How Long Does Electrolysis Last? How Many Sessions Are Needed?

If you’ve made up your mind to long-lastingly get rid of that objectionable body hair, the most viable option you are probably considering is electrolysis. It is the only FDA-recognized long-lasting hair removal method of all the alternatives. But if I may peep into your mind, I imagine you’ve got so many questions about this method. For me, the name alone sends some shivers down my spine. ‘Electrolysis’ on the surface suggests using electricity to break down something.

But is that really the case? And, if so, how often do you have to repeat this process to become hair-free? I’m sure you would also want to know if you are to expect a painful session or not, alongside other details.

Whatever your questions are about electrolysis hair removal, you can expect evidence-based answers from this piece. We will consider this topic from the perspective of the duration and sessions and also see other related details. But for the sake of newbies, let’s first of all define and explain this concept.

What is Electrolysis Hair Removal?

For over a century now, electrolysis has been applied by cosmeticians and physicians to remedy many skin defects. Initially, experts used it solely to treat ingrown hairs from the upper part of the eyes. However, in recent times, the method has proven to be excellent at eliminating hair long-lastingly with no severe side effects.

First, I must mention that electrolysis is not an at-home or DIY method; you need a trained electrologist to carry out the procedure. It essentially involves using electric current to destroy hair follicles under the skin, causing a fall-off of surface hairs and a stoppage of further regrowth. The method goes to the basis of hair growth and stops the mechanism from that point.

To achieve this process, your electrologist will typically insert a tiny wire into your skin, targeting the follicle that produces the hair you want to remove. Electric current flows through this tiny wire and sets at naught the follicles. Once destroyed, it will no longer be able to send hair to the skin’s surface.

From this explanation, you might have picked up a few things, such as:

• Electrolysis must be a time-consuming process
• It’s probably not nearly painless
• I won’t be able to keep my privacy with this approach.
• I don’t even know if I can afford this process.
• Will it truly end my obnoxious hair growth?

So, let’s examine these concerns one after the other.

How Long Will Electrolysis Session Take?

Electrolysis can take from as short as ten minutes to several hours, depending on several factors. First, it’s a question of the surface area involved. If you want the procedure done on your two legs or arms, be prepared to spend a few hours per session. However, if it’s just a few strands on your face you want to deal with, you can leave the clinic or beauty shop in less than ten minutes.

Another issue here is the spacing between appointments.

How Many Electrolysis Sessions Do You Need?

Electrolysis is not a once-for-all procedure; you will normally need several sessions before your electrologist can ‘release’ you. For some, it can be eight; for others, it can be twenty-four. You can dedicate about one year to hair removal and keep every appointment with your electrologist for maximum results. A little break from work can be utilized to finish your session because it could just be a few minutes of treatment, like the upper lips, which can be done within a few minutes.

How Long Does Electrolysis Last?

Will your hair grow back? Currently, the only way to achieve long-lasting hair removal is through electrolysis. However, you can still experience hair growth after a while. This could result from many things, like an incomplete electrolysis session, changes in the circle of your hair growth, and other causes.

Moreover, the more significant number of hair follicles in your body can make it difficult for your electrologist to destroy them all at once. So, there might still be some of them left undamaged after your electrolysis sessions. This is why it is advisable to treat a body part at a time.

The electrologist has to target each hair follicle and treat all individually, and this can get tedious for them. So, for thoroughness, ensure that you go for electrolysis sessions for different parts of your body on separate days unless your electrologist has a helping hand that can care for one part of your body. At the same time, they attend to the other part.

Types of Electrolysis Hair Removal

Electrolysis has existed for over a century, but the procedure has evolved due to modern technology. Electrolysis procedures only advanced with the invention of better equipment. However, the electrolysis done on people many years ago and the one done now have the same working principles.

Different devices have given birth to the type of electrolysis we know today. These include;

Thermolysis method: from the word thermo, it’s easy to understand that it has something to do with heat. In the 1920s, Henry Bordier developed a diathermy that could heat hair follicles to about 50 Degrees Celsius, causing the hair matrix cells to coagulate instantly.

The cells that the thermolysis targets are in charge of hair growth, and damaging them long-lastingly will ensure that hair never grows again.

Galvanic Methods: the technique used in this method was by Charles Michel, an ophthalmologist, in 1875. However, it was named after a man called Luigi Galvanic. This technique was initially used to tackle ingrown eyelashes.

