I’ve been meaning to add this for some time, and just posted a similar report under another topic.
I’ve had a lot of electrolysis over the last few years. I’ve stuck to thermolysis (or diathermy) up 'til now.
I’ve been increasingly worried about the lack of skin structure in the treated area. My skin seems to have lost some of its elasticity and ‘plumpness’. It’s not exactly ‘wrinkly’, but there’s a distinct undulation there.
I suspect this is due to the heat used in the thermolysis damaging some deep skin tissue. The good news, is that it’s recovering slowly, and I can get some deep treatment to help fix it even more, but I’d thought I’d write this to warn of possible dangers of too much thermolysis.
Thermolysis is good, as it’s fast. If you don’t need that many hours to clear an area, it’s probably ideal!!
(Hairs get tougher as you get older, so you need more zaps! And, if your hair is dense you need more zaps per inch.)
I’ve switched to blend, now, and I can report that although it’s much slower (and in my salon, is more expensive!) it causes significantly less side effects.
Raised bumps go after 1 hour
Redness and swelling go over night
Also, I suspect that it causes less deep tissue trauma, and has a higher kill rate. (At least, that’s what I’m hoping!!)
Yes, overtreatment is much more likely with thermolysis, I think. My own skin damage was from overtreatment with themolysis. It’s especially easy to cause problems with the skin around the mouth and around the eyebrows.
Telltale signs include dimpling and creases.
That’s why finding a very good practitioner is the most important aspect of your treatment.
Your right with Thermolysis it is easier to overtreat! Blanching and scarring can occur with an untrained electrologist. I have had numerous clients come to me with pitting and dimpling over the years and it just sickens me. I myself perfer to treat with the Blend method its slower but very effective. Thermolysis is a quicker way of removing hair in a larger area. It’s also effective if performed correctly. You don’t need to hear popping sounds for it to be working. Example: I’m treating a man 69 yrs young with Therm. on the lower neck he has had no area between the beard area and chest are and has many ingrown hairs Doctor has sent him to me and I’m using Therm. to clear the area and then will switch to the blend we are having no problems and the skin reacts well.
This is a perfect example of how Thermolysis requires the most skill to perform well, or put another way, thermolysis is least forgiving of practitioner errors.