Electrolysis Question?

[Traci Elizabeth]

When you first started Electrolysis, how long was your session?

Did you increase the treatment minutes after awhile? From what to what?

Which area of the face is the least painful and which is the most painful?

[Sharon]

I started out with weekly two hour sessions. With time, as treatments were less lengthy due to successful hair removal, I reduced my visits to one hour per week and then one hour every two weeks until I stopped altogether.

Least painful -- cheeks and jaws;
Most painful -- upper lip and the patch just beneath the lower lip.

Good luck!! :)

[Traci Elizabeth]

Sharon, you started with 2 hours - WOW! I don't know if my pain threshold could withstand Electrolysis initially for that long. The good thing I have going for me is that I have very little facial hair. I have no hairs on my cheeks, none beneath my lower lip, and you can literally count my hairs as I have no area this has massive amounts of hair.

[AllieSF]

I started with one hour sessions and then quickly moved to 2 hour sessions 3 days a week, Mon., Tues., Wed. The most painful for me is certain areas along the jawline (closer to the bone), just under the middle lower lip, and the middle of the upper lip. The first times on the neck and lower neck were pretty intense. Now, however, they are bearable. I was taking 3 Ibuprofens before the session and now am taking on Vicoden left over from previous surgeries. I am getting to the point where maybe two 2 hour sessions per week will be enough. Finally seeing good progress and am maybe half way through at close to 100 hours. I deal with scabbing and a few ingrown hairs that my femme and sharp femme finger nails just have to scratch and pick.

[Michelle.M]

My first session was 18 hours spread out over 2 days. Skin was numbed with lidocaine, so after the INCREDIBLY painful injections it was painless. Each session since then has been at least 10 hours, full facial clearing each time.

[Kathryn Martin]

Two weekly one hour sessions from the start. Most painful: the upper lip, mustache area, the only area where I need emla cream to numb.

[Aprilrain]

I can only afford 1 hr sessions 1 day a week right now otherwise I'd do 2 hrs 1 day a week. I'd like to do a full face clearing (on me it would probably take 6 to 8 hrs) there is a place in Chicago that does it which is within driving distance but I don't have the money.
Most painful area is the "cupids bow" (area just under the nose) then upper lip in general and lower lip. The least painful area so far has been my chin, I could sleep through that.
I pretty much started out with an hour then was doing 2 when I had the money. It's hard to sit still that long!

[Frances]

I started with two 90 minute sessions every week. My first electrologist used older equipment and a magnifying glass. I gradually reduced the time and the sessions to one hour a week. I switched to another electrologist who used a microscope and newer equipment. The treatments being more efficacious, I reduced further to one hour every two weeks. After 5 years, my face is pretty much done, but I am removing hair from my chest and other parts of my body. I use Maxilene 5 to numb my face and take two Advils 90 minutes before my appointments. I use Emla on other body parts if needed. All this electrolysis is only for light hairs (blond, grey, white and light red). The dark hair was removed with laser. After laser, I was left with a Santa Claus full white beard. The whole thing has cost me over $20,000 so far.

[Traci Elizabeth]

The whole thing has cost me over $20,000 so far.

OMG! If I spent that much my wife would shoot me for sure! Did you have a heavy beard? Please don't tell me your beard was very sparse like mine and it still cost you 20K!

[arbon]

The whole thing has cost me over $20,000 so far.

Holly $$hit! That hurts just thinking about it!

[Frances]

OMG! If I spent that much my wife would shoot me for sure! Did you have a heavy beard? Please don't tell me your beard was very sparse like mine and it still cost you 20K!

I was the love child of Grizzly Adams and a Silverback.

[Traci Elizabeth]

I was the love child of Grizzly Adams and a Silverback.


I'd say! I don't mean this in any other way than light humor, but thank goodness it was you and not me. That's what happens when you have French blood running through your veins! Those of us who have British blood running through our veins couldn't grow a beard if our lives depended on it. I can't believe the Monarch gave you independence...what were we thinking? And the French have always been our enemies and half of them migrated to Canada, What a double slap in the face! (lol)

[Aprilrain]

I'd say! I don't mean this in any other way than light humor, but thank goodness it was you and not me. That's what happens when you have French blood running through your veins! Those of us who have British blood running through our veins couldn't grow a beard if our lives depended on it. I can't believe the Monarch gave you independence...what were we thinking? And the French have always been our enemies and half of them migrated to Canada, What a double slap in the face! (lol)

umm, maybe you didn't get the memo but South Carolina is no longer a british colony ; )

[ReneeT]

I am so impressed with the fortitude of many of you! Allie- 6 hrs a week? OMG! How does your face look? For those doing more than2 hrs a week, are you usingblend or thermolysis? I could do blend all day,but i usually do thermolysis, and my face looks like hamburger if i do much more than 2 hrs a week

[Traci Elizabeth]

umm, maybe you didn't get the memo but South Carolina is no longer a british colony ; )

WHAT! Who told you SC is not a British Colony! My bloody arse is sitting here singing the British National Anthem with my back hand salute wearing my all white outfit and wide brim hat holding a cricket paddle in my other hand. Long live the Queen!

