Electrolysis

Electrolysis is the process of using electrical current to detroy the roots on a hair, with the end result of permanently removing the specified hairs from the human body. Only one hair can be removed at a time so it is a very tedious, and often expensive procedure.

The electrologist slides a hair-thin metal probe into each hair follicle in the area that is to be cleared. Proper insertion does not puncture the skin. The probe is fed with a small electrical charge which is delivered to the follicle, this causes localized damage to the areas that generate hairs.

Procedure

There are three methods of electrolysis, there is not one that is known to be better than another.

They are called:

GALVANIC TREATMENT

This method is named after Luigi Galvani (Italian physician/physicist who discovered that muscle and nerve cells produce electricity)and this was the first method of electrolysis ever used. This is a chemical process and the way it works is that when a probe is inserted into the hair follicle a current is applied, this causes the body salts to combine with the moisture in the tissue which produces a chemical reaction. The electrical current combining with the bodies moisture causes sodium chloride to form, which kills the papillary tissue and therefore destroys the follicle. This method was found to be very effective, but slow.

SHORT WAVE

Short Wave electrolysis is much faster that the Galvanic Treatment, this method uses a probe that can discharge electricity at any point along its length. Because this process employs a very intense short wave current enabling the electrologist to move quickly, it proved to be faster than the Galvanic Treatment. This method was found to be less effective as hair did tend to grow back and the treatment had to be repeated.

THE ELECTROBLEND

This was developed sometime in the early 1940s. It combines the speed of the Short Wave method with the low regrowth rate of the Galvanic Treatment. The way this is achieved is that it speeds up galvanic action with simultaneously applied short-wave action at a very low intensity. This interaction results in a moderate treatment speed which leaves the skin in excellent condition with a minimum of regrowth.

History

The process of Electrolysis was developed by Dr. Charles E. Michel in 1875 originally for the treatment of ingrown eyelashes. The term electrolysis is a generic term applied to the three methods used today to achieve permanent hair removal.

Useful Links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrology
http://www.hairfacts.com/methods/electro/electrolysis.html
http://www.electrolysis.co.uk/ <- British
http://www.electrology.com/faq.htm <-American