Woman grows beard for Movember

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Just came across a story on the Daily Mail online about this lady who appeared on national tv with her hair grown out in all its glory to raise awareness for prostate cancer. Amazing and brave woman!

Note her experience with electrolysis: 'Electrolysis proved ineffective, as the treatment can only remove 10 to 15 hairs at a time(say what?!!) - Siobhain’s hair was just too thick. ‘It didn’t work - the hair grows up my cheeks as well,’ she said. ‘It was like trying to fell a tree in a forest.’

My chin hair was much like this and I put off getting electrolysis treatment for 7 years because I’d been told it would take forever and faffed about getting ineffective IPL instead. Although it took time and dedication, electrolysis has been the best thing I’ve ever done…my hair is nearly completely gone save for a few finer and barely noticeable hairs which I get zapped off in half an hour every fortnight. I just wish I’d known how effective it can be sooner and saved myself a few years of heartache.

Awareness and education about this treatment in this country is dire. I’m making it my mission to spread the word about how good electrolyis can be…if it can help just one other person to avoid distress like this lady here who says she was house bound for 5 years!

Good for her she has been able to accept her hair as beautiful but I wish there was some way to let her know that there is a remedy out there if she desired it.

#2

Successful electrolysis takes a commitment - RESEARCH for accurate information and then also, once you embark on electrolysis, patience is required.

Perhaps that woman did not research enough and did not commit.

Those folks looking for help are better off speaking with folks who have had success rather than wasting their time with people who have failed.

#3

Arlene you may have forgotten the most challenging part of the formula to success…ACTUALLY FINDING A GOOD ELECTROLYSIST !!

#4

I don’t know if it’s necessarily her patience. Judging by her photo, there is no reason that all her facial hair would not be cleared in one sitting. Fast forward some weeks, and she would be seeing improvement. But it takes a competent electrologist as the single, most important ingredient for success, and those are not as common as one could assume.

#5

“Electrolysis proved ineffective, as the treatment can only remove 10 to 15 hairs at a time - Siobhain’s hair was just too thick. ‘It didn’t work - the hair grows up my cheeks as well,’ she said. ‘It was like trying to fell a tree in a forest.’”

Wrong. Very wrong. This lady can be helped. She could be cleared in about five hours or less and then maintained thereafter, so it looks like she never grew hair. Yes, the challenge is finding a competent electrologist who is not intimidated to go after the hair, with good tools of the trade and above all, skill.

“Siobhain says she cannot afford costly laser hair removal and, despite suffering from depression as a result of her condition, her GP cannot offer such a treatment on the NHS.”

Guess what? Laser won’t help her. Her hair color is not suitable laser. She needs a competent, appropriately aggressive modern electrologist, IMHO. Even if laser could help her and she couldn’t afford it, a strategy that works for a lot of people is to give up something or get a second or third job to save for the things you really want or need.j

Kudos for raising money for cancer and for those following this who have a similar problem, there is an answer. It is called electrolysis done by a caring, modern professional. Do your research, get some consults, ask others and don’t give up until you are satisfied and finished.

#6

Then the second most challenging part is getting enough treatment time, and sticking to the schedule to completion.

#7

In my opinion, the biggest challenge facing electrologists today is not from laser hair removal and home devices, but misinformation that continues to propagate. This is not an isolated case. Another post on this forum described a physician on TV clearly stating that electrolysis is NOT permanent. When people find out you are an electrologist, how many times have you heard them say - "my sister/mother etc. tried it and it did not work (they said it was permanent). If you dig deeper, you ususally find out the individual only had one or two treaments - then gave up because “it was supposed to be permanent.” This is insane! The real message that electrolysis works and can overcome physical and emotional issues related to hirsutism is NOT getting out. Why have the electrolysis organizations not stepped up to address these issues? The average person on the street knows little if nothing about electrolysis except for negative information they have heard through friends and relatives. This is a deplorable situation that can only be rectified by the industry itself.

#8

There were discussions here how people struggle to find competent electrologists in the U.K. The profession has a lot of big problems that lead to such negative P.R. Maybe some experienced electrologists could reach out to her and finish her case. That will be the best P.R. for electrology.

#9

It takes one electrologist at a time to properly consult with / drive home important concepts. The AEA, I think is doing their job, but they can’t do what the electrologist in the office can do face to face with her/ his client.

I had a new client today and I asked her if she knew how long it will take to get permanent hair removal. She thought a couple of treatments would be all she needed. By asking that question, I knew where I had to take the conversation and I will have to keep the consultation points going for the next several months to keep educating and reassuring her, especially since she stopped tweezing two days ago!

