Galvanic electrolysis is the oldest proven process used to kill unwanted hair. The Galvanic Electrolysis Method was first used by Dr. Michel in 1875. Since his first early work, much of the galvanic process has been overshadowed by thermolysis (RF), promising more speed. Recently, Laser Electrolysis promised even more speed. These promises have convinced people that galvanic electrolysis is dead and that the time-proven work done By Dr. Michel has no merit in todays' world. Don't believe it. The process of Galvanic Electrolysis for hair removal is very much alive and doing quite well, thank you. For 12 years, I have been very busy proving time and again that this process can promise dead hair, undamaged skin and timely, permanent elimination of unwanted hair on any part of the body. More interestiingly, this underrated process has allowed me the ability to work in areas where only complications would result from the use of ANY OTHER process.

The following link is provided for reference only. This book is adequate for a generalized insight to the history and theory of galvanic electrolysis. However, I take serious issue with some of the assumptions at the bottom of page 84 and top of page 85, just for openers. I have proved these assumptions wrong consistently for over 10 years. It is not in the science of the equipment used, but rather in the technique of using that science. Almost from the beginning, the misuse of galvanic electrolysis has led people to adopt other methods claiming better speed, but note, if you will, NOT better kill. The results of this "better methodology" can be seen in my section on Thermolysis. The statement that "batteries are no longer used in electrolysis" does not warrant the effort to scream WRONG at the author, much less the $49.95 price tag at Barnes & Noble. If you use this information to begin your practice, it only guarantees that another burned face will happily get on a jet and fly to San Jose, California to get the job done right.

Book: The Principles and Practice of Electrical Epilation

I am gonna go have a cup of coffee, and cool off, now. Thanks for listening.

Efficient Method for Effective Hair Kill

For us dummies, here is a simpler explanation than the book referenced above.

Galvanic Electrolysis is actually a chemical processWhenever you place two electrodes in a container of saline solution and apply an electrical power source, the current flow will produce Sodium Hydroxide (galvanic lye) at the Cathode (-) end (in my case, the needle end), and an equal amount of Hydrochloric Acid at the Anode(+) or the bowl of water or hand held handle. Of course, chlorine gas and hydrogen gas are given off during this process.

As a side, this byproduct of gas can be very useful when it becomes necessary to eject a piece of imbedded debris. When the lye is formed is takes the form of a gas-entrained foam and as such, requires additional room to expand. This is usually done out of the top of the follicle. If a needle can be inserted around a piece of imbedded debris, the resulting foam will lift and eject the object. It is a fantastic way to remove blackheads and to me it is a puzzle that aestheticians don�t make more use of this feature. From my experience, the lye also speeds the healing of zits that may form as the result of blackheads or imbedded debris.

By controlling the current passing through the solution, in the top paragraph, we can raise or lower the amounts of lye and acid accordingly. Now then, if we assume that the container of saline solution is YOU (well, actually, the hair follicle) we can complete the circuit and produce galvanic lye. By placing your hand in a bowl of water, for connection at the anode (+) end, the effects of the hydrochloric acid are easily dispersed and do not affect you. It might be wise to point out that the rest of you is charged to the machine's potential voltage. Then, I simply insert the needle which is actually the ground (-) side of the machine. My end produces the lye which we use to kill the hair and the bowl end maintains the connection and disperses the acid.. Galvanic lye is a chemically unstable compound which provides free radicals to breakdown tissue and allow separation of the follicle wall surrounding the hair. A note: The follicle containing the hair is comprised of some 6 known layers. Galvanic lye (sodium hydroxide) causes a breakdown of the weaker layers and allows the inner-most part of the follicle to be removed. However, the lye continues to work for some time after the hair is removed, facilitating the death of the outer layers and re-growth cells.

Recent developments by me have produced a system that is less painful and even more effective. Recently, while on a quest for better connectivityI mentioned two means of connecting the Anode (+) end during the galvanic process earlier. One was the large probe, generally held in the hand. It may be covered with a damp cloth or tissue to ease connection. The other was a bowl of water. It seems that the weakest link in the entire process is this connection between the machine's (+) output and the client. I have been years searching for the "holy grail" of connections. This led me through hand-held contactors with various cremes and gels for contact and later covering the probes with wet sponges or cloths. Results were average until I discovered the "bowl of water" trick. It started with one client's allergic reaction to the hydrochloric acid at the large probe (+). This lasted several weeks, consisting of a brown discoloration and itching, rough skin on her hands, which seemed more and more persistent as each session elapsed. This led to a recollection of the "good ole daze" when a bucket of water was used. I tried a bowl of water with the probe laid in it. End of problem.

