PCOS Caused Chin Hair -Doing Intensive Electrolysis -IT WORKS - New Zealand, NZ

I copied and pasted the below from this website
http://www.transgendercare.com/electrolysis/methods/overview_methods.htm
It is from a transgender website....because who better to give you good info on how to get rid of unwanted hair!! I am not transgender I am just a girl with PCOS but I found when trying to find any decent info on hair removal the transgender crowd have it totally worked out compared to the average girl looking to remove a spattering of hairs on their chin. So I thought this article might help explain electrolysis better. Also having read it myself I realise the little pimples I get after treatment are probably a pretty good sign that we killed that follicle during the treatment. So I will celebrate each 'zit' I get from now on! LoL
Electrolysis Methods - An Overview
All methods described here are based on techniques using needle type electrolysis. For information concerning the actual electrolysis devices used in practicing these methods, please see Electrolysis Epilators.
The three methods used in electrolysis are Galvanic, Thermolysis, and Blend. All three methods involve inserting a small needle into the hair follicle.
Galvanic Method
The galvanic method was the first method developed for removing superfluous hair. This method removes hair through chemical decomposition. Galvanic refers to galvanism or galvanic cells (a battery). As does a battery, the galvanic method uses direct current. It is long been understood that the application of direct electrical current to a solution of salt water produces a reaction that causes the salt and the water to break into their constituent parts. These parts quickly rearrange themselves to form an entirely new substance. This process is called electrolysis. The new substances that are formed are sodium hydroxide (lye), hydrogen gas, and chlorine gas. The process of electrolysis was first used for permanent hair removal in 1875 by Charles E. Michel, M.D.
It is the sodium hydroxide, or lye, which is the source of follicle destruction in the galvanic method. The galvanic method is basically a chemical process.
Here is the mechanism behind "true" electrolysis: With the galvanic method, the body salts combined with the moisture found in body tissue make a type of salt water solution. The moisture content of this salt water solution is at its greatest concentration deep within the follicle. When the electrolysis current is applied to the inserted needle, the newly manufactured lye causes a chemical decomposition of the hair growing cells to occur. Two electrodes are required for this process to take place. One electrode is actually the electrology needle, the other electrode touches the patient's body in some location. This "patient electrode" is usually a metal wand held in the patient's hand. This process is very slow and requires about two minutes to generate enough lye to spread through the follicle of a course, deeply rooted hair. This single needle galvanic method is no longer used because of this time constraint. However, modern electronic design allows the multiple needle galvanic method (12 to 16 hairs treated simultaneously) to work very effectively. The galvanic method kills about 80 percent of the hairs treated.
Thermolysis Method
The thermolysis method is not true electrolysis since no chemical action is involved. It does, however, provide for permanent hair removal. Thermolysis is often referred to as electrolysis. In this everyday usage, electrolysis refers to all types of permanent hair removal.
Thermolysis, also called shortwave method, high frequency method, or diathermy, destroys the hair follicle by heat or electrocoagulation. It is the most widely practiced method of permanent hair removal available today. Thermolysis was first put into practice in 1923, but did not become popular until the 1940s. All thermolysis equipment operates at a specific radio frequency approved by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), since it is a type of radio device. With thermolysis treatment, high frequency radio energy is emitted (mostly) from the tip of the electrolysis needle, first inserted into the hair follicle. The high frequency energy agitates the molecules making up the hair growing cells. This agitation causes the cells to heat, ideally to the point of permanent tissue destruction. This destruction is referred to as electrocoagulation. A microwave oven is another example of radio waves heating organic tissue. The thermolysis method does not require the use of the second patient electrode.
Thermolysis is ideally suited for thin, shallowly rooted hairs. It is a straightforward approach, and requires a minimum of operator training. However, its usefulness greatly degrades with the larger, course and deeply rooted hairs that generally comprise the typical male beard. We find the incidence of treatment complications to be somewhat higher with thermolysis as compared to multiple needle galvanic or the blend (described next). Additionally, treatment complications greatly increase with the use of flash (high intensity, short duration) thermolysis. We feel the adverse result of pitted scarring to be greatest with flash thermolysis.
The flash method is intended for treating small follicles, but has been adopted for treatment of large follicles. The flash method dispenses a high intensity blast of high frequency energy within less than one second’s duration. When this intensity is proportionate to the size of small follicle, it is an acceptable method. But when this intensity is increased enough to treat larger follicles, serious permanent side effects may occur. This intense heat can cause pitted scarring. For details on how this side effect occurs, please see High Frequency Blowout. Thermolysis typically provides a 5 to 15 percent kill rate for follicles treated.
