Lots of people can't get past the hairs treated per minute thing but this isn't always a good indicator of how quickly you're going to be finished, kill rate is what matters. Everyone wants value for money but don't be blinded by hairs per minute. Blend is going to be slower than thermolysis (flash) per hair. Not all machines can be used to perform flash and practitioners who don't have machines that are capable of doing it properly will diss this method. As a result it has a less than favourable reputation which isn't deserved.
With thermolysis (flash) follicles can be treated in fractions of a second rather than a few seconds. Usually with most hairs, specifically beard hairs more than one pulse will be needed to disable a follicle first time. This can be done but it isn't always the case with every follicle certainly not with beard hairs, they are bitchin!. If a practitioner is telling you that every hair will require more than one treatment find somewhere else. If they are telling you hairs can only be treated in anagen find somewhere else. If you can feel plucking when a hair is removed once the follicle has been treated find somewhere else. You may feel the odd pluck once in a while but you shouldn't feel many. You may feel some gentle tugging but this should only be when a hair is being tested to see that it has been treated properly. If a hair doesn't slide out of the follicle without resistance it has been treated properly. When I tweeze a hair after it has been zapped I am initially testing it to make sure it has been adequately zapped and in the same movement assuming it has been I will lift it away. If it still feels attached I will hit it again. In some instances it still won't release. You'll hear excuses for this such as distorted, curved, even corkscrew but the bottom line is the follicle has been missed if only by a tiny margin. It happens, electrologists are only human and as such we are not perfect in every insertion. No surprises when you think about and understand what it is that we are trying to do...
In my own experience thermolysis is way more comfortable than blend. Each pulse will generally be around .1 of a second and not more than .26 even in an area like the chin where hairs are tough! Each pulse is controlled in intensity and time by micro processors so each pulse is exact. You CANNOT do flash by randomly dabbing the pedal and hoping you don't release too much energy, it's a recipe for disaster. Some unscrupulous poorly informed irresponsible practitioners still do this and think they are doing it properly, steer well clear of these people if you value your skin....
Injectable anaesthesia does make the experience easier but with a good machine and operator it should only really be necessary under the nose. This is the beauty of a modern machine, it will greatly reduce sensation, allowing for longer appointments and ultimately as a result a shorter time to completion. Something else injectables do make possible is a quicker way of working. Ordinarily it is sensible to treat just one or two, sometimes three follicles (on the face) before the hairs are removed. This gives very short little breaks between each follicle and makes treatment more tolerable. With injectable you can treat a greater number of follicles before you remove the hairs, this speeds things up assuming that the follicles are being treated properly. It will be difficult to for you to assess your treatment under the influence of a local so make sure they know what they are doing before you commit to a lot of appointments, perhaps ask to watch using a small mirror. This shouldn't be a problem for the person doing the work depending on area and it will allow for to make sure they aren't plucking. Plucking isn't electrolysis in any degree, it's simply separating you from your money under false pretences....
It's not the scar tissue that stops further growth. Growth will be prevented by destroying the follicle itself and the cells within it that work together to produce a hair. It's not just about destroying the root and it's blood supply, if only! There exist within the follicle cells that will repair it and allow it to produce another hair and unless follicle destruction is complete this is what will happen. If a follicle is only being targeted at it's base you can pretty well guarantee another hair will emerge. This is why with flash more than one pulse will normally be required to ensure a thorough treatment of every follicle. Blend is different because it works in a different way, it's a chemical reaction with a degree of warming to make it more effective, Flash is just heat. The heat isn't the result of the needle getting hot, avoid anyone who thinks this is the case because they don't know what they are talking about. The heat is generated as a result of the atoms in the moisture in the follicle becoming excited and this is what generates the heat.
Even to this day arguments abound between electrologists, specifically about what happens within a follicle and it's structure and the best way to kill one. Loads of them still think it's an open pocket in the skin with the hair only attached by it's root, this is Way off. Doctors aren't the best people to consult about electrolysis, come to that some electrologists aren't the best people to consult either. It's a nightmare finding someone who knows their stuff and is good at what their job description suggests that they do "permanent hair removal" Beauty salons aren't the best places to go for this service. you'll hear things like "I've got 20 years experience" break this down though and this can equate to 15 minutes every other day, sometimes less, once a week, often less, sometimes more treating vellus hair or the odd hair on someones nipple or chin. The rest of the time they'll be doing nails, facials or worse still waxing or threading which in some cases on the face will make the hairs more prominent and stronger over time... Find someone who's familiar with treating male beard hairs and ideally go on recommendation from someone who's either finished or well on their way to being so.
Flash is just as effective as blend when done properly. Electrologists without the capability, knowledge or machine will not share this information with you, why would they... I spent a large amount of money on a machine that is capable of doing all modes of electrolysis but I don't use the blend modes or the galvanic, they are almost surplus to requirement. I had to pay for them to be included on the machine because without doing so I wouldn't have been able to get a machine that is capable of the advanced modes of flash.
A hair is merely the fruit of a follicle. Obviously it's the thing we're trying to get rid of but this is best done by focusing on and understanding the follicle, what it is, how it works and how to destroy one.
Some good information here:
pulse-electrolysis.co.ukTwo recommendations for electrologists here in this thread:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,130837.msg1057430.html#msg1057430Good luck with treatment
