How many electrolysis sessions are needed for the face, bikini, armpits, legs

Electrolysis is one of the most modern hardware methods of hair removal. It is based on the impact of low-power electrical discharges directed to the follicle area - the place in the skin where hair is formed. There is a tiny focus of high temperature, which causes hair growth to stop completely.

The versatility of electrolysis is that it is suitable for any hair, regardless of its thickness, color and location. The procedure allows you to completely get rid of unwanted vegetation in several sessions.

Advantages of electrolysis at ART-Clinic

Online consultations for patients from the regions

A team of highly qualified specialists with extensive experience

Modern minimally invasive techniques of operations and reconstructions

Affordable prices, promotions, discounts, installments

At ART-Clinic, electrolysis is performed using a modern device, Depil plus-2, produced by the Spanish company ROSS, which has been producing cosmetology equipment since 1977. Depil plus-2 is the most popular device in the world for professional hair removal, as it uses a frequency of 13 MHz, which makes the procedure painless. In combination with the highest professionalism of ART-Clinic cosmetologists, this allows you to achieve maximum effectiveness of the method.

To remove unwanted hair, doing it very effectively and completely safe for health, sign up for a consultation at ART-Clinic by phone and (calls within Russia are free) or using a special form.

How long do different zones take?

As for the number of procedures and sessions by zone, of course, they will differ. The doctor himself will not even tell you the exact number of procedures at the first consultation. It can be seen that this will happen only after the first few visits to the beauty salon and their effectiveness.

Bikini area

The most popular area, however, the bikini area will take the longest to remove hair. All because of thick vegetation and coarse hair. You will have to visit a specialist at least 10 times, and so 15. And in total, 5-6 sessions (selections) will be needed. This will all take at least 1.5-2 years. You will not be able to visit the treatment room more than once a month. After such a number of procedures, the hair will most likely be gone forever (yes, each hair will have to be removed using current 10-15 times). In a couple of years, you can visit the procedure again for complete cleaning.

So, it is recommended to register according to this scheme:

Time for the first procedure: no more than 30 minutes;
Approximate time to process the entire area (selection): from 6 to 12 hours.

Armpit area

Another delicate area with very delicate skin. By the way, some experts do not recommend doing electrolysis in this particular place due to the thinness of the skin. However, if there are no contraindications, then you can get rid of armpit hair forever. This will require at least 3-4 sessions, depending on the hair growth. The number of doctor visits is up to 10. A year will be enough for the armpit area.

Recommended procedure time:

First procedure time: 30-60 minutes;
The first selection will last: 1-2 hours for each armpit.

Leg area

It all depends on the zone. If you want to get rid of hair on your shins, then it will take less time, if, accordingly, over the entire surface of your legs, then more. It takes a long time to visit the doctor, up to 15-17 times for the legs, 20 or more to get rid of hair on the legs completely. This will all last at least 2 years.

Time the procedure will take:

First procedure: 60 minutes for both lower legs and entire legs;
Time for the first session: lower legs - 5-8 hours, for each leg, full legs 10-16 hours, also for each leg.

Hand zone

There is usually less hair on the hands, so it will take less time. However, it will also take about a year or more to forget about arm hair. You will have to visit the cosmetologist's office 9-12 times and this will all be about 3-5 sessions.

Time for procedures:

First procedure: no more than an hour, both for arms up to the elbows and completely;
Time for the first session: 3-5 hours for arms up to the elbow, 5-9 hours for both arms completely.

Face, upper lip and eyebrows

The most dangerous place for electrolysis. You need to prepare for the fact that marks will remain on your face for some time. Each area, but especially the face, requires an integrated approach. It is very important to regularly attend treatments and take care of your face after electrolysis. Otherwise, complications may occur. But there is also good news. The facial areas will require the least amount of time. Firstly, most often there is not that much hair here, and secondly, the area is really not large. On average, both eyebrows, lips and face will require only 3-4 sessions, up to approximately 8-9 procedures.

Time the procedure will take:

First visit: no more than 15 minutes (thinning will be required for the upper lip);
First session: 30 minutes for the upper lip, 15-30 minutes for the eyebrows, 30-60 minutes for the face.

Belly, chest, back and buttocks

Not the most popular areas, but there are clients who want to get rid of hair in these places. In general, these zones take approximately the same amount of time. Up to 6-7 sessions (a large number of procedures are possible for the male back), up to 10-12 procedures.

First visit: stomach, midline of the abdomen, back and buttocks 30-60 minutes, but with the breasts you should be careful for up to 10 minutes (thinning);
First session: stomach 1-4 hours, midline of the abdomen and chest 30-60 minutes, back 30 minutes-6 hours, buttocks 30-60 minutes for each.

The first selection will take about 20%-30% of the hair, the next three up to 60%.