Blend Method (this is the method you want, when trying to find a practitioner)
The blend method, also called dual action method, is the combination and simultaneous use of galvanic and thermolysis techniques. This combination method alleviates the shortcomings of each of the individual techniques, while bolstering their advantages. By doing so, blend electrolysis incorporates the high kill rate associated with the galvanic method along with the swiftness found in thermolysis. It is especially useful in treating the deep, course hair follicles that typically make up the beard. We have found no better approach than the use of blend electrology in the treatment of the male to female transsexual.
Basically, most of the blend's capacity for destroying the hair growing cells is accomplished by way of chemical decomposition. That destruction, as indicated previously, is through galvanically produced lye. But unlike galvanic on its own, this combination current reduces the normal two-minute duration down to about 10 seconds. And just as important, the high kill rate is still maintained. We find the kill rate for blend to be about 70 -- 80 percent.
The high frequency current that is used to produce a cooking action with thermolysis, is instead used with the blend mainly as an accelerant. This is attributed to three separate actions:
Increased Causticity -- heated lye is considerably more caustic.
Porosity -- the tissue very close to the needle is turned into a porous mass through which the heated lye solution can easily diffuse.
Agitation -- rather than working its way through the tissue by diffusion, the lye surrounding the needle is spread by agitation. This turbulence sends the hot lye solution into every area in the hair follicle and around the hair shaft.
This spreading action is also very important when one considers the need for properly destroying the undifferentiated cells found slightly higher up in the follicle, called stem cells, that are responsible for new hair growth. Additionally, the blend is able to successfully treat curved and distorted follicles along with near-miss insertions due to its spreading action.
Despite all of its technical advantages, blend electrolysis does have some circumstantial disadvantages. Typically, galvanic action tends to be somewhat more painful than thermolysis. Proper pain management, while certainly feasible, does prove to be more of an issue. Also, administering effective blend electrolysis is a more complicated and involved process, requiring more training and expertise along with more sophisticated equipment. While older, foot pedal type epilators may prove satisfactory for smaller, less involved situations, state-of-the-art computerized blend epilators are better suited due to the extensiveness and sheer volume of follicles requiring treatment during beard removal. However, computerized epilators have been readily available for about the last ten years, and the increase in transgender individuals seeking services has allowed many electrologists throughout the country to develop expertise in this area. We believe that for most locales within the United States, a suitable blend electrologist can be found no further than 50 - 100 miles from your home.

I have been doing Electrolysis on my chin since June 2015. Initially I was going 2-3 times a week for 1 hour sessions. Each session is $50 NZD per hour. Which I think is very reasonable. Their 15min sessions were $19NZD and 30mins $30. My practitioner is a fantastic girl called Katelin. She is really good at electrolysis and I am seeing excellent results so far.
I have quite light, mostly blonde hair on my chin but it is coarse. I have it due to PCOS. I don't have excess hair growth anywhere else on my body just my chin....lucky me huh :-/ So finally I am able to afford to do something about it. I initially tried laser which of course was pointless on fair hair and achieved nothing, fortunately I was doing it at the same time as some spider vein lasering so I didn't waste too much money trying it out.
I decided to do electrolysis intensively so I could see the results more quickly. You can do this if you can afford it firstly and if you can cope with having to allow the hair to grow in for about 4-5days prior to treatment. Which for me means being as antisocial as possible so I am not seen walking around looking like an albino gorilla!! It's not too bad for me as my hair is pretty fair, so it's mainly in bright sunlight that it is most noticeable. However, I still have or had significant hair growth that I could feel when it grew in. Once, my son ask me why I felt like Daddy when I cuddled him....Horrors!! not anymore!! Even now, this early on, it has improved so much as to not cause comments like this my son anymore.
I used to pluck every single hair out daily, which would take me about 30mins a day to maintain using a magnifying mirror. Because I hated shaving it, as it felt awful growing in all stubbly...nothing quite like that to make you feel about as feminine as Shrek and it was the time I did shave it, that elicited the comment from son about being like daddy. Anyway since starting electrolysis I have had to start shaving as you can't do electrolysis on a hair that's already plucked out of the follicle. It has to be in the follicle and it has to be in the active growth phase to be treated successfully. If it is at the end of the growing phase and the root is lifted away from the root but still sitting in the skin it still won't work. So you really want your hair to be in the active growth phase....you can google these phases and see what I mean. Depending on the hair it will be in this phase for a number of weeks.
I actually began the whole process of getting ready for electrolysis treatment by allowing all the hair to grow in fully as it was at all different stages of growth since I tweezed daily. Then waxed the whole lot clean and allowed it to all grow back at the same time so it was pretty much all in the active growth phase. My clinic didn't tell me to do this it was just something that seemed to make sense to me and so far I seem to have a high hit rate on killing the hairs.
