I have been to 3 1hr appointments to remove my long facial vellus hair. The lady I see has 20+ years experience but she often misses hairs I think are really noticeable. This worries me as I want to make sure she gets the hairs that re-grow as well as the ones that embarrass me. I understand that often I see hairs from an angle she is not looking at me at under the magnifier, or with the same sort of light. Can anyone make any suggestions I might be able to give her to make sure she sees the hairs I want removed? I know with some re-grown hairs, they grow from a spot where I had the pinpoint scab, so it is obvious to me. I have tried marking them with mascara, but that isn’t as easy as you would think, without marking other hairs around them. Thanks.
I have been an electrologist for over 32 years and no longer treat clients concerned about vellus hair. Vellus hair does NOT constitute a hair problem, especially if the hairs are so small your electrologist is having trouble seeing them. Chances are you have a 10x magnifier at home and worry over every little hair that is “too long.” Concern over vellus hair viewed through 10x magnification is not being realistic. Peach-fuzz will look like tree trunks! Yes, you will find electrologists that will treat you, but they will not be able to satisfy or help you. Conviction and worry that the world sees you as you see yourself through 10x magnification is a problem better served through psychiatry, not permanent hair removal.
Those vellus hairs can be more difficult to see and the angle you are seeing versus the angle your electrologist sees them will be a factor on which ones are treated. With appropriate magnification and lighting your electrologist will work on as many hairs as can be treated in the length of time allotted.
You must remember that there are many many hairs in every square centimeter of your skin. It is impossible to clear vellus growth in the beginning. It takes time to get them all. One of my “tricks” to finding the one hair that bothers a client is to have additional low lighting coming from another angle. Even then, I miss that one bad hair…
Thanks Barbara. I might suggest the extra light. Hairadicator, these hairs are often at least a centimetre long, and are a problem to me. I am looking in a normal mirror, no magnification. As I said, looking down at my face you may not see them, but looking straight at me you most certainly can. I don’t want every tiny hair removed, just the long (and they can be as long as half an inch) ones. The smaller ones I refer to are the regrowth.
“Just get the long ones.” Oye Vey! … My Kryptonite (well, one of them).
Here’s what you must understand. These “long ones,” within the forest of noticeable “vellus hairs,” are only those hairs that have achieved their maximum growth … they are in telogen phase and are getting ready to fall out and then regrow again. So, here’s the “rub.”
ALL of those “vellus hairs” that you think look just fine will also, eventually, go into telogen phase and be one of your “just get the long ones.” The task you have set for your electrologist is near impossible … unless you are willing to have her remove all the “vellus” hairs from the area. And, this is going to take a LOT of treatment hours.
Problem is, clients with this problem are typically not willing to put in the time, because they see the problem as being an easy one. It’s NOT! Typically clients with your problem will only come in a couple times per year and bitterly complain about the lack of progress. You must understand that you are giving your electrologist an impossible task.
I refuse to treat clients with this type of problem. I can’t “take it any more.” For what it’s worth, I have NEVER had a client with this problem actually believe my “story.” They only believe they have “longer ones,” and that zapping those (at the time) will solve the problem. They want the impossible! Nicely, there ARE plenty of wonderful electrologists that are happy to do such work (Dee loves this stuff). For me … I’ve had it! ha ha ha
Seriously, I can complete a man’s fully covered back and chest in less time than those with “only the long ones.” These miserable cases go on and on for 10 years or more (the patient will not do what’s required). It’s usually 5 minutes of treatment (every 6 months) followed by 30 minutes of complaints! I explain the situation, and they walk away … and I know they didn’t hear ONE word of it!
Hairtell, thanks for letting this old curmudgeon “vent.” He he
As Michael said, I do love treating vellus hair. These women just say, “Get the long ones”, but once you stake out a “hair neighborhood” between your fingers and get all the long ones, some want to go further to get the next level of hairs. So, when I get requests for vellus hair removal, I make my honest speech about the process and underscore that honest speech with loving firmness. I tell the client, that this will be a demanding process for both of us. It will take many sessions, scheduled close together, that are over an hour or two in length for about 12 to 18 months. After an ambitious schedule for the first 12 to 18 months, things calm down, but we will still have not reached the end, as there will pockets of hair growth that we need to refine.
Continuing on with the honest, lovingingly firm talk, I tell them that it will NOT be very unpleasant sensation-wise. Many fall asleep as we listen to audio books or music. I tell them it will be costly and to not get discouraged, as they will turn the corner at some point where they see that there is progress is being made. Cost is dependent on time and we spent a lot if hours together.
