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| CHOOSING AN ELECTROLOGIST |
TOPICS |
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Your
First Session
Your
first electrology session will be a time of learning, both for you and
your electrologist. You will be able to observe your provider's
techniques, determine how painful electrology may be for you, examine
some of the treated hairs which will indicate the effectiveness of
treatment, and form some impressions regarding her (his) speed.
Your
electrologist will also form some impressions about you. She will
be able determine your tolerance to electrology pain, your ability to be
physically still and cooperative during treatment, and the condition of
the skin area. The condition of the skin will affect the speed and
ease of treatment.
Under
most circumstances, the first session should be kept to a duration of
one to two hours length. Some clinics may provide extensive treatment
(including the first treatment encounter), with sessions lasting all day
or even spanning over two to three days duration. In these instances, we
highly recommend medical direction, providing (in
order of importance) topical antibiotic/anti-inflammatory medication,
topical pain relievers (analgesics), and appropriate aftercare
medications and instructions.
At some
point during your first electrolysis session, ask the practitioner to
show you the next few hairs being treated. It is possible to
draw an educated conclusion about the effectiveness of treatment
from examining the hair, and its removal.
The
following factors are so closely linked to successful outcome, that one
can be relatively assured of a good outcome by their presence:
- Treatment
Method
- Using a
blended current will typically provide a much higher kill rate than a
heat only (thermolysis) current method.
- Duration
- Longer
(6 to 12 seconds) duration treatment of a follicle using a moderate
treatment energy will be more effective and less likely to scar than
fast, high energy (under 1 second to 5 seconds) treatment.
- Mechanical
Attachment
- Properly
treated hair loses its mechanical attachment with the follicle. As the
cells lining the lower portion of the follicle are destroyed, a working
point is reached whereby the hair shaft begins to give way to a
gentle tug of the electrologist's tweezers. The electrologist may
continue to keep the needle in the now hairless follicle for a few
seconds duration to additionally treat the follicle.
- Appearance
of Treated Hair Shaft
- The hair
shaft, now gently removed from the follicle, has a distinctive
appearance as compared to a tweezed-only hair. The hair shaft of
the treated follicle usually contains a bulbous end and a very thin
glassy-like coating of cells around its base. Regularly seeing
this appearance is a very good indicator of proper treatment.
Your
first session should end with a brief discussion between you and your
electrologist, relating any impressions concerning the treatment
process. Topics might include any pain or discomfort that occurred
during treatment, response to treatment (reddening, swelling, etc.), and
an overview of aftercare techniques. With extensive treatment
(under physician's direction), you might expect to receive topical
antibiotic medication for aftercare along with an aftercare instructions
sheet.
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