[Michelle.M]

The whole thing has cost me over $20,000 so far.

That'll be the case for me as well. I'm into it for about 10 grand so far and 95 hours total. I figure I'm about halfway through the process.

[Kirsty_D]

holding a cricket paddle in my other hand.


It's called a "Bat"…

and as it's almost 5pm here I'm off for a sun downer on the terrace, ahhh… the colonial lifestyle :)

[Frances]

umm, maybe you didn't get the memo but South Carolina is no longer a british colony ; )


WHAT! Who told you SC is not a British Colony! My bloody arse is sitting here singing the British National Anthem with my back hand salute wearing my all white outfit and wide brim hat holding a cricket paddle in my other hand. Long live the Queen!

While y'all are debating who's a more loyal subject and what not, I am the one eating a croissant while staring at a Queen on her money!

[Eryn]

WHAT! Who told you SC is not a British Colony! My bloody arse is sitting here singing the British National Anthem

The melody is the anthem, but the words are different:

My country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From ev'ry mountainside
Let freedom ring!

Back on topic. I've completed a regimen of laser that has pretty much taken care of all my dark facial hair. I'm thinking of going for an electrolysis consultation with an eye toward getting rid of the grays. Any suggestions about intelligent questions that I should ask?

[Leslie Langford]

Before you Yanks and Brits get too carried away with your arm-wrestling match over who really owns the rights to the music for God Save the Queen/King and My Country 'Tis of Thee, here's something that few people know - namely that this melody also formed the basis of the "unofficial" German National Anthem prior to WWI a.k.a Heil dir im Siegerkranz (Hail to You the Wearer of the Victor's Wreath):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG9QkAaoWUc

Clearly, this composition has had more covers than many of the Beatles' tunes ;)

And while those militaristic Prussians depicted in the video may not have been crossdressers per se, those plumed helmets do look rather fetching...:eek: :heehee:

[Eryn]

Well, sharing of melodies was a lot more common in those pre-ASCAP/BMI days. The words to our national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, were put to the melody of a British drinking song, To Anacreon in Heaven! I have to give credit to the Brits, for most American singers, even sober, can't handle the range of that tune!

And, in an attempt to get back on topic, does anyone have a list of questions a potential electrolysis client should ask an electrologist?

[Alicia Ryanne]

I must have some pretty damn sensitive skin because I cant go longer then 30 mins on my face using Emla and thats doing it in sections. While one area is worked on, the others are still covered with the Emla still in place. Max number of hairs on my upper lip ive been able to tolerate at once was 67(on a good day) and then had to have the tech move to my chin or cheeks.

Normal routine for me is cover the upper lip, chin, and left or right cheek. Each sections gets about 10 mins and thats all I can stand. Maybe on avg I get about 250 hairs total per session zapped.

I dont know what the heck else to do. I cant seem to find a dentist that will shoot me up with novacaine either, otherwise if possible, id sit there for hours and let the tech get as much as she could before her arms fell off.

Ive tried Dr. Numb, LMX, Laser numbing cream, generic emla, lidoderm patches, and nothing gets me pain free or even pain reduction to tolerable levels for very long at all.

[Kristy_K]

I myself have only did about 56 hours in two weeks time. The upper and lower lip is almost clear of the thicker hairs.

I preferred to do 4 hours sessions because of the travel time. I still see a hundred plus hours ahead of me at $50. an hour.

Kristy

[VickyMI]

I do a 1.5 hour and a 2.5 hour each week. Been doing this since December and I doubt I'm half way there. Most painfully is right under lowed lip and my neck. I use a left over vicodine from my trachea shave. Only 18 left......ugh. I just use the vicodine on the 2.5 hour day. The 1.5 hour day I use 800 Mg of advil. Also doing laser on my front and back and butt. I'm a chia pet of hair.

[Anna Lorree]

I was the love child of Grizzly Adams and a Silverback.

Lol, where's the "Like" button? That's an awesome and very descriptive post, I had an instant mental image!

Anna