Electrolysis
The only permanent hair removal method.
Recognized by the medical profession as being the only safe way to permanently remove hair, electrolysis has become a truly accepted profession allied with many other health professions.
Causes of Hair Growth
All hair growth, normal and abnormal, is regulated by hormones. It is the oversecretion of male hormones that causes excessive hair growth. Research has established that most excess hair is due to the combination of too much androgen, and an enzyme in the follicle that is very sensitive to the increase. Excessive hair growth may be encouraged by many different variables such as puberty, pregnancy, aging, drugs, glandular disorders, stress and eating disorders.
Electrolysis and How It Works
To explain, hair grows through a tube-like opening in the skin known as the hair follicle. At the base of the follicle is a bulb, which contains a gelatin-like substance, called the papilla. This is the hair's source of nourishment. A tiny sterile wire filament is inserted into the follicle. In the use of short wave or thermolysis, the tip of the wire filament transmits a small heat pattern down into the papilla. This thermal action cauterizes and disables the papilla without damaging the outer layer of the skin. With galvanic or blend modalities, a chemical breakdown occurs that destroys the papilla. Without the papilla, the hair cannot regenerate.
Hair Growth Cycle
Electrolysis is not a once-only treatment remedy. One treatment will usually eliminate all visible hairs, but because hair growth is not synchronized, there are many hair follicles under the skin that contain hairs in the beginning growth stage or the dormant state. All hairs go through a growth and replacement cycle and, with successive treatments, the hairs will be treated as they emerge during the cycle.
Hair on various parts of the body has different growth cycles. The first stage of the cycle is the anagen or growing stage. This is the optimum time for a successful treatment because it is before the hair follicle reaches its maximum depth and the hair bulb is attached to and nourished by the papilla. Therefore, treatment of the hair in the early stage of its appearance is very important to destroy the papilla.
Comfort and Sensitivity
In removing unwanted hair, the degree of discomfort varies with each individual's tolerance, but most patients find it no worse than tweezing. With patience, expertise and skill, the well-trained electrologist is able to help many persons overcome their feeling of inferiority or other psychological problems stemming from unwanted and bothersome hair growths.