What determines the effectiveness of electrolysis - how quickly does hair grow?

Similar cosmetic procedures are undergoing a number of studies. According to the results of clinical studies, this type of hair removal, electrolysis, is the only method of hair removal that allows you to remove hair forever. The official US Food and Drug Administration gives permission to use the label “permanent hair removal,” which literally translates as “permanent hair removal.” This marking is used only for electrolysis. For all other types of hair removal, the label “permanent hair reduction” is used, which means “reducing the amount of hair.”

Therefore, when you come across reviews online that say that electrolysis did not help, do not believe them. It's all about timing. Naturally, the first result will already be after the first session. However, the number of sessions depends on the following factors:

Age;
Bikini area;
Genetic factors;
The amount of melanin in the body;
Hair color, structure and thickness;
Presence or absence of hirsutism.

You should not expect that you can completely get rid of hair after 1-2 procedures. Some women visit a cosmetologist for years to achieve an amazing effect and forget about hair in delicate areas forever.

In addition, the first session, called selection, can last for several procedures. The thing is that when you come to your first appointment, only very patient women can endure painful electrolysis for a long time.

A session (selection) is the first visit to the doctor, during which the entire surface is cleaned;
1st entry is the time of the first procedure and at this time it is not necessary that hair will be removed from the entire area. Most likely, the cosmetologist will have time to treat about a quarter or half of the area.

Important! In general, complete hair removal will take several years. All because of the pain and complexity of the procedure. However, after attending the entire course, you can forget about hair forever.

Number of sessions depending on zone and gender

The number of laser hair removal procedures required to remove body hair ranges from 5 to 12. Women with blond hair will need an average of 6-8 sessions to correct the area of the arms and legs. To treat hormone-dependent areas, up to 10-12 sessions are required.

Men will need 2-3 more procedures, as their hair grows more intensively.

For each zone, hair removal sessions are performed at different intervals. Hair on hormone-dependent areas of the body (bikini, face, armpits) appears faster after hair removal. Hair does not appear on the arms, legs and calves for longer.

The break between procedures for the armpits and bikini area is 1-1.5 months. To re-treat the legs and arms, sessions are carried out at intervals of 2-3 months. With each subsequent period, the amount of hair decreases, and their growth slows down. After 3-4 visits to a specialist, the frequency of the procedure is reduced to 1 time every 6 months.

A cosmetologist will create a more precise scheme for removing vegetation using a laser. He will also inform the patient about the necessary preparatory measures and talk about possible contraindications to the procedure.

Preparation for the process

For best results, it is recommended to stop shaving your armpits approximately 1.5-2 months before the procedure, or three months if waxing took place.

After this, it is advisable to come to the appropriate salon and sign up for an initial consultation with a specialist. The hairs should grow at least half a centimeter - the master himself should tell you about this and how it will be more convenient for him to work. But the point is not even the length of the hair, but the fact that each of them takes more time to germinate.

It is important to understand that all hair on the human body is in different phases of its growth. Therefore, it will not be possible to burn them all out in 1 session. It will take 3 to 5 procedures.

Before taking it, it is recommended to make sure there are no contraindications. On the day of the procedure, you should avoid caffeinated and alcoholic drinks.

Reviews from doctors

Experts consider electrolysis to be such an effective method of hair removal that they classify it as a therapeutic method for getting rid of excess hair. For example, increased hairiness caused by a genetic predisposition can be eliminated forever only by electrolysis.

However, according to doctors, a good result largely depends on who performs the procedure. This must be a highly qualified specialist. Otherwise, many side effects arise, and the final result of electrolysis will leave much to be desired.

In general, today doctors consider the procedure to be the most effective among other methods of combating excess hair.

Why electrolysis is more effective than other methods

The essence of the procedure is electrical impulses that act on each hair follicle with a certain frequency and power. Under the influence of current, the follicle is destroyed and is not restored. The hair at the site of the destroyed bulb no longer grows.

Electrolysis of hair is universal. It is suitable for any skin type, any hair shade and any area of the body. The only condition for performing the procedure is that the length of the hair to be removed must be at least 5 millimeters.

Modern devices used for electrolysis vary the power and frequency of the current. For the face, chest, bikini line and other sensitive areas, lower power currents are used. For legs and other areas of the body where sensitivity is lower - more powerful currents. Therefore, where other types of hair removal are ineffective, electrolysis gives excellent results.

Preparatory procedures

The electrolysis procedure is quite simple and does not require any special preparation. Before visiting a cosmetologist, girls need to prepare their skin by treating it with a special cream or gel, especially for those women who have dry skin. The length of the hairs must be several millimeters in size so that the specialist can remove them after they have been detached from the follicle.

