I was just wondering if someone could tell me if my clinic is on the right track or if I should be done by now?
I have been getting electrolysis done for 5 months(about 11-12 sessions) on both my upper lip and chin, with full clearance each time(three 45 minute sessions in the begining and now 20-30 minutes each time). The clinic uses short wave thermolysis, galvanic and blend (although I am not sure which one the technician is using on me). I have been going every two weeks pretty religiously and following all after-care instructions(never tweezing or anything but occasionally trimming long hairs). I am a little frustrated at this point though because although the hairs are much finer on my chin there are still quite a few and I don’t seem to be seeing any progress in stopping the growth, since 10-15 hairs grow in on my chin every two weeks. The upper lip is lessening but the hairs were very fine to begin with, just dark. I am mostly worried about my chin.
I know that electrolysis is a long process but I am feeling a little discouraged as I am a student and I have spent a little under 1000 dollars so far and I’m not seeing a speedy end to the spending.
Should I be looking for another clinic or should I just be patient for a few more months?
I’ve been geting my back, shoulders, upper/inner arms and neck done for 15 months now (started 3/31/08). Roughly $22,000 spent on 250 hours of work to undo all the induced hair I have/had from some bad IPL treatments. I’m positive it’s working because it takes 1/4 the time that it did about a year ago to clear my entire area . I think(hope) I’ll be done at the 24 month mark.
I am getting the same areas done but you are about 2 months ahead of me. Did you pluck before? Did you have coarse black hairs? If so, do you get these anymore?
I am a poor student too so I feel your pain, but I figure there’s no way out of it and it’s worth the money to me to feel good about how I look and not have to spend time worrying about unwanted hair.
It takes 12 months of treatments, so at 5 months, you’re almost half way there. Keep in mind that you haven’t seen all the hairs show up yet. It takes at least 9 months for all cycles of hair to show. So a lot of times you’re seeing NEW hair in the next phase of growth.
The fact that the hair is finer is a good sign. How quickly did the hair grow in before? Did the growth slow down a bit? Are the treatment times decreasing at all, or you’re always going every 2 weeks for 5 months now. At this point, your treatments should start getting a little shorter and a little less frequent.
Please ask what method is being used on you.
Also, do you have a medical reason for your growth? Are you on any medication for it if you do?
Do you feel any plucking during treatments? Do hairs slide out without resistance after being zapped? How many electrologists did you sample treatments from before committing to one?
hey again. I am going again in two days so I will definitely ask which method they are using on me.
I have definitely seen a reduction in hair, and most are finer although not by an enormous amount. I have been plucking or waxing for over 10 years now so I was wondering if that could make it harder to fully remove the hair. They were very very coarse to start with. Maybe I just never realized how many hairs I had.
My sessions have started to be about 10 minutes shorter recently and the tech can go to much more detail during that time. So I guess progress must be happening. Although I am still going every 2 weeks, although she keeps telling me soon I will only have to come once a month or even less to clear the area. I hope that is soon
I probably feel a slight plucking feeling 40 percent of the time. The tech usually pulls slightly to test the hair then “rezaps” the folicle or repositions the needle. Although even after this it sometimes still feels like a pluck. What should I do if I feel a plucking feeling?
I didn’t try any other electrologists since this one came so highly recommended. It is Hairless NYC clinic if anyone knows it.
oh and I do not have any hormonal reasons for the hair and I am not on medications that would make it grow. I am italian and I guess I have just always had 10 -15 dark coarse hairs on my chin and a thin yet dark shadow over my lip.
YES, plucking for such a long time has made your hair strong and resilient, so that’s part of the reason this will take some patience. But from everything you mention, it sounds like everything is going right.
YES, you have more hair than you realize because at any point, you only see at most 30% of it above the skin’s surface. So 15 hairs is actually more like 45 hairs. What you’re doing now is going through each hair cycle and killing hair in each one. It takes at least 9 months for all the hair to cycle through.
You probably know what plucking feels like from doing it in the past. There is definitely resistance. It’s not abnormal to have to zap some hairs a few times to make that perfect insertion so that the hair slides out easily. Also, don’t confusing plucking feeling with a thick coarse hair with a bulb coming out of a narrow follicle. There may be a little resistance, but it should not feel like normal plucking you’ve done before.
Where was this clinic recommended? Here? I would still check out a couple others just to compare things. You can’t possibly know how fast or slow or good it is without trying a couple others. Have you been to Arlene in Queens who’s a contributor on this forum?