laser doesn’t seem to be this “thing” as yet from what I have read, especially for my darker skin. The biggest worry about laser for me is the rumors that it can activate smaller/miniature follicles, which electrolysis would leave untreated. That scares me a bit.
[ April 10, 2004, 09:42 PM: Message edited by: Kilimanjaro ]