I have some questions about electrolysis and also need some advice. I started developing some facial hair on my cheek when I was going through puberty. At first I didnt mind it and would either clip it or shave it (bad advise from cousins). I have had it and am ready to get a permanent treatment.
I went to my first consultation last week and the lady did not explain anything and went straight to work. She did not take the time to explain anything and wanted to charge me $28 for 30 minutes. I dont know anything about her credentials and she just told me that she has been doing this for 9 years and uses thermolysis (spelling). She took me to the back of the houses and applied some solution to get my cheek numb.
I looked around on this site and found that there is a certified CPE in my area (clarks summit,PA). I called that location and found that the setting is in a professional setting and the fact that she is CPE made me comfortable.
Some of the members posting here have CPE after their name and it convinced me to try the new place.
Just a quick question…I have been plucking/Shaving for about 2-3 years and would like to know how long will it take to remove the hair for good?
Alos I am originally from Afghanistan and have a tan skin. Will Electrlysis cause any permanent damage to my skin? Should I get a laser treatment?
Btw-thanks to everyone here, I learned alot about hair etc.
Shaving and clipping the hairs doesn’t cause any negative side effect, although plucking does.
The price she is charging is between average to a little on the low side.
If you are getting full clearances each and every time, you should be able to clear the entire area in 9 to 18 months, however, if you have something that is making new hairs grow (like a hormonal imbalance, drug interaction, side effect of artificial sweetener use) then you will continue to recruit new follicles to grow hairs, although at a slower rate, like 3 new hairs every 3 months, until you get what ever problem in check.
Electrolysis is the Gold Standard of permanent hair removal. When properly done, you should have nothing but an absence of hair. A little irritation and maybe even temporary swelling is normal, but scabbing doesn’t need to be a part of the equation unless you are doing bodywork. You just need to find the best available person to do the work for you. We suggest that you get a sample treatment with everyone available in your area before settling in on one person, as the difference between practitioners can be as far apart as the grand canyon.
Thank you for providing assistance in this matter. I will take your advice and will set up an hour appointment with the first person I went. By browsing this forum, I managed to educate myself about about the whole process.
I called up the lady and she told me she uses Apilus machine. And based on what I have read in the forum, this seems to be one of the best machine out there.
Thank god I do not use any legal or illegal drugs and artificial sweetner. I will wait and see if I have some any hormonal issues.
The electrologist you saw, ideally should have gone through an informative consult explaining how electrolysis works and aloowing time to answer your questions. Her prices are low, but should be if she is doing it in a back room at her home. You can do better than this, I’m sure. I think it is extrememly unprofessional, bordering on rude, to commence treatment with no consultation.
Your cousins advice was good. Shaving and clipping are the best temporary measures until you get fed up with the daily chore of disguising hair and finally decide on a permanent solution.
Electrolysis is the gold standard. The only thing that can hope to come close to electrolysis is laser hair reduction, which in itself is fabulous for SOME areas on SOME hair structures on SOME hair colors, on SOME skin colors. Electrolysis works well on All areas, on ALL hair structures, on ALL colors of hair, on ALL colors of skin. Both modalities work well if you choose a skilled hair removal specialist who uses the best equippment for the job at hand.
I am a real fan of the faster forms of electrolysis, such as the modes labled as microflash and picoflash, for example. All manufacturers of epilators have their cutesy and catchy names for these thermolysis variations, by the way.
You need to get several consults if you cannot get a personal recommendation from some friends. You should expect a consult and a sample treatment be done. Most don’t charge for the initial consultation, but some do. The amount should be minimal if they charge. Get a short treatment and see how it feels and heals. Feel FREE to ask your questions, too. You are the paying consumer!
I live in Scranton,PA and I dont have any choice when it comes to selecting a certified (CPE) to perform electrolysis.
The lady that I had mentioned does have Apilus machine (according to her website) and uses thermolysis. I did find another location that was listed on this form and will give her a call tomorrow.
I am hoping to find someone who can give me some results.
Your situation is not good for laser. Stick with electrolysis for this area. Laser is best for coarse dense growth such as on bikini and underarms.
That’s a good price. Make sure to go in as soon as you see new hair pop up. That way you’ll be done fastest and keep the area hairfree the entire time you’re getting treatments.
You probably don’t have hormonal issues unless you have extreme growth. How many hairs are we talking about here? Women of your ethnic background tend to have more facial hair than others, so it’s not abnormal unless it’s extreme. If you do want to make sure it’s not hormonal, you can see an endocrinologist.
Thanks for the advice-the only thing is that I am a male(lol). 100-150 hair on my left cheek and about the same right side. I am going to take some before pics and when I am done then I will post them.
How often should I see this lady? I am so glad I found this forum,I thought I was the only one with this issue.
If you have only 100 to 150 hairs per square inch in the treatment areas, you would have a thin hair growth, for a man. Pretty easy work for someone like me. I hope you can find something good and get it done. You should be able to get first clearance soon, and then easily maintain it from there. Most of the guys I work on have 250 to 500 hairs per square inch going on all over their faces.
Since you’re a man, I wouldn’t even bother with checking for hormonal issues. That’s pretty normal growth for someone with your ethnic background.
Just realize that if you have 100-150 VISIBLE hairs, you actually have around 400-500 hairs since some area dormant and not showing at any one point.
You should schedule your treatments so that you can get your first clearance asap, i.e. all visible hair gone. And then come in every time you see new hair pop up to kill it while it’s weak, which would normally be every 2 weeks to start and will decrease to every 3 weeks or every 4 weeks with time.
I love you guys and ladies ofcourse for giving me the good news.
Some of the hair is noticeable but I only plucked them few times and most time I just clipped them with scissors.
I have not shaved-clips my beard for a 1+ week.and the hair are back…Some of them are very thick (plucked) and some of them are dark but not very coarse.
I have my first appointment tomorrow…I am so happy for the good news…before joining this forum, I did not even know what electrolysis was or if I had any option of taking care of this nuisance.
Just a quick follow up LAgirl…you said that I might have about 400-500 hair. I have not shaved or clipped any of them of the visiable hair on my cheek. Are you telling me that I have more hair which could start to grow at any given moment?
A CPE does not necessarily assure you that the person will have the best equippment and skill. It does not assure that the office will be clean and that sterilization and disinfecting practices are adhered to. I know of many non-CPE electrologists who are well-trained and well-educated who can run circles around one who is initialed as a “CPE”. So, do not base your search on someone who is a CPE only. Check out everybody and use your instincts along with any knowledge you gain from hairtell about how the best electrologists run their business.
I just came back from my first session and I must say it went well. I did ask some questions about her background and the type of machine she is using.
She is a CPE for the last 9 years and went to school in FL.
The machine she used was called “Apilus Senior.” Is this a good machine? She performed thermolysis on both sides of my cheeks.
I am no pain at all but, my left side looks red and swollen.
I was hoping she would finish both sides in one hour but, she said it will take another hour to finish up. I did not take into consideration thin hairs that were on the both cheeks. The areas that she did go over looks very clean-even the most thinnest hairs are gone.
I am going in this Saturday for complete clearance.
Today I had another session with my CPE and it went very well.
I was expecting to get a full clearance but she said I would need another hour to clear up everything.
She even removed some of of the most thinnest/lightest hair on my cheeks…I guess this is why it will take 3 hours instead of the 1 hour I had expected.