SECTION 5 — Understanding Clearance

What Is a Clearance?

Among all concepts discussed in permanent hair removal, none is more important than understanding Clearance. If a person properly understands the concept of clearance, most confusion regarding Duration, Cost, New Growth, Regrowth, Treatment Progress and Expected Results automatically disappears. For this reason, the doctors and experts at Valeda Skin & Hair Clinic consider clearance to be one of the foundations upon which the entire EBVHCM (Electrolysis Blend Valeda Holistic Combination Mode) programme is built.

A clearance means:

Treating all hairs that are externally visible and available for treatment within a particular skin area during a 40-day biological cycle.

The total time required to treat all such available hairs during that cycle is known as Clearance Time.

Important: the 40-day biological cycle is irrespective of the number of visits made during that period. Depending upon the type and size of the hair crop, an individual may make one, two, three or even four visits within the same 40-day cycle — and all of these visits together constitute one clearance.

Understanding the 40-Day Cycle With a Practical Example

Consider a female individual who has been waxing her chin, under-chin and side face every four to five days for approximately seven years.

When she visits Valeda Skin & Hair Clinic, the doctors and experts explain that the crop she is presenting with — which appears to her as a significant hair problem — actually represents only approximately 15% of her total crop. The remaining 85% consists of follicles currently inside the skin that will slowly emerge over the next four to six months as she discontinues temporary hair removal methods.

The doctors estimate her first clearance at approximately 12 hours. The treatment is then planned over the 40-day cycle as follows:

By Day 40, all externally visible hairs available during that biological cycle have been treated. Clearance Time = 12 Hours | Number of Visits in This Clearance = 3. This is one complete clearance — achieved over three visits spanning 40 days. The 40-day cycle now resets and the next clearance begins.

Clearance — At a Glance

One Clearance Does Not Always Mean One Visit

Consider a person with dense facial hair or large body area involvement. All visible hairs may not practically be treated in a single visit. The clearance may therefore require multiple visits until the entire visible crop has been treated.

Clearance is a biological concept — not merely an appointment count.

Why One Clearance Does Not Complete the Treatment

At any given time, some follicles are active, some are resting, some are dormant and some are preparing to enter a new growth phase. Not all follicles produce visible hairs simultaneously. A clearance therefore addresses the currently visible crop — but not necessarily the entire follicular population. This is why additional clearances become necessary.

Total Follicles ➜ Visible Crop ➜ Clearance Performed ➜ Hidden Follicles Remain ➜ Future Clearance Required

The 40-Day Clearance Cycle

Over more than four decades, the doctors and experts at Valeda Skin & Hair Clinic have repeatedly observed that hair emergence follows biological rhythms. A practical planning interval of approximately 40 days allows new growth to become visible, resting follicles to activate, regrowth to appear and the next clearance to be performed efficiently.

Clearance 1 ➜ 40 Days ➜ Clearance 2 ➜ 40 Days ➜ Clearance 3 ➜ 40 Days ➜ Clearance 4

Why We Prefer the Word “Clearance”

At Valeda Skin & Hair Clinic, we prefer the word Clearance over sessions, visits, appointments or sittings. This terminology was coined and developed by the doctors and experts working under the guidance of Dr. Seema Bali after decades of successful clinical experience.

The word “clearance” focuses on the actual biological objective — clearing the available crop — rather than merely counting visits. A session tells you how long you sat in the chair. A clearance tells you what was achieved: every hair available in that cycle has been treated.

The First Clearance — Your First Real Measurement

The first clearance gives the first real number in the entire programme — the actual time taken to clear your actual visible crop. This is why it forms the foundation of the First Clearance × 8 Formula. (The Factor-of-8 Formula is explained in: Section 3 — Three Independent Ways To Estimate Duration & Cost)

The Factor-of-8 Formula works best for hair that has been tampered with by pulling — weekly waxing, frequent threading, regular tweezing or repeated plucking over many months or years. In such cases, the second and third clearances are usually longer than the first. The new growth appearing at this stage is mainly the left-over hair from earlier temporary pulling treatments, together with telogen (resting-phase) hairs that now surface as new growth.

Once this backlog has been cleared, clearance time begins to fall. Approximately 70% of Valeda-treated hair returns only as thin, weak regrowth, and each later clearance becomes lighter than the one before.

First Clearance = First Real Number ➜ Clearances 2 & 3 Usually Longer ➜ Later Clearances Lighter ➜ Total ≈ First Clearance × 8

The Reality of the First Few Months

During the first few months of treatment, the problem may occasionally seem to increase. This does not mean treatment failure.

When EBVHCM treatment begins, the doctors at Valeda Skin & Hair Clinic instruct the individual to stop waxing, threading, tweezing, plucking and all other pulling methods. As a result, hairs that would normally have been removed by temporary methods are now allowed to emerge naturally.

If this phase occurs, please do not feel that the sky is falling. It is a temporary, passing phase — the exposure of the true problem, not the creation of a new one.

Waxing Stopped ➜ Hidden Hair Appears ➜ Visible Crop Looks Larger ➜ Hair Gets Treated Permanently ➜ Density Begins Falling

The Fourth Clearance and the 65% Milestone

Visible results usually appear after 3–4 clearances. By approximately the fourth clearance, many individuals have permanently addressed approximately 60–65% of the biologically active follicular population.

An important note: during your visits to Valeda Skin & Hair Clinic, you may meet other patients and ask about their personal experiences. Some individuals may tell you that their problem was completely resolved by the third or fourth clearance. This does happen in cases where all the biological variables are favourable — and both the patient and the clinic are genuinely happy when this occurs.

However, the clinic always quotes 7–8 clearances over 12–18 months as the realistic planning estimate. Treatment planning must be based upon practical biological expectation rather than the most optimistic scenario. If resolution comes sooner, everyone is happy. If the full programme is required, you have planned for it. This is why we say 65% — not to discourage, but to set honest and achievable expectations.

Treatment Time Reduces ➜ Density Reduces ➜ Regrowth Becomes Finer ➜ Confidence Improves

Why 7–8 Clearances Over 12–18 Months Are Usually Required

To achieve a high level of permanent completion, the emerging follicular populations must also be treated. For this reason, most facial cases generally require:

Approximately 7–8 complete clearances, over a total programme duration of approximately 12–18 months.

The early clearances follow the 40-day cycle — and we encourage visits as often as every 15 days at the start, so that the problem is brought under control as early as possible. The last one or two clearances are different: by then, hair is sparse and emerges slowly, so each of these may take 3–6 months to complete. This is why the complete programme usually runs 12–18 months. It allows dormant follicles to emerge, new growth to become visible, regrowth to be eliminated and the biological cycle to be exhausted.

If long gaps occur — as can happen for patients travelling from other cities — the treatment already done is not undone. The total duration simply extends in proportion.

Some patients do achieve permanent results well before the planned duration, when their biological factors are favourable. We are always happy when this happens — but we plan for 12–18 months so that your expectations stay realistic.

After a Successful Clearance — What Appears Next?

Once a clearance has been completed and the area appears clean, two categories of hair subsequently appear: New Growth — and — Regrowth.

Understanding the difference between these two categories explains the entire permanent hair removal journey. It is explained in full in the next section. (Refer to: Section 6 — New Growth vs Regrowth)

Clearance Completed ➜ New Growth Appears ➜ Regrowth Appears ➜ Understanding The Difference Explains The Entire Journey