The galvanic method involves the destruction of the hair follicle when a maximum current of 3 milliamperes is passed to the follicles, and there is a chemical build-up. The chemicals produced will destroy the hair cells in the hair follicle that are responsible for hair growth—inhibiting further hair growth in the future.

The Blended method: this method was discovered by Arthur Kinkel in 1948. It involves the destruction of hair follicles using the build-up of heat and chemical compounds in the hair follicle.

Myths About Electrolysis

The following are among the wrong beliefs about electrolysis caused by assumptions and false reports about the procedure.

Myth: the electric tweezer can be used to remove hair long-lastingly. Electric tweezer does not provide long-lasting hair removal, contrary to the false claims made by some marketers of the electric tweezer. At the time of writing this article, electrolysis is still the only known method of removing hair long-lastingly.

Myth: electrolysis is Painful. Most people undergoing electrolysis usually testify that their pain or discomfort was minimal. This is because the electrolysis machines of today are more advanced than the ones found in the past century. There is also a numbing cream that electrologists give to their patients with very low tolerance to pain. Therefore, you don’t need to dread an electrolysis session for fear of experiencing pain.

Electrolysis vs. Other Methods of Hair Removal

Laser Hair Removal

Electrolysis and laser hair removal always stay close on comparison tables and scales. This is because the procedures look alike, but they are pretty different. Laser involves the removal of hair using lasers of specific wavelengths and is used to target melanin. Electrolysis, on the other hand, targets the hair growth cells in the hair follicle, which is why it can achieve long-lasting hair removal. On a close examination, they both require the service of professionals, but lasers are more expensive despite not being long-lasting.

Chemical Hair Removal

Compared to chemical methods, electrolysis is an immaculate method of removing hair. Chemical methods like wax and creams tend to create a mess if poorly handled. Yes, they may be fast and less expensive, but their effects are temporary and carry side effects.

Hair Removal by IPL Devices

IPL devices work similarly to lasers, but it uses light beams of varying wavelength. An IPL device is a neater option compared to chemical methods because it does not involve the application of any chemical. IPL devices also allow you to remove hair from your body privately, which is why many people love them. They also come highly recommended by beauticians because, unlike electrolysis, which only removes hair, an IPL like Ulike will not only remove unwanted hair but also treat skin problems.

One of the best IPL devices you can trust to remove body hair is the Ulike Sapphire Air 3 IPLHair Removal Handset. It features cutting-edge technology that minimizes discomfort and produces results within the shortest time possible. You don’t even need to be a tech-savvy individual to use it, as its instructions are clear, and you only need to switch it on, select the appropriate mode and intensity, and flash the light.

After three weeks, you can expect a world of difference as your hair would have reduced noticeably. However, if by the third month, you haven’t noticed any difference, Ulike will refund you a hundred percent. Please ensure that your hair and skin tones permit you to use an IPL before you purchase. As a ground rule, dark-skinned folks benefit less from IPL devices, but it’s good to let the manufacturer’s chart guide you.

FAQ

Does Electrolysis Long-lastingly Remove Hair?

Yes, no matter your skin tone, electrolysis will long-lastingly remove hair from your body without damaging your skin. This is why the FDA has cleared it as the only long-lasting method of removing hair.

Can Hair Grow Back After Electrolysis?

When the hair follicle is damaged, hair should not grow back. But when you go for only one session, it will grow back, looking finer. And if you keep going back for more sessions, you will achieve a long-lasting result.

How Often Should Electrolysis Be Done?

Your electrologist will examine you and tell you how often you should be available for a session. Ideally, it should be every 2 to 4 weeks to achieve a long-lasting result.

What Happens If You Stop Electrolysis?

Once you begin an electrolysis process, it’s best to see it through. Understandably, you might miss one or two sessions, but it’s always possible to make things up by discussing with your electrologist. Stopping the entire process may mean you’ve wasted a lot of time and resources, as the hairs may resume their growth. That’s because some of the follicles might not have been fully destroyed before you stop the process.

Conclusion

For now, there is no substitute for electrolysis if you aim to long-lastingly get rid of the annoying strands on your body. But as you have seen in this article, it takes time. You can spend a whole year or even more to complete the required sessions, depending on the factors we’ve highlighted earlier. But if urge and urgency are irresistible, the process is worth it. At least you are sure that you will never have to worry about objectionable hair again when the process is over.

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) devices like the Ulike Sapphire Air3 device are a worthy alternative to electrolysis. They are far more affordable, ensure privacy, and produce a nearly long-lasting result if used as instructed.