Question
I am 27 and even from a young age had "peach fuzzy" on my upper lip. In high school after many people pointing it out I started to tweeze it along with my eye brows. I have been tweezing for about 10 years and then became self-conscious about it since the hairs became coarser and I had to start to tweeze everyday. I became scarred that if something happened to me I would be unable to hide my secret that I spent so much time and effort to hide. About 5 years ago I went for a consult for laser hair removal but decided against it when I was told that laser hair removal wasn’t permanent and could cause pigmentation changes in my skin. I just recently went for another consult about laser hair removal and came to the same conclusion that it wasn’t for me since they said I would need electrolysis to take care of what the laser left behind. I then looked into electrolysis, I asked the electrolysis many time if there was a chance of any permanent damage to my skin or changes in coloring and she reassured me that if electrolysis was done right there was no damage to the skin. She has been in the business for many years and is getting ready to retire but said she would start my treatment if I didn’t mind that someone else would be taking over in a few months. She also talked me into doing my eyebrows. I have had 4 treatments, 30min, half the time on upper lip and half on my eyebrow. After the first treatment my upper lip and between my eyebrows was red for about 2 hours but the next morning I woke up very swollen and scabby( small brown pin point scabs). The scabs got worse over the next 2 days and then after a week they feel off. A week later after my next treatment I continued to scab but wouldn’t scab till 3 days after treatment. My eyebrows look great they never scabbed, but I am soo upset cause my upper lip and between my eyebrows are a mess. After my 3rd treatment I noticed darkening of my skin. I skipped a week before going to my 4th treatment to see if it would go away but it didn’t and now my face is a real mess. My skin above my lip is dark and blotchy and it looks worse then any hair ever did. I am so upset I feel sick to my stomach and am so mad at myself for allowing my vanity to destroy my face more. I asked my electrolysis about it but she didn’t say anything about it. I want to stop going but am unsure how much hair will grow back. Is the damage permanent? How long will it last? What can I do to make it better? Should I stop treatment? Should I look for someone else to continue treatment? I followed all her post treatment instructions to a T and have stayed out of the sun. I am scarred that if I go in the sun it will be worse. I have olive colored skin, dark hair, and have had mild temporary scarring from breakouts as a teen that went away with time and the sun. My husband asked me what I did to myself cause my lip is ruined. He said he never noticed any hair before and he doesn’t really look at me. I feel so ugly and even had to hide this afternoon when company stopped by because I didn’t want them to see my ugly pigmented mustache. HALP ME! What should I do?

Answer
I am 27 and even from a young age had "peach fuzzy" on my upper lip. In high school after many people pointing it out I started to tweeze it along with my eye brows. I have been tweezing for about 10 years and then became self-conscious about it since the hairs became coarser and I had to start to tweeze everyday. I became scarred that if something happened to me I would be unable to hide my secret that I spent so much time and effort to hide. About 5 years ago I went for a consult for laser hair removal but decided against it when I was told that laser hair removal wasn’t permanent and could cause pigmentation changes in my skin. I just recently went for another consult about laser hair removal and came to the same conclusion that it wasn’t for me since they said I would need electrolysis to take care of what the laser left behind. I then looked into electrolysis, I asked the electrolysis many time if there was a chance of any permanent damage to my skin or changes in coloring and she reassured me that if electrolysis was done right there was no damage to the skin. She has been in the business for many years and is getting ready to retire but said she would start my treatment if I didn’t mind that someone else would be taking over in a few months. She also talked me into doing my eyebrows. I have had 4 treatments, 30min, half the time on upper lip and half on my eyebrow. After the first treatment my upper lip and between my eyebrows was red for about 2 hours but the next morning I woke up very swollen and scabby( small brown pin point scabs). The scabs got worse over the next 2 days and then after a week they feel off. A week later after my next treatment I continued to scab but wouldn’t scab till 3 days after treatment. My eyebrows look great they never scabbed, but I am soo upset cause my upper lip and between my eyebrows are a mess. After my 3rd treatment I noticed darkening of my skin. I skipped a week before going to my 4th treatment to see if it would go away but it didn’t and now my face is a real mess. My skin above my lip is dark and blotchy and it looks worse then any hair ever did. I am so upset I feel sick to my stomach and am so mad at myself for allowing my vanity to destroy my face more. I asked my electrolysis about it but she didn’t say anything about it. I want to stop going but am unsure how much hair will grow back. Is the damage permanent? How long will it last? What can I do to make it better? Should I stop treatment? Should I look for someone else to continue treatment? I followed all her post treatment instructions to a T and have stayed out of the sun. I am scarred that if I go in the sun it will be worse. I have olive colored skin, dark hair, and have had mild temporary scarring from breakouts as a teen that went away with time and the sun. My husband asked me what I did to myself cause my lip is ruined. He said he never noticed any hair before and he doesn’t really look at me. I feel so ugly and even had to hide this afternoon when company stopped by because I didn’t want them to see my ugly pigmented mustache. HALP ME! What should I do?

Answer
"I asked my electrolysis about it but she didn’t say anything about it"
She didn't answer probobly because she doesn't even know what she did.
It sounds like the area was overtreated and she might have caused some hyperpigmentation. This will go away in time...sometimes many months. The face shouldnt scab at all.
My advice to you is
-Immediatly stop seeing her, she is completly unqualified.
-Find someone else, there is no reason to fear electrolysis.
-Look around a for a qualified individual and once you find one all your worries will go away.

Answer
She seems qualified and has been in business for over 20 years. She explained to me that if it is done right there shouldn't be any damage to the skin but when I asked her why my skin is dark and spotted she didn't have a good answer for me. Is it possible that I am just not a candidate for electrolysis?

Answer
ANyone is a good candidate for electrolysis, nadia. She sounds as though she may have been overzealous for the first time. An electrologsist should always work hard not to overtreat the skin and feedback as you have already given her is essential and should make her stop dead in her tracks to realize that she needs to analyze her levels of intensity and timing, probe choice (I LIKE GOLD PROBES) and size, depth and angle of the insertion and scattering the work strategy.
I know that 20 years of experience should count, but unfortunately sometimes it means less. Is she using an older machine and is she wearing magnification that resembles what a surgeon would wear performing surgery?
You may have to check out others in your area. Hyperpigmentation will gradually fade away, as long as you don't add insult to injury. It is really possible to face friends, neighbors and husbands if electrolysis is performed by someone who is caring and competent and uploads to the best equipment available to them today.
D

Answer
20 yrs might not mean much. unfortunately there ARE some electrologists that practice for a long time and still don't know what they're doing. i'd like to think there aren't that many of them also, have you considered if you have any underlying medical conditions that could be causing the growth in the first place? in that case, hair removal won't seem to be working if your body is developing new hair after old is removed.