My Electrolysis Story
One of the most common questions I am asked is how I got into electrolysis. My entrepreneurial spirit played a big role in my decision to join a profession that is under tremendous pressure to find new ways to remain visible and relevant throughout the 21st century. And as much as I’d love to keep my own hair woes a secret I guess it adds a little authenticity to all of my arguments in favour of electrolysis if you know that I too have stood in your shoes. The fact is that if I hadn’t experienced the disappointment of failed laser and electrolysis treatments, I would never have dreamed that a career as an electrologist could be a viable business venture.
As a child I hated my hairy legs and arms and as soon as I hit 14 years of age I started waxing my legs. Naturally the esthetician fed me the line that if I kept regular appointments I would soon see all the stages of my hair growth synchronized and I would get a result that would last for 6 weeks (my leg waxing lasted barely a week). This lady also told me waxing would eventually kill the roots of the hair and I would be hair free in about 10 or 15 years.
What a mean trick to play on a kid because I really believed her!
I remember being so envious of girls with no visible hair. I thought they were so lucky and they didn’t even know it. I couldn’t imagine smooth, poreless skin because I was always plagued with ingrowns, bumps and pimples wherever I had hair I was trying to get rid of! How I longed to wear shorts as a teenager, and to wear a bathing suit without feeling ashamed seemed like a dream I could never achieve in this lifetime.
My teens were spent getting waxed, getting an introduction to (bad) electrolysis and even using a torture contraption I found in a secondhand shop (the Epilady – OUCH). By the time I blossomed into adulthood I had resigned myself to long pants throughout the summer and being fully clothed at the beach.
My hairy horror story started with one pesky hair
And I plucked it.
Then it came back so I plucked it again.
Within a couple of years a had a little crop of hair around this spot. In addition, I was still struggling with my legs at this time. I could never get a close shave and my legs always look as though they had 5 o’clock shadow even if I had shaved or waxed them 5 minutes ago! I was exceedingly self-conscious and I felt dirty which is, of course, ridiculous but I’m sure many of you can relate.
I was introduced to laser hair “removal” when I sought treatment for a pigmentation problem at a local skin care clinic. It seemed like the solution to all my problems. I bought a package of 6 treatments and I was excited to banish this hair forever! I don’t remember anything about the treatment and how it went. All I recall is that I convinced myself it was working until I realized it wasn’t. My hair returned fully within one year.
That failure didn’t stop me from trying another round of laser hair treatments from a cosmetic surgery clinic. It was this round that I think – although I can’t say for certain because I didn’t document my hair growth – resulted in increased hair growth on my legs. They looked worse than ever. And for some strange reason that I think must have been fuelled by desperation I also had electrolysis done at this same clinic.
I emerged from the first electrolysis treatment on my face with marks on my skin and spots of blood in a few places. Of course it was clear evidence that the electrologist missed the mark completely but the desperation kept me returning for treatment. One of the ladies eventually poached me as a client. She had set up an office in her home and I soon started weekly treatments with her during which she insisted that my hair released beautifully and that weekly appointments would ensure the hairs would go. No time limit was given though. I saw her for about 2 years and saw absolutely no reduction in the growth of my hair. (I’ll never forget being treated while this women’s dog barked loudly under the treatment table to the point where she would kick it away. I must have been DESPERATE to tolerate this, and to PAY for it too!)
I’ve heard the same story several time from clients. They sought treatment through a fancy spa or cosmetic surgery clinic and ended up with one of the employees quietly telling them they’ll do treatments for half the price at their place. One woman I know paid $120/hr in a spa for electrolysis (by untrained staff by the sounds of it) and then paid the employee $60/hr for the same bad treatment over the next 4 years.
Luckily the lady with the barking dog went on an extended holiday. By this point I had more hair which was, no doubt, partly caused by the bad treatments (she was essentially tweezing my hair and it’s well known that tweezing facial hair leads to more of the same!) I looked up electrolysis in the yellow pages and I saw an ad for the electrologist who ended up being a great inspiration to me. Not only were her treatments effective but she was straightforward and no nonsense which I appreciated after so many false promises.
At the time I was still studying at university and my previous college program in esthetics (which included an electrology component) didn’t seem at all related to the type of business this woman engaged in. This was not a beauty business, she ran her business like it was a medical practice and her hygiene standards were something I had never seen before. A mask, gloves and strict instructions not to touch my freshly treated skin with my filthy fingers. Add to that the fact that her work day started at noon and she didn’t answer to anyone and I was sold.
I am thankful this woman delivered me to the point where I could be more confident in my own skin. The smooth, hair-free skin that I had dreamed about became a reality…finally. I was even more thankful that she said to me, “you know you can do this yourself”.
And so I did, or rather I do.