Electrolysis Reviews
After 16+ years in business, Alison has earned a reputation as a top electrologist in Los Angeles, and every client story on this page is a testament to her professionalism. We are proud of our excellent rating on Google and Yelp . You will also find photos of our space, in case you are curious about the salon, parking, and nearby areas.
Testimonials About Electrolysis
Electrolysis is a fairly private procedure, so we typically don’t ask our clients for a “testimonial.” You may not want the world to know exactly how you came by your smooth hair-free skin. We understand! We don’t expect our client to share “best electrolysis in Los Angeles” from the rooftops.. With that said, many clients over the years have taken the time to provide a review, a story, or a testimonial. These clients are excited to share a resource with others, and “pay it forward” by recommending Alison to those who they think will benefit from her service. The testimonials below were shared voluntarily by our clients, and we absolutely respect their privacy. If you are a client and would like to share your electrolysis story, please send us a message.
Electrolysis Client Stories
Alison has a variety of happy electrolysis clients from all over the West Los Angeles area. And you can be one of them! Contact Alison today to schedule your first electrolysis hair removal session.
Real Life Electrolysis Stories
Electrolysis by Alison is proud to help people from all walks of life get rid of unwanted hair growth. From women with PCOS to men looking into removing hair on their backs and shoulders, and everyone in between, we have given thousands of clients the opportunity to feel better about their facial hair and body hair situations. These are real people whose self-image and confidence have received significant boosts from the steps they have made to feel better about their appearances. Our founder Alison considers seeing the improvement in a client’s attitude as their treatment progresses from session to session one of the best parts of the job,
Myths about Electrolysis Revealed
One of the common myths about electrolysis treatments is that they are essentially the same procedure as laser treatment with the same outcome. This is far from the truth, as every one of our clients could happily tell you. Electrolysis is effective on all hair colors and skin types, unlike laser therapy. Electrolysis is also different in the quality of the hair removal provided. With laser therapy, hair growth cycles are disrupted, but long-term are not interrupted. Follicles will eventually recover from the procedure, and the scattershot approach to treatment (with all follicles, terminal or otherwise) in an area being targeted means that some vellus, or light, wispy hairs may be triggered into growing more terminal, dark hairs. Conversely, electrolysis only targets the affected follicles, meaning that they will be permanently neutralized. And of course, the difference in what laser therapy and electrolysis feel like is not to be overlooked.
Another myth about electrolysis is that home electrolysis kits can be effective. Sadly, this is not true. Electrologists work hard and study to achieve their certifications. The training and understanding can not be substituted. The risk of re-growth, scarring, and infection from poorly-executed electrolysis is too great. We advocate only pursuing electrolysis at a center with a credentialed electrologist that uses new needles for every procedure and preferably already has at least three years of experience in the field. Alison has been practicing for over 15 years at this point.
Related to the above myth is the one that electrolysis is always a 100% success. While even an inexperienced electrologist can generally do an excellent job, it’s not always guaranteed. Your best chance of success is to choose a highly trained and experienced electrologist.
Another myth is that electrolysis is a ‘one-and-done’ solution. While electrolysis is effective at permanently disabling individual follicles that it treats, the fact of the matter is that not all follicles in an area of skin are active at the same time. There are three stages to hair growth: anagen, catagen, and telogen.
- Anagen – during this stage, the growth stage, the hair will physically grow 1cm (around 0.4 inches) a month. This stage lasts from 4 to 6 months for body hair. The follicle is actively connected to the dermal layer of the skin in order to obtain nourishment.
- Catagen – during this transitional phase, only two weeks long, the follicle shrinks and detaches. The hair strand is cut off from its blood supply and nourishment. The hair shaft is pushed upwards by the follicle, which shifts to less than 20% its length in the previous stage.
- Telogen – in this stage, the shedding phase, the follicle remains dormant between one and four months.
What this means in practice is that while the density of hair in a treated area will definitely be reduced by the first procedure, multiple procedures will be necessary in order to treat every follicle that is actively involved in the hair-growing cycle. Even then, if you are suffering from a hormonal imbalance such as menopause or pregnancy, it is possible that more of your follicles that were previously inactive and thus not treated by the initial cycle of treatments will be activated by new waves of androgens and start growing terminal hairs. Electrolysis by Alison can work with you to put together a schedule that will address your personal situation. Alison specializes in treating women with PCOS, but any comparable situation of hormonal flux can be addressed.
Electrolysis Hair Removal Success Stories
There are no shortage of happy testimonials on this page. People talking about shedding the hair on their arms, on their faces, upper lips, backs, and more. Hair removal is a sensitive topic for many. There are nightmare stories out there of people trying a less permanent method and it horribly backfiring, eating up thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars to repair the damage done. We’re happy that our clients have no such stories to report about our service.
