What advanced electrolysis is

Also known as Advanced Cosmetic Procedures (ACP) or short-wave diathermy, advanced electrolysis uses a sterile, single-use probe finer than a hair to deliver a controlled current into a blemish. Depending on the blemish, the current cauterises, coagulates or breaks down the tissue, which the body then sheds or absorbs. Because the probe is so fine, treatment is precise and targeted to the blemish. We use Sterex SX-T and SX-B equipment.

What it treats

• Skin tags
• Milia
• Facial thread veins, spider naevi and Campbell de Morgan spots
• Warts, verrucae and seborrhoeic keratoses
• Sebaceous cysts and sebaceous hyperplasia
• Benign moles (cosmetic reduction, after a professional check)
• Xanthelasma
• Syringomas (small flesh-coloured bumps around the eyes)
• Dermatosis papulosa nigra (small dark bumps on the face, common in darker skin)
• Age spots and other pigmented blemishes where suitable
• Hairs growing from moles

If your blemish is not listed, ask. If we cannot treat it, we will say so and suggest who can.

Why experience matters

The technique is simple to describe and hard to do well. The size of probe, the current, the timing and the angle all change with the blemish and the skin, and the difference between a clean result and a mark is judgement built over years. Kolaine Farr holds a Level 4 Advanced Cosmetic Procedures qualification, trains therapists in advanced electrolysis in association with Jane Bryan Beauty Training, and co-founded Blemish Pro, a supplementary membership platform for qualified practitioners.

What to expect

For both electrolysis hair removal and advanced electrolysis treatments, a consultation and patch test will be carried out during your first appointment.

A consultation before treatment (treatment consultations are free), precise treatment, then some redness and a small scab or crust that usually drops off within a week or so, with the skin continuing to settle over the following weeks. Results and healing vary, and some blemishes need further sessions. Prices and appointment lengths vary by treatment and are shown in our online booking system.

Results

Results vary from person to person and are never guaranteed.

See more results

Frequently asked questions

Is advanced electrolysis the same as electrolysis hair removal?

They share the technique: a fine probe and a precise current. Electrolysis hair removal treats hair follicles; advanced electrolysis, also called Advanced Cosmetic Procedures, treats skin blemishes such as skin tags, milia, thread veins and warts.

Does it hurt?

You will feel a brief heat or sting at each point of treatment. Most people find it very tolerable, and most blemishes take seconds to treat.

Will it leave a scar?

Advanced electrolysis is precise and targeted, which helps to keep marking to a minimum, but healing varies from person to person and no treatment can rule out a mark entirely. Expect some redness and a small scab that usually drops off within a week or so, with the skin continuing to settle over the following weeks.

Can I have several blemishes treated at once?

Usually, yes. Many clients have a number of skin tags or milia treated in a single appointment. Larger or more complex blemishes may be spread over more than one visit.

Do I need a consultation first?

Many blemishes can be assessed and treated in the same appointment. Moles must be professionally checked before any cosmetic reduction, and some blemishes need a doctor’s opinion first; if yours does, we will say so.

How much does it cost?

Prices and appointment lengths vary by treatment and are shown, with current availability, in our online booking system. Treatment consultations are free.

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Related: Advanced skin and blemish treatments · Electrolysis hair removal · Advanced electrolysis training for professionals