Hi! I found this site by accident while trying to find a replacement for my One Touch unit which has FINALLY worn out I guess. I know there are some negative posts on here but I just wanted to let anyone know who is getting discouraged that it REALLY and TRULY can work!! It does take a while to get used to it but it is so definitely worth it in the end. I am light skined with very dark hair, and lots of it. One of the most embarrassing areas was my stomach, which started with a few hairs then, as you know, the more you shave, the worse it seems to get, blah blah blah!! I used the One Touch and now my skin is so soft and hair-free - I couldn't be happier! I am working on my bikini line now which is almost done and it looks great, no more shaving! :-) I use mine full power on my body (not the face though) and you do get used to it. It takes a big time commitment but I usually work on it over the winter in the evenings, I turn on the tv and just sit and treat and tweeze.

One thing that I haven't noticed on here is a reference to ingrown hairs with electrolysis, as some hairs do grow back you need to make sure and gently exfoliate the area once any skin irritation has cleared up.

Don't get discouraged!!!!!! Believe me the results are worth the time!

I'm so glad it worked for you! That's great!

I have to say though ... that granted, I'm not the MOST detailed and patient person in the world ... but I finally gave up on mine when more than half the hairs I thought I'd removed permanently grew back. After all that slow work! Apparently, a number of my insertions had not been "exactly right" and had been for naught. At the rate I'd been going, it was already gonna take me forever! And then to find out that half the time I wasn't even quite managing to zap the root, though I thought I was. That was the last straw!

But I'm so happy that it worked for you though! Congrats!

I gave up on this, too, but I do know of several success stories from happy consumers.

Those who want to increase their chances of effectiveness should check out the tips on the page below:

Hairfacts: home electrolysis tips

A couple of things about electrolysis that I learned from reading about it and from my electrologist (I have had a professional work on my face). First, don't mistake new growth for regrowth. Hair (as you know) grows in cycles, and at the time that you were working on one area, not all the hairs were actually visible, they had shed in their natural cycle. So some of the hairs that "regrew", were never treated to start with. It takes 3-4 months generally for all the hairs to show themselves.

Another thing, depending on the method of hair removal you used in a particular area, you may have actually "warped" some of the hair follicles in the past. For instance, if you tweeze by pulling back on a hair, rather than pulling in the direction of hair growth, it warps the shape of the follicle into a sort of curve. Then when you insert the probe, instead of slipping in easily, it sort of has to go round the curve, making it more difficult to successfully treat that hair.

Don't get rid of your One Touch though! I had mine for probably six years with only periodically making an attempt and getting tired of it. One day, you may just get so sick of the hair that ANYTHING is better than the continual shaving, waxing, bleaching, tweezing routine! I did!! :-)

I recently started using one touch. It is quite intimidating at first, but once you get use to the sensation and steady your hand, it goes quite well. compared to epilating, home electrolysis is a summers breeze in the pain department. There hasn't been enough time yet to see if and what will grow back, but I did get the root and the surrounding area (a clear-like membrane around the hair shaft also came out with the hair, and that is suppose to be a successful extraction) I also move the stylet in a circular motion a few times. Haven't had any problems with it bending yet. The buzzer is quite annoying though. I followed some of the tips you had on your site Andrea, a job well done I must say. Thanks a bunch for all the helpful information. You save a lot of people money having them avoid all those tweezer scams. I check ebay and see people paying $300 + from that global supply, it just makes me tear up (only when I epilate, LOL )

another thing I have noticed after using my One Touch is the touchband is starting to become pitted. I assume that is from the salt. I hope that it doesn't render the unit ineffective. Hopefully that is a warraty covered item. They should make replacements available like they do the stylet tips. I have been quite satisfied with the One Touch. It is very easy to use, and the pain is relatively small compared to epilating. I just hope the results are permanent (I know that some hairs are resistant and may require more than 1 treatment) Overall I am a satisfied customer. Ill share my overall experiences so far. About and hour and a half before I start I take 2 ibuprofen, I start by laying out 2 clean paper towels, I have my saline solution, which I keep refridgerated when not in use, I have my tweezers, my cottom ball swabs, and a very bright light over the area I work. Wash my hands first, then apply alcohol over the area I am going to treat. then clean the stylet tip , I completely remove the end piece and clear the entire wire piece with alcohol, and then clean the tweezers. then I begin. When I first start out I kind of fumble with the first few hairs, but then I get into a rythm. It goes rather quickly. I use setting 5 or 6, depending on the area I am treating and the sensativity or hair resistance. I use cicular motion and an up and down fornicating action on the hair. Seems to work best for me. Do not leave the style tip on the surface of the skin for long. If you cannot find the hair shaft rather quickly then move onto another hair and come back. That stylet tip can burn the skin. Afterwards I clean up my skin and the instruments with alcohol. When I shower I use a loofa like spounge on the area, then I apply AHA lotion after my shower. The areas I have treated have cleared up very nicely with no pitting or scarring. Here's hoping the hairs don't return!!

Great report, pish!

The pitting is from the chemical reaction-- same thing that's happening in your follicle is happening where you touch the metal band. Even though it's corroding the metal a bit, it's a sign that you're completing the circuit!

One thing I'd say is to be careful reusing your saline solution. Even though it's salty, there's a chance you can get bacteria growing in there. I'd recommend boiling the salt water on the stove or microwave before reusing it, or better yet, start fresh each time.

One of the most common causes of problems is non-sterile working conditions.

