FAQ

How do I select an electrologist?

 First and foremost, find out if the Electrologist is certified.  Go to the Electrolysis Society of Alberta ( http://www.onlineesa.com/) to make sure they are members.  This will make sure that they are following the correct standards and practise.  Take time to investigate and educate yourself.   A consultation can allow you to observe cleanliness, privacy of the clinic, and any other concerns you may have.  Ask questions and expect many answers!:)

On another great note, if you have a Dr's note for Electrolysis, then some insurance companies will cover some or all of your sessions, only if the electrologist is a member of the association.  To find out if they are members call or email the association at (403) 208-3110
cnomorehair@gmail.com

Are there health risks?

There are no health risks involving Electrolysis. It has been performed safely for over 100 years to many satisfied clients.  The Electrologist will review your health history, medications and any concerns during the consultation.

How many treatments will I need?

Length and number of treatments will vary person to person. Many factors will determine treatments. (eg hair texture, density, area being treated and temporary methods previously used) Also the technique used will determine the time it will take for treatments.  These answers can be better answered in a consultation. 

What causes hair growth?

  1)Congenital - Genetic hair patterns we come into this world with

  2)Systemic - caused by hormonal changes and glandular problems

  3)Topical - Caused by temporary methods of hair removal such as tweezing waxing and threading, stress, heat, basically anything that causes an increase in the blood supply in that area.

Is Electrolysis for you?

Electrolysis can be done on any hair color and any skin type. Electrolysis can be done anywhere on the body.  Electrolysis is not recommended for removing hair from membrane surfaces, such as inside the nose due to risk of post treatment infection.  The Galvanic and Blend technique are not recommended during pregnancy. Electrolysis while breastfeeding is safe.

Can I tweeze, wax or thread?

Many women attempt to remove unwanted hairs, especially those around the lip, chin or neck, chest and stomach by plucking them out by the roots.  Granted, when a woman tweezes out unwanted hair it does take longer to grow back than if, say, it has been shaved off at the skin level.  But the fact is that repeated threading, plucks and waxes, can eventually cause hairs to regrow more quickly, multiply and to become darker, coarser and more firmly rooted.  Only a fraction of all tweezed hairs are ever permanently eliminated.  Thus a woman who tweezes, is simply letting herself in for greater hair problems than she had before she tweezed; rather than solving her problem, she is worsening it.

Increased blood supply is the reason for accelerated growth of tweezed hair.  Each time a hair is pulled out of its follicle, a good portion of the bottom half of the follicle is torn out.  The damage is not sufficient enough to stop future growth BUT it is enough to cause the follicle to reconstruct itself a little sturdier with a better developed blood supply system each time.   Eventually what may have been a few annoying hairs will have become full grown black hairs.  

This is not the only reason to refrain from tweezing, waxing or threading.  Occasionally when a hair is plucked, the resulting cavity can become infected and you may cause ingrown hairs, which may leave scarring as well.

Shaving/Cutting on the other hand has been found to have no effect whatsoever on hair growth.  Only irritation of an intense nature (tweezing or rubbing the skin, x-rays, ultra-violet lights, constant chafing from being in a cast and even sunburn) sustained over long periods of time is able to accelerate hair growth.   It is a myth that hair grows darker or thicker from shaving.

Waxing, when done, removes most of the hairs and their roots.  Places will sometimes offer misleading claims about the permanence of hair removal with this technique when used in hormonal areas.

As mentioned earlier, any form of tweezing, including waxing or threading, will meet with some success.  On certain people and on certain areas, particularly the eyebrows, legs and arms, some lighter, softer hair will "give up" after being uprooted many times. 

The worst place to wax is the face, chest and stomach (minus the eyebrows).  Some fine  hairs can respond favorably to waxing, but most other hairs in the same area will, on the contrary, be stimulated to grow deeper and become thicker and could multiply because of the male androgen hormones we as women carry. Thus a face full of scattered, heavy bristles. 

