Looking at the photo, I wonder if this is another form of post-inflammatory-hyperpigmentation (PIH). PIH can look different on varying types of skin. With your skin it could be that the “pigmentation” is more red than brown? The color should fade with time.
Your skin appears to be very delicate - have you ever used accutane, retin-A, or any other prescription acne product in the past? It does sound like you are treating your skin well.
Your photo is really good. The photo still doesn’t allow the individual electrologists here to see what the extracted hair looks like so that we could each determine what our (different) protocols would be for you. We might suspect that there is some high frequency blow-out going on from your description of the sounds you hear and most would change the epilator settings to avoid that.
yes that was very helpful, thank you for taking the time to reply
Barbara! my skin is, in fact, very sensitive. My derm put me on a
course of accutane back in december but I was only on it for 1
week (it made my hair fall out like crazy) After that, I used
Benzoyl Peroxide daily until 2 weeks ago. I’m thinking that, maybe
the BP caused the PIH because it has been known to make red marks
last longer (i don’t know the exact reason). I have stopped the BP
as I’m opting more natural/organic products to use on my face now
that the acne is under control.
My hair is fine virgin hair, I’ve only ever trimmed it. I would
be okay with it if it wasn’t for the abundance and length of it.
My electrologist goes veeeeerry fast IMO, (compared to another
one I went to who did 1 hair/10 seconds in thermolysis) she does
about 3hairs/10 seconds. Is this what you guys are used to
doing? She has a surgical microscope though, and the other one
only had a magnifying glass of some sort, so maybe that helps!
Idk, she is also treating my “treasure trail” and after 3
clearances the hair is almost all gone and there isn’t really
any traces of PIH, so maybe her skills are fine but my face is
just extra sensitive w all the prior products used on it.
Thoughts?
I will have to agree with your last statement, dep. It is clear, what hair you want removed. I can see it off to the side of your face. Your skin is very delicate right now, probably due to the medications you were using to control the acne. Can you give things a rest and clip the longer blond hairs for now?
yes, definitely. how long do you think i should stop for? will the break affect the future treatments negatively in any way? (will i have wasted my money? or did i get some permanent hair removal? i have a hard time understanding the whole concept) because i’ve been told i had to go every week until first clearance, and i haven’t acheived first clearance yet… but i definitely want to give it a rest and let my skin heal for now.
Future treatments should not be affected. Any follicles that have already been treated will either have been killed or weakened. The areas will probably go back to looking how they did previously as the next stages of hair growth come through, so it may not look like anything was done or has been changed, but it has.
If “I” were doing the consultation for a client with facial hair growth such as yours, first clearance is NOT something I would mention. The type of hair you have can be successfully treated by thinning and thinning the hair until you have reached a level of satisfaction. When you are done, you really don’t want to be completely denuded of the hair, as that can make your skin look “waxy”. I don’t know if your electrologist brought up the first clearance, or if you got the term here on hairtell, but it’s like an “insider” term. “First clearance” is really for a different level of hair problem - as in beard-like hairs. I’m not saying your hair growth is unimportant, but that it is a different level or “grade” of hair growth.
Your skin looks EXACTLY like many of my clients who have been on accutane. The hair varies - as some have super-fuzzy short hair and others have accelerated vellus like yours appears to be. This skin is very, very delicate and must be treated so. I want to avoid any sounds with the current, as those sounds often mean high-frequency blow-out or other skin blasting (in other words, too much current reached the surface). Electrologists use many different techniques that work. The length of time spent per hair should not be of concern to the client, as we all TRUST that the electrologist is working to the best of their ability.
You might take a break for a month or two. You will have permanence for the hairs that were treated…they just weren’t all treated yet. Clipping with scissors will enable you to feel confident by hiding the hair.
I really like your post, Barbara and I heartily concur with you on everything said. You beat me to the point I was going to make about thinning as opposed to first, full clearance. Peach fuzz is a different animal or concept, if you will. It must be thinned, as you will never get a first, full clearance in an acceptable time frame, if ever at all. Keep thinning until you can achieve the look you like. You don’t want to look like a piece of plastic. Some soft hair is normal and very attractive. Aiming for total hair removal for this kind of hair is not necessary.
I will work on Accutane patients, but I use insulated probes and go very, very easy. I judge this case by case. Have never had any problems.