Skin Impedance – Tips for Electrologists

Moisture is an essential ingredient for successful electrolysis treatments. Moisture is required to generate the heat that we are using to destroy the hair follicle. Limited moisture results in limited heat produced, which can impact the effectiveness of your treatment.

What is Skin Impedance?

Skin impedance is a measure of how much the skin resists or opposes an electrical current. The drier the skin, the higher the impedance, making it harder for heat to be generated efficiently when using fast thermolysis. High skin impedance also affects the chemical reaction and production of lye when using blend modes.

Well hydrated skin has low impedance. It has greater conductivity, allowing energy to flow more smoothly. This supports a more successful treatment for both blend and thermolysis modes.

What Affects Skin Impedance?

Hydrated skin is key for lowering skin impedance, but other factors also have an impact. All of these factors can increase skin impedance and reduce the effectiveness of your treatment:

• Thicker Skin
• Oils & Sweat
• Damaged Skin
• Cold Skin

Reducing Impedance

Maintaining healthy, hydrated skin is key in reducing skin impedance. For the best results, a balance of in-salon treatments and a good home care routine is needed.

Offer exfoliating treatments such as chemical peels and microdermabrasion. Mechanical and chemical exfoliation methods will encourage skin repair, supporting overall skin health, as well as removing dead skin cells which will make insertions easier. The client can also exfoliate at home with mild products and gentle mechanical methods.

Deeply hydrating and restoring treatments and supporting hydrating home care is a must! Regular facials that target the client’s specific skin needs, such as reducing inflammation, will support overall skin health and is a great opportunity to upsell these additional services. At home, the client can incorporate hydrating serums. Multi-weight hyaluronic acid formulations can help to hydrate throughout the skin layers, rather than more superficial, top layer hydration.

A nourishing and protecting moisturiser will complete the at home skin care routine. Electrolysis clients should be using an SPF of 30 or more every day to protect their skin from sun damage.

Conclusion

Low skin impedance is essential to providing successful electrolysis treatments. A variety of factors can influence impedance, but there are plenty of ways to combat and improve this. Combining salon treatments with a simple home care routine will facilitate better insertions and destruction, while also making for a more pleasant experience for your client.