One last thing to consider. It takes an average, anywhere from 4-12 weeks for a hair to grow back once it has been plucked/waxed or threaded.  (a dark course hair grows back on average in 5-6 weeks and lighter hairs take longer due to less blood supply feeding it).  It is impossible for a hair to grow back in less than 4/5 weeks.  Some women will think they are pulling the same hair every week or two but in fact are pulling hairs they've multiplied in the same area or hairs in a different hair growth cycle.

Is it safe for ingrown hairs?

Electrolysis is very safe and can get rid of recurring ingrown hairs and in some cases can improve the condition of your skin.

Does it hurt?

If it is done correctly and inserted properly, our Galvanic and Blend technique has little to no pain.  Contrary to belief the Galvanic and our Blend technique is least painful of all techniques. Thermolysis, because it uses a high heat can be more painful.  In more sensitive areas a topical cream may be used. In some cases clients will fall asleep.

What signs should I look for in a good technique?

Proper insertions and you should never feel a hair being removed. If it feels like a pluck, then it has been tweezed. 

What is the difference between laser and electrolysis?

Laser

Laser is not permanent hair removal, its permanent hair reduction. It’s been proven that the laser treatments reduce hair growth and make the hairs that grow back thinner. So usually the hair will be gone for two years and after that you keep it up by getting one treatment per year. Whatever doesn’t go away with laser you can remove permanently with electrolysis.

In order for laser to work best for you,  you should have dark hair and light skin. If you have white, grey, red, blond, light brown or thin hair, the laser will not be able to see the pigment in your hair color and will have a difficult time treating it.  It is also possible that you will suddenly start seeing hairs where there weren’t any because the laser can stimulate the blood supply.  It is about a 1 in 10 chance for an increase in blood supply to stimulate more hair growth instead of less.

Contrary to popular demand, laser will not get rid of 100% of your hair. The laser machine companies guarantee 30-70% of hair reduction and it’s not very often that you meet someone who sees 100% reduction.

If not done properly, laser can burn the skin.  You can ask for a test area done before you start your sessions to see how your skin reacts.

Electrolysis

Electrolysis is the only form of permanent hair removal in the world and has been for over 100 years with results to prove it. 

This technique works on everyone regardless of their hair color and thickness and their skin tone.

Electrolysis removes one hair at a time because the technician has to use a probe to electrify, weaken and kill one root at a time to achieve permanent results.

What to Expect from a Typical Electrolysis Session

A typical Electrolysis session could be anywhere from 15 minutes to 6 hours.  This will depend on the individual patient, and the area being treated.

If a patient has only a few hairs, it is simple to eliminate in a 15 or 30 minute session, and with virtually no down time.

If the treatment time required is 1-5 hours, you should expect some recovery.   Patients can experience some redness or swelling, and, 24 - 48 hours later some minor scabbing can develop that can take anywhere from 2 - 14 days to heal.  Some people will have no scabbing in higher sensitive areas could take much longer to heal but will heal with no permanent marks.  Tiny scabs can be covered up with makeup and will fall away without any permanent marks.  Pigmentation can occur especially with darker skin color, but with time it clears up on its own.     

What is the Typical Cost for Electrolysis?

This depends on which technique is being used and the amount of sessions needed.   We offer discounted rates on larger more difficult areas as well as package deals.  A consultation will determine the price and time needed for each case.

A typical treatment can cost anywhere from $50 - $200 per hour, and can exceed $300 per hour depending on the expertise and demand for the Electrologist.  An average cost for certain areas could look like this:

Underarms

    $1,000 - $2,000

Upper Lip

       $500 - $2,000

Bikini (not Brazilian)

    $1,500 - $4,000

Transgender Full Face (including upper lip and neck)

$5,000 - $20,000

 *References: Electrolysis, Thermolysis And The Blend. Hinkel and Lind; as well as over 40 years of experience and data and research passed down.