I took about 2-3wks to see regrowth after that wax...so plan your first session for about then. Now you know it is going to be in the right hair growth phase to get zapped by electrolysis so you have the highest rate of success killing the hair root.
I started with 2-3 one hour sessions each week. Which for many may feel too intense if they feel it is painful. But for me honestly I don't know what all the fuss is about. I literally could not say anything was actually painful at all. And my electrologist had the frequency up higher for me than any other client she has had, since I could tolerate it. In fact the sensation is so mild to me that I could literally fall asleep while it is being done. Although since my early treatments we have turned the frequency down a wee bit as I was getting a bit of follicle pitting. But, I am not remotely concerned about it as for a start it is a zillion times better than having hair growth and after a week or so it settles and is barely visible anyway. I am just on a major mission to get rid of this hair and a little mild scarring if you can even call it that doesn't phase me remotely. If you are super precious about your complexion then you can probably expect to have to do a lot more electrolysis sessions to finally kill the hair. Because if you have the frequency turned down really low it will probably need a lot more treatments. It's really up to each individual I guess. I just think it's funny when people complain about it not working but the want the frequency so low it can barely do the job.
I would rather have a higher frequency and get the job done in less time and have a tiny mild bit of scarring (if you can even call it that) than spend years treating the same damn hairs over and over again and drain my bank account at the same time. Afterall you pay more the longer you spend on it, right. So I feel it is good that my lady has allowed me to treat at a high frequency and get this treatment moving along as quick as possible. It's working for me! Might keep in mind here all skins are different and mine doesn't scar easily and heals well from any damage over time. Not everyone is like that, so take that in to consideration first, I just know my skin can handle it.
I don't actually know exactly how many treatments I have had in the past 4mths but it's about 16-18 so far. Looking back at my calendar I did 3 one hour treatments in the first few weeks...basically as many as I could to do to achieve the first complete clearing of all the hair on my chin. Then you can see what is growing back and having a better gauge of success. I was then able to reduce sessions to probably about once a week on average.
I am currently at one session per week and will probably be able to go down to 1 per two weeks very soon as the hair growth is that much much less already.
After each treatment particularly in the beginning you will find you skin swells and is quite red afterward. I did get little whitehead type things after my initial treatments, they're not actually pimples but look very similar. My lady said they were lye coming out of the follicle after treatment or some such thing. It takes about 4 days for them to fully settle down and look ok again, that is scab up and fall off. So don't plan any events where you want to look good too soon after. At least not when you initially start treatment. I have found this reaction of swelling, redness and 'whitehead' is very mild now, like my skin is used to it and it doesn't lost particularly noticeable. First few sessions I looked like I had bad acne for the few days after. I have had the odd gap of a couple of weeks between sessions due to social events etc and it has given my skin a chance to calm down and in these gaps I can see it goes completely back to normal and none of that initial inflammation remains. I mean, I see people complaining about reactions to electrolysis and I think well you are killing a follicle with an electrode you can really expect it to be completely side effect free if you actually want to get rid of the hair. I take a few (what I consider) minor side effects if it means no more hair any day thanks!!
So my current hair status is that I think, probably more than half of it has gone and possibly the regrowth is actually a little finer on the ones that have come back. I do feel confident at this stage that I will manage to completely get rid of the hair growth altogether if I keep going to get the electrolysis regularly.
I have been told that if you have PCOS that the hair can sometimes regrow again due to hormonal inbalance however, I think this is probably more likely if you are not doing anything else to treat your PCO. I am eating very strictly no sugars, no grains and low carb, lots of veg, good quality proteins and moderate fruit and no process crap. Regular exercise etc, I am super healthy. I also use Natural progesterone cream in high doses 150mg per day last 2wks of cycle. This really helps with reducing hair growth and alleviating almost all symptoms of PCO, including infertility. I think the low sugar diet is massively important in reducing pcos symptoms. I don't think I will see hair regrowth because I feel I have mostly reversed a lot of the hormonal issues and keep it under control. But if you don't do this, then unsurprisingly you may see new hair grow in. So seriously if you PCO and don't want hair...low sugar and starch, loads of natural progesterone and you'll be half way there.
I will try to keep you all updated of my progress as I feel like there is very little decent information or reviews about electrolysis out there. Yet SO many women suffering from the hormonal imbalances that cause facial hair.
Oh and the electrolysis is the blend method, that's what you want.
I added a couple of photo's but it's pretty hard to get decent ones, especially because my hair is blonde. But trust me it was there, mainly in two patches on the ball of my chin quite densely and then scattered alone and a little under the jaw line. The dense patches on the chin are now significantly less as you can see in these photos hopefully.
damn photos won't up load...I will try again later