I have PCOS and some dark terminal hairs on my face for which I have started electrolysis in May 2020. I am happy with the progress so far, however due to the electrolysis I have not removed any sort of facial hair for months now.
I also have a lot of fine vellus hair that does not bother me as much that I would like to get them treated with electrolysis, however I would like to remove them every once in a while for better makeup application and just in general to feel better in my own skin. Before electrolysis I was using a facial epilator.
So my question is: would epilating the vellus hair cause any issues with my electrolysis progress? I.e. activate more vellus hair to become permanent?
I am thinking about epilating these hairs right after a clearance so that I am really only removing the vellus hair and no or close to no terminal hair (so that those can be treated by my electrologist in my next appointment).
By definition, vellus hair are nearly invisible; typically only seen with magnification. So, probably what you are seeing are hairs that are already being stimulated and growing larger (accelerating vellus hairs). Tweezing such hairs might stimulate them even more (likely; but not an absolute). True vellus hairs can be shaved and you won’t see, or feel, them for several weeks. Still, shaving the offending hairs would be my recommendation in your case.
Thanks for your reply.
So maybe these hair are not vellus hair at all. Just finer and lighter hairs. Because to me they are definitely visible without magnification in good lighting.
I am really scared of shaving because I always had the feeling that my hair grows back stronger and more dense if shaved.
Also my current electrologist tells me to rather tweeze/epilate than shave (but I know that most electrologists here on hairtell would not agree with her).
I seen many posts online about tweezing stimulating dormant follicles to activate, thus creating more terminal hairs. So basically not just stimulating existing hair but even stimulating hair follicles that don’t have a hair yet. Do you have an opinion about this?
Sure, I do have an opinion. I did a video on the subject (Youtube). Still, you can talk to 10 different estheticians and electrologists and you’ll get 10 different answers. An electrologist recommending that you tweeze and not shave? Well, that’s interesting if not unique. It’s all kind of confusing, isn’t it? Maybe this might help?
