Treatment advice - pics included

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

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These are 2 pictures (not the best quality, sorry) from my 2nd and 3rd day post-electroylsis. And my face frequently looks like this after. I’ve been going to the same woman for 2.5 years every other week. She tells me I’m this red because the roots are shallow and they’re almost dead so it’s a good thing. I know it’s not a good thing to be red, scabbed and sometimes bloody but she’s my best option unless I drive 3 hours to Pittsburgh (and I already drive an hour to see this woman). This might be an unreasonable, or impossible, question to ask over the Internet, but my concern is that her insertions are poor and possibly her depth too and that I may be receiving ineffective treatments and am wasting my time. If I’m just being over treated, then honestly I’m ok with that as long as it doesn’t scar (which it hasn’t).

I will say she has a lot of clients and has been doing this for a long time and she’s the only electrolysis in a 50 mile radius of my home who did not just pluck me. She does use insulated needles but the treatments are painful. She comes off as very knowledgeable and I guess that’s why for over 2 years I never questioned the treatments. I’ve seen so many posts says 1.5 years and I’m well over that and I still consistently have random thick, dark hairs still and am not near being done and honestly, I didn’t even have that much hair to begin with. It’s hard for me to say if it’s improved or not because I make an active effort not to look at it because I don’t want to be tempted to pluck any. It’s really not in my schedule to take a day off work and drive 6 hours for electrolysis, but I’m willing to consider it. I also didn’t realize it has been almost 3 years until I wrote this post which now has me feeling like I’m definitely not getting anywhere with this woman.

Any advice is appreciated.

#2

Have you eliminated possible medical/hormonal conditions that can be linked to causing hair growth? But in general yes it does look troubling that you’re not finished or seen any changes in growth doing treatments every 2 weeks for almost 3 years. There is no excuse for your electroligist.

#3

I went for laser for my upper lip (genetic from my fathers side) and chin (2 chin hairs- stupid, I know) years ago and they said I’d be paying for my whole face/neck anyway so they might as well do the whole thing. I did see an endocrinologist last year and she said my testosterone levels were slightly elevated but she did not think that it was the cause of the hair growth or Anything that needed treated. She also said if it was by chance contributing to hair growth, small amount of estrogen in my birth control pills should even it out.

#4

Based on 2.5 years every other week treatments, my question is: Are you seeing less hair?

If “every” spot here indicates each treated hair - was this treatment something like 15-30 minutes? Did you start out with an hour or longer of treatments 2.5 years ago?

Your untreated skin appears to be healthy. I cannot comment on what condition it might be from former scabbing.

I ask clients to tell me of any skin reaction they have (and sometimes they tell me this happens). Some skins are more reactive. Sometimes a person’s health/physiology causes a reaction that doesn’t occur at other times.

You wrote, “She tells me I’m this red because the roots are shallow and they’re almost dead so it’s a good thing.” I don’t buy this statement at all because in two weeks I don’t think you would have shedding hairs (which might indicate shallow roots). And “almost dead” means nothing, in my book.

The most important thing is - are the hairs going away?

#5

I’ve always had 30 min treatments with her from when I started 2.5+ years ago to now. Ive had treatments in Pittsburgh from a different electrolgoist and had no skin reaction beyond the initial redness (gone after an 1hr).

Am I seeing some hair reduction from 2.5 years ago to now? I think so at least a little. its hard for me to say because most of the hair isn’t thick or very dark and I can’t see it easily. Like I checked for hair in a magnified mirror before I went for that last treatment and I didn’t see enough hair for every red spot that turned up on my face. But I do still have thick chin hairs popping up consistently that don’t seem to be slowing down. So on one hand I feel like she’s finding all this extra hair I don’t even know about and on the other I feel like my real problem area isn’t progressing so that’s why I’m confused.

#6

" … its hard for me to say because most of the hair isn’t thick or very dark and I can’t see it easily. Like I checked for hair in a magnified mirror before I went … " (The key here is, “I can’t see it easily.”)

As I read your above statement and earlier posts, I sort of thought this might be the case, mostly because this “hair pattern” is atypical of women with facial hair (that can be easily dispatched). I mean, looking at the post-treatment dots, it’s just random, all over the place and hit-or-miss."

Certainly, you don’t have a full beard, but that is the area these marks outline: your entire face. I’m guessing that you have what I something term “fluffy face.” That is, a face full of nearly invisible “longer blond” hairs that you can see “in a certain light,” or in your “magnification” mirror?

I’m also guessing that your electrologist just randomly picks out the “longer ones” (i.e., telogen hairs) and has been doing this for a long time?

