I have posted a topic in the laser section. Basically laser induced more hair in the upper cheeks area above the beard line and I want to resolve the problem and apparently my only choice is to go for electrolysis.
Because of my circumstances, I have about 9 months to do this. My question is what kind of results I will experience after 9 months if say I will go for clearing the area every two weeks ? I have a combination of fine hairs and thicker ones that don’t leave a shadow when I shave them.
She does electrolysis and IPL hair removal methods and since I had a bad experience from previous treatment of IPL I wonder if I will be in good hands or they are just scams ?
One more thing why some electrologists refuse to treat men ? I had someone who hung up the phone on me ! I would sue her but don’t have the time.
I also saw the skin therapy website and the same thing concerned me. I guess you wouldn’t know without going for a consultation. That’s the most important thing to do at this point - go for consults and see what the electrologists say. They should know what sort of results they should be able to give you in 9 months and it can really vary.
I would be going every week, for as long a treatment as possible, until you reach first clearance if you want to make more progress.
I don’t know why some refuse to treat men… I’ve never heard that here to be honest.
I thought going every week is not recommended for the healing time after each visit ? or maybe I will let her do one cheek and then the another the next week. Is this the best approach ? Also I want the thicker one removed first is it possible to ask her to do this ?
I have a very sensitive skin. I am really worried about the scars or more enlarged pores that look like pitting. I guess I need to go for a test patch to see.
If you can get long appointments and then let your skin heal for a few weeks, then it’s fine. But my guess it that will most likely not be possible to do such appointments here. If the electrologist can space out the work, then it should not impact healing too much. Yes, you can request to clear the thickest hairs first and once they are done, move onto the finer ones.
There are a host of reactions that you can get. The very minimum will be swelling and redness that goes down anywhere from 1hr to longer (a day?). You may scab on the treated follicles. But left alone, these will fall off on their own. The skin will either look normal, or may be slightly pigmented (especially since you are a type IV). But the pigmentation goes away on it’s own too. There are probably more ‘normal’ reactions that I don’t know of.
This is just my personal experience from electrologists I have tried in London but the ones that do blend seem to leave the skin with less healing to do. I had a bad experience with one that did thermolysis but another poster has had more success with her and less reaction. So it all depends on trialling the electrologists. The test patch may not be enough, if you think that went okay, then book a 15min or so appointment to test again. I always say to go cautiously in the beginning until you have built some trust in the person doing the work.
You can aid the healing process by eating healthily and drinking lots of water, especially around the treatment time. The more hydrated your skin is, the better is should react.
When you say my skin might be slightly pigmented which I would rather want to avoid this. Will it last too long like months ? Because I had the same thing with laser which left me with darker pigmentation for 4 months.
It really depends on the treatment, the area being treated and your skin. in my experience, pigmentation on the face is hardly noticeable compared to a body part of the same person. Generally, it’s just around the treated follicle, so quite small. For my sister, who has had thermolysis, the pigmentation has been light and no one notices until you start analysing the follicles closely. She’s also type IV.
Just a general question. Why is it that such an electrologist also then offers IPL? Laser I can understand, but not IPL. It just screams that the practitioner did not do enough research into these modalities.
Unfortunately the people selling the IPL’s will make all manner of wild claims about their machines that some people buy into. I dare say she’s been scammed like a lot of the people who have bought into this and similar technology.
I can understand what you say though when someone who is seen as a competent practitioner is also using IPL, it does make you think.
In this case, perhaps have a consult and short treatment with both, and then decide who to commense with. Making comparisons is always a good idea, when the option exists. You will probably prefer the apilus system, but the skill of the operater is the most important factor. Not everyone gets pigmentation, so dont worry about it yet and hope that you will not be affected at all.
I think there are more in the West Midlands area, do try as many as you can. If you can’t tell enough from the test patch, book some short appointments. I know it seems like a lot of work but it’s worth it.
Apilus is the name of the machine. Thermolysis and Blend are types of electrolysis that machine can perform. Thermolysis is faster.
The full process takes 12-18 months since hair grows in cycles. But the frequency of treamtents and number of hairs slows down throughout that time period. So by 9 months, you’ll have a good portion of the hair removed, should be more than 50%.
Thanks. I will ask the electrologist to treat the thick hair first and the good thing is that they are very sparse as the laser induced the hair in strange places ! Hopefully I will need less time to treat the thickest hair first.
So the Apils is no different from thermoylsis and blend in terms of speed and comfort (post treatment trauma) ?
As La Girl said Apilus is the name of the machine and thermolysis and blend are methods of electrolysis.
All machines permanently remove hair in the hands of a skilled operator.
The difference between Apilus and other machines is Apilus works twice as fast as any other epilator, it is more comfortable for the client and minimum skin reaction after treatment.
I have to add even that depends on several factors (like skill, skill, skill!) rather than the Apilus.
One can be treated with the newest machine and still get scabs that need a month to fall off and red dots that take up to 3 months to disappear. In every. single. insertion. Not just some.
Depending on the practitioner it can also be incredibly painful.
Then you get to watch as almost all hair grows back, at least the first couple treatments. (Not everyone has the great kill rate that some have here.)
But treating sparse hairs should be ok reaction wise.
Always get a test patch if you can and wait for a week to see how it heals.
Yes, I have had one client, who had a very poor apilus experience, due to the lack of skill on the practitioners part.She did not complain about the skin reaction though, mainly the fact that the procedure did not seem efficient, and few hairs were removed. This did not happen locally, she had this treatment overseas.
One of my favorite analogies for this equpipment thing is this:
If you got to race an Earnhardt, but you got the Formula One Racer, and he got an 1986 Yugo GV, you would be winning the race until you crashed and burned the formula one racer. Meanwhile, the 3 stroke stick shifter with the lawnmower engine and bicycle tires rolls past your wreckage to the finish line.