Electrolysis (Hair Removal) In London

The first recorded use of electricity for epilation or hair removal was by the American eye specialist Charles E. Michel in 1875 when he used an electric current to treat a condition called trichiasis. This occurs when the eyelash grows in an abnormal way and begins to irritate the eyeball. In such cases, the root of the hair follicle is destroyed and the eyelash then ceases to grow, or at least grows at a much slower rate than previously. This is now known as the galvanic treatment method.

The use of electrolysis for hair removal continued through the early part of the 20th century. Its commercial popularity as a cosmetic treatment was briefly challenged by x-ray hair removal, which was advertised as both “painless” and “harmless”; (the latter claim was subsequently disproved).

More developments in the field of electrolysis followed, including the use of many needles and a different form of electricity treatment which uses heat damage to destroy the hair follicle. This method is called diathermy, thermolysis, or short wave.

Improvements in the equipment and techniques for performing electrolysis have come about in recent years. Now, diathermy and the galvanic method are combined to give the best possible results.

Electrolysis has become a widely available treatment in many beauty salons for the permanent removal of unwanted hair for both men and women.

Electrolysis, in experienced hands, can also be used to improve the appearance of thread veins.
Although there have been significant improvements in the equipment used, electrolysis remains highly dependent on the skill of the practitioner.

Currently, needle-type electrolysis is the only method which can guarantee permanent hair removal and can be used on all areas of the body and for all skin types.

Lasers and other light sources, although widely advertised as a method for hair removal, are still only legally permitted to claim a permanent reduction in hair growth, not permanent removal.

If you are considering electrolysis, the following information will give you a basic understanding of the procedure. It can't answer all your questions, since a lot depends on the individual and the practitioner. Please ask a practitioner about anything you don't understand.

In your first appointment with a practitioner, you should clearly explain your expectations of the hair removal treatment. Your practitioner should then tell you whether this is the right treatment for you and whether it can achieve the results you’d like.

Make sure that you obtain as much information as necessary to enable you to make a fully informed decision about this procedure. You should also find out about other hair removal options before you decide to go ahead with any treatment.

The practitioner should also ask for your medical history to make sure that there are no reasons why you shouldn’t undergo electrolysis treatment. At this point, you would also normally be asked to sign a consent form which means that you have understood the future benefits and possible risks associated with the procedure.

Photographs of the area to be treated may also be taken by the practitioner for a “before and after” comparison later.

Procedure

An anaesthetic cream is usually first applied to the area to be treated to help reduce pain. The electrologist then inserts a wire/filament called a probe and sometimes referred to as a needle into the hair follicle. The patient will not feel the probe going in and there is no pain associated with this. Once the probe is in the hair follicle, the electrologist delivers the electric current to destroy the cells around the hair follicle. This is the part that can be painful for a few seconds.

Treatment sessions can last from 30 minutes to over 2 hours depending upon the area treated, and your tolerance to the discomfort of the treatment.

Repeat procedures

All hairs have differing cycles of growth and are not all visible on the surface of the skin at the same time. Also, hair removed using electrolysis may not necessarily destroy the hair follicles’ capability of producing new hair. Therefore, it is necessary to have some repeat treatments and your practitioner will calculate how often you need them based on the area treated, the technique he or she has used, and how hairy you normally are!

The amount of treatment time that may be required for different areas is extremely variable, but could be:

upper Lip: 4 – 10 hours;
chin: 2 - 12 hours;
underarms: 4 - 12 hours;
arms: 5 - 10 hours;
bikini line: 8 - 16 hours.

Electrolysis is generally considered the most painful method of hair removal available, but the advantage of it is that it is the most effective and long-lasting treatment you can have.

Patients variously describe the sensation of electrolysis as being like a "bee-sting”, a "twinge" or a "zap". Most people find along the lip line and under the nostrils to be especially sensitive. With electrolysis, you must work as close to your pain threshold as possible for the most effective treatment. If your settings are too low, treatment will be ineffective. This means that you’ll have to have more sessions and thus more pain! The best advice is to grit your teeth and just let the practitioner get on with it. It will hurt, but the pain won’t last for too long!

Some patients find the Blend treatment unbearable; others can't stand thermolysis. Experiment and see what you prefer. Some electrologists are just better than others. However, don't pick someone whose session hurts less just because they turned down the machine. The only thing you're hurting then are your chances for getting treated effectively in the least number of sessions and at the lowest cost.

Immediately following treatment, there may be a slight redness and/or swelling which usually disappears within a few hours. Occasionally, small whiteheads or tiny scabs may occur.

It is important to remember that scabs are a part of the normal healing process in some people. If scabbing does occur, the patient is advised to not pick them off, otherwise they run the risk of scarring the area.

As long as you are generally healthy and don’t have any skin diseases or infections in the area treated, there are few medical reasons why patients should not undergo this treatment.

Although there is no evidence that this treatment is harmful for pregnant women, you may be advised to wait until after you have given birth before embarking upon a course of treatment.

It is highly unlikely that anyone considering electrolysis would be able to access this free of charge on the National Health Service.

However, depending upon your situation, it may be worth visiting your General Practitioner before embarking upon a course of hair removal to exclude any medical reasons for excessive hair growth.

Electrolysis is a useful technique for treating small areas quickly and efficiently, giving good and usually permanent results. Both men and women can use it.

These results are best for fine hair that has not previously been plucked or waxed. Deep, coarse hairs cannot always be removed with one treatment; thus, breaking down these hair germ cells may require further treatments. This can be a particular concern for some male patients.

For larger areas, such as legs or back, the pain associated with this treatment and the time taken makes it a less suitable treatment option than for smaller parts of the body.

Electrolysis is also sometimes used by experienced electrologists for the treatment of thread veins and skin tags.