Practical

When planning your electrolysis treatment, there are a few things you should know. How do you best prepare for the treatment? What are the best aftercare methods? What does an intensive program look like?

Preparing for your electrolysis treatment

Electrolysis is not a child's play. Some preparation before your session is therefore important so that everything can go as efficiently as possible.

• Please arrive on time so we can start the treatment as soon as possible.
• Make sure you have eaten.
• Do not shave for at least 5 days before facial treatment and at least 10 days before genital treatment. We must be able to grab the hair with tweezers, for that it must be at least 3 mm long. 
• No tweezing or waxing within 3 months for your electrolysis session.
• Hydrate your skin for better conduction of electricity and a more effective electrolysis session. Daily exfoliation and application of a very moisturizing cream are recommended.
• Avoid sun exposure the week before your electrolysis (or use sunscreen).
• On the day of your electrolysis, your skin should be clean: no makeup or creams.
• Wear comfortable clothes.
• Try to come with a relaxed state of mind. It has been proven that being relaxed significantly reduces pain. You can bring some music that has a relaxing effect.
• As the electrolysis calendar is quite busy, we recommend that you book your follow-up session 6 weeks later as soon as possible.

Aftercare after electrolysis

Electrolysis works. All experts agree on this. However, the skin can react quite violently to electrolysis. Here we tell you what you can do after a hair removal session to minimize irritation and inflammation.

For good aftercare after electrolysis and a smooth recovery of your skin, we recommend the following:

What to avoid

• Don’t remove scabs—This can cause scarring when you remove them. Let them fall off naturally. Think of a scab as nature’s band-aid. It’s nature’s way of healing the follicle we’ve treated. This protects the skin from bacteria. But it’s not as scary as it sounds! The skin is the body’s first natural defense system and heals extremely quickly.
• Avoid sun exposure—Avoid sun exposure for the first two weeks after treatment. If it is difficult to avoid sunlight, wear sunscreen. This will prevent the formation of brown pigment spots. Your skin defends itself against UV rays by producing pigment that deflects some of the damaging rays. If your skin is injured or traumatized, it can cause an overproduction of pigment in those areas.
• Do not wear makeup for the first 48 hours—Makeup can lead to infections and breakouts. Other cosmetic products, such as oily, perfumed or colored creams, should also be avoided.
• Avoid anything that may irritate the skin for 48 hours —Do not swim in a chlorinated pool for the first 48 hours after treatment. Do not use creams that contain alcohol.
• Avoid activities that stimulate blood flow for the first 48 hours—Avoid any activities that stimulate blood flow for the first 48 hours after treatment or longer if the treated area is still red or irritated. Additionally, bacteria can enter the open follicles through sweat. We’re talking sports, but also: saunas, hot tubs, sunbeds, jacuzzis, and steam treatments as these can also cause pigmentation. Another activity to avoid: stress. Stress, especially chronic stress, has been linked to a number of health problems. When we’re under stress, our immune system takes a hit, especially the skin. Less stress = faster healing time.

What you should definitely do:

• Cool Your Face—Not everyone experiences this, but mild swelling, redness, and a burning sensation after electrolysis are normal. When cooling your face, the cold temperature restricts blood flow and causes blood vessels to constrict, preventing further bleeding. The cold temperature also has a numbing effect on the nerves, which is important in reducing swelling and inflammation. It can also help to minimize any bruising. Wet a towel and refrigerate it. When using a cold compress, alternate between applying it for 20 minutes and then removing it for 20 minutes, and so on. Dry your face thoroughly to prevent it from drying out, and then apply the soothing gel. For our guesthouse patients, we have a cooling machine in the living room of the guesthouse for your comfort.
• Use a soothing cream—This will help you recover quickly. We will always give you some aftercare lotion after your treatment. You can buy a tube at the clinic if you want more. Tip: You can keep the gel in the refrigerator for an extra cooling effect on the skin. You can apply a thin layer of the gel to your face and let it dry for at least an hour. You can continue to use the soothing gel between treatments to moisturize the skin. You can continue to use the gel for at least 21 days after your treatment. Well-hydrated skin makes electrolysis more effective, because the water in the skin is the electrical conductor.

What to do between treatments

• In the area being treated, no hair may be plucked or waxed between treatments! This slows down the growth cycle and will increase the treatment time. Cutting or shaving is allowed.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! 
  • Dehydrated skin means you will need more treatments to permanently destroy the follicle. Moisture is needed for better conduction of electricity.
  • Daily use of a (very) moisturizing cream is highly recommended.
  • After 5 days when the redness and crusting have disappeared: Using a scrub cream every two weeks is recommended (this allows the moisturizer to penetrate to a deeper level into the skin).
  • Drink plenty of water the day before, the day of and the day after your treatment. Electrolysis needs moisture in the follicle to be effective. Dry skin means you will need more treatments to permanently destroy the follicle. Drinking water the day after your treatment will help the skin heal faster. Applying Sterex cream daily will also help to hydrate the skin.
• Use sunscreen every day. The fewer pigment cells there are, the less chance there is of hypo- or hyperpigmentation problems (the chance is very small, but we prefer to be safe).

What to expect after electrolysis?

Even destroying such a small part of our body as the mechanism of follicles to regrow hair will activate the body's ability to regenerate. Almost all reactions to treatment are part of the body's healing processes. Reactions such as redness, swelling or slight crusting should be seen as the actions of healthy skin that repairs itself as quickly as possible. The extent to which these occur varies greatly from patient to patient. All people are different in the way they heal.

• Sunburn sensation—Expect the treated area to feel like a sunburn.
• Redness and swelling—Redness and swelling are caused by blood vessels in the skin expanding to increase blood flow. This helps the body repair damage and remove waste as quickly as possible. This reaction will last a few days at most.
  • Redness can be reduced by applying cool, wet compresses. Cold compresses work by slightly numbing the treatment area and by activating the skin’s natural response to cold, which is to constrict blood vessels. Wet a towel and place it in the refrigerator. Place the compress on the skin for 20 minutes. Take a 20-minute break before repeating.
  • At the end of your treatment, your therapist will have applied Sterex soothing gel to the treated area. This cream forms a protective layer and helps to reduce redness. You can repeat this twice a day at home as needed.
  • Scabbing is a natural part of the healing process, but is more common on dry skin than on oily skin. Scabs are a protective structure that protects the skin from infection and traps nutrients where they are needed most. Removing scabs can lead to infection and slow the healing process. In some cases, removing scabs can cause scarring. So please, as hard as it is, leave the scabs alone! Regular application of Sterex soothing gel will help the healing process.
  • Bruising—Occasionally, one or more small bruises may appear in the treatment area. These occur when an electrolysis probe hits a small blood vessel feeding the follicle. Bruising can be expected to fade after a few days. Patient feedback has shown that applying Arnica ointment can speed up the process.
  • Irritation—Sometimes, especially with dry skin, the area under the electrode may become irritated. Symptoms: itching, redness, or an eczema-like reaction are all degrees of the same skin irritation. This reaction can be minimized or prevented in advance by applying moisturizer to the area where the electrode will be placed daily between treatments. Treatment with a mild steroid cream such as hydrocortisone 0,5% may help soothe the skin.
  • Pitting—A minority of people may have “pits” in their skin after electrolysis. This is because the dead space created by hair removal is filled with scar tissue. Scar tissue (wound collagen) tends to contract (its main purpose is to close the hole). This pulls the skin slightly downward. On the surface, the skin is swollen, which makes the pitting look worse. Thus, the combination