FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How much does electrolysis cost?
When compared to the expense of a lifetime of shaving, depilatories, or laser treatments, the permanence of electrolysis makes it a wise investment in yourself.
Electrolysis costs depend on a lot of factors, including how much hair needs to be removed, the size of area being treated, and where you get your services performed.
Overall, electrolysis cost compares very favorably to other hair removal methods, including laser hair removal. When considering the longterm, like recurring treatments required with other methods, electrolysis is a good investment.
How long will my electrolysis treatment take?
Depending on the area you want cleared, it could be a few minutes for a followup appointment to an hour for a larger area. Factors such as hair growth cycles, the quantity and structure of hair presented, previous use of temporary hair removal methods, heredity, hormone function, certain medications, and stress influence the treatment program for each individual.
How many treatments are required with electrolysis?
The number of treatments necessary varies with each client. The amount of hair, the methods used to hide hair before treatment, genetics, hormones, nutrition, and health of the individual will all be factors that determine how many treatments or sessions will be required. For areas that have been waxed or tweezed, treatments will be more frequent than for areas that have been shaved.
Treatment sessions can range from 30 minutes to more than an hour depending on the area being treated. To achieve optimum results, it is important to follow the recommended treatment plan.
Is electrolysis permanent?
No other hair-removal solution can claim the universal acceptability and success offered by electrolysis treatments. Electrolysis safely and permanently removes all types of hair from all skin tones.
Electrolysis permanently destroys the growth cells of the hair follicle, preventing treated hairs from ever growing back. Treatment can be applied to most facial and body parts including eyebrows, chin, upper and lower lip, jaw line, sides of the face, breasts, underarms, abdomen, bikini line, fingers and toes, legs, and back.
Most other methods focus on immediate, but temporary, hair removal—visible hair, or hair that's inside the follicle but hasn't yet emerged. None of them deliver permanent elimination of unwanted hair.
Which areas can be treated?
Electrolysis permanently eliminates unwanted hair from most areas of your body—regardless of skin or hair type.
Electrolysis works on all skin and hair types. It can be applied to most facial and body parts, including eyebrows, chin, upper and lower lip, jaw line and sides of the face, breast, underarms, abdomen, bikini line, feet, legs, and back. Based on a personal and confidential consultation, your electrologist will design a treatment plan that addresses your specific hair removal needs. The only area that can’t be treated are in the ears and nose.
Are all hairs eliminated in one treatment or is regrowth to be expected?
Hairs have differing cycles of growth, many of which are not visible on the surface of the skin at the same time. The follicle produces the hair from the blood supply, and discards it eventually through shedding.
The process of growth, rest, and replacement are known as the hair growth cycle. Since individual hairs are in different phases of the cycle at any given time, multiple treatments may be required to remove unwanted hair.
Excessive hair growth, also known as hirsutism, can range from fine, vellus hair to dark, coarse hair on the face and body. Breaking down the hair growth cells on deep, coarse hairs may require more than one treatment.
Based on a personal and confidential consultation, your electrologist will design a treatment plan that addresses your specific hair removal needs.
How does electrolysis work?
Based on a personal and confidential consultation, your electrologist will design a treatment plan that addresses your specific hair removal needs.
A professional electrologist inserts a very fine needle (usually thinner than the hair being treated) into the natural opening of the hair follicle alongside the hair shaft. A tiny amount of electrical current is then applied to destroy the hair growth cells.
What are modalities?
Medical electrolysis devices can destroy the hair growth cells with chemical energy, heat energy, or both. The method chosen by the electrologist is the modality. All are effective. There are two modalities in current use:
Galvanic electrolysis is a chemical process. The current produces a chemical reaction in the hair follicle eliminating the hair growth cells.
Thermolysis (also called short-wave) produces heat. This modality heats and destroys the hair growth cells in the follicle. A higher intensity current can be applied for less time in the follicle, or current can be used at lower intensity with longer timing.
What does electrolysis feel like?
You'll probably feel a momentary heat sensation or pinch. Discomfort is minimal for most people, but individual tolerances vary greatly. Keep in mind that some areas of the body are much less sensitive than others. Many people read, listen to music, or even take a nap while being treated.
How often should I schedule electrolysis treatments?
The frequency and length of your appointments depends on the size of the area being cleared and the progress of your treatment. In general, treatments on a particular area are longest and most frequent at the beginning. Treatment length and frequency then tapers off as fewer and fewer hairs remain to be treated.
For best results, follow the electrologist's recommendations in scheduling appointments.
How does electrolysis compare to other hair removal methods?
Unlike other hair removal options, professionally performed electrolysis eliminates unwanted hair, permanently, with unsurpassed results. Moreover, it does so for the largest variety of skin and hair types. Other methods may appear to be less expensive or more convenient, but these seeming advantages fade quickly when you consider the need for longterm use and lifetime maintenance.
Electrolysis works on all areas of the body to give you permanently smooth, sleek, healthy-looking skin. No other solution can claim such universal acceptability and success.
What about after treatment?
Immediately following treatment, you may experience slight redness or tenderness which usually disappears in a couple of hours. There is very little risk of complication or serious skin irritation with electrolysis performed by a skilled practitioner. For the first 24 hours following treatment, it's best to avoid activity that could irritate hair follicles such as excessive sweating, tanning, prolonged sun exposure, or make-up application.