Choice

I am a fan of both electrolysis and laser hair removal when performed by professionals using professional, high quality equipment. I’ve experienced both modalities on various areas of my face and body.

Electrolysis does not “shock” the hair follicle. It disables the follicle from producing another hair by either a thermal reaction, a chemical reaction, or a combination of the two. The thermal modality, thermolysis, is an AC current (shortwave) that utilizes heat to coagulate the germ cells of the follicle. A chemical reaction is produced when using the galvanic modality, which is a DC current. In this mode when the galvanic current is applied, lye is produced in the follicle cause the germ cells to decompose. The 3rd modality, the combination of thermolysis and galvanic currents, is called the blend method.

All 3 methods are effective when performed by a skilled electrologist.

Once a follicle has been disabled, that particular follicle will never produce another hair.

The number of treatments varies from person to person and is very dependant on several variables…the location of the unwanted hair, how the hair has been dealt with previously (tweezing and waxing can prolong results), the condition and sensitivity of the client’s skin, the skill of the electrologist, adhering to the electrologist’s recommended treatment schedule, and any hormonal or medical conditions that the client may have.

The cost of electrolysis also depends on many factors. Most electrologists charge by the amount of time that each treatment lasts. Longer appointments are usually less per minute than shorter treatments. How long a treatment lasts depends on how much hair there is to treat or how much the client is willing to put into a treatment.

No one can predict if other hairs will grow in the treated area. You have an average of 1000 hair follicles per square inch of skin. You are probably only using a small portion of those follicles. There is nothing an electrologist can do to prevent those inactive follicles from eventually producing a hair. Hormones, aging, medications, certain diseases and conditions can cause those inactive follicles to become active in the future. Most women can pretty much count on having unwanted facial hairs pop up from time to time in their life. Its very easy to go in a couple times a year for a clean up rather than wait several years and have a huge crop to deal with.

A professional electrologist can safely perform electrolysis on any area of the body with the exception of inside the nose.

Only electrolysis is legally allowed to claim “permanent hair removal.” Laser is “permanent hair reduction.” Electrolysis can permanently remove any hair, of any color, on any color of skin. Laser is limited to dark, coarse hair. The paler the skin, the better the results with laser. The most effective lasers for lighter colored skin are the alexandrite lasers. GentleLASE is the alexandrite laser with the best record for efficacy. The Apogee alexandrite lasers also have a good reputation. For darker skin tones, Nd:YAG lasers are the safest. The GentleYAG ranks at the top. The Apogee Nd:YAG laser is good, too. There are also combination alex/YAG lasers such as the GentleMax and there is also an Apogee combo. The Gentle??? And the Apogee lasers are the best lasers available. Intense pulse light, aka broadband, or multiple wave devices are extremely inferior to true lasers.

Don’t let anyone convince you that electrolysis is old school. Yes, it has been available for over 130 years, because it works! It is the gold standard for permanent results. No laser, and especially no IPL, like the Isolaze, can give the same results as electrolysis. The BEST laser tech with the BEST laser can maybe reach 85-90% reduction. Electrolysis offers 100% removal.