Electrolysis
Electrolysis treats hair one follicle at a time, with results recognized by the FDA as truly permanent — not just reduced.
Electrolysis works by using a probe with the same diameter as the hair being treated. The needle is inserted into the hair follicle, where it delivers a high-frequency current that destroys the hair at its blood supply and surrounding tissue. This process releases the hair, making it easy to remove — and because the follicle itself is destroyed, electrolysis provides a permanent solution for hair removal, recognized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the only permanent method available.
In our studio we only offer electrolysis.
This comparison chart serves an educational purpose, to help you understand the only two permanent methods and their differences.
Both are popular hair removal methods, but they work very differently — and that difference matters for your results.
Neither method removes hair permanently in a single visit — hair grows in cycles, so multiple sessions are needed either way. The difference is what happens after treatment is complete: with electrolysis, treated hair is gone for good.
Looking to get rid of Unwanted, Stubborn Hair? If yes, This is for you.
Laser and electrolysis are both established, recognized hair removal methods in the beauty industry — though as shown above, only electrolysis is FDA-recognized as truly permanent. In the state of Florida, only a licensed and certified electrologist is permitted to perform permanent hair removal. There are a few things to understand about which option fits you best.
"Only electrolysis is FDA-recognized as truly permanent."
Electrolysis (thermolysis) uses ⚡ high-frequency energy delivered through a probe capable of reaching the hair papilla and stem cells, which are responsible for nourishing the hair as it grows. The hair must be in its anagen stage — the period of active growth — for treatment to properly destroy the cells and surrounding tissue and be considered permanent. However, our skin has countless hairs at different growth stages happening at once, for countless reasons: hormones, medication, puberty, pregnancy, menopause, heredity, or hairs that have been waxed or tweezed in the past, among others. Because of this, we can't predict exactly how many sessions you'll need — what's happening beneath the skin is nearly impossible to know in advance. What we can share with you is what we observe as treatment progresses. Educating you throughout this process is something we consider essential.
Three Conditions that Cause Stimulation of New Hair
Inherited from our ancestors — parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and further back. A strong family history of excessive hair growth.
When hair growth has been stimulated by an external source, such as tweezing, waxing, plucking, rubbing, or chafing.
Any hormonal change in the body — puberty, pregnancy, menopause, a new health condition such as PCOS, or a hormonal medication such as birth control pills.
Temporary Hair Removal Methods on the Market Today that Stimulate New Hair Growth
What Hair Removal Method We Recommend Between Electrolysis Treatments
ImportantShaving must be skipped a day or two before your treatment, so the hair is long enough to be treated.
Reserve your first session. Your first appointment will always be 15 minutes in length, because that is our test spot — it determines how your skin reacts and tells us your skin sensitivity level. From there, we evaluate whether to move up to 30 minutes at your next appointment, or stay at 15 until your skin gets used to it.
Tell us the history behind your hair growth: what you have used to remove it, how often, and whether you have had laser or electrolysis before. We review it before you arrive.
Pre-Evaluation Form →Come in with the hair visible — skip shaving for two to three days before your appointment. We treat every hair currently in its active growth phase, and afterward you follow your aftercare guide.
Hair grows in cycles, so you come back weekly to catch each one. As treated follicles stop producing hair, your sessions get shorter and less frequent — until the area is permanently clear.
You will feel a bearable discomfort during the procedure while your body gets used to it. We recommend starting with sessions of 15 to 30 minutes, and moving up to 45 minutes later on.
Forty-five minutes is the maximum amount of electrolysis we do on one area per client in a single session. The reason is that we want to take care of your skin and the wellness of your body — especially if you have sensitive skin.
The needle is inserted into the hair follicle opening, where it delivers a high-frequency current that destroys the hair at its blood supply, stem cells, and surrounding tissue. This process releases the hair, making it easy to remove without any force.
There are a couple of things we can do. We can switch to scattered work across the same area, or we can stop at 15 minutes and credit the remaining 15 minutes toward your next session on that same treatment area.
That said, the more you are able to tolerate, the more hair cells are permanently destroyed — which means better and faster results overall.
It may be an underlying health condition, or a medication or vitamin you are currently taking, that is working against your electrolysis treatment.
A few questions worth asking yourself: when was the last time you saw your primary care provider? Have your menstrual cycles become irregular? Are you gaining weight without a clear reason?
Please listen to your body and do not normalize new signs and symptoms. Visit your doctor and describe what you have been noticing. Hormonal changes in the body are capable of releasing androgens — male hormones — directly into the bloodstream, and that stimulates hair growth.
You will start seeing fewer hairs growing in after your third session.
The first time we treat an area, the hairs are all in different growth stages. Once we have treated every stage, your next appointment should find hairs in anagen and sometimes catagen. After we treat those two phases, by your third appointment the hair is in the anagen stage — the active growth phase, and the one that allows treatment to be permanent.
As we reach fewer and fewer hairs, your appointments get shorter, simply because there is less to treat.
How many sessions will your area need? That is not a number we can accurately give you. Hair grows in cycles, and there is no way to know how many cycles are waiting beneath your skin.
That usually comes down to one of two things: an underlying health condition such as PCOS, or a new medication that is stimulating new growth.
What we always recommend is that every time a doctor prescribes you something, you ask two questions:
Also tell your doctor that you have had electrolysis treatment, whether it is finished or still in progress.
And always tell us if anything changes in your health record.
Our primary goal is safe, effective epilation with minimal risk of skin damage. We completely understand wanting the session to be as comfortable as possible — but applying a topical numbing cream, such as lidocaine or tetracaine, right before electrolysis can work against both the success and the safety of your treatment.
There are two key reasons:
If you are worried about discomfort, we always start with the lowest settings and short appointments until your skin builds up tolerance.
Avoid caffeine, sugar, and nicotine for at least four hours before your appointment.
Keep the area clean and free of germs — do not touch it with your hands or with reusable towels. Please follow your Electrolysis Aftercare Guide.
Strict sun avoidance and sunscreen. Sun exposure can cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and dark spots can take months to fade.
If the treated area is on your face, use a mineral-based sunscreen — zinc or titanium — at SPF 30 or higher, every single day.
Keep the area clean as well. Irritated skin can lead to infection, and that is when melanocytes continuously release fresh pigment into the healing skin cells.
This applies especially to deeper skin tones.
Stop using it at least three weeks before your first electrolysis appointment.
Bleaching agents chemically sensitize the skin and leave the skin barrier compromised, which interferes with the normal healing process. Applying high-frequency current to skin in that condition irritates it drastically, raising your risk of inflammation, prolonged healing, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH).
If you want to keep the hair hidden in the meantime, shave. It is the best temporary method because it has no effect on hair growth — just remember to stop a day or two before your appointment, so the hair is long enough to treat.
Of course we do. When you book your first appointment, the first 15 minutes are your complimentary consultation, and then we do your 15-minute electrolysis session.
Already booked your appointment? Complete your pre-evaluation form so we can review your hair growth before you come in.
Pre-Evaluation Form