What is a distorted hair follicle and how can electrolysis treat it

Electrolysis is the only FDA approved Permanent method of hair removal; it works on every type of skin and type of hair.

It is, however, an individual process where length and duration of treatment is different from one person to another. It is not easy to predict how long it will take one to permanently remove all unwanted hairs with electrolysis. We, as electrologists, have to consider many factors, ex previous epilation history, last time it has been done, medications, area of concern and your type of hair .

If the hair is naturally straight, wavy, curly or kinky it matters and it affects the number of electrolysis treatments needed. The curlier the hair, the more distorted it is, the more difficult to reach the hair papilla and effectively treat it. These distorted hair follicles can occur in various forms-curved, twisted, “U” or “S” shaped.

*Temporary hair removal methods that require pulling hair from the follicle, like tweezing, waxing and threading can haste the rate of re growth, make the hair stronger, thicker and darker, increase the possibility of irritations and scarring and create distorted follicles with the additional possibility of ingrown hair.

When you repeatedly lift and apply pressure to the follicle, it gets distorted and the hair grows back crooked under the skin. Tweezing or plucking hair lifts the entire follicle pulling it out of shape, therefore often distorting it. When tweezing a hair, one generally pulls in the direction it usually grows, and as bad as this is , waxing is even worse. Waxing a whole area including fine hair, regardless of the way the hair grows , can lead to more possible distortion as well as  an increase in the strength, depth and thickness of the hair.

Distorted hair needs to be treated more frequently until it doesn’t come back. Since the fine instrument used for electrolysis is straight, these distorted hairs will require several treatments to straighten the follicle, break it down and finally treat it effectively.

However with consistency and patience the desired result will be achieved. At Hairless NYC Electrolysis Clinic, our professional electrologists are familiar with this concern and know how to handle it.