I’m a 19 year old girl who has suffered from facial hair since age 12 on the upper lip and chin and a small patch on the neck. Soon, I will be going to have my hormones tested to see if there is an underlying condition- and if not, I am thinking of going ahead with electrolysis. Most of the women in my family are hairy, however they have all been able to conceive just fine, have regular periods, are not overweight, etc.- just the same as me, which is why I’m not sure it’s a hormonal problem and maybe just genetic. For the past few years this hair has been consuming my time, efforts, and giving me a terrible self esteem although it is “not that noticeable” to anyone but me. I just want to be rid of it.
I’ve been waxing/tweezing for the past few years, and all of the hair on my face is fine hair- blond, to light brown, to dark. Most of it is lighter, but there are a few really dark hairs which I would be most concerned about getting rid of first. I am a college student so working electrolysis into my schedule would be difficult, but a challenge I am willing to take on… my questions are: is it obvious that the process is being done? ie. is there any way to avoid irritation/redness when going in for weekly treatments? I have sensitive skin so I am very concerned about this. Secondly, for the areas I have mentioned- does anyone have an average time frame it would take to clear them? Again, I don’t have anything close to a full grown man’s facial hair- maybe, at best, the facial hair of a boy just entering puberty, the peach fuzz type. I have heard it may take 9-12 months, and that is a commitment I am willing to make if the results will last. . Does hair ever grow back with electrolysis? What about scarring? I have been searching for electrologysts around my area and found one but cannot find any reviews. I am very concerned about getting an experienced practitioner who will get the job done in as little time as possible and with no damage to the skin so I am wary about going to a practice with no reviews I can find. Has anyone had electrolysis in the pittsburgh area and could recommend a place? Thank you so much for your time and your help with this… I’m dreaming of the day I can wake up in the morning and not immediately pull out the tweezers, when I can feel comfortable in the sun again and take long trips without worrying about this CONSTANTLY…
edit//
Also, I forgot to ask- can makeup be worn after getting an electrolysis treatment- concealer , etc.?
Hormonal conditions are hereditary too. So it could be both. Doesn’t hurt to get tested
You can get electrolysis regardless of the outcome of the tests. If you do have an issue, you can just get a touchup once in a while later in life for any NEW hair that develops due to this condition.
It will take abotu 12 months to complete treatments after your first clearance. You’ll probably go once a week or so at first and then slow down to once every 2 or 3 weeks. It won’t take that much of your time overall.
The hair doesn’t grow back once the follicle is disables with electrolysis. But your body can develop NEW hair, so you may need a touchup, especially since you’re only 19 and you’ll be developing more hair into your late 20s.
Where are you located? Maybe we can recommend someone. Also, check out the tips we give for finding electrologists in your area. Get sample treatments and see how your skin reacts. Settings can also be adjusted to make sure there are no side effects.
I’d just like to add one thing. Women can develop new facial hair all their lives. Not just in their 20’s. In my 20’s I may have had 3 on my chin, 0 lip. Now in my 40’s I’m following in my mother and my grandmother’s, whiskers on my chinny chin chin (and now lip), footsteps. I’m so not looking forward to menopause!
I am located in the pittsburgh area (around carnegie mellon/living in squirrel hill) I found one place that is called yahr electrolysis… it says they use a “Computerized Blend Method” and pre sterilized disposable filaments.
so, would it be better to wait until later, when MOST of the hair i’m going to grow will be there? I don’t mind a few stray hairs that can be easily taken care of, I just want to get rid of the bulk of it for now and not have to worry about constant upkeep. touchups are ok … Cost is not an issue, I work two jobs and have saved up a lot of money - I just don’t want it to be a waste. of course, working the procedure into my schedule when I have classes and work will be difficult- how long after it’s done does redness usually last? … would I be able to have it done and go onto class or work within the hour without it being noticeable? then again, if it’s a little noticeable or can be covered up I don’t mind so much so long as the hair is going away!!! Thinking about the future, if I’m going to do this- this year would be the best time as I will be going abroad next year which might make it difficult so I think this might be the best time, I don’t want to let this run my life anymore.
also, I’ve read so many conflicting reports… waxing/tweezing? does it actually INCREASE hair growth? I’ve been doing it for years, I feel like my growth hasn’t changed much at all- it’s just that i’ve become more concerned/attentive to it. And laser, I’ve looked into this too, but it is not recommended for fine hair right? The last thing I want is stimulated hair growth, there is not a risk of this with electrolysis is there? Thank you so much for answering my questions this is such a great forum, and if you can provide and referrals for the pittsburgh area that would be amazing!!
It is best if you get as clear as you can NOW, as it will be easier to maintain a clear face if you need only remove the few hairs that are coming in as time goes by.
The place I am looking into uses computerized blend method… I called and asked about pricing… they said “95 dollars per hour” … is this a reasonable price for electrolysis? I asked about magnification, they said they use surgical loupes and that the blend method is gentler on skin and less likely to cause side effects like scabbing etc. . is this true?
I am going in for a free consultation soon but just wanted to see if all this sounded OK so far.
For a place like Pittsburgh anything under $100 is a bargain!
Surgical loupes are better than circle lamps. I would hope that their lighting is halogen, and better yet, delivered via fiber optics, but good work can be had without that.
Scabbing has more to do with skill than modality, and one can have scabbing with blend, thermolysis and galvanic, for that matter. Body work tends to scab more than facial work though.
Is there any kind of average for how long these areas take? Like for my upper lip, chin, and a bit of the neck … would it take more than 30 hours for all of those? I’ll go to the consultation and get an estimate, the hair is sparse and fine on the neck and a little on the sides of my face so I wouldn’t mind if they just “thinned” it as opposed to completely clearing in those areas, since it would still look natural… I don’t want to spend any more money than I have to.
