Patient's diary to comparison hair removal motheds - 2.3
2.3 Treatment of Each Hair Removal Method
Hair removal cream (Nair)
The Nair is applied as foam from the can. I left the foam on my leg for about ten minutes and then wiped it off with a washcloth. The process is a little stinky, but effective. My leg was hairless. All of the hair had been removed from it, leaving the leg clean and smooth. Nair was painless, fairly easy to use, and inexpensive.
Shaving at home
Then I shaved a part of my leg. Because my leg hair was long, the process took a long time. But when I finished, my legs were smooth. Because I used shaving cream and was careful, I didn't cut my leg or get razor burn.
Razors and shaving cream can be either cheap or expensive, depending on what brand you use and where you purchase the items. In addition, shaving doesn't last long, a few days at most, so if you want your legs to be smooth all the time, you would have to shave every day.
Electrolysis at salon
Finally, I went to Cindy Greene, an electrologist, and had roughly a circular inch on my leg done with two different methods. Thermolysis (short wave), is used on fine or blonde hair. Blend, which uses a combination of two currents and requires the person to be grounded or holding onto something, is good for dark, course body hair.
There is a third method, multineedle, which is an older method that is no longer common. Blend is a chemical reaction that destroys the hair and Thermolysis is a heat reaction that does the same. The number of treatments you have to get depends on how long your session is, how big the area being treated is, and many other variables.
Also, the length of time in between treatments varies. If you are doing the same area, you might need to stick to weekly treatments, but if you are doing different areas, you can have daily treatments. Some of the most common areas done with electrolysis include the upper lip, chin, chest, stomach and bikini line. Cindy said that most of her patients are women, although men are beginning to use her services more frequently. A topical anesthetic cream can be used to reduce the pain. She noted that the upper lip is the most common area the cream is used.
Electrolysis lasts forever, so you never have to come back for retreatment for a specific hair follicle. However, due to the stages of growth that hair goes through, there may be new hair that begins to grow after you have had a specific area treated. Also, a drawback to electrolysis is that after you have the area done, you have to avoid direct sunlight on that area for about two days. A person must be at least 14 years of age to receive electrolysis treatments.
When I had the electrolysis, it hurt like there was heat under my skin and there were painless red bumps for a little while afterwards.
Prices for sessions vary depending on the area and the electrologist, but Cindy Greene's prices are:
15 minutes = $48
30 minutes = $60
45 minutes = $70
1 hour = $80
If you use an electrologist, he or she should be California licensed and have a framed certificate on the wall. In addition, he or she should use disposable probes. Whether or not the probes are gold does matter unless you are allergic or have a special preference.