The Hudson River Sampler Article – March 2011

 

 

 

Anne’s Electrolysis
by Lindsay Suchow

Mother and daughter electrolysis team Anne Lombardozzi and Michelle Lombardozzi-Strollo pride themselves in serving “all walks of life,” and don’t refer to their clients’ unwanted body hair as a problem.

“We assess your personal information making every assessment different, no two clients are alike,” said Michelle. “Your comfort and confidentiality are our utmost concern.”

Anne’s Electrolysis at 22 East Market St. in Rhinebeck was started in Westchester in the early 1980s by Anne Lombardozzi, who had been practicing electrolysis for many years. Her daughter followed in her footsteps and joined her mother’s practice in 1992, and the two have worked as a team ever since.

“It’s always been the two of us,” said Michelle. “When we were in Westchester, we were together every single day, five days a week, and I lived at the house.”
In 1997, Michelle married and moved to Clinton Corners with her husband in search of a piece of property that could accommodate her horses. After Michelle had two children, Anne followed suit, moving to Rhinebeck to be closer to the grandchildren.

“It’s been a great location so far,” said Michelle. “We’ve been doing great. I think it’s going to be awesome for us once we get our name out there a little bit more.” Some of our Westchester clients are still coming to us here in Rhinebeck.

Anne: stressing there is no such thing as a typical client when it comes to permanent hair removal, “women, men, teenagers, from all walks of life, (no names) enter through our doors”. She became interested in electrolysis to begin with because she herself sought the help of an electrolysis professional in her younger years.

“I had a hair problem when I was young,” said Anne. “I just liked what the electrolysis was doing for me, and off to school I went and decided to pursue a career in Electrology. I’ve been practicing for a long time.”
Michelle took the same career path because she says she loves the fact that she is helping people, and enjoys seeing the end results of the electrolysis treatments.

“I really liked being with people – I liked the response we were getting from our clients after having the electrolysis done, how happy they were,” said Michelle. “It was a great time – we had a lot of fun together.”

Anne said, clients utilize her services for everything from simple cosmetic hair removal, such as shaping the eyebrows, underarms, bikini, etc. to removing excess hair on the upper lip or face. Some women who suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, often experience excess body hair. There are many causes for excess hair, i.e. Endocrine disorders, heredity, some medications, excessive weight changes either up of down, temporary methods of hair removal, pregnancy and more.

Not just females patronize Anne’s Electrolysis – Anne said many men come in to have their “unibrow,” (hair that grows in between the eyebrows), permanently removed. Excess hair on the ears, as well as hair that goes too far down the neck, and back are also common situations among male clients.
Michelle:“Men, women, teen-agers – we are gender friendly,” the face is the most obvious place people tend to permanently remove hair since “it’s the most seen.”

Michelle:“Your face is a big window to your being,” “And if you can’t open that window, you can’t be the person that you are, and with (excess hair), it’s a big hindrance.”

Anne: Electrolysis is the only form of permanent hair removal as recognized by the FDA, is referred to as the gold standard of hair removal, has been proven and tested since 1875 when it was invented by Dr. Charles Michel.

Anne: “It probably takes a little longer, but it’s permanent,” “Laser is not permanent hair removal – only permanent hair reduction. The American Electrolysis Association, (which we are members of) had the “permanent hair removal” (credential) taken off of laser literature and advertisements, and replaced it with permanent hair reduction because laser has not been proven to be permanent hair removal.”

Ann and Michelle: In our office, all procedures are performed with sterilized instruments, and all needles/probes are pre-packaged one-time-use only, including: Insulated, Gold and Stainless Steel.