Understanding the Differences Between Galvanic, Thermolysis and Blend Electrolysis
This article provides a brief overview of the differences between the three modalities of electrolysis: galvanic, thermolysis, and blend.
Galvanic electrolysis is accomplished via direct current (DC) with electrical current passing from the epilator and into the hair follicle being treated before moving out of the client's body through a ground anode that returns the electrical charge once again to the epilator. More specifically, during galvanic electrolysis, DC current is sent from the epilator through the wire and probe holder where the electrical current travels along the electrolysis probe before entering the client's body and causing a chemical reaction using water (H2O) and salts (NaCL) within the hair follicle being targeted. This chemical reaction creates sodium hydroxide (aka lye), an extremely corrosive base that destroys proteins and disables the follicle's ability to grow new hairs.
In contrast, thermolysis uses alternating current (AC) to disable a follicle's ability to grow new hairs. Unlike direct current (DC) where electrons move in one direction only, alternating current (AC) causes the polarity of the current to continually change, as if there was a magnet flipping back and forth and constantly changing direction. AC takes advantage of the slight charge found in water (H2O) molecules in a hair follicle. When AC current enters a hair follicle from the tip of the probe, this change in polarity causes the water molecules to turn in reaction to the positive or negative charge constantly shifting at the tip of the probe. This movement creates friction which in turn creates heat, and the resulting heat then destroys the hair follicle proteins during thermolysis. Like galvanic, it is the destruction of proteins that stops hair growth, but the two modalities use different strategies to accomplish this shared goal.
As its name indicates, blend is an electrolysis modality where the two mechanisms of destruction work together with an alternating current "riding" a direct current. At the same time that a direct current is creating sodium hydroxide, an alternating current is creating heat. Heated sodium hydroxide destroys proteins (via denaturing) more quickly than room temperature sodium hydroxide. This sped-up reaction is one of the reasons that many electrologists prefer the blend modality.
Whether you use thermolysis, galvanic electrolysis or the blend, in all cases electricity is doing the work to destroy proteins and kill the follicle. The difference lies in whether direct current, alternating current or both are used to create the lye or heat that ultimately denatures proteins and kills the hair follicle.
