Electrolysis

Electrolysis is a medically safe and effective method of permanent hair removal, and is FDA approved for all skin and hair types. Each hair is individually heat-treated using a fine, sterile probe that emits a low-level electrical current.  Insertions of this needle or probe are comfortable and for anyone sensitive to treatments, topical anesthetics are available to lessen heat sensations. These treatments can be used alone or as "follow-up" to laser hair removal. Electrolysis is a unique but lengthy process with a high rate of success. It has stood the test of time and technology, for it has been around for hundreds of years.

See also Laser services

History of Electrolysis

In ancient days it was considered attractive and intelligent to have an abundance of hair. Towards the 17th century there was a change of heart and an awareness that not all hair was appreciated or wanted and that it detracted from the "beauty" of appearance.

During the long history of the "art" of beautification, men and women have chosen a number of futile horrors to relieve them selves of excess hair. Some of the first recorded hair removal methods were indeed of the crude type, using any and all implements with a sharp or hot edge: (sharpened seashells, broken glass, pumice stones, candle wax, matches, and sulphuric acid). In most cases, skin abrasions, scarring and disfigurement was the end result.

Over time, hair extrication methods improved with the less hostile applications of scissors, tweezers, strip wax, chemical depilatories, and bleaching creams. By today's standards all are still appropriate for use, but none eradicate hair permanently.

Electrolysis is another method of hair removal that was first devised in 1891 and is capable of removing hair permanently. It is FDA approved and well documented in medical and science journals as being both safe and effective.

The present reputation of the field of electrology for permanently removing hair is in large part due to the thoroughness of technique and the skill of the electrologist. Electrolysis is a unique process and the procedure is a methodical art form not just anyone can perform. Pour Le Corps has been performing electrolysis for over 15 years and has received the Best of Boston award from Boston Magazine.

Excessive Hair Growth

Any of the "changes in life" may cause hair to grow.

Changes in Life

Puberty - early teens, when organs of reproduction have matured, hair develop.

Adolescence - from puberty to adulthood, developments of hair on chin and lip.   

 Pregnancy - conception of the sperm and ova, development of an embryo and placenta.

Childbirth - expulsion of fetus and placenta (placenta becomes an endocrine gland during pregnancy).

Menopause - cessation of menses, decrease of estrogen, predomination of male hormone.

Endocrine glands work as a team and secrete hormones into the blood stream to the vital organs requiring them. When one gland is not functioning properly the entire endocrine system is thrown off balance, often causing hair to grow.

Hereditary factors passed on from generation to generation hold the genetic link that makes one predisposed to excessive hair growth. You are, as they say, your genes.

Racial & Climatic is considered another genetic mechanism that may be attributed to hair growth. Many people of certain races and warmer regions have more hair.

Injury & Stimulation work synonymously as injury stimulates the growth of hair. Shaving, tweezing, waxing or other injury causes skin tissue damage, resulting in an increased blood supply, which nourishes hair cells.

Nervous Disorders can increase or decrease the supply of blood to the roots of hairs influencing hair to grow.

Muscular Disorders cause dilations of blood vessels that add nourishment to the roots of hairs from strain of bodily movements.

Cancer may cause excess hair to form from the rapid degeneration of cells from the body.

How Hair Grows

Hair forms in a pouch-like structure below the skin called a hair follicle. What we see is actually the hair shaft, which is the keratinized, hardened tissue that grows from this follicle.

Humans have more hair follicles per square inch of skin than higher primates, including chimpanzees and gorillas. Because most of this hair is fine and pale (called vellus hair), it usually is not visible to the naked eye. Consider this: the forehead has more hair follicles than any other part of the body. The thicker, fully pigmented hair most people consider "real hair" is called terminal hair. This hair is found on the scalp, eyebrows, legs, back, and underarms.

Everyone's hair grows differently, depending on age, weight, metabolism, hormones, ethnicity, hereditary, climate, life changes, glandular disturbances, and other factors. All hair passes through the following three distinct growth phases:

Anagen Phase - the active growth phase which lasts up to several years. At any given time, the majority (85%) of our body hair is in this phase. During the anagen phase, the hair has an abundance of melanin.

Catagen Phase - the regressive phase lasts about two weeks, during which the hair stops growing but is not yet ready to shed. About 3-4% of our body hair is in this phase at any given time.

Telogen Phase - the resting phase lasts about 5-6 weeks, at the end of which the hair falls out and a new hair begins to formulate. Approximately 10-13% of our body hair is in this phase at any one time.

Eyebrow Shaping

Perfectly Spaced Eyebrows

The most outstanding feature of a woman's face is her eyes and the eyebrows play an important feature role because they frame and enhance the eyes. Many women neglect to think about the eyebrows in this fashion.

Eyebrows have the power to convey the messages of expression and mood. An unsightly and unbalanced expression will be conveyed if the eyebrows are not shaped or maintained properly.

When designing a set of brows it is vital to take into consideration an individual's features such as their eyes, cheekbones, nose, lips and facial shape. The placement and size of these features are the determining factor of the eyebrow design, not the current fashion fad or trend.

Overview

While there is no perfect technique or style for everyone, here are some basic guidelines to follow when shaping eyebrows and the removal of hair in doing so.

Optical Illusions

The illustration below shows three sets of identical eyes with three different eyebrow shapes. The eyes are the same width apart yet each set looks different. Eyebrows, depending on their shape, can create either a positive or negative optical illusion.

Measurement Of Eyebrows

To measure the eyebrow accurately, carefully hold a pencil at the side of the nose, lining it up with the inside corner of the eye.

This is the spot where the brows should begin (1).

Next, carefully move the pencil so it is touching the side of the nostril and the outer corner of the eye. This is where the brow should end (2).

The high point of the eyebrow arch should be directly above the outer edge of the iris of the eye (3).