Electrolysis: Permanent Hair Removal

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Both the Food and Drug Administration and the American Medical Association have this to say in regard to electrolysis: permanent hair removal has become a real possibility. In fact, both of those organizations view electrolysis as the only guaranteed method for the permanent removal of hair. Backed by present day improvements in medical technology, electrolysis can destroy completely the growth center of a hair.

Earlier, when health professionals lacked a familiarity with electrolysis hair removal, permanent hair removal seemed like an impossible dream. Back in 1875, physicians looked to a chemical reaction when called upon to perform a hair removal process. Those nineteenth century physicians would cover a hair ridden body region with lye. Today, physicians use a refinement of that method, a refinement called galvanic electrolysis.

During galvanic electrolysis, a trained professional places an electrical probe into a hair shaft, while also exposing the hair to salt and water. Stimulation of the probe causes a chemical reaction. It produces a compound—sodium hydroxide, or lye. That lye destroys the unwanted hair.

Still, no patient that hopes to have hair removed from his or her body needs to depend on galvanic electrolysis. Permanent hair removal system equipment includes apparatus for the performance of thermolysis electrolysis as well. Thermolysis electrolysis makes use of short wave frequency. The thin probe placed in the hair shaft acts like a tiny radio transmitter. It sends out waves. Those waves heat any water around the hair and that heat then destroys the cells that cause hair growth.

Persistent doubts concerning those two permanent hair removal systems led to the introduction of yet another option—blend electrolysis. Physicians would assure patients that any hair that survived the chemical treatment would be destroyed by powerful heat energy. Today, however, studies have shown that blend electrolysis is no more effective than either galvanic or thermolysis electrolysis.

Some present day electrolysis devices rely on the body’s response to a particular chemical. Other electrolysis machines count on the physiological response to heat. All current forms of electrolysis promise the same end result—destruction of the hair’s growth center. During any electrolysis session, a trained professional places a fine probe under the skin at the exact location of an undesired hair. Following the electrical stimulation of that probe, a forceps is used to remove the damaged hair.

During its lifetime, the growth that emerges through a hair shaft passes through several stages—a growth stage, a resting stage and a shedding stage. Permanent hair removal calls for damaging a hair during the growth stage of that hair’s life cycle. Therefore, a patient should not expect to enjoy permanent hair removal following a single electrolysis session.

However, if a patient can set aside hopes for speedy removal of unsightly hairs, then he or she should not hesitate to seek out someone who has received training in electrolysis. Permanent hair removal can assure that patient of freedom from concerns about the re-appearance of unwanted hairs. The precise positioning of a thin probe should allow the trained professional to complete a safe and proven removal treatment.