Is Electrolysis Outdated?

I guess it really isn’t surprising that most people think electrolysis is extinct or that electrolysis is old-fashioned or just plain passe. With the explosion of technology of all sorts in the last decade it makes sense that people look to laser hair reduction as the modern method of permanent hair removal. The machines are sleek, expensive and they seem so high tech.

Notice I did say seem so high tech. In fact, both laser and electrolysis hair removal rely on scientific principles that are as old as the universe itself. If you understand these principles and if you understand the hair growth cycles on the face and body, it’s easier to realize the limits of laser when it comes to effectively removing hair permanently. The success of laser depends on what lies under the skin, that is, the stage of growth that the hair root is in. Practitioners of electrolysis know quite a bit about what is happening under the skin, yet because of the way laser hair reduction works laser technicians will know little about how face and body hair actually grow.

What electrolysis technicians know that laser technicians simply can’t know is how the various stages of hair growth determine the energy level needed to kill a hair follicle.

In a small area you can have hairs in 3 different growth stages that each require a specific level of energy to eradicate them while leaving the skin unharmed. Laser is not this target specific. Laser technology depends on consistency in the hair structure under the skin and hair growth simply doesn’t work that way.

This is part of the reason that many people go for years for laser hair reduction. Some areas of the body have a majority of the hairs present in the latter stage of hair growth (which can last for months). The root is shorter and lighter in colour during this period, thus, the laser will have have little effect on hair in this stage of growth.

Although electrolysis hasn’t evolved very much in decades, it remains the perfect technology to treat unwanted hair.

If you don’t have a clue how hair growth cycles work you might think that treating each individual hair is needlessly time consuming. In that context a sweep with laser over a large area seems a lot more efficient. And sometimes it is, but it often isn’t.

That’s why I predict an electrolysis renaissance. As the limits of laser become more widely understood, I expect the merits of electrolysis will become more widely known.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to unwanted hair and that’s the main strength of electrolysis. The ability to see beneath the skin is something that electrologists pick up after working on millions of hairs. A good electrologist is uniquely suited to provide a tailor-made solution to your issues with unwanted hair.

Further Reading:

How Did Laser Take Over The Market So Fast And So Effectively?

I’m A Girl…Why Am I Growing A Beard?