Hair and Skin Education
Understanding the structure of hair and skin allows Electrologists to perform their work most effectively. Familiarizing yourself with this information can also help you have an informative and productive conversation with your electrologist about your care.
Electrolysis and Hair Growth
Electrolysis is the only FDA-approved method of permanent hair removal. Treatment is most effective on follicles in the active growing stage, rather than those in the shedding or resting stages. During the active growing stage, all tissues in the follicle that require treatment are present and easily accessible to the probe. The percentage of hairs in the active growing stage varies depending on the area of the body, the client's specific genetic makeup, and hormonal / diet factors. At no time are all hairs present in this stage.
​
This is the same process that ensures your head is usually never without some hair coverage, as long as the follicles in an area are active. The length of time that hair stays within active growth will also vary. This is affected by good nutrition and blood flow that properly feed active hair follicles, as well as factors like genetics and hormones.
Hair Growth Phases
Anagen, specifically late Anagen, is the stage of hair growth where the entire length of the follicle is open and all portions of the stem cell matrix found in the Papilla are exposed.
​
Catagen is the shedding stage where the Inner Root Sheath detaches from the Papilla and shrinks away, protecting the Papilla structures
​
Telogen, or the resting stage, is where the least structure of the hair is present. The hair may fall out here or in the Catagen phase.
Treatment Timeline
For this reason, sessions over a period of time (usually around 18 months of consistent work, depending on hair density) will be required to complete a course of treatment to target follicles as they reach the active growing stage. If a client needs 40 hours of total treatment, they will still need to receive that amount of sessions spaced out over roughly 18 months, but can work less frequently than a patient needing 200 hours of treatment over that same 18-month period. Working consistently ensures that we can treat efficiently, as missing any hair that moves from the growing phase to the resting phase before we can remove it extends that 18-month timeline. Any changes in hormones, medications, diet, nutrition, and individual physiological factors may influence the duration of services needed to remove all hair present.
​
PCOS or Perimenopausal clients vary in intensity of work, but usually come in under 40 hours of work. Not addressing the underlying hormone changes and imbalances will lead to continued hair growth and needed touch-ups throughout the following years. Speak with your Gynecologist or Endocrinologist about possible treatments to stop future growth, which can include an androgen blocker or HRT therapy to increase Estrogen ratios.
Facial hair/full beard removal may fall into the range of 50 - 200+ hours.
​
Bottom surgery prep or genital clearing may fall into the range of 40 - 100+ hours. Bottom surgery timeline will vary based on the surgeon's hair removal requirements for surgery.
Skin and Hair Structure
While working on your skin, we are going to be targeting a few structures within the natural opening that makes up a follicle. The space where the Epidermis loops down and hair shafts grow from. The probe we will be using does not pierce the skin, but slides to the base of this structure.
​
The base of the follicle is where hair growth begins and continues for the active growth cycle of each hair. At the base of each follicle, a Dermal Papilla is fed nutrients and blood that supply each hair shaft. We will neutralize this structure during treatment, which shuts off the hair permanently. Something laser hair reduction is unable to do.
​
In addition to the Papilla, we will gently treat the follicle wall to remove any stem cells that may seek to repair the Papilla if not sufficiently treated.
​
Incompletely treated follicles that are treated via laser hair reduction of Fash Thermolysis may regrow smaller at first, then back to full strength over 1-3 years. We work in blend electrolysis because it is the only process that thoroughly and completely neutralizes all hair-growing components in a follicle.
​
The Dermal Papilla
​
The Dermal Papilla, also referred to as the Papilla, is a mass of stem cells present at the base of each Hair Follicle.
​
While the Follicle itself is considered an extension of the Epidermis, or outermost layer of skin, the Papilla is considered an extension of the Dermis, the second layer of the skin which is protected by the Epidermis. The blood flow to the Papilla is what supplies each hair shaft with the nutrients and building blocks needed to grow.
Our job as Electrologists is to go into each Follicle and sufficiently treat it to neutralize the Follicle completely, in turn shutting off the growth of hair shafts permanently.
​
Along with the Papilla are bits of accessory stem cells that exist primarily in the walls of the Follicle and Inner Root Sheath. Those Stem Cells must also be neutralized so they do not rebuild the Papilla over time.
Follicle Shapes
Follicle shaping varies from person to person and affects hair growth shape, as well as the way an Electrologist will work with each patient. Follicles can curve in shape, and the extent and intensity of that curve will lead to curlier or wavier hair. The curve in the Follicle leads to one side of the hair shaft receiving more time for cells to be applied on the outer curve of the Follicle. As the hair exits the Follicle opening on the surface of the skin and it dries, the side with fewer cells is pushed and curled over by the side of the hair shaft with more, causing curl. Curly hair and curved Follicles are most effectively treated by Blend Electrolysis and are almost impossible to treat with Flash Thermolysis.
