I had my first consultation with an electrologist. She said for my coarse facial hair only the galvanic method would work. But I would like to get the newer much quicker thermolysis technique.
Then she has done 30 min it was ok not to much discomfort and it healed up after a few hours but I found in that time she hasn’t removed much hair. She did not ware groves which put my warning signs up but the salon was clean.
Is she right with that statement? She has 20 years experience her machine is also 20 old.
What is the best fastest method for coarse (facial hair on the chin)?
I will have 2 or 3 other consultations with different electrologists as well.
She may be correct about her own abilities with thermolysis, but she is NOT correct about the possibility of getting coarse hairs removed via the thermolysis technique. If you find someone who is skilled at this modality, you would get good fast hair removal in a reasonable amount of time.
Some people don’t like to wear glove. In the end, one really doesn’t need to, as long as the practitioner is sanitizing their hands before and after each treatment. The gloves are for giving you one less thing you have to trust your practitioner to do, just like the single use, disposeable needles/probes keep you from wondering if the practitioner has properly resterilized the probe before reusing it on you.
For the areas you want cleared, the fastest choices to remove hair are microflash and picoflash thermolysis. You will get a clearance faster and thus you will quickly go into maintenance where you will stay free of hair each and every time you go in for a treatment. You end up with permanent hair removal in the end, just as you would with a blend electrologist, but you look like you are finished sooner.
Hair does not get coarser with thermolysis. Where do electrologists, of all people, come up with this information?!
Thank you very much for your replies. Just a bit of back ground, I am German, 27 and moved to Brisbane a year ago. I had about 10 laser treatments done settings on high, true laser no IPL and seen no results on my coarse ginger coloured facial hair, skin type 3. I haven’t done much research at that time I wished I would have come across this fantastic website back then and known earlier that facial hair treatment with laser is not recommended.
I have a lot hair around the chin area she said it would take about a year. She would only do 30 mins treatments as she don’t wants to over treat the area and her endurance weakens as well. The first month I would have to come in 2 a week then for the next half year once a week depending on how much hair is left and regrow’s and then only once a month. But she seemed slow to me with her footswitch and sometimes she had to do the same hair twice and told me because it’s so coarse that’s why she has to zap some twice(?).
She did not say that thermolysis and blend makes the hair get coarser but meant it wouldn’t work as good as galvanic. I think she is probably set in her own ways.
I have another consultation tomorrow and on Friday one sounded very professional the other one might be a bit iffy. Because she said on the phone that she would only use the blend method and only wants to do 15 min maximum 30 min. She has 4 yeas experience.
Cheer for your quick help and I will post about the other consultations.
I’m sure there would be many that disagree with my opinion on laser hair reduction for facial hair, but I stand by what I have observed over time.
She’s telling you true about zapping the hair twice. Those chin hairs can be huge and a zap on the left and a zap on the right is what is needed. After the hair is treated and lifted out, sometimes the electrologist will re-enter the follicle without the hair in the way and zap it again.
All three modalities will work. Galvanic is really good, but it is way to slow for most consumers liking. The neat thing about the modalities listed under the title ‘electrolysis’, is they ALL deliver permanent hair removal. The differences lie within the paramters of time to completon, skin outcome and sensation. It’s interesting (and okay) that each electrologist performs the modality that she/he is most comfortable with. The best you could ask for is an electrologist that will do longer appointments, with the better generation of professional epilators available today, with the proper size of probe that matches the diameter of the hair, with quality eye wear - WITH SKILL.
Good job for shopping around. Observe if the office is hygenic. Observe if the electrologist wipes things down and washes her hands, uses sterile probes, etc…
We’l try and help you sort things out. Go slowly at first and observe.
Ok I went for another two consultations. The second one sounded very promising on the phone interview. Has got 20 years experience used thermolysis. But she is the most expensive out of all with 150 A$ per hour. To make it short shop is clean, appearance nice professional. She answered all my questions very good and took time to explain.
The initial patch test went so well that we ended up doing 1 hour on my chin. In this time she was so quick that she nearly cleared the area. Not even once could I feel plucking, because of the very coarse hair she had to zap some twice. Before she started she said that I have to endure a pretty high currant until first clearance is completed. The new grows shouldn’t be as coarse.
There was a bit discomfort towards the end of the session. My chin felt very hot but I have a pretty high pain tolerance.
