The Invention Of Electrolysis
In 1934 Englishman William Whewell coined the term electrolysis to refer to “chemical decomposition by galvanic current”. It was the age of the polymath and learned men of the period experimented with galvanic current to discover its uses and applications in science and daily life. Throughout the 1850s and 60s physicians experimented with electrical current to treat ailments from epilepsy to tumours. The treatment of excess hair with electrical current was still a decade away.
In 1875 an American ophthamologist, G. E Michel, used electrolysis to treat a condition known as trichiasis. Eventually Michel reported his results in a published essay where he indicated the same technique could benefit “bearded women”. At the time hair removal was not a profession. Instead people used pumice stones to scrape off their unwanted hair – and several layers of skin I imagine! Desperate women used any chemical at hand to literally burn the hair off their faces.
The Invention Of Electrolysis Hair Removal
By the end of the 19th century there was an established connection between electrical current and effective hair removal. Miss X was the first recorded patient to receive a series of electrolysis treatments. According to the records of her physician, W.A Hardaway, Miss X possessed a beard of “patriarchal” proportions, the envy of all men. Nevertheless, Hardaway and a colleague removed the enviable beard over the course of 350 sessions of 1-2 hours each!
We should laud Miss X and all the women who received electrolysis in the early days. These brave women did not have access to the sleek units of today. The doctors made their own electrolysis units with huge batteries and lots of cords. Thus, the current was irregular and the procedure very painful. There is mention of energy levels up to 18mA!(2mA is the maximum in use today). Electrolysis probes were not the fine, flexible tips we use today, instead sharp, rigid needles were the norm.. Scarring was the price paid for permanent hair removal in the early days.
The Electrolysis Profession Then And Now
Interesting to note is the parallel between the electrolysis profession then and now. The electrolysis profession did not receive respect from the beginning. In the 19th century criticism was aimed at doctors for doing low status work when they should treat genuinely sick people only. At the time, everyone considered hair removal a vanity service. Fortunately for all of us (both clients and electrologists) these pioneers carried on and continued to treat women and men hindered by hairiness. Consequently, no one has to suffer anymore!
Source
Herzig, Rebecca. “Subjected To The Current: Batteries, Bodies and the Early History of Electrification of the United States”, Journal of Social History 41:4 (Summer 2008), 867-85.
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