We provide Electrolysis, which produces permanent hair removal through special techniques that disrupt hair growth. The process works by inserting a probe connected to an epilator device into each hair follicle. It uses alternating current, direct current or both in hair follicles to stop new hair from growing. This prevents your hair follicles from forming new growth cells and causes existing hairs to fall out or easily removed by your Licensed Electrologists.
Electrolysis - Permanent Hair Removal
However, you’ll still need multiple follow-up appointments for the best results. Why? Your hair does not all grow out at one time. Your hair grows in stages, and your Licensed Electrologist will need to treat each hair in the correct stage to PERMANENTLY treat that particular follicle. In addition to producing more permanent results, electrolysis is extremely versatile. It can help inhibit new hair growth for all skin and hair types. Electrolysis may also be used anywhere on the body, including the eyebrows, ears and nose.
At Scarlet Electrolysis, we use 3 electrolysis modalities:
Thermolysis
Thermolysis destroys the follicle through heat, generated by friction from the alternating current used. It works faster than blend electrolysis, taking less than a second per hair.
Galvanic
Galvanic hair removal technique uses direct current electrolysis. The electric current is passed down a needle into the hair follicle where it creates a physico-chemical reaction that converts tissue saline into sodium hydroxide. This caustic soda agent destroys the hair bulb, ensuring unwanted hair won’t grow back. It breaks down water and salt molecules contained in the follicle to create a new substance called lye (NaOH), which is corrosive, thereby leading to the destruction of cells and tissues responsible for hair growth. The modality was first reported in medical literature in 1875 by ophthalmologist Dr. Charles E. Michel as a method for removing ingrown eyelashes.
Blend
Blend kills the hair follicle by a chemical process instead of heat. Your skin contains salty water, and when a direct current is applied, a tiny chemical reaction happens causing lye to form destroying the follicle. It takes longer than thermolysis at about 8-12 seconds per hair. It is mostly used for stubborn hairs and those that have distorted follicles.
Almost all areas of the body can be subject to unwelcome hair growth. For women, the unwanted hair on commonly visible areas, like the face, usually takes priority. Hair growth on the chin, upper lip, jaw, and neck areas are usually caused by hormones, whether imbalanced or not. Genetics and medications can also cause excess hair on the face and on body areas such as the chest, breasts, and abdomen.
The most commonly treated areas for women are:
Chin – Neck
Jawline
Upper lip
Sides of face
Eyebrows
Chest
Areolas
Abdomen
Breasts
Bikini lines
Underarms
Hairline
Fingers and Toes
Many men who feel they have too much hair seek electrolysis treatment. Even without an excess amount of hair, electrolysis is frequently used for eyebrow shaping as well as underarms, groin, arms and legs, upper and lower back, toes and buttocks. Men also receive treatments on their ears, eyebrows, beard-lines, chests and genitals. Treating the genital areas like the groin, perineum, scrotum, and buttocks can be sensitive areas and we pride ourselves in making sure you are comfortable with positioning, using our vibrating chair to distract, and turning on entertainment be it watching a movie or listening to music.
The most commonly treated areas for men are:
Back (including shoulders and torso)
Ears
Brows
Cheeks (to clean up beard line)
Neckline
Nape
Groin
Hands and Toes
Curly hair is more prone to become ingrown or cause raised bumps on your skin. Coarse hair gets stuck underneath the skin. Attempting to manage these problems by temporary methods such as depilatories, shaving, or tweezing can just make them worse and often cause scarring or discolored areas. These methods are very hard on your skin.
If you have dark skin, you have a higher likelihood of having this type of facial or body hair, but it can appear with any skin tone. Straight hair can also become ingrown as well.
Electrolysis safely and permanently removes ingrown hairs and the curly, coarse hairs that tend to damage your skin without creating issues that occur with tweezing and other temporary methods of hair removal.
Treating Ingrown Hairs can initially look worse due to the technician needing to actually open the skin to extract the ingrown hair. Over time, this will heal and return to its natural color. Trust in your technician and patience with your skin are key to removing ingrown hairs.
The bikini area is perhaps the most sensitive part of your skin, so it needs the best care possible.
The bikini area is considered one of the genital areas and can include the vagina which also incorporates the lips.
Different parts of your body have different sensitivities. So while receiving electrolysis on your bikini area, you should keep in mind that this area may be sensitive. The current level may not be the same as getting treatment on your legs, but your electrologist can control the current to maintain comfort.
Frequently Asked Questions
Electrolysis involves the insertion of a fine disposable probe into the hair follicle. The skin is not punctured or harmed. Then a slight amount of current is then applied through the probe and this causes the follicle to coagulate. Afterwards the hair can be removed with a tweezer by our certified Licensed Electrologist.
We use three different modalities for treatment to produce Permanent Hair Removal:
Thermolysis – This High Frequency method uses heat generated by the friction of the alternating current to reach permanent hair removal.
Galvanic – Direct Current or sometimes called Electrolysis creates physico-chemical reaction that converts tissue saline into sodium hydroxide or lye. This caustic soda destroys the cells that cause hair growth.
Blend – This combined method uses both Thermolysis and Galvanic simultaneously or sequentially.
If you continuously struggle with unwanted hair growth any where on your body and have tried and are tired of the temporary methods of laser, tweezing, and waxing then electrolysis is the only FDA approved method to permanently remove unwanted hair.