Before electrolysis, it is not recommended to drink alcohol or drinks that contain caffeine. It is best to limit yourself to juice or herbal tea. Women need to choose the time after the menstrual cycle, as studies show that pain can significantly decrease after it. But it also happens that the opposite happens. During the menstrual cycle, the pain becomes much less.

During electrolysis, experts recommend not to be nervous and try to get used to minor pain. Sit or lie straight and calmly inhale and exhale. With each subsequent process, the body will become more and more accustomed to painful sensations. Also, during the next process, the hairline will be significantly reduced, the follicle will become smaller, and therefore the painful sensations will become more invisible. One procedure can last for four hours. It is not recommended to do this type of hair removal for a longer period of time, due to the psychological factor and painful sensations.

How to prepare the skin of your hands and feet

In order for electrolysis to be as comfortable as possible and for the expected effect to be achieved, it is important to properly prepare the skin for the procedure.

Hair length

Experts advise resorting to electrolysis when the hair length is 3–5 mm. Therefore, before the procedure, hair should be grown to the desired length and not use other methods to remove it.

Scrub

A day before the procedure, it is recommended to treat the skin of the hands and feet with a scrub. This will remove the stratum corneum of the skin surface and facilitate the penetration of the electrode, i.e. the needle will pierce the skin more easily and the pain will decrease.

Author's recommendations. For the skin of your hands and feet, you can use a scrub prepared at home. It is recommended to use ground coffee beans, granulated sugar, table salt or sea salt as abrasive particles. One tablespoon of solid grains should be mixed with a tablespoon of shower gel. Apply the resulting mixture to your hands and feet.

When using a ready-made scrub, its properties can be significantly improved if you add baking soda to it: for 1 tbsp. l. scrub you need to take 1 tsp. soda

Cleaning and disinfection

Before any hair removal procedure, an important point is cleaning the skin and disinfecting it. During electrolysis, this stage of skin preparation is especially important, since during the procedure the skin experiences multiple punctures through which pathological microflora can easily penetrate, and this is fraught with the development of serious inflammatory processes.

Therefore, the skin of the hands and feet should first be cleaned of sebaceous secretions and other contaminants, and then treated with an antiseptic composition

From the author. You can disinfect the skin with Chlorhexidine. This drug, unlike alcohol-containing solutions, does not evaporate from the surface of the skin. Consequently, its antiseptic effect lasts much longer. In addition, Chlorhexidine does not dry out or sting the skin. Another advantage of the product is that it is inexpensive and can be found at any nearby pharmacy.

Chlorhexidine does not dry or sting the skin, does not evaporate from its surface and effectively disinfects

Anesthesia

Electrolysis is one of the most painful procedures, and even with a high pain threshold, the client experiences pain.

Therefore, when performing electrolysis of arms and legs, you cannot do without additional pain relief, especially at the initial stage of the course. Lidocaine-based anesthetics are quite often used. The substance acts on nerve endings and blocks impulses sent to the brain.

Lidocaine ointment can be used to numb the skin of the arms and legs. It is an effective and affordable anesthetic. It should be used as follows:

apply the ointment in a thin layer to clean, dry skin;
wrap the treated area with cling film, which will prevent the evaporation of the product from the surface of the skin;
after 1 hour, remove the film and begin electrolysis.

Note from the author. The film should be removed gradually as needed, otherwise the anesthetic will begin to evaporate from the surface of the skin, and the duration of its analgesic effect will be significantly reduced.

Lidocaine blocks the impulse of nerve endings, creating an anesthetic effect

The effect of Lidocaine ointment lasts for at least 2 hours. During this time, the specialist can treat 2 arms, or 2 hips, or 2 legs.

Advice. You can increase the effectiveness of the pain reliever by first steaming the skin of your hands and feet in a hot shower. In this case, the pores will open, the active substances of the anesthetic drug will penetrate deeper into the skin layers, and the effectiveness of freezing the skin will increase significantly.

Note from the author. Lidocaine spray, Light Dep cream, Menovazin ointment can be used as anesthesia for the skin of the hands and feet. Although the well-known and popular painkiller cream Emla effectively freezes the skin, a less expensive product can be used to anesthetize the arms and legs.

