FAQS: How Long Does It Take?

  • The most commonly asked question about Electrolysis is, “How long does it take?”

    The amount and type of unwanted hair varies so much from person to person (one person may have 10 hairs in an area, while another may have 10,000), the answer is not simple.

    Heredity, hormones, medication, and prior hair removal techniques all play a role in how much unwanted hair is present and how long it will take to eliminate.

  • To treat the hair it must be visible above the skin.

    Only about a third of hair is visible at any given time.

    Hair grows in unsynchronized cycles, taking 12-24 months for all of your hairs to have cycled through and made their way to the skin’s surface.

    So, it takes an average of 18 months for us to even get access to all of the hairs.

  • Treatment sessions start out longer for the initial clearing and are typically scheduled 1 to 3 weeks apart (depending upon your specific treatment plan). Appointments then become shorter and less often, as progress is made and there is less hair to treat.

  • The initial clearing of all actively growing hair in the area. Most people start with a first treatment of 1 hour, then have regularly recurring appointments, every 1-3 weeks depending upon your treatment plan.

    Electrolysis is most effective on new growth, so keeping to consistent appointments is the most effective way to ensure optimum results; this is especially important during Phase 1.

    If your skin tolerance and budget allow for longer sessions, some clients may wish to move through the initial clearing as quickly as possible, with multiple hour sessions.

    Here’s an example of one client’s progress during Phase 1 (actual client, results are not typical and will vary person to person):

    • Cis gender woman, treating facial hair (chin, jaw, cheeks) brought on by hormonal changes during menopause and increased by daily plucking

    • Treatment #1 = 80 minutes for the initial clearing of all unwanted hair

    • Treatments #2 - 6 = 60 minutes weekly

    • Treatments #7 - 10 = 45 minutes weekly

    • Treatments #11 - 12 = 30 minutes weekly

    • Treatments #13 - 15 = 60 minutes every 2 weeks

    You can see how treatments start out longer, then get shorter and less often.

  • New hairs become visible (and treatable!). These hairs are usually much finer, in far fewer numbers, and slower growing than hairs in the clearing phase. During Phase 2, appointments usually become shorter and less frequent.

  • The client schedules visits only when enough hairs have surfaced to warrant a treatment. These appointments are usually much less frequent than earlier sessions, and will continue as needed until treatment is complete. Many clients eventually only require a “clean up” session every few weeks to months, or an annual touch-up visit.