Life Cycle Of A Hair
When I was an electrolysis client I got so angry at my electrologist if she worked in an area where I didn’t see noticeable hair. I said, “no, not that one, the other one is more noticeable!” My electrologist said, ” they all become noticeable at some point.” It’s the life cycle of a hair that determines which are the long hairs on the face.
I understood what she meant when I began working with a microscope. As a novice electrologist I had a habit of skipping hairs if they were barely there under the microscope. I was confused, however, when thicker, darker hairs grew in an area cleared a few weeks before. This wasn’t new growth, the invisible sprouts grew longer and thicker.
The Long Ones On My Face Were My Eureka Moment
When I worked on my face, legs and bikini line I saw blonde hair with fine pointed tips scattered throughout any given area. Eventually I observed this fine hair grow into thicker, deeply rooted dark hair – with blonde tips. It was a eureka moment for me as I finally understood why my electrologist insisted on getting the teeny, tiny ones that I didn’t notice.
The picture below shows you exactly what I mean. I didn’t shave this patch of skin on my thigh for 2 months. You can see there were various textures of hair ranging from very fine to slightly coarse. The stages of growth ranged from active to those nearing the end of their growth cycle. All needed treatment in order for my skin be be smooth and hair free. Those tiny ones are exactly the type of hair I mean. They’re almost invisible to the naked eye and so slow growing they seem harmless. But give these sprouts some time and they turn into the long hairs evident in the picture.
To summarize, when my clients tell me to “just get the long ones on my face”, I reply, “they will all get long at some point.” That’s why regular electrolysis appointments are crucial to achieving your hair removal goals. If you treat the hairs while they’re still in the early growth stage the follicle is much easier to disable permanently. An added bonus is you don’t have to let the hair get long and noticeable!