The Parkside Beauty Centre Thread

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#41

God Bless Sharon and all the others at Parkside. If all electrologists had her skills, there would be no need for an electrolysis forum on hairtell. Women (especially) are in need of competent electrologists worldwide. Laser can be helpful, but by no means can laser be used on just anyone with just any hair structure or hair color. I receive e-mails frequently from women outside the United States asking for help in recommending someone in their country. Last e-mail was from Africa. The person said there are no electrologists where she lives and she is coming to America in December for a visit to Chicago. Her intention is to see someone in Chicago. Problem is, she needs about a year to eighteen months of regular treatments, so hopefully, it wlll be a long visit.

Special hugs to Sharon for helping so many get from doom to delight!

Dee

#42

I have just started with the clinic. I had a fifteen minute session with Livia. I was disappointed as there was a large number of prominent, thick, dark hair on my chin (count 30-40)which I had hoped that she would zap. She stated that the hair was resistent, although she she was using a high current and the blend method. I had no issues with skin irritation or inflammation.
I am returning to meet with Sharon for 30 minutes. Hoping for clearance in that area.
Any thoughts about “resistent” hair in that area?

#43

Hi issywissy,

Before starting did you discuss with her what you would like to see gone first? During the treatment, if she didn’t do these hairs, which did she do? What did she say about the resistant hair? Did she try more than once and if it still didn’t come out, did she leave it? Did she offer any solution on how she could tackle it?

Discuss these things with Sharon before you start. Tell her that Livia found the hair to be resistant and that you really want to get them removed and ask if she has any strategy.

From what I can tell, although I only had one session with Livia, is that Sharon is more experienced. I’m sure she will play around with the settings more to try and get the hair out, even if it means you are a bit swollen and red. And if it means that you don’t mind that she spends a few minutes on this instead of actively removing as many hairs as possible.

#44

Thanks for your response. I’m may not have been very clear, I guess i thought that they were noticeable enough ha ha!! I had a towel over my eyes (for the light) so am not sure if she tried to re-zap. The current was strong - could feel it in my teeth, if that makes any sense. I believe a few hairs were removed. I would much rather go so a slow process to remove the obvious hair.
She suggested that I continue to use a rich night cream as my skin and follicles in the chin area were very dry. I feel that is from the trauma of 6 years plucking.Wish I had known then what I do now about plucking.

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions. I will speak with Sharon and point out what I would like to achieve.

Thank you. This is all so new.

#45

Thank you for your reply to my PM stoppit&tidyup.
Am happy to talk in the thread.
Its an expensive process in time and money not to mention emotional outlay so I want to be sure I’m giving myself the best chance.

#46

I’m sure that there is a lot more hair in the area than what is noticeable to you. The chin is a difficult area because what you see in the mirror as noticeable and what the electrologist sees when you’re lying down are different.

The main difference I noted between Livia and Sharon is that Livia took hairs at a ‘first come first serve basis’ and just worked away for the time. Sharon knows (since I’ve been with her since the start) that I want the longer hairs, the coarser hairs, the hairs that don’t bleach so well etc etc gone first, so she spends some time on hair selection. I often feel her checking out the hairs during an insertion.

One thing to remember is that Livia was treating hairs and that surely means some difference will have been made, even if a small one.

Who did you have your consultation with?

When I had mine with Sharon, I spent some time talking through what exactly I wanted from electrolysis. At the first few appointments, I often asked for a small mirror at the beginning so that I could point out what bits exactly I wanted working on. After a while, we got used to each other and from then on it was just a case of lying down and letting her get on with it.

They are very good at what they do, and the hair will be permanently gone. It just takes a little patience and some faith. 15mins is a pretty short treatment time at the start of a journey for something like the chin. Some 30min treatments in and I’m sure you will feel better about it.

When my aunt started treatment for her coarse chin hair growth (due to a hormonal problem) last year (not at Parkside), she was having 1hr appointments that were barely making a dent because new growth was coming up everyday. And we also had to fight with her to stop plucking, which had become an addiction. It took her a while of such appointments before she could start to see a difference.

Do speak to Sharon about it all.

She knows me well and knows I post online, so if you want you can tell her you spoke about your reservations and that I suggested that you talk the treatment through with her. Not that she wouldn’t if you didn’t but if she knows you’re discussing it here she will probably give you some extra feedback.

