electrolysis

[xchristine]

I just had some electrolysis on my face for the whites...
And it didn't hurt.   The hair came out with a root attached...
Is this normal??

Was expecting electro to be really paonfull to hurt. 
It was on a apilus blend machine.   

Please school me on electro please...like how do I know like
How can i tell its working or if I'm being ripped off....

Everything and anything related to electro ladies ...

[Flan]

I'm pretty sure the pulled out root included is normal but not sure about the painless part. The tech might not have placed the probe deep enough to affect the root which should come out pretty easy once cooked to proper temperature.

[Jamie D]

Christine, you can check out the "Hair removal" board too, in the Beauty section

[JennX]

The key is to ensure not just the root, but the entire root sheath (clear jelly sock) surrounding the lower part of the hair, is completely removed along with the root itself. The cells located in the middle of the root sheath are the germinative cells that stimulate hair regrowth. Hair growth is not caused by the cells located at the base of the root. So just because a hair is removed intact with the root attached, doesn't mean it will not regrow. You want to make sure you inspect the epillated hairs to see both the root, and the clear root sheath wrapped around the lower third, completely unbroken. This is the best way to make sure it won't grow back.

If performed properly, pain should be little. Especially with the Apilus.

[warlockmaker]

Just had my first electrolysis for white facial hairs in a 1/2 hour session (thanks Flan). There is a degree of pain buts it was well within tolerence, like you, I was quite suprised, as I had heard so much about the pain factor. There is a consistancy to the pain which is easier to manage than with Laser where the pain fluctuates and there are the moments of higher pain (even with the Light Sheer). We were chatting as she did the work  and she does pull the hair out. She showed it to me - yes there was the root and what seemed like as sheath - will  ask on Friday as I will go again.

[xchristine]

I am trying a new electroligist on Thursday

Although I forgot to ask what tech ..
Does it matter much in mtf?
What is the most preferred method?

[warlockmaker]

After my first treatment my TS friend went on and on that it had to be Thermage as thats the only one that will work with MTF. I thought that all electrolysis methods permanantly removed hair, I think the other is Blend- I will ask my electrolysis lady on friday and revert. She said it was something about male facial hair roots being much deeper???

[JennX]

After my first treatment my TS friend went on and on that it had to be Thermage as thats the only one that will work with MTF. I thought that all electrolysis methods permanantly removed hair, I think the other is Blend- I will ask my electrolysis lady on friday and revert. She said it was something about male facial hair roots being much deeper???

There are 3 modalities or methods:
- galvanic
- thermolysis
- blend (combo of the above: DC current + heat)

Blend is the most effective at permanently removing male facial hair. And yes, male facial hair is the hardest to remove... along with male genital hair. Most electrologist have never attempted it, so you want to find someone that has perfected their technique first. Don't be their first test case.

[xchristine]

Unfortunately where I live I am lucky to even get an electroligist
And I don't want to spend ffs savings for flying to Vancouver. 
Other option is to take a bus. .also these travels would include
Over nighting. 
So one few hour session will cost in the multiple hundreds.

And I have no choice. It's my work has me tied here..
That is what I wanted to know is how can I tell if the
Electroligist is doing it right??

[xchristine]

What I'm asking for ..and maybe I'm not being forthright enough

What is the exact procedure.. does it rake more energy than female
Face hair?
How many times should the electroligist hit the peddle for
Each hair??

The one I seen in kelowna I think she hit the peddle three
Times . Is this normal? Also it seemed like it graduated every
Time ...
I maybe stuck with electrlogist who is not heavily experienced.
In mtf electro....
I need to know exactly How it's done ..every little detail .
In case I need to talk it over ....

[warlockmaker]

Let me take you thru what I experienced - i am not sure which system but I think it Blend. It's a pen like instrument with a very fine needle linked to a machine which controls what the Blens system does. Unlike laser they will need to see the hair so no shaving for a few days to let it grow. She will work on a area of maybe 2" by 3" on your face at each sitting (1/2 hour). I felt a needle and then a elecrrical current - both the prick and the current had a distinct low pain level. Compared to laser it was a consistant pain where in Sheer laser I used to get the occassional high pain with thicker hairs. I found this consistant pain more comfortable to deal with. But the pain is always there as she moves from follicle to follicle and I can see how this would bother some people. She asked me if I needed a rest from time to time but I chose to just continue. The after effects were similiar to Laser, reddish and some minor swelling if any.

[Theo]

Reading through the responses I'm rather envious... In my case it is blend, and we need at least 2 impulses at full strength per hair (i.e. just below the threshold when scarring is to be expected), in some cases up to 5. The follicle reacts picture-perfect at the 1st impulse, but the hair simply refuses to budge. Luckily I don't have a lot of beard growth, but my electrologist has stated that she has never encountered quite so stubborn hair before (she's specialised on transwomen, so not her first time to encounter male facial hair either...). HRT has changed nothing.

The longest session we ever did was 2 hours, right at the start. It literally took months before we could go anywhere near the area again. Typically we manage sessions lasting 30 minutes to 1 hour, about once a week. Any more than that and my skin blows a fit. On the upper lip we only worked with anaesthesia from the dentist, i.e. me getting injections just before the session, with the skin recovering after about 1-2 months. All other areas are only treated after I covered them in an anaesthetic cream, but even then we learned the hard way that once the pain reaches a certain threshold we have to stop (the aforementioned "skin going berserk"-effect); at least the recovery time is lower, as we only do every 2nd / 3rd hair, and not a full area such as on the lip. At this rate it may take a while. Light coloured reddish-blond hair can be a bit of a mixed blessing. 

[xchristine]

Just finished my session....she stayed she never did mtf hair...
And it's an apilus with flash technique...she said is better than
Blend since it "flashes" to the root.  It took usually two beeps per hair and
I felt the root come out with everyone..
Flash hurts also...tolerable...but it's a "shocking" experienc...

I believe I have found my electroligist at 65 an hour...
And she is fast....really fast...

[Alaia]

I just started electrolysis this past Monday. I'm a natural blonde with some red in my beard so laser isn't really a good option. For me, electrolysis is painful, but it's manageable. I find the tension in my body will naturally build up from the pain and anticipation of the next hair to be zapped. What helps me is to mentally calm my body down and to focus on taking deep, steady breaths. While I'm doing this I'm almost in a meditative state. Mentally I acknowledge the pain as being natural for what is happening to me, and then I dismiss it.

Doing that works pretty well. I'll get snapped out of it sometimes with hairs that hurt particularly more than the others she's done. It's strange how some hardly hurt at all and others make me wince from the pain. So far we've only worked on my neck area. I'm not sure how that compares in sensitivity to other areas.

[xchristine]

Mmm I'm sorry about the pain you experience
I have naturally black hair...
So I did do 5 face laser sessions....full face..
Hence...I was prepared for some sting...

I can't wait until my next time off to basically
Go in 2x a week for full face clearings....
But i can go only for 2 weeks st a time...

I'm so convinced to put away dolars away every month
And fly for some e3k.....or even James walker....
But I'm doing it with the lack of resources in my little
Hick town