imzoe.me blog projects shop

DIY Electrolysis - Usage

This part is harder, because it requires some trial and error and real world experience.

It goes without saying that it can hurt. Topical anaesthetics like EMLA cream or generic lidocaine can help but you should really do the first few runs without it so you know when something goes wrong.

Preparation

1. Power Up: Make sure the device is fully charged before each session. A full battery helps generate the right amount of power consistently.

2. Visibility: Good lighting and magnification help a lot. You need to see the exact entry point of the follicle.

3. Hygiene: It is very important to sanitise the site you're working on with 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes beforehand for hygiene and safety. 70% IPA and not 99%, and you're sanitising not sterilising. The difference between the two is fairly irrelevant to the guide, it just bugs me when people mix the two up.

4. The Circuit: Remember that galvanic electrolysis requires a completed circuit between the needle and tens pad. Make sure you wipe down the spot the pad is being applied to with an IPA wipe and that it isn't too far from where you're working with the needle.

Settings

Galvanic electrolysis does not kill hairs by zapping them, it does so by generating lye in the follicle which chemically kills it off. The amount of lye is measured in Lye Units (LU). You can set how much lye you want to aim to generate in the follicle in the device's settings.

Hair type	Amount of lye (LU)
Fine, unpigmented vellus hair	10 - 15
Fine, pigmented, soft hair	10 - 20
Medium/shallow terminal hair	15 - 30
Deep terminal hair	30 - 45
Very deep terminal hair	45 - 60

The above table is a rough guide for how much lye to use for different hair types. You may need to adjust based on your specific hair and skin.

Procedure

0. Test & Practice: When you do actually run it live, do some test runs some place you don't mind potentially getting scarred if you screw up while you get a feel for things. I recommend just trying to slide the needle into the follicle with the device off to get a feel for it first. It's not a super pleasant sensation to feel the needle go in and hit the end of the follicle, nor is it pleasant to actually zap (I'm sure some of you will disagree though :p ).

1. Insert the Needle: Match the angle of the hair as it exits the skin. You may find it helps to stretch the skin out to slightly widen the follicle opening with your non dominant hand. Slide the needle down alongside the hair. You should feel a somewhat uncomfortable sensation when it hits the bottom of the follicle.

2. Zap: Once you've set your desired settings and inserted the needle, hold down the foot pedal until it automatically stops generating lye.

3. Clean up: The hair should easily slide out with no resistance when removed with tweezers. If so, congrats! If you feel a pluck, leave it and move on or try treating it again later.

Safety & Care

The needles are consumables. They are not meant to be used more than once per session. However, I don't see much reason you couldn't re-sterilise them by putting them in sealing sterile pouches and autoclaving them if they're still physically good. Don't do this unless you are experienced and have the proper equipment to do so.

The tens pads are also consumables, but you can get away with reusing the same one quite a few times if you take care of them. Always make sure the skin they're going on is clean to minimise the amount of debris they pick up and always put the plastic sheet back on them when it isn't on your skin.

You can apply a soothing topical like aloe vera gel to the skin once you're done. Try to keep the skin out of the sun for at least two days and absolutely do not get sunburned.

Hairs in moles should be dealt with extreme caution. You can put yourself in serious danger if the mole is not benign.