Electrology is the practice of permanent hair removal using chemical decomposition or heat from a small zap of electrical current delivered via a probe the size of a hair follicle that is inserted into the follicle. When done properly, the probe doesn't even puncture the skin but is able to damage the papilla or blood supply at the base of the follicle.

If the damage is done by chemical decomposition, the process is called galvanic or electrolysis, and if the damage is done by heat, the process is called thermolysis or short wave. In many cases, the word "electrolysis" is used as an umbrella term when folks are actually referring to thermolysis.

The chemical decomposition in the galvanic method is caused by lye or sodium hydroxide (NaOH), which is formed from salt (NaCl) and moisture (H₂O) in the skin. The lye fills the follicle like water in a vessel, taking up the space and spilling out of any holes along the sides.

When thermolysis is used, the heating pattern starts at the bottom of the probe in the deepest part of the follicle, spreading out and rising as the heat heads up the probe, forming the shape of a light bulb, so it does not necessarily treat the germ cells occurring along the sides of the follicle.

With the galvanic method, the treatment pattern is the shape of a test tube or finger, with the lye gathering along the follicle sides, treating germ cells there that would otherwise develop into follicles in the future. Because the germ cells are destroyed and prevented from developing into new hairs, galvanic electrology results in a one- two- punch with the treatment.

When a bit of thermolysis is added into a galvanic treatment, the method is called the blend. With the blend, the amount of lye necessary to treat the follicle is roughly a quarter of that from using galvanic alone. The heat provided by the thermolysis increases the lye's effectiveness due to factors of causticity, porosity, and turbulence. The lye becomes more caustic when heated and the heat causes turbulence in the lye, pushing it into crevices and spaces surrounding the follicle or taking advantage of its porosity. For this reason, if the probe insertion is not 100% on target, the treatment is still able to be effective, unlike with thermolysis, where if the probe insertion is off, the treatment can be ineffective.

A lot of electrologists doing the blend method use a machine with a single foot pedal, and in that case the machine is adding in the thermolysis. When a machine with two foot pedals is used, one for electrolysis and one for thermolysis, the thermolysis is added manually with the additional foot pedal, and the machine operator can tailor the treatment more specifically.

A final modality of electrology is a variation of thermolysis called flash thermolysis, wherein heat up to two-and-a-half times higher is used for fractions of a second. The treatment time in each follicle is shortened, but as with regular thermolysis, the resulting heat pattern is probe-shaped, leaving parts of the follicle and perhaps the papilla untreated.

The treatment modality chosen for the client's treatment will vary based on the client's hair and skin types and will vary from person to person. For the reasons given here, I will tend to lean toward galvanic treatment or the blend method. I use Clareblend machines with two foot pedals to add the thermolysis manually, for more precise tailoring based on each client's situation.