Your Complete Guide to Electrolysis Hair Removal in the UK

Nov 21, 2023

Part 1: What Is Electrolysis Hair Removal?

In the electrolysis hair removal, your esthetician will work on each of your hair individually. They will put a very tiny needle in your hair follicle and apply a tiny amount of electric current. When the current reaches the hair follicle, it will get damaged and it will not be able to regrow hair again. That way, the entire hair will shed and no new hair will grow there.

The objective here is to destroy the hair roots, which is why the needle is really very tiny and the current applied is also very low.

There are different types of electrolysis hair removal techniques:

Galvanic Electrolysis

In this technique, they will apply direct current to your hair follicle. When the current reaches the follicle, a chemical reaction will occur that will produce sodium hydroxide in the follicle. This chemical will destroy the entire hair cell, i.e. the follicle.

Thermolysis

This is a high frequency electrolysis, in which they will apply alternating current to your hair roots. The alternating current will then create a lot of heat in the follicle and it will get destroyed. That way, you will see that no more hair will grow from that root again. Also, this method is a lot faster than the galvanic electrolysis.

Blend Electrolysis

There is another method that is a hybrid combination of thermolysis and galvanic techniques. In this one, your esthetician will apply AC and DC current simultaneously. The AC current will generate a lot of heat and the DC current will create chemical reactions, all at the same time. That way, you get the combination of two methods and the hair follicle will get destroyed very quickly. So you can get the best of two techniques through one hybrid method.

Part 2: How Does Electrolysis Hair Removal Work?

Once you get a consultation and a green light from your doctors, you need to book an appointment. On the day of your treatment, here is what will be the entire process:

Initial Steps

Cleaning & Sterilisation

The treatment area needs to be cleaned and sanitised. So, your esthetician will do that and make sure that there are no potentially harmful microorganisms present on your skin at that time.

Patch Test

Your esthetician will insert that fine probe and note your reaction. If you are fine with the discomfort, then they will proceed to the core process. But this step is somewhat optional in most of the salons.

Core Steps

Inserting The Probe

The estheticians need to target each hair individually and insert a fine probe for each hair one by one. They will put the probe so carefully that it will only reach your hair follicle and won’t go deeper than that.

Applying The Current

As soon as the probe is in its place, they will apply a tiny amount of electric current and remove the probe. Then they’ll move to the next hair root and repeat the process.

Final Steps

Hair Removal

Once all the hair gets electrocuted, your esthetician will take something to scrape, most probably a razor or an epilator. They will raze all the hair in your treatment area. Or else, they might use forceps to pluck the hair.

You won’t feel much pain because the current would have already destroyed the hair roots, so the hair just needs to be taken out from the skin.

Post-treatment Care

After removing the hair, you just need to go through skincare and post-treatment steps. Apply sunscreen, so your skin stays safe from the heat of the sunlight. You also need to apply a cooling lotion and moisturiser, so that your skin doesn’t get chipped or crusted.

Part 3: Is Electrolysis Hair Removal Long-lasting?

Yes, you can consider electrolysis hair removal as a long-lasting solution for those unwanted hair. But remember that you cannot achieve long-lasting results after just one session. So how many sessions you need, only your consultant and/or your esthetician can tell. To find the right number of sessions, they will need to have a word with you, understand your hair and skin, and find the answer.

What Factors Can Affect The Long-term Results?

1. Your Treatment’s Consistency Can Impact The Results

It often happens that once the person starts noticing the results, they get casual with their treatment schedule and that will impair the entire routine. You will not get long-lasting results if you skip or reschedule your sessions.

2. Hormonal Factors Can Change The Entire Scenario

Sometimes women go through hormonal changes and that can impact their electrolysis treatment. Pregnancy, puberty, periods, and menopause are some situations where you will see hormonal changes in your body.

3. How Your Body Responds To The Treatment

Those who have excellent root strength might get long-lasting results a little later than those with weak hair roots. If your body isn’t responding to the treatment well, then you will need more sessions to get long-lasting results. It all depends on how your body reacts to the treatment.

So How Do I Ensure Long-lasting Results?

You can get the best results by following these simple tips.

1. You Should Be Sincere To Your Schedule

Your consultant will create the most appropriate schedule for your entire treatment course and you must follow it sincerely.

2. Always Be Up For Regular Maintenance Sessions

Since every person’s body responds differently, if you go through regular maintenance and follow-up sessions, your doctor and consultant can make sure that your entire treatment is in the correct direction.

3. Address Any Hormonal Changes

Usually, women go through more hormonal changes. So, if you are a girl, you should keep an eye on any hormonal changes and tell your doctor about it immediately, so they can create a counter plan for it.

Part 4: Is Electrolysis Hair Removal Painful?

Yes, the truth is that electrolysis is more painful than laser treatments, but luckily, less painful than waxing. The honest reason behind the pain is that for every hair, they need to insert a fine probe.