#47

Thanks stoppitandtidyup, that was a very reassuring post. It has given me some hope about the process. I had my consultation with Emma as I was keen to get started and Sharon was not available. I will point out that I want the coarse hair removed first and then the finer hair if there is time. That will help me feel more confident facing people and taking a pemanent break from plucking!!! I too can get obsessive. I note that you are 25 hours into treatment and appear to have a good result. I can do patient.
Will post outcome of tomorrow’s session soon. Thinking about pics but its embarassing sigh

#48

I’d try and stick with one electrologist.

If you don’t mind ‘wasting’ a few minutes at the beginning of your session, let Sharon know (or whoever you see, there’s also the owner Elaine and Lydia) that you’d feel comfortable if you could just talk about what you want to achieve and show her the troublesome hairs before you start.

Do ask her how much time she thinks you need for a first clearance.

I’ve now used three 6hr packages and one 9hr package in almost 3 years. I could have easily used that much in one year. But time and money constraints meant I fit it into my life and worked on one area at a time. First it was sideburns, then upper lip, areolas, underarms after laser, had a clearance on my feet. Lots of random things but I’ve achieved results everywhere.
Some are more or less finished i.e. upper lip. Some I need to finish i.e. underarms (still a bit of hair left) but I can’t afford it right now. And some I’ve come back to i.e. the sideburns, as I’ve decided to have them take up a bit further.
I’ve always worked a little on my peach fuzz but nothing significant, hopefully sometime this year I will be doing some ‘proper’ treatment on it.

#49

Oh and I wanted to say, if you’ve seen my sister’s eyebrow/forehead clearance in my thread. After she achieved that, she stopped treatments around September time because she started back at uni and it was difficult for her to go every week. We also weren’t sure if we wanted to keep buying 9hr packages as she’d eat through them. However, looking at the area now, although it isn’t as clear as the last pic (for obvious reasons), there has definitely been a permanent reduction of hairs from just this one clearance, if we compare to the first pic.

We are going to undergo a different strategy for her face and neck which I will make clear in the coming months :stuck_out_tongue:

#50

This is very exciting for me…thinking about the possibility of being “hair-free”. It does have an impact of my self-esteem. I don’t want to be a total smoothie, just clear, feminine and pretty skin. I don’t object to the fine hairs…well for now lol.

#51

So…I went back today for my half hour session with Sharon. I felt very relaxed and confident in what was ahead. I took stoppit’s advise and pointed out hairs I was bothered by and explained that I wanted the obvious hairs gone. She did a great job of clearing the majority of the hair in the chin area, some less coarse hair remains…but their days are numbered. These hairs are not particularly noticeable.

The session was not too uncomfortable, I think I have a high pain threshold. A slighter higher current was used to get out the deep hairs which was fine. Some needed a few zaps. Looking at my skin there are a few red spots were the stubborn hair was. I accept that I will probably have some scabbing. I think visiting the site has prepared me well for what to expect. Sharon used a swab of tea-tree oil and I have witch hazel and aloe vera gel to hand.

I am returning on Tuesday for a further 30 minutes.

#52

I wonder why you faced that.

I have been to Sharon and found that the chin hairs were mostly ignored even if I pointed it out. However, when I went to Livia the hairs were gone and my chin felt bare (although it’s been nearly 2 weeks now and it feels lke the hairs have grown back).

#53

Hi peace,

I believe your chin hairs were fine in texture and previously untouched (no plucking, waxing etc).

This is quite a different type of task to removing resistant chin hairs that are most probably quite thick and much more noticeable.

I’ve mentioned a few times before, Livia seemed to work on a ‘first come serve basis’ and just work away on hairs. This worked great when I had my feet and underarms cleared with her. Not so great on the upper lip where I just wanted a few minutes of treatment concentrating on the more noticeable hairs.
Also worked great when you wanted your chin cleared.

Sharon I feel has more experience with the hairs that are more difficult to remove.

One thing to mention - I’m sure you already know, the hairs that are coming through now are not the same hairs that were removed 2 weeks ago! Just mentioning it so that other people reading this don’t get confused.

issywissy - very glad to hear it went well. I’m sure it will heal well if you look after it. Keep applying that witch hazel especially.
Although, taking on board what peace has said, you may find Sharon doesn’t clear these finer hairs as well as Livia. See what happens on Tuesday and then you may want to book a short app of 15 mins with Livia to clear it.
However, if you’re only working on the chin, then Sharon has nowhere else to go (on the face) and I’m fairly sure she will get them.

#54

Just popped on and wanted to reply.

Peace - I’m not too sure what you are referring to? The fact that there are some remaining hairs? Or the higher current?