I was working 9-5, and always trying to fit in hair removal appointments with my favorite waxer & favorite threader. I was constantly thinking about things like threading my upper lip hairs — if I make an appointment now, would there be enough hairs by Saturday? Or, would I have too many by Saturday — would I be walking around all week with a mini mustache? Did my threader even work on Saturdays? By the way, what about waxing these hairs on my bikini line?
I looked into alternative hair removal methods. Reading about electrolysis, and the thought of little needles repeatedly entering my hair follicles? Thanks, but that sounded like something I wanted to do NEVER. I have such an aversion to needles, that I once snuck out of my doctor’s office when they wanted to draw blood. Plus, I didn’t even know anyone who’d ever done electrolysis, though I knew tons of people who’d tried laser hair removal. If electrolysis were so awesome, wouldn’t I have heard about it already? Still, I couldn’t get myself to do laser: I’d have to buy a pack of sessions up-front, and there was no guarantee I’d have results. I couldn’t get myself to trust a technology that seemed so unpredictable. One day, I decided I’d had enough. I found Alison on Yelp and gave her a call. I was hesitant about volunteering myself as a human pin cushion, but Alison suggested I could try a 10-minute appointment — if it wasn’t for me, I’d never come back again. No packages or commitment? Sign me up!
When I arrived early the day of my appointment, I could hear Alison working on another client. They were having a perfectly ordinary conversation — no bloodcurdling screams as I’d expected. My 10-minute appointment turned into 30 minutes. Since that day, I’ve had cheeks, chin, upper lip, eyebrow, toes (yes, toes), and underarms done. Alison’s been through electrolysis herself, so she knows how to minimize any discomfort (hint: ice and maybe Advil beforehand). The sensation feels like pointy tweezers tapping the surface your skin — and eventually it feels warm, like you’ve had a heat pack pressed against your skin. Really, not that dramatic.
I’m still a giant wimp, but now I’m just a giant wimp about other things! Electrolysis is one of the best things I’ve done for myself. It has simplified my life greatly, and I’m only sorry that I didn’t try it sooner.
I am a 41 year old black female. My parents are both from Belize, Central America, which means that we are a mixture of different nationalities. My father has very fair skin & is hairy as h!%*!!! Unfortunately, so are his female children. We range from ages 24-41.
If you are thinking about trying laser as a permanent hair removal method, let me share my experiences with you first!
Most of my unwanted hair growth is on my cheeks,upper lip & chin area. I always had “fuzz” on my face but was able to lighten it with facial hair bleach and it was cool. However, into my late 20’s, the fuzz on my chin & under my neck became coarse, increased in amount and eventually changed on my cheeks as well. Needless to say, that created a lot of ingrown hairs and dark marks in those areas of my face. The more I plucked, the worse it all got. The texture of my skin under my chin & neck area started to change too. It started to look like a man’s neck after shaving!!! I was referred to a dermatologist that swore laser was the answer. He gave me some fancy name for the type of laser he would used and he assured me that within about 7 treatments, I would probably only require follow up treatments once or twice a year. That was all I needed to hear, I was in! I started treatment immediately. The treatments cost $200 per session. I had 1 session every six weeks for 6-7 months. The treatments seemed to be working until I was unable to afford sessions consistently and within a few months of missing treatment, I was right back where I started. About a year or two later, I went to another dermatologist just to have this doctor promised that his laser was specific for African American’s darker skin and promised similar results. I fell for the hoopla once again. I ended up with the same temporary results, but never did my facial hair become wispy like both doctors described during my initial consultations. Out of frustration & lack of finances I went back to plucking the hairs for about 5 years but it just got worse. I ended up trying laser one more time at some treatment center I heard advertised on the radio. It was all the same empty promises BUT this time I was forced to pay for the amount of sessions they were recommending, in full. That turned out to be $1,600.00 for 7 sessions. Not only did I see NO RESULTS with this laser, the technician was a different person each time and on my 3rd visit, this particular tech burned me and I had tiny blisters on my face by the time I made it home. I guess I’m glutton for punishment because I still went back for another session. This session went ok, but within a few weeks I notices light spots around my upper lip. Finally I decided that I had, had enough! I didn’t return for the remaining sessions. I am now trying electrolysis. It’s a costly and lengthy method, but the best one so far. I’m happy with the results I’m seeing. I really hope this helps anyone who is trying to make an informed decision as to what really works.
I’ve always had light facial hair or peach fuzz, mainly sideburns/jaw area, but age 13 I started to grow hair on my chin. What started out as a few hairs developed into a beard. Because i was so young and unaware of effective hair removal treatments I sought out what was quick and cheap. I first started with threading and waxing. But because my hair grew back so quickly this approach was no longer convenient. I then turned to Laser. After hearing so much about it I thought I would give it a try. I started to notice improvement after the first few sessions, however a few weeks after my last session my hair started to grow back. The amount was still the same prior to my Laser treatments and the hair was just as thick/dark. I was back at square one. I now have realized that electrolysis is the only way to go. If only I would have known that when I first started to spot chin hairs I believe that could have prevented other hairs from growing and essentially would have saved time and money.
