What to Know Before Your Consultation

Your hair needs to be 1/4 to 1/8 inch for electrolysis treatment-- about the length of a grain of rice. If it's too short or too long, it will impair the service & slow down our working speed.

Please view the instructions in Pre Treatment for Electrolysis and Post Treatment for Electrolysis in the Client Documents FAQ.

These instructions are meant as a general guideline. Typically, we prefer a minimalist approach to aftercare. Electrolysis creates controlled micro-injuries, think of it as a wound-- would you put regular skincare products on a wound? Makeup? Apply witch hazel to it 5x/day?

Following the Pre-Treatment instructions is important for keeping your skin in good shape for electrolysis, such as avoiding drying skincare products. And for pain management, such as avoiding stress the day of your appointment & ensuring the skin is adequately moisturized.

Following the Post-Treatment instructions is important for avoiding infection & taking good care of the "wound" to ensure the best healing outcome.

Overall, these instructions are essential not only for your treatment, but also the outcome.

You may shave or trim your hair between appointments.

If you're new to shaving, check out this starter guide. In most cases, we recommend against exfoliation if you're receiving electrolysis weekly.

For some clients, dermaplaning is a suitable option (e.g. fine vellus hair).

If you prefer to trim-- there are several products to choose from! A personal favorite is the Phillips Norelco One Blade 360. We are not affiliated with this brand.

Please discontinue plucking, waxing, (or any method that removes the hair from the root) atleast 2 weeks before your consultation.

You must also refrain from bleaching the hair or using a depilatory product (e.g. Nair) atleast 2 weeks before receiving any electrolysis.

The frequency of treatments depends on the size & hair density of the treatment area. The treatment plan we provide at consultation includes a recommendation of treatment frequency.

For many clients, they can start with 1x/week and then we re-evaluate their plan once they reach a certain point of visible hair reduction. Some clients may start with 2x/week, such as for dense widespread facial hair. Very small treatment areas, such as the eyebrows, may only start with 2x/month.

However, we understand that not everyone can follow the "most ideal" treatment plan. We also do our best to provide a custom treatment plan with respect to your schedule, budget, or other personal needs. This plan will be sent by email for you to reference whenever needed.

Infrequent appointments doesn't ruin progress, it simply extends the total timeline for achieving desired results. Once a follicle is successfully treated, it will never produce another hair.

This is one of the most common questions from new clients. While we understand the desire for a clear timeline, a precise estimate is not possible.

You may have heard that electrolysis requires treatments over a timeline of 12 to 18 months to achieve desired results. While that’s a common estimate, it’s primarily based on the complexity of the natural hair growth cycle, and your treatment plan won’t include a total number of treatments or total treatment timeline.

The timeline is heavily influenced by frequency of appointments, hair density, and the size of the treatment area. Some medical conditions or medications can affect treatment outcomes, number of treatments, or the total treatment timeline to achieve desired results. It isn’t possible to provide a definitive number of treatments or treatment timeline, due to many variables involved and lack of research.

We explain the hair growth cycle & the impact it has on the treatment timeline during consultation, and will add more educational content to our website at a later date.

When you receive electrolysis, during a consultation or appointment, this is what to expect:

1. First we apply hand sanitizer & gloves, open a package of sterilized tweezers, finish preparing the machine & attach a brand-new, prepackaged, sterilized probe

2. Sanitize the treatment area with ethyl alcohol

3. Provide electrolysis for the scheduled time slot duration (please allow 5 minutes for the above steps)

**We often use an "automode" feature. This requires the client to make contact with an electrode, so the machine can recognize the probe has made contact with the skin. Then the machine counts down & applies the electric current. This feature is for the electrologist's convenience, to avoid using the foot pedal.

4. Once your treatment has concluded, we then apply witch hazel & aloe vera

5. In some cases, we offer a post-treatment step called "cataphoresis"

7. After we've said our goodbyes, we clean up our station; and sanitize, disinfect, or sterilize contaminated objects used during the service. We follow strict standards to keep our service safe & clean for each client.

We expect you to update us if there has been any change in your skincare routine, health history, medications, supplements; or anything else that you're aware may affect treatment that day.

During cataphoresis, we gently rub a metal wand on the treatment area to deliver galvanic current. This is a complimentary service and helps to soothe inflammation, redness, and tighten pores. Generally, cataphoresis is recommended on most body regions (and face) following Galvanic or The Blend Method. We may offer it on the face after Thermolysis, also.

Cataphoresis is complimentary & offered at the electrologist's discretion. While many clients report they enjoy this post-treatment step, you may decline it.

