I had my first electrology session today on my lower legs (I had a test patch done on this area 2 weeks ago).
Maybe I’d just like a reassurance that this response is normal. I tried to take as close up pics as possible in proper lighting but they didn’t turn out as detailed as I’d like.
The test patch done two weeks ago looks basically the same as the areas of my legs I took pics of. And, per my electrologists suggestion, I have used witch hazel/aloe on the test patch since then to speed healing.
The post treatment bumps look essentially the same as the ingrown hairs that were treated today and on the test patch (all the electrologist treated so far were ingrowns with finer/dark hair stuck in them following LHR).
Is this the normal reaction? Is the reaction worse (and test patch slow to heal) because the spots treated were ingrown hairs? What is the max time before my skin should fully heal?
My electrologist used witch hazel following treatment. She uses an Apilus (thermolysis)machine, has been in practice over 25 yrs and is a prior instructor so I think I’m in good hands. I asked her about healing time for my test patch and treatment today and she said everyone heals at different rates but didn’t elaborate.
I looked at your photos and it doesn’t appear that there is a problem with pustules which may be an indicator of minor infection. So far, so good. And sounds like your electrologist and you are doing a good job.
From what I’m seeing, it reminds me of a histamine reaction; this happens quite a bit especially after a waxing session on the legs. Little red bumps such as these can be a result of the trauma to the hair follicle and the body’s reaction to the irritation of the hair being removed. This reaction usually lasts from a few minutes to a few hours with no lingering sign.
As most of us have experienced, the skin on the lower leg tends to lack the moisture required to give it the ‘stretch’ it needs to facilitate a hair being removed without resistance, especially a hair in the telogen phase. This dry skin also tends to be ‘hardened’ at the surface, again lacking the suppleness to allow a new or broken hair to break through the surface of the skin without becoming ingrown. I’ve seen the tips of broken hairs literally split into a fork trying to come through the skin without success.
This lack of moisture, irritation and histamine reaction can also apply to electrolysis. Heat with thermolysis and lye with the blend can cause the irritation in the moisture-deprived follicles of the leg. Overtreatment can go beyond the histamine reaction and produce small crusts. Small wounds can also be created by unroofing ingrown hairs. If kept clean and moist with Aquaphor or other semi-occlusive moisturizer, most of these will heal without incident.
I do not agree with this statement, the presence of scabs is not a sign of overtreatment, it is a side effect that most of the time we can not avoid.
Probably you will develop small scabs and you may think that your electrologist has been overtreated in the area, however, I also see an impeccable job in your leg.
Give a big hug from me too.
Let me make one thing very clear here: The presence of small scabs NOT MEAN THAT THE AREA HAS BEEN OVERTREATED.
Thank you all for your informative and quick replies :).
Linda - So, from my understanding, since the bumps are caused by a histamine reaction to the trauma of hair removal, is it likely that my skin is just having an unusually strong histamine reaction given that my “test patch” bumps have been there over 2 weeks now? At what point should I maybe get concerned if they dont fade away and see a dermatologist? A month, etc.?
Thank you for your response as well! I won’t be overly concerned by the small scabs I am getting here and there and I will try not to accidentally remove them in the shower.
Do you agree with Linda that the bumps are caused by a histamine like reaction? If so, how long should I wait for them to disappear before seeing a dermatologist for treatments/suggestions as I’ve had some for over 2 weeks?
Yes, of course, I am absolutely agree with Linda. I stressed this point because the issue of the crusts is a recurring theme in Hairtell and this great concern to readers.
I see no reason why you need to visit a dermatologist. There are some people more sensitive than others to histamine, and they will have greater inflammatory response, but this is not serious, uncomfortable, yes, but serious, no.
Look at the legs of this woman a year after receiving electrolysis on lower legs…
and now look at the response of her skin, immediately after Electrolysis.
Thanks for taking the time to post those pictures, very informative as I now know firsthand what a typical response should look like and so I wont worry about it. And that is close to what my legs look like (except that my bumps are more scattered, with some being more red than pinkish in color like the pic and others being flesh colored).
Given the histamine connection, in addition to the witch hazel and pure aloe I put on my legs (don’t use tea tree oil/products as I’ve had reactions to it - overly sensitive skin), maybe I’ll try a bit of benadryl following electrolysis.
My electrologist gave me a sample treatment/after-care cream called “M’Lis tissue repair cream” - I didnt want to go too crazy with the post-care but maybe I’ll give it a try. I was impressed that she wanted me to try a free sample of it before shelling out $20 or so for a small bottle.
