+ Sensitive - Insensitive
People’s pain sensitivity varies. The higher a client’s pain tolerance, or threshold level, the more equip they are to receive large amounts of electrolysis; therefore, the client with a higher pain threshold is the most ideal.
As a rule of thumb, the closer the treatment area is to the center line of the body, the more sensitive it is. Also, older clients are more tolerant of pain than younger clients because the skin is tougher.
A client who has been regularly lasered, waxed, threaded, tweezed or sugared in a specific treatment area will have a higher threshold for pain than those who haven’t.
+ Soft - Firm
The softness or loose factor generally only impacts the ease at which the probe is inserted into the follicle. The more firm or taut the skin, the easier the insertion becomes. Therefore, an electrologist will often ask the client to help pull and stretch the skin around the area being treated.
The chin and forehead are examples of firm areas. The underchin and armpit are examples of soft, loose areas.
+ Thin - Thick
The depth at which an electrologist must insert the probe to reach the bottom of the follicle during treatment is obviously greater in thicker skin.
In lighter skinned clients with thin skin, the electrologist can see the bottom of the follicle making it easier to treat. However, thin skin does have its disadvantages; in that, reddening becomes visible more quickly and gives the appearance that the treatment is more intense than it would appear on thicker skin.
Note: thickness of the hair is NOT correlated to the thickness of the skin.
+ Moist - Unmoist
Moisture content increases with depth. So, if electrical current is required to destroy hair permanently, then the more moist the skin is, the more effective the current is where the skin comes in contact with the probe tip. Therefore, it’s important to stay hydrated and keep the skin moisturized while going through electrolysis treatments.
Note: Moisture content refers to water content in the skins cells and not related to oiliness. The next section speaks to oil content specifically.
In adults the corners of the mouth, the armpit, and skin covering the skin is very moist with no oiliness present. At the other extreme are areas that are very dry, such as the chin, lower legs, elbows, and knees. All other areas of the body range in moisture content somewhere within these extremes. Older clients tend to have less moist skin than younger clients. Differences in moisture content require special precautions and techniques.
+ Oily - Not Oily
The oil characteristic has little relevance to the electrologist except that a layer of oil on the skin does prevent the escape of moisture, thereby preserving moisture content. A naturally oily skin may be evidence of moisture but the client’s application of oil or cream to the skin to prevent dryness can fool the electrologist into thinking their skin is naturally oily. A layer of oil must be maintained over the course of many days before moisture is restored to otherwise dry skin.
Most naturally oily skin types are moist unless alcohols, astringents and drying acne prescriptions are being used to combat the oily condition. When oily skin is observed it may also be true that the skin is also moist, but this is NOT guaranteed.