Obviously, we don't want your skin to be sunburned — but our reasons for recommending sun protection go beyond that.

The sunlight (UVB and UVA rays) we're trying to avoid are present every day. Clouds & windows don't protect us from it!

Sun exposure stimulates melanocytes-- the cells responsible for producing skin pigment. Sun protection is important for minimizing this response, as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is a common side effect and concern, particularly for clients who tan easily or have darker skin tones (Fitzpatrick 3+).

Sun exposure also causes blood vessels to dilate. Post-inflammatory erythema (PIE) is a concern for many clients, and tends to be more visible in lighter skin tones. PIE is associated with dilated blood vessels, an increased number of capillaries, and inflammation. It can present in various forms — including perifollicular erythema, spots resembling acne, or the widespread redness most experience during treatment.

We recommend avoiding sun exposure as much as possible and avoiding sunscreen for the first 48–72 hours following electrolysis. If you must be outside during this time, we recommend applying an ointment, Vaseline, or silicone gel (e.g. ScarAway) as a "barrier" between your healing skin and sunscreen, as sunscreen is not formulated to sit on top of compromised skin.

We recommend a BROAD SPECTRUM sunscreen with atleast SPF 30, a "broad spectrum" protects against both UVB & UVA rays. Remember to follow the manufacturer's directions-- sunscreen requires re-application for continued protection. The best sunscreen is the one you'll actually wear!

Our skin's moisture is essential for any modality of electrolysis to work properly. Thermolysis heats up the moisture in our tissue, while Galvanic induces a chemical reaction between the water & sodium in our tissue to creat sodium hydroxide (lye)-- both of these mechanisms destroy the follicle's stem cells. The Blend Method is a combination of both Thermolysis & Galvanic.

Generally, we target the lower 2/3rds of the follicle, located in the dermis, sometimes extending to the hypodermis. Anything that happens to the epidermis (top layer of skin) is considered "collateral damage". Although many observable side effects occur below the epidermis, but are still visible.

We don't need the epidermis to be moist. Ideally, we prefer it to be dry to protect against the effects of electrolysis. However, some individuals have a naturally moist epidermis, and we adjust our technique accordingly.

So, how do we ensure our skin is adequately moisturized? Moisturizing skincare when needed, our hydration habits, and avoiding drying skincare products when possible.

A "moisturizer" typically contains an "occlusive" — the oil, fat, or silicone component that sits on top of the skin and minimizes transdermal water loss, similar to placing a cover over a pool. Some people apply an occlusive on its own; with heavier products like vaseline, this is known as "slugging."

We generally recommend avoiding moisturizer on the day of your appointment. Please let us know about any changes to your skincare routine, as this helps us keep your treatment safe and effective.

If you have dry skin and would like professional guidance on managing it, we recommend consulting an esthetician or dermatologist.

You may have heard that you should drink "extra water" before electrolysis. While hydration matters, it isn't always that simple. Blanket advice to drink a certain number of glasses, or simply "extra water," can be counterproductive-- or even dangerous.

Drinking extra water without consuming enough electrolytes to balance it can actually cause the dermis to become more dry and impair treatment. It can also lead to an electrolyte imbalance, which can become a medical emergency.

Many electrolysis clients are prescribed spironolactone, a diuretic that causes the body to deplete both sodium & water. Drinking extra water without accounting for this effect on sodium can lead to an electrolyte imbalance & a range of other health side effects.

If you have questions about how much water, sodium, or anything else you should be consuming, that's a question for your doctor. Your electrologist is not a healthcare provider, and it falls outside their scope to answer that. You know your body and habits better than we do! We can only recommend that you do your best to stay adequately hydrated in the week leading up to your appointment.

Almost all clients experience some level of pain or discomfort. The skin's sensitivity also varies between body regions. Various aspects of our instructions in "Pre-Treatment for Electrolysis" are important for pain management. Even with these efforts, you should expect some level of pain or discomfort.

In some cases, clients relax enough to fall asleep! In other cases, clients are extra sensitive and may require shorter appointments.

We recommend listening to music or a podcast, and some clients enjoy playing with fidget toys or stress balls we provide.

We don't bill insurance directly, but can provide a "super bill", if your insurance offers coverage. This requires clients to first contact their insurance company to learn the details of coverage & any other requirements.

A superbill is a detailed receipt the client submits to their insurance, after they first pay NEA Electrolysis out-of-pocket, then wait to be reimbursed some or all of the cost.

With this method, NEA Electrolysis has no involvement or responsibility aside from providing an accurate super bill, and can make no guarantee the insurance company will reimburse the client.