Comparison table of different types of hair removal

Procedure/type	Efficiency (points 1-5) and duration of effect on gray and blond hair (sb)	Comfort (scores 1-5) possible negative consequences	Possible venue
Shaving / Depilation	1 3-8 days* ssv - yes	5 ingrowth, cuts, irritation	At home
Chemical depilation (cream, gel, foam, etc.) / Depilation	1-2 4-10 days* ssv - yes	4-5 (depending on skin sensitivity) Irritation, allergy	At home
Waxing / Depilation	3 10-20 days* ssv - yes	3 Irritation, ingrowth	Allowed to be held at home
Sugaring (sugar) / Depilation	3 10-20 days* ssv - yes	2 Irritation, ingrowth, allergy	Allowed to be held at home
Photoepilation / Epilation	4 4-8 weeks Up to 3-4 years* sv - no	5 (possibly using anesthesia) burns, irritation, folliculitis	Organization without medical licenses, in compliance with medical standards. security
Electrolysis /Epilation	4 3-10 weeks Up to 4 years* sv - yes	4 (possible use of anesthesia) burns, irritation, wounds	Only an organization with medical services. license
ELOS hair removal / Epilation	4 6-8 weeks Up to 5 years* sv – yes/no	5 (possibly using anesthesia) irritation, dryness	Only an organization with medical services. license
Laser Hair Removal / Hair Removal	4-5 6-8 weeks Up to 5 years* sv – yes/no	5 (possibly using anesthesia) dry skin	Only an organization with medical services. license

*) depending on the natural growth rate **) after the first hair removal ***) after the full course

Aftercare for hands and feet

After electrolysis, some reactions appear on the skin, which are considered normal. These are redness and swelling, itching and red crusts.

Swelling and redness will disappear on their own within a certain time (for some in a few hours, for others in 2-3 days). But to speed up this process, you can apply ice to the treated area of skin.

To soothe itching, it is recommended to lubricate the skin with calendula tincture.

According to the author’s personal experience, any itching is well relieved by aloe leaf. The cut leaf should be washed under running water, cut in half and smeared with the pulp on the itchy surface. The procedure should be repeated 3-4 times a day.

Aloe effectively soothes itchy skin

The red crusts will go away on their own within 7-9 days. The only requirement is to try not to tear them off ahead of time, because new skin has not yet formed under them, which in the future can lead to the appearance of a scar. Therefore, loose clothing must be worn during this period.

Experts recommend adhering to the following rules for skin care after electrolysis:

Do not wet the skin for the first 24 hours;
during the first two days, the skin must be treated with Chlorhexidine, and after it dries, sprinkle the skin with talcum powder;
for the next 4 days, the skin surface should be wiped only with calendula tincture;
a week after electrolysis, the process of exfoliation of crusts begins, so from day 7 the skin must be treated not only with calendula tincture, but also lubricated twice a day with anti-inflammatory, healing, regenerating ointment (Levomikol, Methyluracil, Methyluracil with Miramistin, Zinc ointment, etc.);
within 7 days, refrain from visiting the pool, sauna, bathhouse and do not take a hot shower or bath;
You should not visit solariums or sunbathe for 2–3 weeks after the procedure. If necessary, apply sunscreen to your skin.

The author advises. If the skin is prone to the formation of pustules, then immediately after electrolysis the skin can be lubricated with tea tree oil.

Is it painful to do electrolysis of the armpits?

Almost the entire female population is irritated by armpit hair in one way or another. Many people know about electrolysis, but when they hear the word “current,” they immediately tense up and decide to abstain from the procedure, fearing pain.

Each person has their own pain threshold, and it is impossible to say exactly how acute the sensations will be during this procedure. Some can lie calmly and talk with the master, while others can barely hold back tears. In this matter, everything is individual. If sensitivity is too high, you can individually select anesthesia suitable for a particular person. Before using any anesthetic, an allergy test is performed to exclude an allergic reaction to its components.

It is also worth preparing for the fact that anesthesia lasts about an hour, and the procedure can last four times longer.

Contraindications

Despite the safety of this procedure for the patient’s health, we will further consider contraindications to its use in certain cases:

skin diseases;
epileptic seizures and other mental disorders;
diabetes;
damage to the skin in the area of the procedure;
birthmarks or tattoos in the hair removal area;
cancer and chronic heart disease;
phlebeurysm;
pregnancy.

In general, this list is quite large, but it should be understood that it is the same when carrying out similar procedures.
The stated restrictions should in no case be ignored or hidden from a cosmetologist during a preliminary consultation, as this can seriously affect your health. Due to contraindications, this procedure should not be performed at home, as the consequences can be unpredictable.

As you can see, electrolysis of the armpits is quite long and painful, but it has a huge advantage - unwanted hair in the armpit area is removed effectively and for a long time.

Bioepilation (hair removal with wax, waxing)

A little wax is softened and applied to the treatment area with a special spatula or cartridge. The composition is made warm enough to warm up the skin and thus facilitate hair removal from the root. However, the temperature of the composition never exceeds 42 degrees, that is, burns are excluded. The cooled wax is removed by hand or with special fabric or paper strips.

For areas with increased sensitivity (armpits and bikini area), film wax is used, which has a lower melting point and hardens more slowly. This allows the composition to remain on the skin longer and better steam the hair follicles, which makes hair removal more comfortable and of higher quality.

Required hair length before the procedure: 2–5 mm.

Number of procedures for one zone: 1.