If an electrologist wants less hassle with a disenchanted client down the road, then she needs to do a thorough consultation initially and then she needs to reinforce those important concepts as the months go by. We all need to make a special effort to educate the electrolysis consumer. They appreciate when you give a summary of where they were and the progress they have made at months three, six, nine and twelve.

#10

Excellent suggestion.

#11

Sadly this raises more awareness of the need for better electrologists, than anything regarding prostate cancer. What do others think?

#12

Firstly how brave is this women, and then how sad for her and us as a profession that she is so misinformed. She was also on This Morning tv programme and has been mentioned in The Sun, Daily Express and many others. So I’ve had a busy wee day trying to get the correct info out there on as many forums as possible. Though it is disheartening reading the other comments, ‘electrolysis doesn’t work on my hair colour’ ‘you have to have electrolysis for years’ ‘electrolysis does not work’ ‘laser is the only method to get rid of hair’, ‘my hair is too strong for electrolysis’. Very frustrating.

#13

Mairi, I just saw your comment on the Daily Mail piece. So glad to see it went through. I tried twice to leave comments regarding the unsuitability of Laser and the effectiveness of electrolysis plus directing readers to this forum for more information but they did not make it past moderation.

#14

Well done Mairi. This can not be an easy task.

#15

I too left comments that did not make it past moderation.

#16

Ms. Fletcher is not doing a good service for those folks who would benefit from electrolysis. The negative comments reflect little research and experience on her part.

10-15 hairs? MNG perhaps. Well, she didn’t stick it out. Did she even know that thermolysis exists?

She complains that waxing injured her skin. Well, there are better waxes for sensitive skin and more skilled waxers out there too.

Maybe she is just someone who gives up easily. I wonder how many diets she attempted. Who does she blame for her dieting not working.

I am not looking to blame the victim but in this case, I take offense when misinformation leads people away from electrolysis. In Ms. Fletcher’s case, the only method that would help remove her strawberry blond hair forever.

#17

I think I just got lucky to get past the moderators, I was hoping stoppit would get on board with the forums as she is much more articulate than me. Arlene, unfortunately this lady tends to be typical of the general public and it has a lot to do with our profession, we are on the whole not media savvy, we don’t have huge marketing budgets. Plus many people offering electrolysis have not had the proper training or experience. Many colleges don’t offer the course any more giving the view to many beauty professionals that electrolysis is outdated. For instance recently on a spa weekend the girl who gave me a massage(freshly out of college) told me they didn’t do electrolysis as it was ‘unhygienic and pierced veins’ …
One other thing Arlene, this woman suffers from PCOS, dieting can be more challenging than usual, generally she will be feeling tired and quite low in turn craving sugar and carbs. The most benifically thing a PCOS client can do is follow a low GI diet, even cutting out sugar all together while increasing protein intake.

#18

Yes, mhawkes, maybe if she did her research, she would follow that low Glycemic Index diet that you suggest. It works, I know. I have pcos.

#19

I hear these and other negative comments about electrolysis all the time. I have even had people laugh in my face and say “why would anyone want hair removed, that’s silly.” On occasion I still hear “Are you still pulling hair?” … Like there is something bizarre about it and its all a big joke. The message that electrolysis is a viable service and helps people is NOT getting out. Many years ago I was advised to not become an electrologist because “it leaves holes in your face.” What are the associations doing to deal with these misconceptions and what do members get for their dues? When was the last time you saw a positive article about electrolysis? It is rare!

#20

David, this is a big reason why HairTell exists. Getting the word out about electrolysis is more than glamorous shots of women and men basking in the sun, with no hair and perfect skin (and no cellilute) by the seaside. That is not going to convince the average skeptical consumer more than seeing real people being helped and hearing their testimonials here on HairTell. The AEA can only do so much with the revenue they have. We are a small group and must rely on those like you on the front line performing well and teaching each client along the way.

I give high credit to Josefa for posting dozens of her client pictures here. Several of my new clients said that they never thought a large area could be accomplished with electrolysis, until they saw Josefa’s posts. Many of us that do large areas already know this, but it’s the pictures that seal the deal and excite people. I, too, am building a photo gallery, with a timeline and stats, all because I get the feedback that it helps people understand electrolysis better.

What would you want the AEA to do that they already aren’t doing? Don’t mean to put you on the spot, but I would respect your opinion. I see that the AEA has a very complete website and we have members on FaceBook exchanging fruitful information. Many of us are not media PR people where we can go on national TV shows and talk it up. Heck, in Indiana, they want to deregulate electrolysis. I’m sure the AEA is trying to help there. It is a real shame that more young people don’t consider electrolysis as a career. There is scholarship services offered through the AEA. I don’t know what more we can expect from them and would like to hear some discussion on this.