Not much preparation is required prior to treatment, but the most important thing to consider is the length of the hair in the area to be treated. Ideally there will be 2-4mm of hair visible. A little more than this will be ok, but please remember that if the hair is too long and dense it will start to make the visibility of individual hairs more difficult, and this could hamper progress. Similarly a little less visible growth will be workable, however if it is too short it may be difficult to grip easily with tweezers and also more difficult to precisely determine the direction of growth, and this again could hamper efficient treatment. Obviously when treating more visible areas, particularly of the face, too much visible growth will be undesirable, but please consider the latter point regarding hair that is too short.

  

 

 

 

As soon as you decide you wish to undergo treatment with electrolysis you must stop waxing or tweezing the hairs in this region. This is because only hairs that are visible can be treated, and hairs that are waxed or tweezed my take several weeks to re-grow, which will only prolong treatment. Apart from this, as mentioned elsewhere, waxing and tweezing can have the unfortunate consequence of causing curved follicles which can result in treatment taking slightly longer.

 

 

 

As neither of these methods of hair removal are detrimental to hair growth or treatment you can continue with either of these methods, or start following termination of waxing or tweezing.

 

 

 

There are no problems associated with bleaching hair as regards electrolysis, although it would be better to avoid bleaching for 48 hrs before treatment to avoid any possibility of over-sensitising the area, but please note the page on aftercare.

 

 

 

You need to consider the rate of hair-growth in the area. It is important to remember that ideally there will be about 2-4mm of hair growth in the area to be treated so it would be worth considering if a final shave or cut of the hair would be appropriate at this stage. As a general rule, if it is a body area to be treated, now would be the time to shave for the last time prior to treatment, however if it is a facial area to be treated you may wish to leave the final cut/shave until 48 hours prior to treatment.

 

 

 

 

If you wish to wear make-up in the area to be treated on the day of treatment then that will be fine. However, please remember that make-up will be removed from the area whilst cleansing immediately prior to treatment, so it may be better to avoid wearing it in the first place, or at least minimise it.

 

 

Most clients find they require no pain relief at all, however if you are anxious about the discomfort, then you can take ibuprofen or paracetamol an hour before your appointment. Whilst this won't make much difference, it will help with relaxation, and take some of the anxiety away.

 

If further help is required, EMLA is available on prescription from your GP, or alternatively can be purchased over the counter from your local pharmacy, although you may need to speak to the pharmacist directly. This is a topical local anaesthetic cream containing Lidocaine and Prilocaine, and it needs to be generously applied to the treatment area an hour before your appointment, and covered with an occlusive dressing. The dressings are again available from you pharmacist, or alternatively many people cover the cream with cling film and then secure that with microporous tape. You will need to then remove the dressing and cream on arrival for your appointment.