If this is what you are seeing and experiencing, get ready for this: it’s going to go on-and-on for a VERY long time. Why? Because hairs all over your face are slightly longer (maybe only in your observation?). Each hair on your face, and there are “countless hairs” will achieve the “just the long ones” (telogen) stage … and that’s pretty much not going to stop any time soon.

The key to your case would be (for me anyway), if you ask her to “just treat the long ones.” Or maybe that’s what’s she says to you?

Can you remove ALL these nearly invisible hairs? Yes you can. The big question is should you, or if it’s really worth the time and expense?

#7

You gave a good clue that you have a hard time seeing these hairs and require magnified mirror. The face is covered in ton of such hair. If you can get your visible chin hair eliminated, would you be happy overall?

I get my shoulders treated and when I come home, I notice a gazillion of micro peach fuzz type hair that is only visible under certain angles of light. That doesn’t bother me and I don’t think it’s realistic to remove it all. If it’s hard to notice by naked eye easily then no one will notice unless they’ll be wearing magnifying loupes.

#8

And that’s super good advice Fenix.

For the “fuzzy faces,” I actually think there are more hairs than in a man’s beard … so the task is nearly impossible.

One of my favorite “fuzz faces” is a girl named Keiran. I did her underarms; no problem: FAST! But her face?

Yes, I could see the fuzz (in certain light) and she really wanted it all off (at first). So, we did a little experiment: I completed one full hour and cleared one spot. The spot ended up being smaller than the size of a DIME (maybe 1cm)! So, think about this for a minute …

The OP said she has done 30-minutes bi-weekly for 2.5 years. Given a missed appointment here and there, let’s say she has done 25-hours total. NOW, consider that she has at least as much “fuzz” as a man’s beard.

What would 25-hours look like on a beard? Not much of anything … or at best about half or a third of the way to completion. To really accomplish a “fuzz-free face” it could be 100 hours or so.

Is this worth it?

In all my 40 years of torturing people, I have completed countless big body cases. I have NEVER completed a true “fuzz face.” The dedication is never there and that is “telling.” Yes, the frustration is there; but who would spend 100-hours to complete this task? Not nobody, not no how.

Hope I’m not too direct. It’s just a character flaw.

#9

No, I appreciate the feedback. Honest opinions are what I was looking for so thank you both. I never really considered she was treating fine hairs, I just assumed she was seeing something I didnt. I’m going to have a conversation with my electrologist and ask her to only focus on the dark hairs because that’s what my problem is with. Not sure how that conversation will end up since I’ve asked her multiple times to leave my upper lip alone and she refuses to but it’s worth a shot and at least I have a better understanding of what’s going on now.

#10

The “end game”

Whenever I have a new client, I’m always thinking about the “end game” … the finished result. Electrolysis is a “product” just like anything you purchase.

Already, in my head, I map out a program that will give the client a positive result quickly that will make them happy.

Part of the plan is to help establish goals for the client. Sometimes clients are overwhelmed with their hairs, so you have to create a program and set goals that can be realistically achieved.

In your case, I would concentrate on your chin and get that 100% clear (as Fenix suggested). I would also set a time-frame for you and not make this a “lifetime experience.” It’s like this …

You go to your electrologist and she should establish a program for you: treatment times and a basic idea of when you will be finished.

You give us the problem, and we give you the solution. The electrologist MUST take responsibility for this.

I don’t know exactly what I’m saying (must be the pain medication) … but the electrologists that have no idea of “goals” and just work on people “whenever” and give them no schedule are not, in my estimation, qualified.

The idea that you asked your “zapper” not to work on your upper lip … and she DOES anyway? And, she just “pops” hairs here and there; hairs you aren’t even seeing? Well, I don’t get it!

She should give you a schedule and a time frame for achieving success.

#11

hairs you aren’t even seeing?

… is sometimes necessary to achieve predictable results: members of a cluster which are presently tiny-early-anagen or telogen and broken

… in case of “a few hairs on the chin” which became thick from plucking, i usually try to identify the hairs which led the client to start with plucking and do these as well. Often as soon as the treatment of the coarse hairs takes less time than my minimum fee, so that in fact would be a free service.

Which leads us directly back to the topic: those hairs are stronger than the peach fuzz, and they can be clearly distinguished from that. As long as You stick to treat hairs that would actually annoy clients Your result will be predictable, at least roughly. And You will see clear and explicit results sooner than 2.5 years.

Another remark: if those hairs were thick hairs from plucking, some scabbing is normal. But those scabs are WAY too large for hairs hardly visible! If scabs occur, most f them would me more or less invisible at the quality of the photos above.

#12

A short add on:

But that’s something different than Your point, Michael, with which i fully agree.