Mixed Regimen

[AuroraSophia]

Hi all,

Ive just started my facial hair removal journey.. happy to say that the person that ive gone to have the work done, is really experienced and clears a pretty large area fast. but ive got 2 questions..

firstly, the person recommended doing both electrolysis and IPL. After electrolysis, she clears the rest of the face with IPL. now, heres the issue, after my session, my hair grew back instantly.. but i was expecting that... what i wasnt though, was that most hairs became ingrown. after my first shave, my cheeks and neck was a mess... does this mean that i should not do anymore IPL and just stick to electrolysis or is this to be expected and persist with the treatments?

secondly, after the session, my chin became red and swollen. now the swelling subsided after a few days of applying the cream she gave me, but the area is still reddish-pink. its been 4 days since my treatment. is this normal since its the first treatment? how much longer will the redness persist? is this something that i should be worried about?

Many Cheers ^^
Aurora

[Sophia Sage]

Hi all,

Ive just started my facial hair removal journey.. happy to say that the person that ive gone to have the work done, is really experienced and clears a pretty large area fast. but ive got 2 questions..

firstly, the person recommended doing both electrolysis and IPL. After electrolysis, she clears the rest of the face with IPL. now, heres the issue, after my session, my hair grew back instantly.. but i was expecting that... what i wasnt though, was that most hairs became ingrown. after my first shave, my cheeks and neck was a mess... does this mean that i should not do anymore IPL and just stick to electrolysis or is this to be expected and persist with the treatments?

secondly, after the session, my chin became red and swollen. now the swelling subsided after a few days of applying the cream she gave me, but the area is still reddish-pink. its been 4 days since my treatment. is this normal since its the first treatment? how much longer will the redness persist? is this something that i should be worried about?

Many Cheers ^^
Aurora

First, I don't think there's any solid evidence that IPL yields permanent hair removal.  This could likely be a waste of time and money, and could make future electrolysis more difficult. 

When having electrolysis, always make sure that you feel the zap, but not the hair being removed, or it's not being done correctly. 

Second, yes, redness and swelling is normal after electrolysis, especially early in the process when there's a lot of density of coarse hairs.  To help that, limit what you put on your face for several days after zapping.  Wash with water and a very gentle cleanser, preferably one without Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which is very harsh (unlike Sodium Laureth Sulfate, which is not harsh).  It's important to keep your face clean, because those hair follicles are now vulnerable after zapping.  After washing, apply witch hazel, a gentle toner that helps to tighten those pores.  And finally, a thin layer of pure aloe vera gel, which acts as both a moisturizer and a barrier, so your body can get to work on healing the skin.

[Fresas con Nata]

after my session, my hair grew back instantly.. but i was expecting that... what i wasnt though, was that most hairs became ingrown

I don't think that that's expected. I've gone through 4 full face clearings via electrolysis and only after the last one I encountered 2 ingrown hairs.

It is normal, though, that hairs grow again almost immediately. Keep in mind that, at any given point in time, there are hairs in every step of their evolution. Some of them are inevitably too short for being zapped, but long enough that some days later they show up.

the area is still reddish-pink. its been 4 days since my treatment. is this normal since its the first treatment? how much longer will the redness persist?

I experienced the same after my first time. Swelling for ~5 days, redness for one week, numbness for several weeks (took 6 weeks to completely go away).