Time it takes depends on many variables, however most clients are finished with in 9-12 months. Severe hair cases can take as much as 18-24 months to complete.
Thanks for all your answers and support. I find, now that I’m closer to actually taking the steps to going through with this- I’M SO SCARED! I find it so hard to talk about my facial hair… jeez, I haven’t talked about it to ANYONE about it- EVER- actually, and I think I do a pretty good job at “taking care of it” so that no one would even know I had a problem… that’s a lot of work though, and terrible because I still feel like people are staring anyway, even though I have to get about a centimeter away from the mirror in bright sunlight to see little, short hairs growing in that I’ve tweeze… I leave the are under my chin untouched since it’s all blond and fine, as well as my sideburn area… and my chin I left untouched for many years until recently… So I think getting this done now- before I make the problem worse with further tweezing would help, right? But I’m so scared to actually admit this problem to anyone… let alone go in, show my face, and talk about it openly. I know, i’m sure electrologists deal with it all the time- I just can’t believe I’m so worried about it! It’s been a secret of mine for so long i’ve just been mortified of revealing it.
agh! also… still no answer, how soon after treatment is it ok to wear makeup? what about working out? (assuming, that is, that I can stop being so self conscious and actually make myself go in and get this treatment started!!!)
Ok great… I thought it might be helpful to post some pictures…i’m sorry to be asking so many questions
the hair on the side of my face as i said i have never removed…the picture of my chin (sorry about the acne! blech) is a a days growth… looks like stubble but would get longer like the hair on the sides of the face… and the part of the upper lip there is not substantial growth at all but I’m thinking of forcing myself to leave it a few days jsut so see how much there is … the upper lip is where most of the dark hairs are concentrated for me…
For these hair structures, be sure to find an electrologist that is comfortable doing longer appointments and who has a great vision aid. Surgical loupes in conjunction with a good light source, like a halogen or LED light, will allow her/him to see those light hairs. You will need several thinnings over 9-12 months. The faster forms of thermolysis will speed this along. Modalities like MicroFlash or PicoFlash thermolysis are awesome. I don’t know what other manufacturer’s call their modalities that are 1/1000 flashes. Maybe other electrologists reading here can fill us in. PicoFlash (1/10,000) is the domain of the Apilus Platinum or Pure to date. Anyway - speed is an important factor to consider for this amount of hair, but other approaches/strategies will work as well. We electrologists are all different.
I personally do not see a complicated case, get a good electrologist and launch your project. You’ll be happy in the end.
It seems to me like you have very little hair. Have you been shaving until recently? Or how long do you pluck everyday? I am treating my whole face but I have dark hair and a bunch of coarse hairs on my upper lip and chin from plucking. It seems to be manageable with an hour of electrolysis a week although more would be ideal to get cleared faster. I have never had a full clearance of all the hairs I want to remove on my face yet. But you have less hair so you would probably require less hours.
I have been plucking/waxing. I wax my upper lip which stays clear for close to two weeks and use a product called epicare which plucks out multiple hairs at once for my chin… There are maybe 9 or 10 hairs on my chin that grow out dark but, once plucked, the dark hairs usually stay away for at least a week.
So, would you be able to give an estimate for how much time would be needed… I was thinking 1hr per week to start out , would that be enough to get a first clearance within 3 months? The electrologist I found uses the blend method but seems to have sufficient magnification (surgical loupes)… can machines that do blend also perform thermolysis? of course, I will want the method that the electrologist is most comfortable with I think.
Also, thank you for the name of the electrologist you provided on the other post. She seems great! I am trying to work out if I will be able to go to her, but unfortunately I am a student (without a car) and public transportation would be about an 1 hour each way so I’m not sure if I will be able to work it into my schedule.
If their machine can do blend, it can do thermolysis. Depending on her equipment, she may be able to offer newer, faster forms of thermolysis (flash, microflash or picoflash) which are faster.
also another question- would it be more time/cost efficient to start and focus only on some areas first (ie. the upper lip and chin) instead of treating all the areas at once?
Yes. Once an area is fully cleared, you can move on to the next area. Keep every area that is fully cleared, MAINTAINED. In other words, everytime you go to your regularly scheduled session, the electrologist should go over the cleared area and get any NEW GROWTH that is coming forth. If you are a hard core tweezer, you should be seeing your electrologist once every 1-2 weeks for about 12 weeks to catch that new growth so you are not tempted to take up tweezing again! You can’t tweeze ANYMORE while having electrolysis or you are wasting your money!
Concerning one of your statements above, hair that was removed by tweezing last week does not grow back in a week. The hair you are seeing on your chin is hair that was tweezed 8 weeks ago and is cycling through once again. ELectrolysis cuts off the nutrition supply that a follicle needs to keep hair growing. That is why electrolysis is superior in comparison to all other attempts to permanently remove hair. Laser works well for obtaining a certain percentage of reduction for certain hair structures for dark hair, but electrolysis will disable any hair structure, any color of hair on any color of skin.
Almost every client I treat comes comes for one or two facial areas, ususally the lip and chin, and then they get addicted, so to speak. After these are areas are cleared, they ask if we can start another area. Soon we are working on five areas in one sessions. Just stay focused on the area that bothers you the most and move forward to the next area when appropriath. THe words for the day are CLEAR and MAINTAIN… CLEAR and MAINTAIN…CLEAR and MAINTAIN until there is nothing to clear and maintain. This has always been a good plan for removing hair. Eventually, you will run out of bothersome follicles, meaning, your finished! Mother Nature then dictates whether you will develop new hairs as you age, so don’t throw away your electrologist’s contact information! You may need some quick cleanups later on.
