Electrolysis is the only permanent hair removal treatment suitable for all skin and hair types, employing a small probe inserted into each unwanted follicle to disable its ability to produce more hair follicles and grow new ones.
Treating every hair in your growth cycle takes multiple sessions over an extended period, typically lasting a year or longer.
What to Expect
Electrolysis is a permanent hair removal method with proven success, using heat or chemical energy to destroy each individual unwanted hair follicle permanently. A fine probe is inserted into each follicle before its destruction by applying heat or chemical energy directly onto the epidermis. While electrolysis treatments may be uncomfortable for some clients, its intensity depends on both your pain tolerance and where on your body they’re being done; some experience a burning sensation while others feel plucking or tweezing-like pain while at Reyuva we minimize pain by infiltrating local anesthetic into our clients’ skin prior to beginning treatment sessions – so no worries there!
Some individuals may experience adverse skin reactions during or after their procedure, such as redness, itching, scabs, blisters and dryness. Reactions depend on each person’s individual sensitivity as well as equipment used and strength of current applied to hair follicles (higher currents increase scab formation chances and scarring risk). It’s important to keep in mind that these reactions should resolve themselves within several days and should cease completely after a couple days have passed.
If you have sensitive skin, we advise using a gentle cleanser containing salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide several days prior to an appointment in order to minimize irritation. Also important: it’s wise to avoid waxing, shaving and depilators prior to receiving treatments; drinking plenty of water on and after treatment days also helps facilitate skin healing faster; additionally sunscreen use can lower chances of hypo- or hyperpigmentation caused by treatment procedures.
An average treatment can last 15 minutes to an hour and typically requires multiple sessions in order to permanently destroy all hair follicles in an area you wish to treat. As each person’s hair grows at different rates, your electrologist can give an estimate as to the total number of visits necessary depending on both your hair growth cycle and desired results.
Choose an experienced and licensed electrologist when selecting an electrologist to perform electrolysis for you. Get advice from friends, family, and coworkers before conducting some research before selecting an electrologist. Focus on needle electrolysis – which is the only permanent form of hair removal. Avoid establishments advertising electrolysis but using electronic tweezers or lasers instead; make sure they have full certification with an active license as well. Finally, request a consultation prior to scheduling an appointment so you can meet them better and see if they’re the right match for you.
Preparation
Electrolysis is the only permanent hair removal method approved by the FDA. During an electrolysis treatment session, an ultrafine probe is inserted into each unwanted follicle without puncturing skin surface. Electrical current travels through a probe to the hair follicle base, where it destroys it permanently before being extracted using tweezers, leaving behind an area free from hair growth. Treatment is very precise and can be administered to any part of the face or body, such as eyebrows, upper lips, lower lips, chin, neck, shoulders, arms and underarms, breasts, abdomen or bikini line. Furthermore, it has proven highly effective at eliminating all hair colors and types, and in removing thick dark growths known as “hirsute areas” caused by Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
Electrolysis can be time consuming due to having to treat each hair individually. Furthermore, it’s a fairly expensive method since multiple sessions may be necessary in order to completely rid oneself of unwanted body hair.
Before beginning electrolysis sessions, it is crucial that you work with a licensed and experienced electrologist. Ask friends, family and medical professionals for recommendations to find one. Many places provide free consultation visits for prospective clients where you can ask any questions you have about the electrolysis process or expectations as well as observe facility operations including cleaning/sterilization protocols used by your electrologist.
If you are particularly sensitive to pain, it may be beneficial to take an over-the-counter pain reliever prior to attending your appointment. Some individuals also opt for topical anesthetics in order to reduce sensation. Some individuals even find that with each treatment session attended their sensitivity to discomfort decreases over time.
Soon after your treatment, it is likely that the area will appear red and swollen, making moisturizing vital in helping keep it as healthy and hydrated as possible. Also avoid sun exposure for best results; any tanning lines could make this worsen the reaction.
Increasingly red treatment areas could indicate either an allergic reaction to the treatment, or that over treatment has taken place. If this occurs, electrologists will adjust needle type or current settings in order to reduce discomfort or irritation and provide more space between insertions in order to minimize discomfort and irritation. Once comfortable with their electrologist, most individuals should start seeing results within weeks to months following initial treatments; it is also beneficial to schedule maintenance treatments every three to four weeks as routine preventative maintenance.
Treatment
Unwanted hair can be an annoying problem. Many seek hair removal solutions such as electrolysis and laser hair removal in hopes of finding permanent relief from unwanted body hair.
Electrolysis is one of the most permanent hair removal treatments, employing needle-like electrodes inserted into each individual follicle in order to destroy its ability to produce new hair growth. Following an in-depth consultation, your electrologist will design an electrolysis plan specifically tailored to meet your needs.
An experienced and licensed electrologist will use electrolysis probes that are specifically tailored to the skin type, color and texture of their client to ensure optimal results. Treatment times typically last anywhere from 15 minutes up to one hour per session.
Electrolysis treatment causes a temporary stinging and burning sensation as each hair is treated, but your tolerance for pain varies, with certain areas being more sensitive than others – for instance women often experiencing increased sensitivity when on their periods. A small over-the-counter pain reliever taken 30 minutes prior to your appointment will help minimize any discomfort you might feel during this treatment process.
Electrolysis can be applied to nearly every part of the face and body, including eyebrows, chins, upper and lower lips, jaw lines and sides of the face, breast and underarm hairs, abdomen bikini lines legs backs etc. Additionally it works well on people of all skin types and hair colors and safe for pregnant women.
Electrolysis sessions vary depending on each individual; typically 10-14 treatments should suffice to rid an area of hair. Each hair has three phases of growth – anagen (growing), catagen (transitional) and telogen (resting). Therefore, you must attend your appointments on schedule or it could recur again as planned. Failure to attend appointments on schedule could result in your hair returning its original growth cycle.
At your initial visits, numbing cream such as lidocaine or BLT will likely be applied to the area being treated. Your electrologist can supply these numbing creams and advise which will best meet your needs; application should begin an hour prior to each treatment session. Your electrologist will also recommend which cream may work for you and provide instructions on how best to apply it – all designed to make sure that treatments go more quickly while minimising potential side effects like redness, swelling or blisters which typically resolve over time – these symptoms being fully normal and will dissipate over time!