A bit of history - I have been plucking for 5-6 years and also epilating, therefore really stimulating the blood supply to those pesky follicles. I also have a hormone imbalance to compound the problem. I am black so have a 3c hair pattern - a spiral curl. I appreciate that this well not be a simple process but is preferable to sitting in front of the mirror every night and digging away at my skin. My skin has improved since my very recent start on this journey ( a week exactly). I wonder what James would say about the facial hair difficulties facing woman from the black community? I have seen a video of his work.

Stoppit - I am keeping my skin well cared for. Am hoping for no scabbing actually. My last treatment was shorter, but as significant hair remained with Livia, I wore make-up to cover it less that 24 hours later and had no reaction. Naughty I know. NOT doing that this time.
Although the focus is on the chin once that is under control I will be looking at the jawline which has a few coarse hairs and sideburns which have fine vellus hair.

Thanks for the responses.

issy x

#55

Hello all you Parksiders… I was wondering if you could help me with my situation.

In a nutshell I currently get electro, however my practitioner specialises in Blend. This is ideal for the coarser hairs along my sideburns where I get treated, however I have ALOT of black vellus hair that is now visible, and I need a faster method than Blend to remove the hairs.

I am thinking about going in to parkside once a month to completely clear my sideburn/cheek/neck area of the black vellus hairs using diathermy/thermolysis.

Who do you guys think is the best for clearing this fine type of hair? I don’t want to point out any specific hairs, so based on the above postings it seems that Livia might be ideal?

Many thanks in advance

#56

Hey Dionysus,

I would try 15mins with them all and then decide whose treatment you like the best.

Skin reaction is important too, I don’t think you want to end up with lots of scabbing.

#57

Hi Stopit,

I have had a 1 hour treatment with Sharon (probably about 8 months ago), and I did encounter the same problem the peace had (i.e. I noticed a lot of hairs left over, considering the amount of time spent). However she was using Blend, so maybe she’s a speed demon with themolysis :slight_smile:

I think I will book a session in with Livia to test things out and take it from there.

#58

Yup, good plan. I think peace was having blend on the face too.

I’m sure thermolysis will speed things up regardless of who you go with.

Also, check out issywissy’s thread. She’s seeing an electrologist in Mile End called Margaret who only does thermolysis. A lot cheaper than Parkside and pay per treatment. Issy is happy with how she gets on with this treatment.
I had a one hour treatment with Margaret too, on various areas. It was a very comfortable thermolysis treatment compared to Sharon or Livia. I only had a few minutes on either side of the face to test, and only got some redness. Unfortunately, the chest area reacted really badly so I think blend is more suitable for me there. But I think it may be worth trying her out, just for a short session to begin with?

I think your best method of attack would be thermolysis to quickly clear up, then blend to maintain.

#59

It’s been a while since I last posted here and I see that finally in London two new names in addition to Sharon are receiving positive reviews!

As I have lots of fine long fine hair on my face think will give Margaret a go.

The other thing I’ve noticed is that on the rare occasion that a practioner with a modern Apilus in London is found the actual work seems to turn out to be too aggressive.

Looked up Margaret and realise that whilst I was on my long search for good electrolysis she was working on my doorstep! that’s life!

#60

A head’s up - there are some new names on the BIAE website!

There’s one place in Eltham (SE London) with an electrologist who also runs an electrolysis clinic at an NHS hospital AND 1hr of treatment is only £35. CASH IN! I wish I discovered this place sooner!

Considering it’s in London, it makes large areas entirely possible. I don’t know what machine is used, but at £35 I would take any reasonably decent machine if I only got 1-2 hrs of electrolysis a week! I just wish I knew how to drive as it would only take me half an hour to get to it on the north circular. :frowning:

There’s also a woman in Kensington who works reasonably long hours and has been trained by BIAE instructors. She’s been a member of the BAIE for longer than I’ve been alive.

Heck, I have the day off tomorrow, so I’m going to ring up every person on that list I haven’t spoken to (except the Toni & Guy person, because I can’t believe she’ll be any good) and ask them about their machine, their hours and whatnot and provide a full report of their responses.

Questions:

  • What method [blend etc.] do you use?
  • What machine do you use?
  • How long have used the machine?
  • What are your working hours?
  • What’s the maximum length of time you will treat someone for in a single session?
  • How much do you charge per hour?
  • Are there any areas you won’t treat?

Anything else?

People can then decide if they want a consult, because I don’t want to listen to 30 electrologists telling me over the phone about hair cycles.