Hi everyone, wanted to give an update. I am still going for treatments every week. Every other week I now go for 45 minutes. So 2 30 minutes appointments and 2 45 minutes appointments, totaling 2 1/2 hours a month. She’s still treating same areas, branched out a little more. Clears the areas pretty well each week except for some hairs. However each week pop ups happen. Like far away the areas look clear, but up close I still see a bed of fine to medium hairs after 4-5 days. Is this normal?
I have a bad facial hair problem and the areas are certainly reduced, just want them to stay clear already. I do feel some tugging on hairs, not all.
I have had a little over 30 hours of treatment. She has treated about half my face such as cheeks, sides, haven’t reached neck, or rest of jawline yet.
I am getting thermolysis done.
Thanks!
How many months has it been GH? Can you post some before pictures and pictures at present time? Bummer that your neck hasn’t been treated yet, but I don’t know or remember what you started with Do you tell her when you feel a tug? She probably feels it, too and retreats the follicle.
It’s been a year of treatment. I’ve been going every week for 30 minutes and started going 45 minutes every other week in September. I don’t have any recent photos, but I was the bad case from last year. I did post pictures on a thread last year. I have coarse hair on my face, pretty much like a man’s beard. She has treated sides of my chin and up my face to my cheeks. She has branched out since I started, but she hasn’t branched out in a few months now. The hairs pop up in these areas throughout the week. She retreats the areas every week and pretty much clears it. Half of my face hasn’t been treated yet. Electrolysis is so slow. 
Sometimes she’ll retreat hairs that don’t slide out, but not always.
The hairs that pop back up are usually thinner and if I do pluck one to compare how it feels when she treats it, it feels the same. The hairs slide out when I pluck them too. Hairs that haven’t been treated don’t come out as easy.
I have a bad case and the areas are definitely reduced, but when will they finally stay cleared?
If I were working, as an example, on the ball of the chin only, for the last year, generally speaking, clearing the same area every single time, it would take anywhere from 8 to 15 clearings, spread out over 9-18 months, to see that the area was permanently free from all bothersome hair.
Okay so am I on the right track? So as long as I keep seeing a reduction, I’m okay?
Most of the coarser hair is gone in these areas and medium to finer hair remains.
However coarse hairs pop up throughout the week.
Also, personally speaking, I would be extremely frustrated if you only gave me 30 minutes to work on you if you have copious amounts of hair on your face and neck. I would want to clear you ASAP and then maintain the cleared areas each and every time on a regular basis. Electrolysis is not as slow as you think if the electrologist can efficiently remove hair, clear hair and see you on a schedule of every two - three weeks for the first 4-6 months. If you are one that is tempted to tweeze, stay close to your electrologist.
Throw the tweezers away. I hope you have not been tweezing while having electrolysis!?
Yes, you are on the right track. Have you tweezed since starting electrolysis?
TO be clearer, if I were able to clear every bothersome hair on your face, lips, neck EVERY SINGLE TIME that we meet, the same holds true - It would take 8-15 CLEARINGS, spread out over 9-18 months. For those with a lot of hair, 9 months is not the norm, it’s more like 14 -15 months. There are so many variables. That is why we can not pinpoint the exact time. We must speak in generalities, to be really honest.
Not really maybe a few hairs here and there.
There is certainly a reduction in the areas she’s been treating, but the areas aren’t clear yet.
Wow electrolysis is a long time consuming road, but if one day I will be hair free it’s worth it. I will keep at it and hopefully in another year most of my face will have been treated. Then a few more years of maintenance. As long as I have a reduction and see results I’ll be happy.
I just thought these areas she’s been treating every week for a year would be clear by now.
I just wanted reassurance everything was okay and I was on the right track, thanks!
My electrologist told me from the beginning I have a bad case and it takes awhile to break these roots down.
I know I will always probably need electrolysis unless I get my hormones under control. However as long as the treatments become less frequent, it will be okay and just part of my beauty regimen.
I just can’t wait to see these areas clear finally, so she can move on to the rest of my face.
It’s worth it. The more hair you have, the more prolonged the process is if you spend the first 6 months only doing 30 minute appointments and not getting fully cleared of all bothersome hair each time you go in.
Maintenance is determined by your hormonal environment and genes. Any tampering with the hair, other than clipping or even shaving, can prolong the process as well. If you tweeze here and there, you will never finish. There is a lot that the electrologist cannot control. If there is hair, then get it. It is usually nobody’s fault that one has to be maintained after the job is finished.
I don’t believe in the idea of breaking down the roots. The hair can be treated thoroughly the first time
I only can do 30-45 minutes a week. I only tweeze like 3 or 4 hairs here and there.
I mainly cut and shave.
Is it okay my electrologist thinks you have to break down roots, like maybe that’s her way of thinking? Another electrologist told me that too.
I’m sure that the breaking down process idea is something that was seen in a book or taught to them, but hair can be affected in one shot. Perhaps they teach this to their clients because it is easier to explain than to try and teach about hair growth cycles. Also, if a hair is under treated, there will be some hair germ cells left in the follicle and that particular hair will regrow as a much thinner, less aggressive hair.
You do yourself no favor if you tweeze here and there. The “when will I be finished” question will always be asked. A witty saying coined by another Electrologist is, “Only tweeze the hairs you want to keep”.
I think I’m being undertreated because the areas are still covered but instead of coarse hairs, their fine to medium hair with a few coarse ones mixed in. I think she doesn’t want to cause me too much pain or maybe my skin is sensitive because I’m pretty red after treatment.
I think she’s concerned about raising the settings, but I may tell her to raise it if during treatment it’s not too painful.
I will try to not tweeze, but sometimes a hair is too dark and trimming doesn’t help.
Thanks so much for your time and Happy New Year!
Also when germ cells are killed, they can’t come back or grow more germ cells in the follicle? Like even if all the germ cells aren’t killed at one time, she’ll just keep treating those finer hairs to get all the germ cells in those follicles to eventually stop the hair from growing?
No, they cant come back if they are “killed” or permanently affected. You treat until you are satisfied with the hair that is left on the area. Not all hair is bad hair.
You are very welcome and Happy New Year to you, too!