I searched the net and on hairtell to see if anyone had any feedback on M’Lis but couldn’t locate anything. I’m hoping it won’t do any harm at least as it appears to have all natural ingredients…
You really don’t need to do much of anything post treatment for your legs. Soap and water is okay when you shower. Expect this kind of reaction for leg work. After all, tissue was damaged and it will heal with time. When the peaceful environment of the underworld of the skin is disturbed, this is what normally happens. It all heals fine. Relax and don’t fret. Too many aftercare products can actually delay healing and make things worse.
I will never understand the distress and urgency of electrolysis clients when they see such a reaction as this on their body areas. It is really okay from what I have seen in your photos, which were are a little blurry, but passable. Small scabs on the body are almost a given. If they show up, don’t pick them. Let it run the course and they will fall off as the tiny wound heals from the bottom up.
I cant speak for other Electrolysis clients, but I think for me one of the main reasons I got distressed was due to mis-information out there on electrolysis and what to expect post-treatment.
For instance - Before my first electrolysis session this past Saturday I went for consults with two electrologists (one consult was impromptu as I did a drop in so she didn’t have time to do a test-patch). The first electrologist I saw (the one who I ended up going with) did a “test patch” 2 weeks ago on my leg. When I went for the impromptu consult with the second electrologist 5 days later, she claimed the “test patch” should have been pretty much healed by that time, was concerned it wasnt and asked what I was doing for aftercare. When I told her I was using witch hazel and a bit of aloe she said that was good but maybe not enough for me and suggested I may want to look into some aftercare creams specific to electrolysis. I didnt have time to ask her what creams she was referencing. Maybe the second electrologist was just trying to upsell products she offered and put doubt in my mind about the other electrologist. I dunno.
Also, my already sensitive skin has gotten even moreso for one reason or another after I was diagnosed hypothyroid 5 yrs ago (ie; I’ll break out in dermatitis after using household cleaners with certain ingredients whereas I used to have no issues). So, sometimes I’m not sure if a skin response I’m having is normal or not.
I do know that the pics Josefa posted in this thread were really helpful to me so that I could finally see what a post-treated area of skin will likely look like and what NOT to worry about. Maybe I’m bad at website searches and there is already a stickey post I didn’t see that had at least one pic of a “normal” skin reaction to electrolysis. But, if there isn’t such a stickey perhaps a main contributor to the site could make one with pics like the ones Josefa put above? Maybe it would be helpful to others…
I notified Andrea and James about your request in the last paragraph. That sounds like a great idea.
I don’t sell aftercare products. I have a stock of peach or medicated witch hazels and occasionally, if a client asks, I will sell them a bottle. Same goes for lavender tree tea oil that I stock. I am on the side of those that don’t want their clients going crazy with creams and ointments. I do like white petroleum jelly or Aquaphor though. Depends on the situation.
In my opinion, five days is not enough time for a body area to heal and look normal. I tell my clients to expect scabbing for the body areas for more thn a week. The face is wholly different. I want my people to give me feedback that all looked very good in less than a weeks time. 99% tell me all went back to normal within minutes, to hours to three or four days. Those that say they had bumps or small pinpoint scabbing for a week or more causes my bunny ears to stand up straight. I make adjustments and that helps.
From what I saw, all looks normal in your case. I know that you know that we are entering territory below the skin’s surface with a thin piece of metal and then punching a tough enemy with electricity. We need to target the hair making machinery of the follicle, even though we cannot see the target. How on earth can we possibly avoid any redness, swelling, bumps or perhakps, pinpoint scabbing? We all do our very best to customize energy levels for each individuals needs and we keep alert to what works well and what doesn’t work well. Go forth with this understanding. Electrologists have to do the balancing act with every single client, so give feedback if you don’t understand some things, just like you did here, and all should settle nicely in the end.
Thanks again for all your assistance in this, much appreciated as I know you and all the other professionals on here have actual clients to take care of!
It is very good to know that body areas aside from the face take longer to heal from electrolysis - I always assumed the opposite to be true for whatever reason.
I will definitely share any concerns/feedback with my personal electrologist in the future, I didn’t realize that treatment was so individualized.
Yes, I agree too. There should be a thread devoted only to describe the temporary side effects of the Electrolysis. I hope this does not take the same path as the thread of the FAQ (a project that never saw the light). I’ll open the thread of side effects, but I’m not the most appropriate, it is a pity that the text will be full of grammatical errors. Finally, if no more of my colleagues are encouraged, I will try to use as few words as possible.