But science marches on...This led to bowls mounted with probes. Trouble was the clients would simply stop moving their hands if they were sleeping (or too many pain killers - what I call the "Cigar Store Indian Effect"). The process would stop nearly cold as the electrical resistance would start to build. Of course, the answer is to move the hand a little and it all would start working again. Most recently, I have been using a (gasp!) stainless dog food bowl. Perfect. I now had total connection with the machine to the water and still good connection to the client's hand. Ruff Ruff., I began to question certain concepts that were always taken for granted by the electrolysis community. (many outlined in the book link above) What followed was the development of a much more efficient and potentially more powerful technique that lowered certain operating limits to less than 1/2 of the current standard. The results of significant pain reduction per unit of current have even shaken my belief in the infallibility of equipment designers themselves. Needless to say, I have cautiously lowered my current estimates to 2/3 of the time requiredFor years I have doggedly tried to pursue the best course of action in treating clients. This has led to more than a few "saber-crossings" with individuals who have read somewhere about miracles being done in the hinterlands. Not that they knew the whole story, but much as today, they flock to the doors to be shucked, jived and fleeced. So I persevered and found over the years that my own batting average was about 300 hours on average to clear a face. I mean cleared, with no trips back to "clean-up". That was about 1999. Now, thanks to some recent changes, I can estimate a finish to the same project in less than 2/3 the time. Many clients have hair that is not too dense and this can mean finished in as little as 125 hours. My first "guinea pig" under the new procedure was able to throw away the razor after 80 hours and she had the worst beard I had seen in years. If I am able to use settings that work for me and the client can deal with the discomfort, I can, and have, completed a full beard removal in 90 to 110 hours. Consider here, that I have worked on a few clients who tried to remove their beards with laser electrolysis. I subsequently logged over 100 hours on them and they are still sprouting new hairs as a result of the failure of laser to permanently kill hair. to complete any given project. Clients who would have needed 250 hours to complete are now finished in as little as 90-150 hours for a full beard removal.

Properly applied, galvanic electrolysis will not damage surrounding tissue excessively, nor will it damage the sebaceous glands as galvanic lye encounters difficulty in breaking down the sebum contained in the sebaceous glands. Even more important, is the recent discovery of a bundle of undifferentiated stem cells surrounding the midpoint of the follicle (please see photo). Called "The Bulge", this bundle of stem cells sits outside the follicle itself.

All the functions of "The Bulge" are somewhat unclear. One thing seems certain. These stem cells are utilized by both the skin and the hair follicle as a means of renewing damaged tissue. Scarier yet, is the possibility that any process that uses heat for killing the hair (i.e. laser, thermolysis (RF or diathermy) may also damage this bundle of stem cells. Preservation of "The Bulge" seems important to maintaining skin texture and resisting aging. Preserving this "bulge" and the sebaceous glands is equally paramount in electrolysis work as well. Following full beard removal, my clients appear about 10 years younger than their actual age. Contrast this with clients who have had extensive facial thermolysis who often appear 10 years older than actual age.

This is the only up-to-date diagram of the hair follicle as it is now perceived to be. Please note the location of "the bulge" in relation to the outer wall of the follicle, and the surface of the skin. Photo from  Scientific American magazine - June 2001

Nearing completion, this client is actually 34 years of age.

My process of galvanic electrolysis is so gentle and thorough, that normal "peach fuzz" remains untouched. This softens the visual image of the face and prevents that "plastic look" so common in beard removals by "other methods".

Few Passes Needed

Because of the effectiveness and permanence of galvanic, far fewer passes are needed. Approximately 1/5 to 1/10I am being nice here. On more than a few occasions in the years I have done this work, I have encountered clients who claim that they have had as many as 30-40 passes or more over an area they were trying to clear. Given an extended "vacation" time away from their zapper (and GAWD knows, this is a good way to find out how good a job your zapper is doing) they found that little if anything was really dead. Again the subject of speed rears its ugly head. 900 hairs an hour means nothing if they are not being killed.

In one test, I gave thermolysis treatments for a three month period over a given area of the face. After failing to gain significant results from this, I then switched back to my style of blend electrolysis and was able to permanently clear the area in 3 passes. Since then, I routinely encounter cases of work that have simply grown back after a number of sessions with operators known for their speed. as many passes are required to have the same effect as thermolysis (Radio Frequency or Diathermy). With galvanic electrolysis, a significant reduction can be achieved in 3-5 passes over the area. The skin benefits from the reduced collateral damage caused by treating the same area 10's of times with other methodologies. Also, it should be noted that the precision of the process of galvanic electrolysis is far superior to that of any other method. Utilizing duration of treatment cycle and intensity settings, each hair can be custom treated determined by its size and relative location to other hairs that have been treated.

There are two factors affecting regrowth, which makes galvanic electrolysis the ideal method.

1. The continuing effect of galvanic lye in the follicle tissue following the removal of the needle. This continued destruction damages the outer follicle wall as well as any DNA bearing material left in the follicle after the removal of the hair itself.

