What is Electrolysis and how does it permanently remove my hair?
Electrolysis has been in clinical use for permanent hair removal since 1875. Extensive research and a century of application have led to its FDA clearance as a safe and permanent hair removal method for all skin and hair colours.
Permanent hair removal refers to the FDA-cleared destruction of the hair follicle, resulting in the permanent inability of that follicle to produce hair.
Electrolysis is an FDA-cleared method of permanent hair removal. As long as a hair is present and the follicular opening is visible and accessible, electrolysis may be performed using one or more forms of controlled electrical current to permanently disable the follicle.
How Electrolysis Works (Basic Explanation)
Depending on the stage of the hair growth cycle and the treatment settings used, the treated follicle may be permanently destroyed or may produce a finer, weaker hair that can be treated again in future sessions.
Multiple Electrolysis Sessions Are Necessary Due to Hair Growth Cycles.
Electrolysis permanently removes hair by heating and/or chemically damaging the follicle structures responsible for hair growth. However, hair does not grow all at once. Each follicle follows a natural growth cycle, which directly affects when electrolysis can be most effective.
Hair follicles cycle through three phases:
Anagen (Active Growth Phase)
Not all hairs are in the same growth phase at the same time. At any given moment, only a percentage of hairs are in the anagen (active growth) phase, and this percentage varies depending on the area of the face or body. As a result, electrolysis must be repeated over time to treat each hair when it enters its optimal growth phase, ensuring effective and permanent results.
The time-frame for achieving full, permanent clearance of an area depends on the several factors, the amount of un-wanted hairs, treatment consistency throughout the hair growth cycles, the amount of time scheduled for each appointment, and hormonal changes. While hormonal changes overtime can activate dormant hair follicles, these new hairs can be successfully treated with ongoing electrolysis as they appear.
Ultimately, these factors explain why treatment plans often extend over several months to a few years, or possibly even longer.
A consultation can give you a better idea of a treatment plan that will work for you.
Permanent hair removal refers to the FDA-cleared destruction of the hair follicle, resulting in the permanent inability of that follicle to produce hair.
Electrolysis is an FDA-cleared method of permanent hair removal. As long as a hair is present and the follicular opening is visible and accessible, electrolysis may be performed using one or more forms of controlled electrical current to permanently disable the follicle.
How Electrolysis Works (Basic Explanation)
- A very fine, sterile filament is gently inserted into the hair follicle alongside a visible hair.
- A controlled electrical current is delivered through the filament, targeting and damaging the follicular structures responsible for hair growth while leaving the surrounding skin intact.
- The treated hair is then carefully removed using tweezers.
- This process is repeated for each individual hair.
Depending on the stage of the hair growth cycle and the treatment settings used, the treated follicle may be permanently destroyed or may produce a finer, weaker hair that can be treated again in future sessions.
Multiple Electrolysis Sessions Are Necessary Due to Hair Growth Cycles.
Electrolysis permanently removes hair by heating and/or chemically damaging the follicle structures responsible for hair growth. However, hair does not grow all at once. Each follicle follows a natural growth cycle, which directly affects when electrolysis can be most effective.
Hair follicles cycle through three phases:
Anagen (Active Growth Phase)
- The hair is fully attached to the dermal papilla.
- Follicular stem cells are active and accessible.
- Electrolysis is most effective at permanently disabling the follicle during this phase.
- The follicle begins to detach from its blood supply.
- Stem cell activity decreases.
- Electrolysis may weaken the follicle, but permanent results are less predictable.
- The hair is no longer connected to the growth structures. The hair can be present, but stuck in the follicle by remnants of the sheath or may have recently fallen out.
- Stem cells remain protected.
- Electrolysis may remove the hair and some damage is done to the follicle, but regrowth is likely.
Additionally, many hair follicles are dormant and some may be activated to produce a brand new hair due to hormonal changes.
Not all hairs are in the same growth phase at the same time. At any given moment, only a percentage of hairs are in the anagen (active growth) phase, and this percentage varies depending on the area of the face or body. As a result, electrolysis must be repeated over time to treat each hair when it enters its optimal growth phase, ensuring effective and permanent results.
The time-frame for achieving full, permanent clearance of an area depends on the several factors, the amount of un-wanted hairs, treatment consistency throughout the hair growth cycles, the amount of time scheduled for each appointment, and hormonal changes. While hormonal changes overtime can activate dormant hair follicles, these new hairs can be successfully treated with ongoing electrolysis as they appear.
Ultimately, these factors explain why treatment plans often extend over several months to a few years, or possibly even longer.
