Having facial hair is one of the most common, annoying and mentally disturbing problems of women today. Cosmetic treatment is sufficient for some women but medical treatment along with cosmetic treatment is essential where hair growth is excessive. Heredity, hormonal imbalance at puberty, menopause and polycystic ovarian syndrome are some of the main reasons for facial hair in women.

Tweezing, waxing, depilatory creams, laser treatment and electrolysis are some of the options available for facial hair removal. These options are not only temporary solutions but have drawbacks of making the hair coarser, dark and stubborn and the growth gradually increases. Tweezing and waxing are, in fact, mass plucking and damage the skin and often distort the follicles causing ingrown hair that are very difficult to treat.

Laser hair removal is still in its infancy and offers permanent reduction of facial and not permanent removal; it is expensive and needs ongoing maintenance treatments forever. It targets pigment (dark colour) in the hair bulb, which absorbs the laser light that changes into heat destroying the pigmented hair bulb. If the adjacent skin is also pigmented it also absorbs the heat and is damaged, that is why people with darker skin tones are not good candidates for laser treatment as are people having blonde, gray and white hair. Treatment with laser results in exposing the skin to unknown long term risks. One of the most frequently asked questions prior to laser treatment is, “How many times can a single area be exposed to it without causing cellular damage?” Remember, the “R” in laser stands for “radiation.”

Electrolysis is the only form of hair removal that is safe and permanent, whatever the colour of skin or hair may be. It is approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration of the USA) for permanent hair removal. Electrolysis has a long track record available since the late 1800s when it was first used successfully on ingrown eyelashes.

The only way the hair can be permanently removed is by destruction of the papilla, a small projection of tissue at the base of the follicle where hair grows and not the bulb and that is what electrolysis does. Each hair is treated repeatedly by inserting a very small needle into the follicle and passing a small amount of energy through the papilla. It is less painful than plucking; the only thing you feel is a slight stinging sensation of the current.

Treatment may require less than 40 hours to more than 700. The cost per session is higher in the early weeks but in the later sessions the cost decreases considerably. The duration of sessions decreases with each sitting as the hair become weaker, hence the sessions become shorter and shorter and more spaced out until they stop altogether.

People who opt for electrolysis should always use a qualified and experienced electrologist with professional ethics and knowledge to recognise one’s medical problems if any. She must tell you that if the excessive hair growth is due to any underlying medical condition electrolysis alone will not be of any benefit unless you seek medical help for your problem. If professionally done, electrolysis leaves your skin scar-free and your electrologist must prove it with her expertise; don’t trust her otherwise.

Unfortunately, this profession has been taken up by many unqualified and unscrupulous people in our country, for the sake of minting money. They are not sufficiently trained to use the delicate techniques involved in the procedure, as a result they are damaging the clients’ skin and creating a perception that scarring is part of this treatment. In developed countries, by law, no electrologist can practice without proper training, passing the exams and being certified by the beautician and cosmetology boards.

In Pakistan there are very few qualified electrologists who are operating only in some big cities and are charging exorbitant amounts. Most of the beauty parlours are using threading and waxing in the absence of qualified electrologists or because the charges are unaffordable.

One wishes that there were more qualified people performing electrolysis so that more women can benefit from the procedure. With the increase of qualified operators and availability of electrolysis machines and accessories (not available in the market now) more women will be able to benefit from the procedure at a much lower price.