If you are struggling with gray and white hairs, then again…Electrolysis is the only solution to permanently remove gray and white hairs.
In addition, people diagnosed with PCOS, Hirsutism, Virilism or Hypertrichosis are well advised by the AMA to receive Electrolysis due to the excessive amounts of androgen hairs to be removed.
FACE AND BODY SERVICES:
Our face/body electrolysis treatments are provided by a time based system and range from $49-$149.
This includes the following areas:
- Scalp
- Hairline
- Forehead
- Ears
- Eye Brows
- Uni-Brow
- Sideburns
- Nose
- Cheeks
- Upper Lip
- Lower Lip
- Chin
- Neck
- Nape of Neck
- Jawline
- Shoulders
- Chest
- Areolas
- Stomach
- Arms
- Under Arms
- Thighs
- Legs
- Hands/FeetScalp
GENITAL SERVICES:
We also provide genital electrolysis, which is on a different pricing structure and must be paid in advance. These services are more intricate and usually require longer appointment times. They range between $58-$196.
These areas include:
- Bikini
- Penis
- Vagina
- Perineum
- Buttocks
- Scrotum
- Anus
- Groin
*All services above include cleaning the area and catapharesis within the time purchased.
For most people, today’s methods do not cause a “lot” of pain, but it is known not to feel pleasant. Your Electrologist controls the amount of current dispersed into the follicle and can monitor your comfort level.
Most people report feeling a pinching feeling or a temporary heat sensation in the area where electrolysis is being treated. The current that you feel is going to depend on your pain tolerance. Everyone is different, so it is hard to say how it will feel for everyone.
Since this process involves removing each hair individually, we encourage you to be patient.
Depending on the area you want cleared, it could be a few 15 minute follow up treatments to several months of 60 minute treatments.
Most people who follow the recommended treatment plan provided by the Licensed Electrologist can expect to be completed or “nearly” completed within 22 months if you do not have any contraindications, hormonal issues, and not on any medications that cause hair growth.
If you are on medications that cause hair growth–permanency can be reach, but it will take longer than 24 months.
Laser is known to not work on darker skin tones because they target the pigment in the hair—it’s the contrast between dark hair and lighter skin that helps the laser focus on its target—the ideal candidate has traditionally been someone with fair skin and dark hair.
Electrolysis is also the ONLY solution to remove gray and white hairs. Laser does not remove gray and white hairs at all.
Electrolysis is the only FDA approved method to permanently remove ANY hair color on ANY skin tone.
Even if you identify as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, it can be difficult to fully understand all seven characters of this acronym. A recent survey by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) found that 12 percent of the population identifies as LGBTQIA+, it’s more crucial than ever to understand the terminology around this growing community and how and when we provide electrolysis permanent hair removal.
L: Lesbian. Today, the term “lesbian” is used to describe “female-identified people attracted romantically, erotically, and/or emotionally to other female-identified people
G: Gay. According to the University of Illinois, “gay” is still used to describe a number of things, including the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole, a single individual who does not identify as straight, and men who are attracted to other men in a “romantic, erotic and/or emotional sense.”
B: Bisexual. A bisexual person is typically defined as someone who is attracted to people of their gender and other genders—although even experts within the LGBTQIA+ community offer a range of definitions.
T: Transgender. The word “transgender” is an umbrella term used for “people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth,” according to GLAAD
Q: Queer or Questioning. The “Q” in the LGBTQIA+ acronym has two meanings: “queer” and “questioning.” But the former is the most common.
I: Intersex. The term “intersex” is used to describe people who are born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t fit the typical definitions of male and female, according to the Intersex Society of North America. And, just as there are a range of sexual orientations and gender identities within the LGBTQIA+ community, there are also an array of biological characteristics that exist among those who are intersex.
A: Asexual or Ally. Here’s another letter that has more than one meaning: “asexual” or “ally.” According to LGBTQIA+ experts at Williams College, asexual people are simply defined as those who do not feel a sexual attraction to others. This term is not to be confused with “aromantic,” which refers to individuals who feel little or no romantic attraction to others. Asexual people can often be romantically attracted to someone, but sexual attraction doesn’t play a role in the relationship.
+: Other Non-Heterosexual People. The “+” in the LGBTQIA+ acronym is used to symbolize and explain a number of different gender identities and sexual orientations that are not already present in the lettered acronym.
Our Ladies and Men may be preparing for one or several of the following surgeries:
- Genital Reconstruction (vaginectomy, urethroplasty, metoidioplasty, phal/oplasty, scrotoplasty, placement of a testicular prosthesis and erectile prosthesis, penectomy, vaginoplasty, labiaplasty, and/or clitoroplasty)
- Gonadectomy (hysterectomy, oophorectomy or orchiectomy)
- Top Surgery (breast removal or augmentation)
Scarlet Electrolysis is committed to working with your PCP and Surgeon to provide a seamless and non-stressful environment while being treated and by providing you with documentation to get procedures paid for by insurance.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal issue that happens during the reproductive years. If you have PCOS, you may not have periods very often. Or you may have periods that last many days. You may also have too much of a hormone called androgen in your body.
High levels of the hormone androgen may result in excess facial and body hair. This is called hirsutism. Sometimes, severe acne and male-pattern baldness can happen as well.
Location:
Clinical treatment for our Electrolysis Services are offered in our Schaumburg, Illinois office located 21 minutes from O’Hare Airport (ORD), and 40 minutes from Midway Airport (MDW).