What do you think of electrolysis verses laser hair removal?

Is electrolysis a dying skill? The reason I ask is a lot of younger therapists I know won't do it even though they've qualified in it, this is probably more of a confidence issue.

I personally don't do it because it was one of my passions.

In Dublin laser is very popular and new hair removal clinics are popping up all over the place - but this can only be used on fair skin with dark hair because it's attracted to pigment.

I'd be interested to know what you think

I am not trained in either but I do remember that when I worked in a salon the therapists said that the hair takes ages to get rid of with electrolysis and can still grow back but "laser" is permanent, don't know if thats entirely true, but a friend had electrolysis on her face, she is fair haired with downy facial hair and it left a kind of scarring on her face. I think that was probably down to the therapist though.

electrolysis is definatly a dying art! it is one of my fave treatments to do although i have also worked with a lot of therapists who don't or won't do it.

I also think laser is getting dated now aswell because of IPL hair removal, like laser it is permanant but it is more advanced. it can be used on fair and dark hair aswell as fair and dark skins. the only hair it doesn't work on is white hair. in this industry there are changes and more advanced treatments being brought out all the time, evolution is a wonderful thing!!

In my old salon the the lady who owns it has been doing electrolysis for over 20 years and she said over the past few years she is just starting to see how badly people can be scarred with incorrect probing. She said it can't really be seen at the time but when skin starts to lose elasticity then white pit-marks start to show.

It'll be interesting to see how it goes over the next few years. IPL and laser are so expensive to get but I suppose electrolysis can take years while IPL/laser only takes a few months...

I do think electrolysis is dying out i think this is because many therapists don't feel confident to do it which is really how it should be if you dont feel confident doing it then don't. It is a very specialist area which takes a lot of experience to get right which is why some people are now scarred.I used to do a lot of electrolysis but now i dont at all because i havent kept it up and my eyesight isnt what it was i now dont feel i would be competent enough to do it.It can be a very effective treatment particularly on strong small areas of hair i have particularly had great success with chins,necks,outer upper lips and the middle of the brow.
I think laser is going to improve and become cheaper as more places do it i have seen success with the cheaper light lasers.What people must remember is that what they do to their hairs now can have an effect on what they want to do in the future as both laser and electrolysis are less effective on waxed and plucked hair.

while this is true, generally people aren't aware of this fact unless they are in the industry, maybe we should start a campaign.......!!

I'm trained in both but electrolysis still has a small niche. For instance when I did IPL on someone it was tremendous on the dark hairs and there was no way electrolysis could ever have shifted that amount of hair...BUT...those WHITE hairs - this was where electrolysis was needed and cleared those hairs with just a few extra sessions.

Also if someone had about 10 - 15 hairs to shift, then electrolysis would be a much cheaper option (albeit a bit more painful) but also with electrolysis you can do red vein removal, skin tags and wart removal (well, after 5 years experience - someone correct me if I am wrong here). So yes IPL are advanced and really cut the mustard, I wouldnt be shunning the electrolysis machine just yet. I used electrolysis to get rid of some verucaes on my feet a good few year ago - and I couldnt shift them at all until I tried this.

my boss wants to send me on advanced electrolysis training, of course i'm very excited even though it won't be for a while yet, but what i want to know is how effective is it at removing thread veins and skin tags? I don't know any other salon near me that offers it so if it is very effective, when i'm qualified we could definatly have the monopoly!!

I never got round to doing my advanced, but it is quite effective at spider veins and skin tags due to the cauterisation effect. Its perfect for these small problems and can be done quite quickly with a good return for each treatment.
I treat all my verucaues and the occasional warts on my hands (it bloody hurt but worked a treat and touch wood they have never returned - that was about 12 years ago).

With red veins I remember that the vein gets worse looking before it gets better - it goes dark ( the scab) and then it fades. Sometimes the client may need to return at a later date because usually the client does not alter their lifestyle - which was the reason for the veins apperaing in the first place. Its pretty uncomfortable - but then so is IPL or laser.

Skin tags are usually pretty much gone for good, and dont really hurt.

I dont think it is allowed to treat moles - but I could be wrong here.

ok thanx!

xx