Editing Electrology (section)

==Methods==
All three methods (galvanic, thermolysis, and blend) have their own merits, and one method is not better than another. The success depends on the skill of the electrologist, the type of hair being removed, the condition of the skin and the pain threshold of the client. All three methods, when properly performed, can be thorough at destroying the [[hair matrix]] cells, and leaving follicles incapable of regrowing hair.

===Galvanic method===
This method is named after [[Luigi Galvani]] and uses a person's body as an [[electrolytic cell]]. Galvanic electrolysis was first reported in medical literature in 1875 by [[ophthalmologist]] [[Charles Michel (American ophthalmologist)|Charles Michel]] as a method for removing [[trichiasis|ingrown eyelashes]].<ref name="michel">{{cite journal | author = Michel CE | date = Oct 1875 | title = Trichiasis and distichiasis; with an improved method for radical treatment | url = | journal = St. Louis Clinical Record | volume = 2 | issue = | pages = 145–148 }}</ref> A galvanic hair remover is essentially a positive ground power supply that delivers 0–3 [[ampere|milliamperes]] through the body. The follicular probe is the [[cathode]] of an electrolytic cell. [[Sodium hydroxide]] formed at the cathode by the process of chemical [[electrolysis]] kills the hair matrix cells. Modern galvanic hair removers automatically adjust the voltage to maintain constant current.
===Thermolysis===
Another method is known as '''thermolysis''', also called radio frequency (RF), shortwave or [[diathermy]]. 
Thermolysis was developed in the 1920s and first reported in medical literature by Henri Bordier.<ref name="bordier">Bordier H. Nouveau traitment de l'hypertrichose par la diathermie. Vie Med., 1924, 5:561</ref> A thermolytic hair remover is essentially a [[radio transmitter]], usually with an output of about 0–8 watts at a frequency of 13.56 {{abbr|MHz|megahertz}}. RF energy emanates from the probe tip to tissue within about a millimeter. Thermolysis works by heating the hair matrix cells to about {{convert|48|to|50|C}}, causing [[electrocoagulation]].

===Blend method===
The galvanic method and thermolysis are often combined in the blend method, developed by [[Arthur Hinkel]] in 1948, which uses both RF and direct current, combining many of the advantages of both methods.<ref name="hinkel">Hinkel AR, Lind RW (1968). ''Electrolysis, Thermolysis and the Blend: the principles and practice of permanent hair removal. ''Los Angeles, CA: Arroway Publishers, {{ISBN|0-9600284-1-2}}</ref>