I went in for my first electrolysis treatment today and I just wanted to write about my experience on hairtell which has been such a great wealth of information to me while I was doing research on how to remove the troublesome hair on my upperlip. I am asian with dark hair and I tweezed for the first time in high school and occasionally tweezed and waxed since then (about 4-5 years). My main method of controlling the hair was bleaching which worked fine but it can get to be kind of a pain. I’m also going abroad in about 3 months so I wanted to get rid of what I could before then.
My electrologist (CPE) uses a Hinkle/Henkle (?) machine with (in my case) gold needles. She refuses to work on the upperlip for longer than 15 minutes as a precaution and I liked that. I really wanted to start off slow because of horror stories I’ve read about pitting, scabbing, hyperpigmentation… Maybe it’s due to it being my first time but I did find the process to be pretty painful. And I felt multiple plucking sensations. She explained that this occurred because it’s my first time and the bulb is bigger than the pore. She told me that during future sessions I will hardly feel a thing. Oh and she also said with absolute confidence that I will not be getting any permanent side effects. That was pretty reassuring to me because the scariest thing for me would be eventual scarring or pitting.
After the electrolysis, she wiped my upperlip with aloe vera containing tea tree oil extract and suggested I avoid witch hazel because it is very drying for the skin. My lip was red and a bit swollen but that disappeared within the hour. Unfortunately I was in the sun for a bit while running some errands. Hopefully that doesn’t cause any permanent negative side effects.
Six hours after electrolysis, I took a warm shower and did not wash my face with cleanser as I normally do. I wiped the area with the same aloe vera/tea tree oil stuff my electrologist used. And an hour later, here I am writing about it all. My upperlip is slightly red and splotchy, maybe because of the shower steam. Also, can anyone give me some advice about what to do before bed? I read that I should dab the area with neosporin or witch hazel. What would be best? Also I’m going to a party on Saturday which will largely take place in the sun. I will definitely wear sunblock, but would there still be risk of hyperpigmentation at that point?
All in all, I’m pretty happy with the results. Obviously I can’t say if it worked yet. Only time will tell. My second appointment will be in three weeks (my electrologist’s schedule book was pretty packed). Hopefully my next update will come then because that would mean nothing horrendous decided to pop up on my upperlip and I’m too busy not worrying about unwanted hair.
Her explanation of the plucking sensation is legit, and it happens (speaking as someone who has been worked on and has worked on myself.)
I’d put some of the tea tree gel on your treated area before bed.
Your next treatment will probably not be less painful per se, but I found you can develop more of a tolerance for it over time. If the pain is distressing, you might want to ask her about using a topical anesthetic such as EMLA or LMX cream. Do communicate your concerns about pain to your electrologist!
No Neosporin. Witch hazel is not too drying for the skin as it contains a small percentage of alcohol, between 14% and 20% usually. If hyperpig happens, it will fade, but do all you can for about a week to protect your newly worked on area.
I am a real fan of newer epilators. Her machine is older and it is not surprising that she can only work on you for 15 minutes. I’m glad she is excercising caution here - I would too if I had an older generation epilator.
I might also point out that sensation during treatment is adversely affected by use of caffeine products (it hurts more) and would require 72 hours caffeine free for best results, but a minimum of 24 hours without caffeine to reduce the pain.
Internal hydration is also key, as most americans are actually dehydrated. (The average client I see needs to almost double internal hydration to be healthy) Lack of sleep also plays a role in sensation, and of course, most Americans are missing 2 to 3 hours sleep a night.
Bulb is bigger than the pore? That bulb is squishy enough that accurately placed current would prevent the plucking sensation, in my opinion. The plucking sensation is not from the hair coming out of the follicle, but is from the hair being yanked from the follicle while still firmly attached. Traction is another thing…
Dee is correct - witch hazel has a small amount of alcohol and is not drying as higher percentages of alcohol would be. The action of witch hazel is from the witch hazel which is an old remedy to reduce swelling and inflammation.
The sun might affect you after a treatment…don’t be touching that skin!!! Something cool, like one small ice cube in a clean wash cloth every few hours…or using witch hazel.
Congratulations! You are going about this in a good way - and on your way!!!
If most of the plucking sensation she felt was in the area of the upper lip, those bulbs can often be both larger than the follicle shaft, and crowded out by the close proximity of other hairs which have to be moved during that moment of extraction, thus causing a pinching sensation. This would tend to be less frequent, to non-existant in future, as the number of hairs per square centimeter reduces, and the crowding is relieved.
I believe you should take your treatment more seriously especially if you’re getting facial work. Sun exposure & hot steamy showers are not condusive to good healing tactics. Something on treated areas is important at all times. My personal technique leaves no feeling of tent or traction. Distraction methods are many in the art.