Electrolysis for facial hair

[TheLandWhereTheBongTreeGrows]

55, post-menopausal and the newly sprouted upper lip hair is really getting me down. I've been using the spiral thingummy you can get on Amazon for a couple of quid, but it's tedious and random. Waxing every few weeks really doesn't appeal so I wondered about electrolysis.

Can someone advise me? How many sessions, does it hurt, will I look like a plucked chicken for days afterwards, how do I find a reputable therapist ...?

Have you also considered, or do you have the budget for IPL/ laser?

I started having electrolysis on facial hair as soon as I turned 18. Whilst I could see where hairs had gone, there wasn't much overall improvement for a few months. I used to go and get it done after school in a department store salon, secretly, and never got found out.
It hurt, a sort of deep prolonged stinging, but it also didn't last long and I cared far more about getting rid of the hair, so I learned to tolerate it. (I found - much later - IPL on most of the face less painful, but IPL on sensitive areas that hadn't had much hair removed yet was worse than electrolysis).

It did leave marks (though this varies between people). I was brazen enough - and also spotty enough anyway - that I wasn't overly bothered about the small chance of the marks being seen if I bumped into someone I know. The salon did offer to put concealer over the marks but this made them heal more slowly so I declined it after the first few times. The marks were most noticeable for the first couple of hours and over the next few hours and couple of days blended into my frankly already blotchy skin. I can see that there are circumstances in which as an adult - and someone on whom the marks won't get hidden among spots - going around with red marks on the face wouldn't be exactly a fun prospect.

Luckily my hairdresser at university had an in-store beautician who specialised in electrolysis and had done a lot of courses on it, so I never had to look much.
Because electrolysis only does one hair at a time it's not comprehensive. If there's a lot of hair it can be frustratingly slow, but if there are only a few then I think it makes sense as it's cheaper than IPL.

The main downside to IPL on the face (if the cost is not prohibitive) is that many salons expect you to shave and not bleach. I was very lucky and the salon I went to (a different department store in another town, this was about 5 years ago) didn't insist on shaving, I just didn't bleach for about 10 days beforehand.
It was pretty effective both for light fluffy hair and for the odd stray thick darker hair that had appeared more recently, though the latter are stubborn. (Repeated maintenance with a home IPL machine has kept them under reasonable control though admittedly I did not have many like that [yet].)

That is a hugely helpful post Griselda, and thank you so much.

What is IPL please? (I am really, really green on all this stuff - sorry!)

The hairs coming through are mostly grey so some techniques won't be effective. That's about as much as I've learned so far.

IPL= intense pulsed light
As an experience it's just like laser hair removal although it's not technically a laser, and it's the most commonly available 'laser' type method.
A lot of it isn't suitable for darker skin or hair with low pigment; I think there have been some developments in that respect more recently, but I'm afraid I haven't looked at them much as I am pale with dark hair.

I'm in the same boat and am considering a Phillips lumi thingy, worried though as I have super sensitive skin which won't tolerate waxing or creams.

I though pale with dark hair was the perfect combination for IPL?

Thought

Thanks Griselda - I'll see if I can find anything about how they work on grey hair unless anyone else knows?

ImpatientGriselda That's interesting about not having to shave before IPL. I have one of the home use machines but haven't dared use it on my face because I don't want to shave the hair and risk it growing back stubbly but I thought it was essential to shave before using it. I might give it a go now without shaving.

I've read that using the home machines with hair unshaven might damage the laser head - though more likely if it's thick hair and a lot of it (say lower legs that haven't had much previous treatment). One of those things where it's best to read the instruction booklet & decide at own risk, I think.

I always shaved other areas before salon IPL but that place didn't mind my objections to making fine facial hair stubbly.

My therapist said that hair growth caused by hormonal changes isn't going to be reduced by electrolysis.

willow, that's a bit of a blow.

Sounds like this needs more input from women around the OP's age who've tried it.

Electrolysis is usually recommended as more suitable for hormonal-related hair growth (also see PCOS) than is laser / IPL. Electrolysis destroys a hair follicle, but that doesn't mean that hairs can't grow elsewhere nearby if the hormonal condition endures.

My experience with IPL on a handful of the similar sort of thick hairs that can appear in your thirties is that: they are a bit more stubborn to get rid of than standard hairs, but they do get thinner and go away after a bit, and then try and stage a comeback in maybe 18 months or so. (IPL isn't perhaps strictly recommended for these but I was mostly doing it to get rid of larger amounts of fine hair, and they were there anyway.) Personally for that duration of result I feel 'permanent' methods are worthwhile for being less long term hassle and less depressing than constant watchful tweezing, even if they do need topups.

I've had electrolysis on my face for years - just 2 or 3 times a year to keep on top of the odd sprouting hairs around my face, jawline and more recently, my 'tache.

I'm very fair (with one of those slightly 'furry' faces), so the hairs arn't dark enough to use IPL on.

My friend had very bad dark hair on her face due to pcos and there is nothing there now. She had laser done.

ishouldcocoa, may I ask roughly how old you are if you have a similar 'tache problem?

I've just been looking at facial hair trimmers, but it strikes me that I might as well start shaving!