The last consultation wasn’t very good. She likes to use blend on coarse hair. Has 4 years experience. She was so slow spend most of the time fiddling around with my chin then actually working on the hair. And she only does a max of 30 at a time.
I decided to go with the second consultation (Sima’s Beauty & Electrolysis Centre).
The second session went for 65 min, she nearly cleared the whole area and some stray hairs on my sideburns. She wanted to finish it of but I could not endure more pain.
My chin felt so swollen and hot.
The next appointment is in 2 weeks and after that I don’t have to come in as often.
It’s been a week ago since the 2 session and I noticed a bit hair coming up, it is much finer lighter so I should not have to endure a very high currant.
The only concern I have is that it took a week for the skin to heal. The chin was swollen, red and hot for the first 3 days after the 2 treatments. And remained red in spots still has some red spots. I have done all the required after care. Put ice pack on as well and aloe vera gel.
I guess now that she don’t has to use a high currant it will heal quicker.
Ok that was my update I am so optimistic that this may work and should have done it earlier.
I wish everyone good luck on there hair free journey.
After treatment is the skin around the skin red and swollen? or just the hair follicles?
What sort of laser did you use for your previous treatments? when did you notice it wasn’t working for you?
I have the same hair issues as you (chin - including underside) and have just started laser, I’m about to go to my third treatment. The thing I hate most about the laser treatments is that I’m red for quite a few hours after treatment and my skin is hot. I’m always paranoid I’m going to burn (although unlikely I know - dark coarse hair, type 2 skin, skilled technician) cause of what I’ve read.
Anyway, it’s the downtime I don’t like, I live with my b/f and I’ve gone to great lengths to keep my facial hair a secret from him, so it’s hard for me to find time to get treatments done and stay away from the house until the redness and swelling goes away.
Your healing situation is okay, if you heal well within a week. I have no idea how dense and coarse the hair was before treatment. The first sessions can be very challenging to get through for the client and electrologist, as hair may be in all stages of growth and very coarse. Make sure you heal well before you get more hair treated and use dabs of tea tree oil with the aloe vera gel. Don’t over ice and never put an ice pack or ice cube directly to your skin. Wrap the ice in something clean and soft, like a piece of gauze or washcloth and use for 5 minutes.
Please inform her about your healing so she can make adjustments either with the modality used or the timing and intensity.
I am not alarmed by your description, but I can tell you that this can be better from here on out with some change up’s. A trade off of getting hair cleared fast is swelling and redness for a couple days. Some of my first session, full clearance clients report something similar, but all say that they were back to normal in a 2-3 days if not sooner. It gets better after that. The better epilators like the upper end Apilus’s (Platinum, Pure and SX-500) and Silhouet-Tone VMC deliver controlled energy to minute degree. They are simply fabulous. Other newer epilators may as well, but I have no personal experience with the other great brands. Proper probe size (I like ballet gold and insulated - never use stainless steel), surgical magnification and great lighting top this off to deliver healing results that are stunningly superior because one’s face goes back to normal in no time. Time to completion is superior as well. Skilled, modern electrolysis care with fabulous tools is far more satisfying than what our Mothers, Grandmothers, and Great Grandmothers had to to endure, God bless them.
Now, if we could bring some electrologists to this realization, we would have a better hair removal world for all.
Talk to your lady and allow her to explain to you about your skin reaction and see what she says about making it better. All I can say is, those chin hairs are rooted oak tree’s, as in the “We Shall Not BE Moved” variety, and you should expect something like this as you move toward a full clearance. She may be able to lessen the reaction by doing something on her side of the fence. Just ask.
I tell all my clients that the first time is the worst time.
After we get the first clearance, we have an easier and faster time of it from there on. The clearance times and treatment energies are all down hill from there.
I hate to sound incredulous… but my reaction on reading that was: REALLY?! It took so long for me (three years, I think). I know better now, thanks to this forum. Also thanks to you, James - the advice, particularly on technical matters, is VERY useful.
Side note: It’s pitiful that ‘free-market’ economy also means free-for-all for the clueless and unscrupulous. I mean, I know caveat emptor, but jeez, the client has to apparently know MORE than the person providing the service / good to ensure a good experience!
Yup, that’s like a boot in the ear moment when you discover that things would have been better for you if only you had researched more before starting. So true for many services we purchase.
No chin hair is too big to affect with a master electrologist at the helm.
!! Those chinny chins really have tenacity!