Both sexes have tried to remove hair from parts of their body, whether with shaving or waxing – and women, especially, get tired of taking a razor to their skin every week or even every day. So what if you could have your unwanted hair removed – forever? There are two hair removal treatments out there and one of those is electrolysis. Here’s a guide to the procedure so you can determine if it’s the right one for you.
The technical definition of electrolysis is the act of separating chemical bonds with an electric current. Going into the details of electrolysis will either bore or confuse you; instead let’s talk about what electrolysis means to you on a more practical level.
Electrolysis is used by skilled professionals to permanently remove body hair – but there are a slew of disadvantages to it that you want to keep in mind before you consider signing up. But first and foremost, let’s learn about the basics of electrolysis.
An electrologist uses a tiny metal probe and inserts it into each, individual hair follicle, without actually breaking the skin; this probe then gently delivers a current of electricity to the follicle, which essentially deadens the part where hair originates! The benefits of electrolysis is that it is a safe procedure that’s been performed for over a century and for the most part, it’s pretty effective.
But there are enough downsides to electrolysis that make it an unpopular option for those who want to get rid of their pesky hair (whether on their legs or backs or anywhere else, etc). They may prefer to wax, shave, or even get laser hair removal surgery before they’d ever let somebody put electricity into them in such a strange, intimate way. And that may not be a bad idea.
Electrolysis, while safe, is a grueling process. Unless you’re only asking that hair be removed from a small area of your body, it will take a long time for an electrologist to poke the metal probe into each hair follicle and zap in the electricity! This probably wouldn’t be such a big problem if it didn’t hurt. Electrolysis is typically a painful procedure. (Many clients have tolerated it pretty well, however, claiming that it’s not painful at all.) But it can be painful on the pocketbook too – it’s not cheap. You can pay around $150 per hour of treatment, which adds up if you need a high number of treatments. Additionally, you will experience some skin redness after the electrolysis, but fortunately that’s only temporary.
Still, some people are not good candidates for electrolysis in the first place. For those with lots of hair, electrolysis can be an impractical way to remove it (as it is such a time-consuming process). As well, if you’ve got an inexperienced electrologist on your hand, sitting down for the process may not be worth it, as hair regrowth or even skin damage and infection can result of the electrolysis is not performed correctly. Electrolysis is one of those unique hair removal procedures that can go either way, really, based entirely upon the skill of the electrologist.
It’s important to note that up to 10% of customers do experience hair regrowth. A possible reason that this happens is because in many U.S. states, electrologists are not under the microscope of any kind of authority. While standards have been set, practitioners often get away with doing careless jobs of electrolysis; simply put, regulation is weak in more than a handful of states. Yet, this should only be a minor worry to you. Two different studies have found that over 90% of those who choose electrolysis are satisfied with the results. And for that lucky group of folks, they won’t have to worry about that annoying hair growing back, unlike those who opted to wax or shave instead. You will have to have more than one treatment, however, depending on how much hair you want removed.
The major conclusion that one can reach about electrolysis is that it might be good for you if you are careful to find an expert electrologist to perform the hair removal. And of course, you must make sure that you are a good prospect for electrolysis! If you don’t have a lot of hair, but you’re eager to say goodbye to it, electrolysis is probably one of the safest ways to part with it. However, you may not deem the pain and the tedium of electrolysis worth it. Check out your state’s regulation policies on electrolysis if you’re concerned about safety and research all your choices for an electrologist and then have a face-to-face conversation with him or her, too, before they begin the hair removal. Express any of your concerns before the electrolysis takes place, not afterward!
And remember that electrolysis continues to improve as new research pairs up with new technology. So while you may not be too intrigued by it now, down the road it could be a good fit for you as many of the small kinks will likely be worked out.
