I’ve heard of dying hair, too. However, as lagirl says, the hair dye will just color the hair above the skin. It isn’t going to go down any further. If the hair could absorb the dye all the way down to the root, then I would agree. However, that doesn’t happen. So, the blond, grey or red hair will remain blond, grey or red in the root area and uneffected by laser. So, electrolysis will remain the only alternative.
No, I think electrolysis is here to stay…at least until they come up with a new method. I don’t think laser is that method, at least for some people. Almost all of the transsexuals I know still use electrolysis for beard removal (the ones that use laser inevitably end up having to have electrolysis in the end.) I’ve had both, and had an unpleasant laser experience so it’s back to electrolysis only for me.
Thank you real_sore, I just saw your post. I appreciate your kind words.
I read a feature article, “Head-to-Toe HAIR REMOVAL” in the current issue of RENEW (May-June '07), and electrolysis was not even mentioned. Um, surprise! Not.
It doesn’t matter how many editors I speak with about electrolysis - they keep asking the questions about laser and waxing and yawn when I talk about electrolysis.
Is Marshall McLuhan still alive?
Marshall, “The Medium is the Message” needs a tag line:
“Money is the message”.
I too have been mixing laser and electrolysis and just had a nasty laser session the other day and the doctor tried to say my neck looking like a pizza was normal and I would not accept that. Waiting to see how it clears, but that will be the last time a laser gets above my waist.
Hi Nikki:
I hope you told them to hold the anchovies?
I have done both laser and electrolysis. When I had some done on my arm it had a very mottled or uneven discoloration which has since evened out over time. Is that the kind of look you are describing?
Alicia
The members of the local transgender groups seem to follow a similar path. The ones who take the time to listen to those who are done and happy, go straight for electrolysis. Others laugh at electrolysis, ignore the words of those who have been there and done that, pay through the nose for LASER, and then a year or two later are at my door with a sob story about how they did not get what they felt they paid for, or what they were promised. In the mean time, their friends who went straight for electrolysis with me are already finished by then. At that point a different person is laughing.
Hi:
It seems to be one of those things we have to find out the hard way. Most of the people I talk to figure it will work for them, and since they have good initial results assume it has worked. Even when I tell them my own experiences of having tried laser first, they still don’t believe it will be their experience. Once I switched over to electrolysis on my face I never went back to laser, and I obtained the type of clearance I need.
It is probably like when they tell you don’t touch the plate since its hot. How many people still touch the plate?
Alicia
Oh yes, it is exactly that.
For my clients, the ones who do electrolysis first and only, get finished sooner than those who mix. I understand that the average person in the world doesn’t have access to that level of treatment, but it is a regular possibility in the ability of the industry.
I just wish it were the norm, and not something one had to search out with vigor.
No Aliciadarling - nasty bumps and sores. Like bad acne almost. It is finally starting to show signs of improving.
I had just been doing laser on areas where we had not been able to get to yet (I had been going to an electrologist where I could only get in for one hour a week) - we are finally almost finished first clearance everywhere on the face (in maintenance mode in much of it) and should be starting on the neck in a couple of weeks.
Hi Nikki:
I always put some concoction on the teated area afterward to promote healing. I use something with Tea tree oil, aloe vera vitamin E and zinc oxide. Probably a burn medication would help a lot.
I had electro last night and only needed 20 minutes to clear out any remaining facial and neck hairs. Some day you will get to that point too. The neck hair can be stubborn, but eventually it goes away permanently too.
Alicia
Hey Alicia:
I am so very much looking forward to when that day gets here…
I will have to do without electrolysis next week since I will be in Chicago (Be-All Convention) and I am a little sad about that and thinking that will be yet another week before I get all this done.
The sides of my chin have been really evil and stubborn - I am hoping that my neck will be easier (the laser has done some good - some areas have not come back after 6 months now).
I think electrolysis is here to stay. It’s all I’ve had done on my face, neck, eyebrows, and hands. I tried laser on my underarms, but despite being an “ideal” candidate (light skin, dark hair) I still got horribly burned and now have permanent discoloration. Needless to say, it’s electrolysis only for me from now on.
Hi:
As I’ve mentioned previously I started out with laser and after a while found that it wasn’t going to remove all the facial hair I needed removed permanently. I then switched over to electrolysis and it has worked up to my expectations.
The thing about electrolysis is that it takes a long term commitment and patience, especially where the face is concerned.
Sometimes it sems as if you are going over the same area over and over again, and we still seem to have way more hairs than we would like. Eventually though you end up with a few stragglers, then none.
I had my electrologist do my upper lip first, then my chin, then my cheeks and side of the face. The upper lip became my guage that the electro was working. We saved the neck till after we had conquered the upper face, and had time left over. The neck is a tough area painwise to have worked on and the hairs there can be very stubborn.
We need to be patient and persistent to achieve our goals.If you miss a week it is no big deal if you are persistent in maintaining a schedule the rest of the time.
Alicia
Electrolysis does take more commitment, but in the long run it does save time. Too many people, as James pointed out, seek the quick fix way…either via laser or similar. And then they end up with electrolysis, and spend more time than money than they would have had they just gone with electrolysis in the first place.
Hi:
In my case, anything short of full clearance of my facial hair would not have worked.
I came across a 4 year old photo of myself last night where I was wearing foundation, but a beard shadow was evident in the bright sunlight.
Now I don’t wear any foundation and my skin is clear, soft and smooth. To me that is miraculous. It is simply priceless.
Alicia
That is why what I do is so good for the MTF transition. In a matter of a few days (typically 20 hours of work or less) first clearance is a reality and maintenance begins. My average client has smooth skin for 2 to 3 weeks without seeing me from the first clearance.
I wish something simular were available to everyone around the country, but sadly, it is not the industry average at this time.
Just reading the posts all over this site about laser helping, partially helping, not helping or making a problem worse, answers the question, “Is electrolysis on it’s way out?”
I can tell you that laser hair removal has been the best thing for my electrolysis practice, both for positive and negative reasons.
Dee
That is why what I do is so good for the MTF transition. In a matter of a few days (typically 20 hours of work or less) first clearance is a reality and maintenance begins. My average client has smooth skin for 2 to 3 weeks without seeing me from the first clearance.
All I can say is “Wow” - I wish I lived near you when I got started - almost have full clearance on my face after about 40 hours (I was seeing someone for the first 10 that was not helping) next up, the neck.
Not to throw the discussion off…as you both know, I’ve done both and love both laser and electrolysis. But the comparison here is not 100% fair since you’re comparing the skill of a great electrologist with an average or bad laser treatment. There are many posts about post-electrolysis scarring too. The bottom line is that the practitioner skill really matters for both. My point is : I’m sure James is as good of an electrologist as sslhr is a laser operator, however they’re still a minority in both fields.
I agree with you. Unfortunately, it is a minority in both fields that are REALLY Good, and a rare few who are GREAT. That’s why one needs to get as many consultations and sample treatments as possible before giving anyone the contract to be your hair removal professional. I just like electrolysis better as poor work is usually discovered long before it has a chance to be peformed on an entire treatment area, and it costs a whole lot less to find out that an electrologist — how the kids say it these days— sucks. Finding out that a LASER Operator sucks could cost you thousands of dollars.