What is Electrolysis?
Electrolysis is the only FDA-approved method for permanent hair removal. Unlike shaving or waxing, which are temporary, or even laser, which is actually considered permanent hair reduction. Electrolysis destroys the hair follicle's ability to grow hair forever.
The Process
A tiny, sterile, probe ( about the size of a fine hair) is inserted into the natural opening of the hair follicle alongside the hair, this is not felt by the client. A small amount of electricity which feels like a slight tingle or sting is passed through this probe, destroying the hair root or papilla. Because the follicle is destroyed, it cannot produce a new hair. The hair slides out easily with tweezers which is not felt by client because the root is no longer attached.
Is it painful? Some areas may be a bit uncomfortable but generally the treatment is well tolerated and some clients even fall asleep during their treatments!
How long does it take to finish my treatment?
Electrolysis is a "progressive" treatment not an instantaneous treatment and it does require a commitment because it works in harmony with your body’s natural hair growth cycles. Unlike methods that provide instant but temporary results, electrolysis is a journey toward a permanent solution. I could wax your lip at every appointment that I see you, or you could trade that in for a treatment that will eventually eliminate the need for monthly lip waxing.
So how do we Plan your treatment cycle and why does it take so long?
To understand this, we need to understand the stages of Hair Growth. Anagen, Catagen, Telogen. We want to treat hair in its Anagen state where it is connected to the life giving follicle, the other two stages are where the hair has become detached from the follicle. Hair grows in stages, and we treat the hairs that we can see but we can’t see what stage that hair is in, which means we could be treating hairs in any three of those stages.
The Three Phases of your Treatment Plan
The first part of your treatment is what we refer to as “Clearing” we are clearing an area. That is treating all the hairs we can see in the area. (This may be broken up into several sessions if there is a lot of hair). By your next appointment, there will be more hair that was sitting under the surface and we will treat that, and so on, until we have targeted all the hair at least once as it comes up through the skin.
Remember we want to target the hair in its Anagen stage. The hair is not attached at the follicle in the other 2 stages Catagen/Telogen so the follicle may not have been destroyed even if we treated the hair in the Clearing Phase, which means a hair may still grow from this follicle……. Which leads us to stage 2 of our Treatment plan, which we call the Control Stage.
Because we’ve spent the first phase of your treatment Clearing all the hair at least once, It’s now more likely in this Control Phase that the new hairs are fully attached at the follicle in the Anagen stage where we can destroy the follicle. We want to target this hair quickly before it transitions out of the follicle into the Catagen stage. But again, the hair is not all going to come up at once- so we are still treating it in multiple appointments as it breaks through the skin.
The Final stage of your treatment is the “Maintenance” stage and now we are treating new hormonal hairs that weren’t there before or hairs that were missed in the Anagen stage. At this point your appointments are spaced further apart and you are seeing progress and a large reduction in hair growth.
So you can see that being a progressive treatment- we need regular appointments and this is why we may space your appointments out weekly or biweekly to get through the clearing stage and control phases as quickly as possible targeting the hair at the right time in these stages. You’ll have the best progress with a schedule that you can stick to. We refer to Electrolysis as a marathon, not a sprint. It’s a long term project but it’s well worth it when other methods of removal aren’t working for you.
So Why do I want to go through all that work if it takes that long?
Truly Permanent: It is the only method with over 100 years of proven success for permanent removal.
Versatile: It works on all skin tones, all hair colors (including blonde, red, gray, or white), and all hair types, which laser cannot always do.
Ideal for Precision: It is perfect for small or sensitive areas like the face, chin, upper lip, eyebrows, bikini line, or removing persistent hairs after laser treatments.
Eliminates Ingrown Hairs: It is highly effective for getting rid of ingrown hairs and preventing them from returning.
FAQS regarding importance of regular sessions and commitment
Cycles of Growth: Hair has three phases: active growth (anagen), rest (catagen), and shedding (telogen). Electrolysis only works when the follicle is in the active growth phase. Because all your hairs are in different phases, consistent, repeated sessions (often weekly or bi-weekly) are necessary to catch them all.
The "Regrowth" Illusion: What seems like hair growing back is usually just a dormant follicle starting to grow. By maintaining a regular schedule, you target these "new" hairs before they become deeply rooted.
Preventing Cycle Disruption: If you skip sessions, you miss the window of opportunity to treat the follicle, which can significantly lengthen the overall treatment timeline.
Accelerating Results: Regular, weekly or bi-weekly appointments during the first 3-6 months are crucial for breaking the cycle and causing a significant reduction in hair, especially for fast-growing areas like the face