Straight Follicles will lead to straight hair, which is easiest and fastest to treat. The probe used with Bledn Electrolysis can get right to the Papilla and efficiently apply all treatment to the structures, killing them off and permanently stopping future hair growth.
​
Curved and shaped Follicles pose a bit more of a challenge for an Electrologist who is improperly trained; however, with Blend Electrolysis, the compounding treatment factors of the Low Level Thermolysis and the Electrolysis allow thorough treatment of any shaped Follicle. The Heat for the Low Level Thermolysis pushes the liquid lye produced by Electrolysis deep into the Follicle and creates adequate treatment.
​
Distorted Follicles are usually the result of receiving Laser Hair Reduction, Flash Thermolysis, or tweezing and waxing. These Follicles are ones where irregular and incomplete treatment distorts the shape of the follicle in one direction or another, without fully killing the hair-growing structures entirely. This makes Electrology work more difficult, especially for inadequate processes like Flash Thermolysis, where the treatment pattern is already very narrow. Distorted follicles can also lead to more frequent ingrowns as the distortion at the bottom causes a slight bend to the hair, making it more likely to catch at the opening and grow into the skin.
Types of Hair
Understanding the types of hair a Patient is working with allows an Electrologist to determine the most effective and cost-effective course of treatment. The skin is covered in thousands of Follicles, natural openings that loop down the epidermis, creating small pockets. Their default function is to produce surface oil for the skin using the sebaceous glands that they have. Follicles secondarily grow hair across the body when subjected to stimulus. These hairs grow for a variety of reasons: heat retention and warmth, UV protection, to reduce friction, or to allow air spacing for natural cooling.
Because of the variety of reasons that hair grows on the body, there are also a variety of reasons a hair may start growing from a follicle as a Lanugo hair, also known as peach fuzz. Peach fuzz is usually small and colorless and doesn't get any nutrients on its own; it is instead usually fed by the Sebaceous gland. Since the Sebaceous gland can only spare so many additional nutrients and materials, these hairs remain small, and as soon as the stimulus causing their growth goes away, they tend to fall out and not regrow. Consistent stimulus over time will signal your body that this hair needs to be more permanent, causing it to slowly move onto a Terminal hair. These stimuli can include constant and intense UV exposure, rubbing against an object or other part of the body, diet changes, and most commonly, hormone changes. Treating a Lanugo hair does not keep the Follicle from later developing into a Terminal hair. It is for that reason that a responsible Electrologist will not work on peach fuzz or Lanugo hair, as this does nothing for the patient and only wastes their money.
​
Terminal Hair is hair that has been determined by your body to be a necessity for some factor and purpose, though most commonly, hormone imbalances or changes are often the biggest culprit. It is important to note that if one does not deal with the underlying cause of Terminal hair, more will likely continue to develop over a person's lifespan. Terminal hair needs to grow consistently and so needs its own blood supply, which the follicle will do by developing a Dermal Papilla and attaching veins and blood vessels to. This allows the hair to grow much fuller and thicker than Lanugo hair. Terminal hair will enter a cycle of growth, going from growing to falling out, to resting repeatedly. Examples of the most common types of Terminal hair would be head hair, pubic hair, or facial hair. Treating this hair is where an Electrologist can be sure the hair will never return, for currently unknown reasons, unlike Lanugo hair, once a Follicle has developed a Papilla and it is destroyed, it will not do so again.
Lanugo Hair
​
Lanugo hair has not established its own blood supply. As a result, no Papilla is present to treat. Treating this Follicle will not ensure it cannot become Terminal later in Life
​
Most often, Lanugo hair is not permanent and as soon as the stimuli causing growth are removed will disapear.
​
Lanugo hair is mostly colorless or very low in Melanin. Meaning it is likely not visible to people around you.
​
With too much plucking, tweezing, or Laser Hair Reduction, Lanugo hair can be encouraged to grow its own blood supply and become the next type of hair, Terminal.
Terminal Hair
​
Terminal hair has established its own blood supply. A Papilla is present to treat, and destroying that structure will prevent hair from regrowing.
​
Terminal hair Follicles' established blood supply and Papilla devoted to this specific Follicle supply nutrients, which leads to thicker and darker hair.
​
Terminal hair will have various levels of pigment and thickness, which is usually noticeable in a mirror or to another individual.
​
Terminal hair will continue to get thicker and stronger over time once established, even if the factors causing growth are removed.
Tombstone Hair
​
Tombstone hair happens in specific cases and is not harmful. Clients who have a tendency to develop Tombstone hairs will consistently have these as a result of treatment.
​
Tombstone hair occurs in one of two cases:
-
When a Follicle begins growing another hair immediately, it goes from the Anagen growth phase to the Anagen growth phase, skipping shedding or resting.
-
When the treated Papilla or Inner Root Sheath remains in the Follicle post treatment and desicates over time.
​
Tombstone hair will appear as a darker, small black spot on the surface of the skin or just below.
Tombstone hair and material in the Follicle must work its way out of the skin naturally, but can be assisted with gentle pressure.