A consultation can give you a better idea of a treatment plan that will work for you.
J Clin Invest. 2006;116(1):19-22. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI27490.
Our hair grows in cycles and repeated treatments is a must to reach one's goal of permanent hair removal.
Our hair grows in cycles and repeated treatments is a must to reach one's goal of permanent hair removal.
What makes Microscopic Electrolysis aka Microtrolysis unique?
Hair follicle openings are extremely small; therefore, all Electrologists rely on magnification to perform accurate and effective treatments. Standard electrolysis magnification typically ranges from 1.75× to 5×.
Our surgical microscope offers magnification levels of up to 19×, providing exceptional visual precision.
Higher magnification allows hair follicles and their openings to be seen more clearly, which improves insertion accuracy, enhances treatment effectiveness, and helps minimize side effects.
With 19× magnification, even ultra-fine hairs become clearly visible, allowing the electrologist to treat them with a level of precision not achievable with standard magnification.
Why treat fine hairs at all? Ultimately, this comes down to personal preference. Some individuals prefer complete hair removal in a given area, including fine hairs such as upper lip hair or peach fuzz.
Laser hair removal is often ineffective on fine or vellus hairs, as they may lack sufficient pigment or thickness to respond to laser energy.
Our surgical microscope offers magnification levels of up to 19×, providing exceptional visual precision.
Higher magnification allows hair follicles and their openings to be seen more clearly, which improves insertion accuracy, enhances treatment effectiveness, and helps minimize side effects.
With 19× magnification, even ultra-fine hairs become clearly visible, allowing the electrologist to treat them with a level of precision not achievable with standard magnification.
Why treat fine hairs at all? Ultimately, this comes down to personal preference. Some individuals prefer complete hair removal in a given area, including fine hairs such as upper lip hair or peach fuzz.
Laser hair removal is often ineffective on fine or vellus hairs, as they may lack sufficient pigment or thickness to respond to laser energy.
LASER would not be able to treat the fine blonde upper lip hairs in the example below. Microtrolysis would be the most ideal choice for permanent hair removal
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Shadowing on the upper lip can occur in certain lighting or photographs, creating the appearance of a "moustache". Under magnification, there are often hundreds to thousands of ultra-fine, pigmented hairs contributing to this shadowing effect. At best, effective laser hair removal may achieve approximately 15–35% reduction of these hairs.
Electrolysis can permanently remove every single hair, if this is the desire of the person.
At The Silver Filament, all accessible hairs can safely be treated with high surgical magnification and insulated filaments.
Read on if you want to learn more about Microscopic Electrolysis and the various magnification tools Electrologists use.
Electrolysis can permanently remove every single hair, if this is the desire of the person.
At The Silver Filament, all accessible hairs can safely be treated with high surgical magnification and insulated filaments.
Read on if you want to learn more about Microscopic Electrolysis and the various magnification tools Electrologists use.
Our Surgical Microscope
At The Silver Filament we use a Zeiss Surgical Microscope that gives various levels of magnification up to a maximum of 19x. The combination of a surgical microscope and Electrolysis is termed Microtrolysis or Micro-Electrolysis.
This advanced approach offers greater precision, resulting in reduced discomfort, fewer skin irritations, and generally faster results, more effective permanent hair removal, particularly for finer hairs.
It is especially well suited for treating upper lip hair, peach fuzz, hairs that have thinned from previous laser or electrolysis treatments but remain long, as well as facial hairs stimulated by laser treatment resulting in Paradoxical Hypertrichosis (PH).
This advanced approach offers greater precision, resulting in reduced discomfort, fewer skin irritations, and generally faster results, more effective permanent hair removal, particularly for finer hairs.
It is especially well suited for treating upper lip hair, peach fuzz, hairs that have thinned from previous laser or electrolysis treatments but remain long, as well as facial hairs stimulated by laser treatment resulting in Paradoxical Hypertrichosis (PH).
A surgical microscope functions similarly to binoculars, allowing each eye to look independently through the optics to provide true stereoscopic (three-dimensional) vision. As magnification increases, the viewing field becomes smaller, enabling precise focus on the treatment target—such as an individual hair follicle or a small blood vessel during thermocoagulation.
Approximation of coarse hairs at 19x magnification
Approximation of medium-coarse hairs using 10x magnification.
Loupes
At The Silver Filament, we also utilize high-quality loupes that offer stereoscopic (three-dimensional) vision at magnifications between 3.2× to 5×, enhancing precision during various treatments.
Approximation of 3-4x magnification of coarse to very coarse hairs with a magnifying glass.
