Galvanic Electrolysis
• Efficient Method for Effective Hair Kill • A Few Words About Speed
• Recent developments • Less Likely to Produce Side Effects
• Skin Damage is Minimal • When Properly Done, Less Damaging
• Fewer Passes Needed • Oldest Proven Method of Hair Removal
• Lowest Rate of Regrowth    
       



- Efficient Method for Effective Hair Kill

Galvanic Electrolysis is actually a chemical process. Galvanic lye is a chemically unstable compound which provides free radicals to breakdown tissue and allow seperation 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

Recent developments by me have produced a system that is less painful and even more effective. Recently, while on a quest for better connectivity, I began to question certain concepts that were always taken for granted by the electrolysis community. 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 time required to complete any given project. Clients who would have needed 250 hours to complete are now finished in as little as 90-110 hours for a full beard removal.



- Skin Damage is Minimal

Properly applied ( Please read warnings Please read warnings) 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. Call “The Bulge”, this bundle of stem cells sits outside the follicle itself and as yet the function on “The Bulge” is 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 may also damage this bundle of stem cells
  

A 100 times magnification of my work still shows no skin damage. This picture was taken after nearly 10 passes over the upper lip with my galvanic process. The few hairs remaining will be easily treated.
and result in reduced ability of the skin to replenish itself. Hence, premature aging. Please see my section in Thermolysis.



- Fewer Passes Needed

Rated as one of the worst upper lips in my experience, this one has just been treated with pass numer 15. At this time, note no discoloration of the skin and no wrinkling or pitting on the skin. Bad work often shows around the comers of the mouth where the hairs are deep, the skin higher in moisture, and the pattern of the hair roots make it difficult to adequately treat them.
 
Because of the effectiveness and permanence of galvanic, far fewer passes are needed. Approximately 1/5 to 1/10 as many passes are required to have the same effect as thermolysis (Radio Frequency or RF). With galvanic electrolysis, a substantial 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.

Laser sweeps the entire area causing damage to, or near, anything dark in
color. Thermolysis (RF) can damage an area approximately 1/8 to 1/4 inch in diameter around the hair follicle without regard for what is being damaged



- Lowest Rate of Regrowth

Two factors affect regrowth.
  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

  

Humming away through some hairs that have been weakened by previous treatment. They are much smalller and far more easily treated then the original old growth. Again, note the clear sheaths at the base of the hairs... the remains of a properly treated hair follicle.
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. Using P.T. Barnum’s theory of showmanship, thermolysis came to dominate the 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, and…………….If you listen carefully, you will hear Dr. Michel, the original inventor of Galvanic Electrolysis in 1875, laughing hysterically.



I have to laugh whenever I hear of the "ape-look" faces coming out of Texas. Here is a client who cheerfully allowed me to take this picture following a cleaning of her chin. As you can tell, the quality of the hair below required sufficientpower to treat the follicles.
 
- Gentle on the Skin

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 1/3 to 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.

- 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 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". This process is the skin's greatest power, 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:

 

A formerly treated area. Some emerging grouth is seen making its reappearance. In the top right, two blunt-ended peices of debris are also emerging. These are a natural consequence of the removal process and wil quietly disappear, leaving the skin undamaged.

  1. Galvanic (or any other process) can cause the spread of some ailments of the skin. Check before you begin treatments.
  2. 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 making a note of.
  3. Galvanic current is passing through you. Be aware of this when it comes to shoulder pain, wrist pains, etc. Many clients simply change hands to eliminate the problem. If you are seriously in need of an adventure, show up with a pace-maker!!!
 

Each of the square boxed highlights a piece of emerging debris from previous threatments. These are usually lighter in color and contain the remains of former hair follicle wall. When hair is properly
treated, the mechanism for removing this debris is undamaged and the skin can rid itself of this debris.
4.
 When using a bowl of water for the positive or 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 burning sensation. I recommend about a teaspoon of baking soda in the water to help reduce this effect. One other method of reducing the burning sensation is to coat your hand with a liberal amount of skin cream. Any type will do.



- When Properly Done, Less Damaging

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, but in fact, I am able to treat each individual hair as fast as one second 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.

Two hairs treated properly and removed. Note the clear sheath at the bottom. The large black bulb is the Dermal Papilla where the hair begins as a liquid and will be formed as it moves up the shaft. There is a possibility that these "black bulbs" can be exploded under intense heating such as laser and themolysis and the result is a scattening of the color contained in the bulb throughout the skin in the area.

- Oldest Proven Method of Hair Removal

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 and more recently, Laser Electrolysis promising 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.

In fact, I am continually presented with mishaps from both thermolysis and laser. The horror stories abound. As one client put so succinctly: "There are an awful lot of scarred faces and a whole lot of denial out there."