questions about electrolysis

amother ↓

Sun, Dec 20 2009, 3:45 pm

Can anyone enlighten me about electrolysis please?

I am considering doing it for my lip and brow. Some questions:

-About how long does the process take? and If I want to speed it up can I go every day or its the type of thing I have to space it out?
-how painful is it (compared to waxings)?
-Does it really not grow back?
-expensive?
-can I tweeze/wax while I'm in middle?
-were you happy with results?

basically now I am just getting it waxed, but its starting to become a real pain in the neck, I have to go so often as it grows back so fast. so I really want to do something more permamnent, and I think laser is too much out of my price range.

any other info would be a great help, thanks!.

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Dec 20 2009, 5:38 pm

It is not something you can do everyday. You have to wait til the hair grows in again. You can't tweeze in between I was told to cut. Upper brow is painful but you can get a prescription for Emla. It does grow back it depends how dark or often on the person. Some hairs I've been working on for years, some disappeared right away. My hair wasn't dark enough to do laser. It cost about $20 for 15 minutes and I go about every 5 weeks but some people go more often.

proud_mama

Sun, Dec 20 2009, 7:26 pm

Ive done electrolysis in high school, I started with once a week for half hour, then every 2 weeks, then once a month, less and less often, until I now go once every like 5 years for my eye brows and lips, only for a hair or two, I cant even remember the last time I went for the brows and lips. But, a few years ago, I started growing a beard - really I found a few hairs on my chin, from hormones I guess, I keep finding more, so now I am going a few times a year, whenever I sprout my beard!! But there is a cream you can get a prescription from your dermatalogist for-its called emla, its a white cream, you put in on an hour before you go for electrolysis and cover it with saran wrap, and it numbs you, I used that when I was in high school and had that extra time, now I just go.

YALT ↓

Sun, Dec 20 2009, 7:29 pm

I used to do electrolysis.
I stopped when I became pregnant with DC#1 and haven't put myself back in gear.
But I can tell you that it definitely worked.
I do still have about 20 hairs that come back, which I tweeze when they come.
I have thought about going back & doing it again for those few more.
But I can tell you that no joke - I had a full beard, mustache & peyos.
It mainly started when I went for a waxing. She pretty much covered my whole face in wax, and 3 weeks later I looked like a man.

The trick that worked for me, was alternating between dif. women (possibly bec. they had dif machines)
I clearly saw that when I'd stick with just one woman/machine, it would slowly stop working.
But when I'd switch to a dif. woman/machine, it would start clearing some more.
The last time I was at an electrolysis was almost 4 years ago. And I can count how many hairs still come up on my chin & peyos area. Always ibn the same spots.

My mustache, honestly didn't work as well.
It's def. lighter than it was, but the hairs are there. But THAT really hurts. Emla didn't work for me, but there was something that helped, however I can't remember what it was.

You should NOT be tweezing in between sessions. if need be, better to shave. Tweezing ruins the whole thing.
Normally, the electrolysis will give you a little lesson before the first session about how it works. The hairs grow in cycles. Not all at once. You need to catch the hair at the beginning of the cycle to kill the root. If they get it at the right time, it won't grow back. Although sometimes a root does need to be killed 2-3x. The best is to go every week. Then they can work on the new hairs right away.

One of the major problems with people who find it failed, is that either they shave or they want the elec. to work on the hairs that show out the most. aka the long hairs. aka the ones that are already past the beginning of growth. which means it will def. need another treatment for that hair.

SingALong

Mon, Dec 21 2009, 3:35 am

I did electrolysis on my upper lip towards the end of high school and after 2 years of consistently going as needed I am pretty clear there and have been since then. (its 10 years later.)

my chin had different results. I did a little electrolysis on chin at that time, didnt need much. years later, with pregnancies,hair grew like crazy there, I waxed, things got worse,finally went back to electrolysis. after 2 kids. I need to go every 2-3 weeks for 3 months till a saw a difference. now I tweeze here and there but I really need to get back to it. (its so painful I dread it, even when I use the cream.) I do wonder if laser would work but my hairs are too light I think you need deep black for laser

↑ amother ↓

Mon, Dec 21 2009, 5:34 am

Thanks so much for your replies!
It sounds like it really takes a while, like a few years. I feel like it's so late for that, (high 20's) I should've started this when many of you did- in high school. oh well too bad I didnt think of it then.

I'm just trying to understand s/t- during the time I'd be doing it, I wont be able to look good b/c I'll be hairy, is that what it's like? and I have a lot of hair by brow and mustache, and its dark. So I would imagine it would take long.
I can't imagine how cutting the hair there would work, I'm sure it would still be visible.

↑ amother

Mon, Dec 21 2009, 5:37 am

rivk241 wrote:

I did electrolysis yearls ago- its very painful and everything grew back - I am doing laser and I recommend laser over electrolysis any day.

is it much more expensive? about how much do you pay. (eyebrow and mustache). and does it work the same like electrolysis- that you have to go a bunch of times and during the whole thing, you cant tweeze or wax?

I had thought laser was totally out of the question for me,(pricewise) but if it really is much better I might reconsider.

Thanks!