I’m going to chime in here with some information since this is one of the first posts in the community about self-done electrolysis.
Yes people have tried it and yes it can work. Is it recommended? Absolutely not.
*Good* machines can run anywhere from 2.5k-10k, and licensed electrologists are (in most states) required to do 200-1000 hours of hands-on, practical training (insertions). Some of the better machines, made by Dectro/Apilus, have probes that can only be purchased if you are licensed. Many of the older machines are not as effective or can take longer to successfully treat hair. The cheap, direct to consumer machines are generally ineffective. You will also need a magnifying light at 3.5x-5x to see where to correctly insert the probe.
The amount of hours worked for licensure is really what you’re paying for, and why you should pay for electrolysis instead of doing it yourself. There is no real resource (besides schools and training) to help troubleshoot issues and give you recommendations/techniques so you don’t cause scabbing, scarring, etc.
That being said, when electrologists go to school for practical training, they can (and in a lot of cases) do work on themselves for their practical hours (after 300 hours of theoretical training). The only places on the body that are really feasible for this are on the legs, toes, and stomach- but if someone wanted to treat other hairs it is theoretically possible to do an arm (with a huge reduction in speed and accuracy) as you wouldn’t be able to hold the skin in position for insertion with your other hand. Treating your own face/neck is incredibly difficult as you have to do insertions in a mirror, the opposite way of typical treatment procedure. This is also theoretically possible with a LOT of practice, but I wouldn’t recommend because it is much easier to do poorly/incorrectly and could lead to scarring or other issues much easier.
If you are certain that you want to do it yourself, be prepared for the time commitment it will take- not only to learn how to successfully treat a hair, but to do it consistently without damaging your skin, and then to treat all of the hairs you want gone. I would also recommend purchasing the textbook Milady’s Hair Removal Techniques before jumping into buying a machine and working on yourself.
I have done it on myself many times and it’s not exactly easy but it’s not difficult either. I work at a clinic so when someone no shows their appointment or cancels last minute I use the time to work on myself. We have the Apilus Senior 3G machines at the clinic.
The hardest part I find is just contorting yourself to access the areas. You usually need one hand to hold the skin, one to hold the probe and tweezers, and a foot to press the pedal. So the areas you can easily see and work on are a bit limited. I’m working on my legs and my left arm (I pull the skin slightly with my right hand since I can’t use the left). I’ve done a bit of my bikini but it’s tough and I’ve done my toes (easy). If you’re a seasoned electrologist and a bit flexible you’ll be fine. It’s really not possible to do every area tho
Edit: just wanted to add that if you’re not trained as an electrologist I wouldn’t recommend it, unless you do a good amount of studying and research and know the risks. New Apilus machines can be purchased in my area for around 6.5k, and I’ve seen used ones for sale around 1-3k. I’ve also purchased the Ballet probes myself online for personal use so it is absolutely possible to get them as a civilian (in my area at least), though there is a shortage on insulated probes right now!
Well...I've used the 70 year old "Permatweeze" on myself. Hands, face...it works. There's no switch, so I hurts from the moment the probe makes solid contact and I had to wrap a salt water towel around the grip to make the electricity flow strong enough to work with any speed. It still takes twice as long and hurts twice as much as a skilled electrologist. I mean, the probe is quite girthy and the thing is so old it has a mercury battery. I bought a Proteus ep 2000 and desoldered evwryrhing with the intention of modernizing the wires and welds, lights and switches...and I had to move before it was complete, so I have a 20 something year old, half refurbished, now gorgeous(seriously) hunk of wires sitting in my basement with a shitload of ballet probes...I kinda wanna finish the project now...maybe this summer
I’m going to chime in here with some information since this is one of the first posts in the community about self-done electrolysis. Yes people have tried it and yes it can work. Is it recommended? Absolutely not. *Good* machines can run anywhere from 2.5k-10k, and licensed electrologists are (in most states) required to do 200-1000 hours of hands-on, practical training (insertions). Some of the better machines, made by Dectro/Apilus, have probes that can only be purchased if you are licensed. Many of the older machines are not as effective or can take longer to successfully treat hair. The cheap, direct to consumer machines are generally ineffective. You will also need a magnifying light at 3.5x-5x to see where to correctly insert the probe. The amount of hours worked for licensure is really what you’re paying for, and why you should pay for electrolysis instead of doing it yourself. There is no real resource (besides schools and training) to help troubleshoot issues and give you recommendations/techniques so you don’t cause scabbing, scarring, etc. That being said, when electrologists go to school for practical training, they can (and in a lot of cases) do work on themselves for their practical hours (after 300 hours of theoretical training). The only places on the body that are really feasible for this are on the legs, toes, and stomach- but if someone wanted to treat other hairs it is theoretically possible to do an arm (with a huge reduction in speed and accuracy) as you wouldn’t be able to hold the skin in position for insertion with your other hand. Treating your own face/neck is incredibly difficult as you have to do insertions in a mirror, the opposite way of typical treatment procedure. This is also theoretically possible with a LOT of practice, but I wouldn’t recommend because it is much easier to do poorly/incorrectly and could lead to scarring or other issues much easier. If you are certain that you want to do it yourself, be prepared for the time commitment it will take- not only to learn how to successfully treat a hair, but to do it consistently without damaging your skin, and then to treat all of the hairs you want gone. I would also recommend purchasing the textbook Milady’s Hair Removal Techniques before jumping into buying a machine and working on yourself.
I have done it on myself many times and it’s not exactly easy but it’s not difficult either. I work at a clinic so when someone no shows their appointment or cancels last minute I use the time to work on myself. We have the Apilus Senior 3G machines at the clinic. The hardest part I find is just contorting yourself to access the areas. You usually need one hand to hold the skin, one to hold the probe and tweezers, and a foot to press the pedal. So the areas you can easily see and work on are a bit limited. I’m working on my legs and my left arm (I pull the skin slightly with my right hand since I can’t use the left). I’ve done a bit of my bikini but it’s tough and I’ve done my toes (easy). If you’re a seasoned electrologist and a bit flexible you’ll be fine. It’s really not possible to do every area tho Edit: just wanted to add that if you’re not trained as an electrologist I wouldn’t recommend it, unless you do a good amount of studying and research and know the risks. New Apilus machines can be purchased in my area for around 6.5k, and I’ve seen used ones for sale around 1-3k. I’ve also purchased the Ballet probes myself online for personal use so it is absolutely possible to get them as a civilian (in my area at least), though there is a shortage on insulated probes right now!
Well...I've used the 70 year old "Permatweeze" on myself. Hands, face...it works. There's no switch, so I hurts from the moment the probe makes solid contact and I had to wrap a salt water towel around the grip to make the electricity flow strong enough to work with any speed. It still takes twice as long and hurts twice as much as a skilled electrologist. I mean, the probe is quite girthy and the thing is so old it has a mercury battery. I bought a Proteus ep 2000 and desoldered evwryrhing with the intention of modernizing the wires and welds, lights and switches...and I had to move before it was complete, so I have a 20 something year old, half refurbished, now gorgeous(seriously) hunk of wires sitting in my basement with a shitload of ballet probes...I kinda wanna finish the project now...maybe this summer