Advice

Looking for an electrologist? Here’s what I wish I knew before my treatment:

There is more accountability if you pick a NHS provider

NHS providers are licenced by the NHS to provide electrolysis and must be registered with the CQC. This means that if you get poor treatment from a NHS provider, you can report them to both the NHS and the CQC! You can do this in addition to exercising your consumer rights. If the NHS has paid for your treatment you’ll be able to complain to the NHS and CQC, and you can try pushing for reimbursement of treatment hours which were lost to bad treatment.

As my experience has shown, BIAE membership is of no value to the consumer because it doesn’t protect or safeguard us from poor treatment. Also, the BIAE chairperson who gave me poor treatment has over 25 years of experience! This didn’t make her any more competent, safe or ethical.

Be wary that Google reviews can be easily deleted/filtered by companies. Look for or ask to see before and after photos from a couple of clients. Not just before and after photos taken on the same day, but longer term after photos that show how skin has healed and what the hair looks like. (Photos can easily be doctored so your decision should not solely be based on photos, but how willing an electrologist is to show you their portfolio (quality of work) tells you a lot about them.)

Many electrologists spend months working on their clients, they’ll have photos from each session. If they do good work, they’ll show you the photos proudly. Josefa Reina is an example of an electrologist who is willingly to share her work.

Ask your electrologist what machine they use, when it was bought/manufactured, why they chose that machine etc. Many electrologists use very old machines and outdated techniques and won’t make this obvious – so you have to ask!

You can find a wealth of information on HairTell. This forum has a wide range of information and experiences from both consumers and practitioners. It’s always worth familiarising yourself with the industry before committing to long term treatment.

You should ideally find someone who is open and honest, and is able to create a treatment plan best suited to you. At times, this will involve a combination of laser and electrolysis. Some people get laser first to remove the bulk of their hair and then do touch ups with electrolysis. An honest and knowledgeable electrologist will tell you that both laser and electrolysis can be complimentary and can work together for more efficient hair removal. Only self-interested electrologists will staunchly favour electrolysis over laser without even considering the advantages and advancements of laser. Some salons have up-to-date modern laser machines which can help with dark skins. Technology has evolved so it’s always worth seeing if salons have equipment and skills that suit your needs. The advice on this page can be applied to laser consultations too in order to keep yourself safe from bad treatment in the poorly regulated beauty industry.

Your consultation should feel like a consultation! Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Watch out for anyone who is looking to dismiss or ignore you. You’re going to spend, on average, 12+ months with this person, you want good service and quality for your money. As an added layer of protection, get test patches done on an obscure hairy part of the body so that you can test their technique and see how your skin will heal.

“Do a patch test on an untouched area. By patch test, I mean epilating ALL the hair in a little portion of the area you want your hairs gone forever. You don’t have to feel a plucking sensation during the treatment. (IMPORTANT: a hair that releases without any resistant is a very good sign. Although this is not a guarantee that the hairs has been definitely killed.) PLEASE wait 3 months and see if you see a reduction in hair density. If you see a lot of hairs that look shaved, this is not a good sign at all and that show that the practitioner has a low kill rate and you won’t be finish in 3-4 clearances. You have to try another one. If you want to save time, maybe doing different patch test with different electrologists is not a bad idea.”