The electrologist needs to work for hours at a time. If they’re not willing to do that, then it will take much more time (years) and no dout, the client will give up.
Lighting is the key to seeing. Right next to that are positioning and shadowing with an index finger above the area. Most important is her desire to work doggedly, with you, toward getting those numerous, difficult hairs. If her back and neck hurt, she may only do appointments that are less than hour to protect her health. You can’t blame her. If she doesnt agree with your goal to get hairs that nobody can see, then a half a team approach will fizzle soon enough.
Well the reason I’m gonna ask for this is because I know for a fact that these current vellus hairs in particular are going to become long, coarse dark hairs when I become older. As a young man I can just look at my brother and father and see the same growth pattern developing, so I happen to know for sure that these vellus hairs will become a problem later so I’m hoping to fix them all at once.
Don’t do it. Especially if those “vellus hairs” are body hairs. You have no bona fide idea how many “vellus” are going to become fat terminal hairs.
I don’t believe in preemptive hair removal. Also, permanently removing big fat hair is easier, and causes potentially less skin damage than removing tiny hairs. Yeah, really!
(The target area in big hairs lies well below the “scar zone.” Tiny hairs are usually rooted right in the “zone.” Best treatment for these tiny hairs: “auto-timed” thermolysis with insulated needle … not blend!)
I appreciate everyone’s comments and opinions, but please do not profess to know me or my problem without seeing me. I have vellus hairs on my cheeks, sideburns and jawline that can be half an inch or longer and they are not light blonde but more golden and VERY noticeable. In fact all the hairs on my face are noticeable because of their length and darker colour, and I think I am being quite reasonable to try and remove only the long ones. If I don’t, I will soon look like I have a beard. The hairs at the corners of my mouth and down further are also darker and about a centimetre long. I feel this constitutes a problem for me. I am more than willing to put in the time and money it takes to do this and am prepared for 2 years or so of treatments. My electrologist is doing hour long appointments and I am going along with what she can manage to do. My original query was about the lighting issue of seeing hairs and when the short regrowth comes back. I don’t want to wait until these re-grown hairs are long again to be treated subsequent times. I am a scientific researcher, and not stupid, I have previously seen “longer” hairs on my face I know are shedding and have actually removed some of these by brushing my fingers across my face (as will naturally happen when they are shedding), so know the difference between a shedding hair that is 5mm or so and a half inch or longer hair sticking out of my cheek.
I’ve been watching this discussion with great interest. With some prodding from Kelly Stump up outside Chicago, we’ve been working on a new size/shape Probe to target these hairs. The first prototypes just went out today to Kelly and Josefa. A .0025" tip with a fast taper to make them fairly rigid and a reduced tip length for shallow insertions. Hopefully they will get the job done well. We shall see what the ladies have to say about them in the near future.
I can assume that you need someone who use high quality surgical loupes of 4x and higher to see these hairs. Did you try to dye these hairs?
Hi Mike,
I am excited to read this. As you may know, this is exactly the kind of facial hair I have and that Josefa is treating for me. I am seeing her again soon. This time I really want to blitz the area… I don’t know what Josefa has planned but I’m hoping it involves a test of this probe!
Hi Mike,
I don’t know what Josefa has planned but I’m hoping it involves a test of this probe! [/quote]
Count on it!
Hi all,
While I am happy with my progress so far, I noticed my electrologist uses 25G hypodermic needles rather than specific electrolysis probes. I don’t have any scarring etc. so assume they are just as efficient. Could this be a cost consideration for her or could it be because of the design of the old machine? It seems odd to me. She has been doing this for 20+ years, and I would assume if she wasn’t efficient/needle didn’t work, her clients wouldn’t keep coming back.
Ekade: I put mascara on the hairs before I go in (the long ones that she misses). The shorter ones are a little harder to coat with mascara without colouring every hair in the area 
REALLY??? Are the needles sterile? Were the needles once attached to a syringe?! This isn’t good for many reasons. Are you located in the United States?
I looked it up and a 25 G hypodermic needle is .020" in diameter.
That’s over three times the diameter of the largest electrolysis needle or probe on the market today
Actually, there is no way that a 25G needle would fit in ANY hair follicle on any human. Maybe on “elephant hairs” or “dinosaur feathers,” but that’s about it. (Even a 30G is still a monster and won’t fit any follicle!)
Drilling for a core sample maybe ?
Now there’s a visual I didn’t need…
HUGE NEEDLES??? WE must live in the same town!! 