However, it is confirmed that you will feel a different level of pain than other patients, and below are the reasons:

If the treatment area is large, then they will insert the probe into a large area. That will increase the pain. Getting needles prickled on a small area is always less painful.
Getting the treatment on the sensitive areas will be more painful because the skin there will be sensitive and cannot tolerate much pain.
When the hair density is high, they must insert the probe for every hair. That means more number of times the probe will be inserted per square inch, which will be a painful journey for you.
When you get the treatment for the first time, you will feel more pain, and that happens to everyone.
Those with sensitive skin often find it painful to get an electrolysis treatment.

Then How Do I Minimise The Pain and discomfort?

Luckily, your estheticians are trained well to take all the measures that can reduce your pain to a very high degree.

1. Divide The Sessions Into Small Ones

Suppose your treatment area is large, then it can be painful to get the entire area treated at once. So your esthetician can simply divide one long session into small ones to make the pain more manageable.

2. Topical Anaesthetics

Local anesthesia is one brilliant way to make your treatment area numb and senseless, so you won’t feel the pain. By the time the effect of anesthesia vanishes, your body will have recovered from the harshness of the treatment.

3. Using Advanced Technology

Electrolysis done with the latest and most advanced machines will give you much less pain than the outdated machines. The main purpose of new technology is to reduce pain and improve the efficiency of the entire treatment. So you can ask your salon what technology they are using before you finalise a salon.

Part 5: Electrolysis Hair Removal Before and After

After the first session, your hair will shed and new hair will grow after a very long time. There can be some stubborn hair left out, but they will be treated in the next session. To find out when your hair will regrow after the first session, we will need to monitor the hair regrowth cycle.

Part 6: Electrolysis Hair Removal Cost UK

We can only give you the expected electrolysis hair removal in London because prices are subject to change so frequently.

Facial Hair Removal

Small areas

Upper lip or chin: £40 to £60 per session

Larger areas

Full face: £60 and £100 per session

Body Hair Removal

Small areas

Underarms or bikini line: £40 to £80 per session

Larger areas

Legs or back: £80 and £150 per session

So What Factors Can Change The Overall Cost?

Treatment Area

Small treatment areas a generally cheaper, but if you combine a lot of small parts like your upper lip, bikini line, underarms, etc., all at once, then it can become expensive.

Session Duration

When you go for small sessions, it will be cheaper. Also, if you have several sessions for the entire treatment, then it will become expensive.

Clinic’s Reputation & Location

If your salon is at a prime location and has a great reputation, then it is going to be an expensive treatment for you. But you can find a good salon at a not-so-prime location to save your money.

Type of Electrolysis & Your Hair Density

Depending on what type of electrolysis you will be getting, the final cost will vary. For example, galvanic treatment will be expensive because it is slower, so your session duration will increase.

Similarly, if your hair density is high, then it will take more time to treat a small area. That will increase the session duration, and ultimately, your overall cost.

You Should Still Invest In Quality

Even though electrolysis treatment will be expensive at a reputed salon, we recommend that you still choose a good salon that has a good reputation. But you can find such a salon at a not-so-famous place to save your money. Here’s why you should choose a reputed salon:

They can guarantee success and will put in their best efforts to make sure that you don’t get any skin infections or side effects.
They have the right experience, knowledge, and the correct mindset that is needed to carry out the procedure safely and precisely.
Reputation matters and it will give you a sense of confidence in those people who are about to treat your unwanted hair.
The advice and consultation that they give will be for your benefit and they will not make you opt for an expensive package just to make money.

Part 7: Electrolysis Vs Laser Hair Removal

Electrolysis and laser hair removal are two completely different techniques that you can opt to get rid of unwanted hair on your body. Both work fine, but still, there are a lot of differences between them as follows:

*Comparison Basis*	*Electrolysis*	*Laser Hair Removal*
Working structure	Destroys hair follicles with electrical current	Targets hair melanin with light energy to inhibit growth
Effectiveness	Considered a long-lasting hair removal method	Long-lasting, but not a long-lasting solution
Hair Colour Suitability	Effective for all hair colours and types	Most effective on dark hair; and less effective on blonde or grey.
Skin Colour Suitability	Suitable for all skin colours	More effective on lighter skin tones; less effective on dark skin
Pain/Discomfort	Can be more uncomfortable, especially in sensitive areas	often described as tolerable
Side Effects	Possible redness, swelling, and scabbing	Possible redness, swelling, and temporary pigment changes

Conclusion

So you can consider electrolysis as a solution for long-lasting hair reduction and that has been tested by so many people all over the world. But before you get started, we suggest that you should truly speak to your doctor and get confirmation from them that yes, you can go for the electrolysis treatment.

Since this treatment is quite risky and you can feel pain if your esthetician is not so professional and your salon is not so reputed, we suggest that you choose only a reliable salon that has experience in successful treatments.