questions from a newbie

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
1

I just had electrolysis for the first time a week ago (areola area), and I’m left with some questions that I’m hoping you helpful folks can answer.

One week later, the scabs I developed look the same. My practitioner had said these should only last a few days… is it normal for scabbing to persist this long? Anything I can do to speed the healing?

What’s considered an average or good speed of hair removal? My practitioner removed about 40 hairs in 15 minutes.

I still see hairs emerging from some of the scabbed areas (> 10%), which I’m assuming means they weren’t successfully removed. Is this typical? Is electrolysis less effective on more fine hairs?

Thanks for any advice!

2

  • Are you using aftercare? You should be applying witch hazel during the day and tea tree oil at night to heal faster

  • What method of electrolysis is being used? Speed depends on that among other factors. For blend, this is fine.

  • If there is hair coming out of the exact same spot (can be very hard to judge), then the hair may have broken off on the way out. It can happen sometimes, but if it persists on most of the treated hairs all the time, the technique is not good.

  • No, electrolysis removes fine hair perfectly well. It’s actually easier to kill than coarse hair.

3

Thanks for the answers. No, I hadn’t been advised to use anything for aftercare :frowning: I’ll go pick up some witch hazel and tea tree oil now! No sure what specific method of electrolysis was used…

4

You should also make sure you’re not feeling the hair being plucked. It should slide out without resistance after it’s zapped. We recommend to try 3-4 electrologists to compare things. That’s the only way you can judge who is good.

You can ask them about the method and name of the machine. Method is either Thermolysis, Blend, or Galvanic.

5

Scabs can be visible for up to two weeks. I’ve never heard of it being longer, but it varies from person to person AND even from time to time. You can speed up the healing by using witch hazel immediately after the treatment. Using a lotion can soften the scabs so they will slough out quicker.

The number of hairs per 15 minutes will vary according to the modality and techniques used by electrologist. The important thing is that the area be cleared using effective techniques and modalities.

The hairs that you see coming out of the scabs - are they blunt or stubbly? If you had not been shaving or cutting the hair in that area - and the hairs are blunt or stubbly, then that could indicate that the follicles were not properly treated. The hairs in this area usually grow out of the skin from different angles but appearing to be from the same follicle. If hairs were broken off during treatment, then you might see the blunt or stubbly hairs. If the hairs you are seeing have a soft tapered end and are perhaps curlicued within the scab (and not broken) then they could be coming from untreated follicles - of which you should expect to see.

Electrolysis is effective for any type of hair.

Best to you!

6

Thanks for the advice, LAgirl and Barbara! Good point about trying different electrologists to compare. The hairs emerging from the scabs appear tapered, so I guess they were untreated!

7

Tea tree oil overnight usually heals these type of things quickly. Aloe Vera also aids the skin in getting back to normal.

8

Thanks James - I’ll try both!

9

“You should also make sure you’re not feeling the hair being plucked. It should slide out without resistance after it’s zapped.”

I had a question about this a couple of months ago about the electrologist I was going to, and I mentioned that the hair was being sort of plucked. I mean, she’d pull until the hair came out after treating it. I didn’t know what to think. Some have told me because some hair follicles have a thick bulb below it. It didn’t feel like the hair was pulled without resistance. So, who’s right? I could ask the electrolysis, but how will I know the truth?

10

GirlHair, You imagine that your electrologist will not use tweezers to remove the treated hairs. Imagine that she / he uses his fingers do you think it would be possible? If not, maybe it’s time to change hands.

11

The test for if your hair is being plucked, or if the hair is simply popping out is what you feel when the hair comes out. If you pluck a hair without treating it, you feel the hair being ripped out of the skin. That h urts. When a treated hair pops out, you only feel the skin moving out the way like popping a pimple. Th ere should be no pain from the skin ripping free from the blood supply, and the only thing you should feel is the skin moving out of the way.

12

Ok, now some of the scabs have started falling off, and left in their wake are reddish-purple spots. Is this typical?

Also, I have a little crater left where the biggest scab was (and I didn’t pick at it) :frowning: I’m guessing this may mean that the treatment was too strong there? This was the only hair removed on the areola itself – does the skin color affect response to electrolysis?

As advised, I think I want to try out some other electrologists. I counted about 120 hairs around each areola, most quite fine. What method of electrology would be best for this?

13

I find that blend is best for this area because a lot of hairs are deep. Thermolysis didn’t work on me on this area, but blend did.

You may be getting overtreated if you’re having such strong reaction. You should bring this up with your electrologist so she can adjust the current.

Are you using aftercare? Witch hazel during the day and tea tree oil at night.

14

Thanks, LAgirl. I started using aftercare after posting this thread and getting the information to do so, but it was already a week after the electrology visit :frowning: