A Practical Analysis of the Hair & Skin

Vickie L. Mickey, CT

Interpreting Hair’s Appearance

• The electrologist works blindly to remove hair from the follicle since the cellular structure under the skin can’t be seen.

• The stages of hair growth within the follicle is a guessing game to the electrologist.

• The “Art” or skill of the electrologist will come into play with experience.

Developing the Skills

• Select a needle of medium length and install it into the needle holder.

• Now you are ready to practice insertions.

• Gently hold the needle holder electrode between you thumb and first finger.

• It is not a pencil!

• Third finger rest on the skin to guide insertion into the follicle.

Developing the Skills

• Do not use any action other than the fingers to make that sensitive touch of insertion.

• A straight forward insertion will not bend the needle.

• Magnification is necessary for proper insertions!• Smooth steady insertion – not to fast or slow into

the follicle helps give feeling of follicle structure.• Do not Stab or Jab skin!

Developing the Skill

• Hair grows at angles to the surface of the skin.

• Aim probe (needle) in a direction parallel to the hair root.

• Observe hair in the area to be treated, direct your attention to the surface of the epidermis and follow the angel of protruding hair with the probe sliding into the follicle.

Developing the Skill

• If the patient feels no pain or sensation with the insertion you have achieved a proper insertion into the hair follicle.

• Pain is an indication of improper angle of the insertion.

• Highlighting the hair with a pore marker aids in identifying the opening of the follicle.

• Light shining on the skin from different areas also enables highlighting of hair follicle.

Developing the Skill

• Stretch the skin parallel to the direction of the insertion.

• A slight pull on the skin opposite the direction of the insertion.

Hints For Good Insertions

• 1. Highlight the hair by shining your light from one side.

• 2. If skin proves too shiny, apply a think layer of calamine lotion or pore marker.

• A ball of cotton with pore marker can be applied to the skin however it is removed with each cleaning of the field

Establishing A Depth Gauge

• The main objective is to determine the depth of the hair in the given area.

• Too deep of an insertion will pass the dermal papilla

• Too shallow of an insertion will not afford delivery of the energy to the lower 2/3 of the follicle.

• Hair depth is the distance from the surface of the epidermis to the bulb.

Establishing A Depth Gauge

• Slide the needle into the follicle, grasp the hair with tweezers, apply current, slid the hair out of the follicle, the length of hair from the tweezers to the bottom of the hair is your depth!

• Electrologist must be able to tell from the appearance of the hair as the to the cycle of growth.

The Tweezed Hair• Usually the electrologist is the last stop for hair removal!• Patients have tried every hair removal method know to mankind

before calling.• Recently tweezed hair that appears above the surface of the skin

will most likely be in anagen.• The tip may appear pointed and unpigmented. Sliding the needle

into this follicle will be very easy, as well as getting to the base of the follicle. Apply the correct current and the hair will release.

• A hair that appears pointed at the tip but ¼ inch long above the skin will permit easy insertion into the follicle. The hair follicle will be deeply rooted and permit sliding deep into the follicle. Apply correct current and the hair will release, this hair will be an excellent guide as to the depth of additional hairs. This is the prize hair for the electrologist to remove!

Tweezed Hair

• A tweezed hair may appear raged or shaggy at the tip of the hair.

• This hair may be deep rooted, when inserting into the follicle resistance may be felt around the upper 1/3 of the follicle, push beyond resistance, slide into the base of the follicle. Apply correct current and remove hair from the follicle.

• When a patient has tweezed hair on a area to be treated with electrolysis it is difficult to realize the amount of hair yet to appear, as well as how often new hair (untreated hair) will appear on the surface of the skin.

• Patients with androgen excess will have accelerated grow over others.

Shaved Hair

• The shaved hair appears to have blunted or square appearance on the tip.

• Shaving helps remove hair in the shedding phase or in teleogen.

• When an area has been shaved 10 -20 % of the hair is yet to appear.

• Depending on when the skin has been shaved, the hair may appear in different lengths and phases of growth.

Virgin Hair

• Henkle defines “Virgin Hair” as hair that has not been tweezed, cut, or tampered with in the last 8 months.

• Patients with facial hair will rarely present virgin hair however it does happen.

• Women often never remove hair from the hairline, neckline, arms, and often thighs.

• Men usually do not remove hair from most areas of the body except for the shaving of neck and face.

• Hinkle believed that black hair was deeper seated than lighter toned hair on the same person. Not all hair is of the same color on a patient.

Virgin Hair

• Natural gray hair is deeper in the last stage of anagen.

• Regardless of color of hair, all hair on the human body will be in difference stages of growth.

• Example: hair #1 is early anagen, hair # 2 is later anagen, hair # 3 catagen, hair # 4 is in teleogen.

Curved Follicles

• Regardless of skin color, hair color, or growth cycle, hair that is “kinky” or “curved” present special treatment needs.

• Society today has mixed or skin of color which will display different hair types than what Hinkle studied!

• Curvature of hair relates to the flatness of hair shaft.

• Round hair emerges from straight follicles.• Oval hair from slightly curved follicles.• Flat hairs emerge from more curved follicles.

Curved Follicles

• Curved follicles present special problems for the electrologist in regards to insertion into the follicle.

• Even the most experienced electrologist will have issues in regards to treating the curved follicle

• Selection of the correct modality is the most important detail in treatment of the curved follicle.

Ingrown Hairs

• Ingrown hairs are most often a result of repeated tweezing of hair.

• Naturally curved hair can lead to ingrown hair. • Folliculitis is inflammation of the hair follicle.• Black men that shave too closely can develop

ingrown hairs.• Ingrown hairs appears as gray to dark shadow in

the skin.

Removal of Ingrown Hair

• Remove hair with a sterile, disposable needle, or the sharp end of sterile forceps.

• Gently probe the skin covering the hair to gain access to the hair.

• Grasp the hair and gently pull. If the hair is attached, perform electrolysis, and release the hair.

• Do Not Tweeze the Hair!

Tombstone Hairs

• Tombstone hairs are a result of a hair in anagen being removed with a another hair left in the follicle.

• Twin pili will permit removal of a hair without the electrologist being aware of the twin hair being present in the follicle.

• Both hairs are destroyed during treatment, the tombstone hair will appear at the surface of the skin at a later date.

Skin Characteristics

• Skin is classified by five characteristics with the profession:

• Sensitive – Insensitive

• Soft – Firm

• Thick – Thin

• Moist - Unmoist

Sensitive - Insensitive

• Pain tolerance level reflects as to the sensitivity of the skin during treatment.

• Certain areas of the skin will be more sensitive.

• The mid-line of the body will be more sensitive.

• Less sensitive are the lower legs and arms.

Soft - Firm

• The forehead skin is firm.

• The underchin and front neck region may soft and loose

Thin - Thick

• Thin epidermis may appear transparent, blood vessels can be seen through it.

• Thin skin reacts by becoming red quickly.• Thin skin returns to normal very quickly.• Thick skin requires deeper insertions.• The back of the neck has thick, deep follicles.• To help you understand the difference between

thin & thick skin, pinch the front of the knee, then the back of the knee.

Moist - Unmoist

• Moisture content of the skin is most important to the electrologist.

• The moisture of the skin conducts the current.

• Moisture of the skin is located with the stratified squamous cells.

• Older people has less moisture in the skin.

• Infant skin has a moist appearance.

Moist – Unmoist

• Lower legs, elbows and knees can be unmoist.

• Moisture of skin vary on facial areas – the skin around the corners of mouth and 1 inch below.

• Front of chin is less moist.

• Deep coarse hair in soft moist skin will need less current!

Oily – Not Oily

Applied moisturizer is not evidence of oily skin.

Naturally oily skin is moist unless dried out from application of products.

Oily moist skin will have a very low “melting point”. Thermal current will need to be adjusted.

Summary

• The outward appearance of the skin and hair is your only guide for treating the follicle properly.

• Moist skin is not oily skin – know the difference!

• Deep Anagen hairs are deep – recognize this for proper insertions!

• This will become a “sixth sense”!