2. Continued degradation of Sodium Hydroxide (Galvanic Lye) which is chemically unstable, results in the formation of Hydrogen Peroxide which sterilizes the former follicle site and inhibits the germination process of new hair.

The real secret to the power of galvanic electrolysis is the continuing devastation of the hair follicle and germination cells after the needle has been withdrawn. When this characteristic is properly exploited, speed can be greatly accelerated, and it is for this reason that my ability to permanently kill a hair follicle is much greater than with any other method.

A Few Words About Speed

For years, detractors of the process of galvanic electrolysis have claimed that it "is too slow and has since gone out of favor with the electrolysis community" One comment was told me "that galvanic 'went out' 25 years ago" indicating that it had somehow failed the professional's demanding requirements. This is simply NOT the case. Like Laser electrolysis today, Thermolysis (Radio Frequency energy) was hailed as some kind of major step forward in the killing of unwanted hair. Proponents touted its speed (in hairs per minute/hour) and downplayed its potential for skin damage through misuse. Thermolysis came to dominate the hair removal industry much the same as I predict laser electrolysis will in the coming years. Always a case of the hare and the tortoise, (Ooooh, that was a BAD pun) Galvanic will always prove that a job done right can prevail over a job done over, and over, and over, ad nauseam. If you listen carefully, you will hear Dr. Michel, the original inventor of Galvanic Electrolysis in 1875, laughing hysterically.

When done properly, galvanic electrolysis is very gentle on the skin and less damaging to surrounding tissue. Galvanic lye can ONLY be produced at the surface of the needle itself, and not throughout the body as many detractors claim. The process is very controllable and its precision limits the presence of the lye to within a very small area which heals easily. Redness and swelling are limited to 24-48 hours in worst cases (usually old growth first passes) subsequent work generally fades in a few hours. Retreatments can require as little as 1/2 second of galvanic treatment per hair to effectively kill young emerging hairs. In this case, redness and swelling are gone in just a couple of hours.

Following the removal of a very black beard and moustache, this photo, taken under intense halogen light, shows no skin damage or discoloration.

Nearly done. In this photo, taken at 100X magnification, the skin is completely intact and only a couple of hairs remain. These are most likely old hairs coming out of dormancy.

With recent changes in the way I work, I have been able to not only produce a treatment that is 5-10 times more effective than ANY Thermolysis treatments with about one half of the discomfort experienced by most modern machines. I am able to treat each individual hair as fast as 3 seconds or in some cases, less. What this has recently shown, is that galvanic is here to stay and, as part of my new system of operation, will ultimately prove out to be the fastest as well as the least damaging process you can choose for your work.

Less Likely to Produce Side Effects

Because of limited action on the outer follicle wall and the surrounding tissue, galvanic electrolysis has the overwhelming advantage of permanence while leaving the skin intact. This allows the healing processes to immediately begin compacting debris and shipping it to the surface of the skin where it appears looking like a blackhead or my favorite term: "space junk".

Nothing spectacular, this piece of black debris was recovered from the skin. Usually these bits of black debris leave the skin harmlessly, leaving no signs of the work done to kill the follicle that produced it.

This piece of elongated space junk was the product of a hair follicle that took some time to finally die. Usually, the debris is very brittle and breaks off in little bits as the debris reaches the skin surface (previous picture), but this example was from a follicle that became distorted and produced the debris sideways into the soft skin below the surface and this piece was actually ingrown.

Caught in the act of making space junk, the follicle on the right is badly injured and will ultimately die. The kertain is no longer formed into a hair, but into space junk or debris, which will evetually be ejected from the skin. I was able to remove this intact, following treatment.

The skin's greatest power is the ability to heal. This is also where other hair removal processes such as thermolysis and laser do considerable damage by disabling the ability of the skin to eject debris by forming scar tissue around the now dead follicle. Encapsulated debris can remain for a lifetime.

There are some very minor side effects of the use of galvanic electrolysis of which you should be aware:

1. Galvanic (or any other process) can cause the spread of some ailments of the skin. Check before you begin treatments.

2. The use of galvanic current can cause the re-sensitizing of certain dental work. Personal experience here. I was convinced that certain fillings were starting to need attention. After stopping treatments, the symptoms disappeared. It was not painful but worth noting.

3. Galvanic current is passing through you. Be aware of this when it comes to minor pains or twitches. Many clients simply change hands to eliminate the problem. If you are seriously in need of an adventure, show up with a pace-maker!!!

4. When grasping the metal hand-held part of the galvanic setup, be aware that your hand is producing hydrochloric acid (albeit in small amounts) over the surface of the skin. If you have sensitive skin, this may feel like a very slight burning sensation. This why I use a stainless bowl filled with water for your hand. No need for holding anything and the burning can be eliminated by adding baking soda to the water. One other method of reducing the burning sensation is to coat your hand with a liberal amount of skin cream. Any type will do.