Thanks Andrea!! You're right about the saline solution. it is only 1/2 tsp salt, I guess it would be better to make up a new batch. I am pretty careful when I am treating. I clean the skin with alcohol several times over the course of treatment since there is some white stuff that fizzles to the surface , and I like to clean it away. I had to remove an ingrown last night I found. Not very easy removing a hair that is 1/4in long completely under the surface of the skin, but I managed!

<small>[ July 23, 2002, 07:55 AM: Message edited by: pish ]</small>

pish, it is not a good idea to have the tip touch the skin surface at all when there is a closed circuit. A simple solution to that, which also solves your pitted metal band problem, is to rewire that contact with a long wire with an alligator clip on the end to which you clip in a salty soaked piece of sponge that you then step on with a bare foot to complete the circuit (see www.NoHair.info). This also keeps saline from running down the probe and everything remains more sanitary.

The results will definitely be permanent, when done correctly. Depending on the area treated, you will need to continue treatment over a minimum 3 to 6 month period to cover the entire cycle of hair growth. If treatment is shorter or sporadic, you will get less than optimal results.

That sounds to technical for me. Maybe I will have my husband read it and of course he would have to do the modification. I have been very satisfied with the results so far, and my skin has cleared up very nicely in previously treated areas. I try to treat a small area every other day.

I was reading the instructions of one touch, and it says not to use it on more than 1 square inch of hair in one time... now can you use it on a different area of your body?

Certainly. Just don't apply too much electricity to a small area of your body at once. Your system can take it better if you move around to different areas.

This is my first posting here. I recently bought One Touch and I immediately gave up. I'm soooo wuss... but how can you stand it?! Even just inserting the needle without the electricity hurts!! And, how do you know how far to insert?

I am not sure if I know how to really use this one touch thing. Do you others use salt water (actually mixing it) if so how much. and when you dip your fingers in the water you hold the style tip with the same hand correct. Maybe i wasn't reading the directions right. OH does anyone else's beep right when you insert the tip in the hair. and can someone distinguish the difference between regrowth and new growth? Sorry very new at this, but trying to learn.

Hi wasabi-- sorry you gave up (I did too).

The best way to determine depth is to grab a hair with your tweezers right at the skin's surface and pluck it. Then hold the electrolysis probe next to the plucked hair's root. You should stick the probe in to the depth where the tweezers hold the hair. After a while you get a feel for where the bottom of the follicle is.

The whole thing is a real hassle, which is why I say in every post that I don't recommend it unless you've got a real desire to commit to home electro. It's often faster, safer and easier to go to a pro.

ac1126, keep your fingers off the metal band until the probe is inserted.

The salt water should be pretty salty. You only need a small amount-- a fourth of a cup or so.

The slat water and ther metal band on he stylet complete the circuit, so if you keep your moistened finger off until the probe is in place, the beeping should occur according to instructions.

It's a real pain though. Some have figured it out after some practice, but I found it to be a huge waste of time.

I have another question, are there any recommendations on how to pick a pro electrolysist. I am interested in finding one but dont' know what to look for. Any suggestions. thanks once again.

ac1126, check out the following:

Hairfacts: choosing an electrologist

hello, i got my one touch but it doesnt beep when i insert it into a folicle, am i doing something wrong? im following the instructions properly. i got the older version of one touch with no tweezers included, so im not sure if it is even supposed to beep.

also one touch have come up with a tweezer machine that uses radio frequency. so can they really be trusted? shouldnt they know that radio frequency doesnt work?

this is the link for the one touch tweezer:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ONE-TOUCH-PAINLESS-TWEEZE-BATTERY-TWEEZER-HAIR-REMOVER_W0QQitemZ370093424578

Interesting. They might be selling it not as a permanent hair removal device, but as a way to just "painlessly" tweeze hair (temporarily removing it.)

Of course, electric tweezers are a scam for permanent hair removal, I doubt it would do nothing to make it easier or "painless" to tweeze out hair either; after all, if it worked, why not soup it up and shoot for permanent removal?

The One Touch home electrolysis unit is based on galvanic electrolysis, and can actually work. But, the units are not easy to use, and don't last long. And that probe it uses is huge and only comes in one size, and replacements are expensive. It is hard enough to do home electro with a machine that costs a few thousand dollars (new), and can needles of various size; trust me I know

Now class, remember, the corporate mission is to give an increasing return on investor dollars. All the product has to do is sell well. Radio Frequency tweezer devices don't even make the plucking part easier. At least the galvanic tweezer devices make the plucking of the hair less painful. Radio Frequency doesn't do anything unless it is effected with a probe inside the follicle.

They have to rely on people's wishing for something of a miricle, while doing zero studying into how this could work. Thermolysis only works for permanent hair removal because the radio frequency comes off the probe, inside the follicle, causing the moisture in the follicle to vibrate, heat up, and change from liquid to vapor in an instant, and the vapor shoots up and out of the follicle. This process quickly flash cooks the proteins inside the follicle and allows the full bulb system to be easily lifted out of the follicle. The body caluses over the interior, and you never grow hair in that follicle again. Now how is touching a radio frequency tweezer to a hair and holding it above the skin going to do what I just explained? You don't get better television reception by having a long haired girl touch her hair to the TV antenna, that can only happen with contact with something that conducts a signal, and alas, hair does not. It is an insulator.

The marketing department surveys said that there are many people who don't want to pay for real pro treatments, but are also not willing to learn how to do anything that works. They are also looking to spend money, and the company is going to do all it can to soak up as much of that cash as they can.

is the one touch supposed to beap? because mine doesnt.