Berenice Electrolysis & Personal Beauty Center: Celebrating 40 Years of Making Your Skin More Beautiful
If you want to get smooth for the summer, and beyond, Berenice S. Rothenberg of Berenice Electrolysis & Personal Beauty Center has you covered – so that you can uncover on the beach this season! This beauty guru has been helping clients get out of their hairy situations for decades, and she’s not done yet!
Walking into the calm oasis of her East 60th street space, you are enveloped into a soothing experience and are instantly treated like part of the family, which only makes sense since many clients bring multiple generations of their own families for treatments. This June 2022, Berenice, a leader in both laser and electrolysis, is celebrating 40 years of building confidence and helping to change lives. “It’s been 40 beautiful years, and I can still say that I love what I do, which says something,” explains this boss lady who has made it her mission to make others feel beautiful from the inside out. “I think it’s a combination between the clients and the environment that you create to do the service and it feels good. Our dedication after all these years shows that we are still loving what we do, and it’s all because of our clientele and making things better for them that we care so much. I always feel like a woman has their own beauty. When something bothers you, even it’s the simplest hair, intimidation sets in. I ease that factor and assure them that they will be hair free in no time.”
When it comes to treating hair growth, it’s important to remember that not all hairs are created equal, which is why Berenice always suggests a complimentary consultation. She also explains that tweezing and shaving at home leads to ingrown hairs which ultimately makes the hair removal process much worse and less effective in the long run. Seeking professional services is crucial when it comes to achieving the results you are looking for, which is why Berenice is sought after for her personalized methods and precision. In fact, most of her clients are referred to her by doctors including dermatologists and surgeons, or by word of mouth.
“Many people, especially young millennials, don’t realize that even from doing something so small, they can create a big
problem both on the face as well as on the entire body. I started years ago taking pictures and doing the research. The only method we used to have was waxing, but waxing created even worse problems. It’s important to remember that we are all born with different patterns of hair growth, from strong to light. Not touching your hair and getting it done by a professional, is the perfect solution. When I say beauty from the inside out, it’s because I feel like everyone has their own beauty, much like a painting. A painting is not a masterpiece until you don’t work on it, so that’s the way I compare a woman or anyone who needs improvement, as a masterpiece. If you have something that bothers you, take care of it and don’t wait until it gets worse because it’s double the time and aggravation and intimidates you in a way that takes your confidence away.”
Let’s just say that Berenice, who does not look old enough to have been doing this for 40 years, has been beautifying most of New York City one hair at a time. She also plans on continuing her work for years to come; after all, her clients are relying on her. “They are always telling me how they feel more beautiful now and that I helped build up their confidence or thanking me for working on their daughter who was feeling ugly and being made fun of. I just say there’s always a solution to every problem. It really comes down to the fact that when you’re dedicated, you do the work and pass that on to your staff, which strengthens them to do even better work. I’m beyond grateful to have such a dedicated team who truly gives personalized service and care for each client that they assist.”
After being forced to close for four months during the pandemic, Berenice, the best in the hair removal business, was busier than ever. She also felt much satisfaction knowing that people felt safe enough in her space even prior to the launch of the vaccines. Many of her clients were able to repay her for the comforting experience by following the Berenice Hair Bible rules – not touching their hair via tweezing or cutting during the shutdown, which led to results that even surprised Berenice. “I say that when you start a process, it’s a commitment and it’s money and it’s my time and my dedication as well as my eyes, so don’t ruin it because if you touch a hair, it’s going to delay the results.
You might not be able to change your genes, which dictate whatever hair pattern you are possessed with, but Berenice and her staff can change how you feel about yourself. Berenice strongly believes it is so important to go to a person that is qualified. She also ensures that the journey to smooth skin is as smooth as possible, even if there are some bumps along the way. It’s also important for people to remember that this process is different for each person.
“Everybody as an individual is completely different. Your experience is going to be different than that of your friend’s. We’re going to talk about reality and expectations and hair follicles and the size of the cells. We can’t do one to two treatments and fix what you might have done yourself in 10 or 20 years. I make sure to explain things to my client in a language that makes sense so that they understand the process. Every single place has its own way of doing things, but when it’s your place, you do things a certain way because you know it works.”
It is because of this decades-long dedication and trustworthiness amongst her clients that Berenice has been servicing families for so many years, sometimes even four generations, from teenagers to their grandmothers. “Forty years of experience and maintaining such a steady clientele doesn’t come fast,” explains Berenice. “We have nice people who are happy for us, and so we give that in return through our caring and outstanding work.”
When it comes to handling unwanted hair growth, Berenice staunchly believes that it’s important to understand the science so
that you can successfully achieve your own individual skincare goals. For instance, we all have different kinds of hair follicles, and it can take longer to destroy certain follicles if they’re continually tweezed. Straight hair follicles are the most ideal follicles to work with since the hair papilla gets all the nourishment from the blood vessels to make it grow. We make a new cycle of hair growth every 28 days, and there is a division of cells in our bodies. The same goes for hair and follicles, so there is new hair, but it’s early on hair growth, and the old hair that you see on the surface has been stimulated.
Berenice’s consultation is intended to guide you in the right hair direction whether it is laser or electrolysis, or both. The only difference is that the laser light can destroy more than one hair, while electrolysis requires having to wait until the hair comes to the surface to treat it because you first must see if there is a strong enough hair pattern. You always must go according to cycles of hair growth until eventually you destroy the hair papilla so that no additional hairs can grow no matter how much stress or stimulation is present. Once the hair papilla is gone, mission hair removal is accomplished. Using a revolutionary long pulse, high energy alexandrite laser, a gentle beam of light passes through the skin to the hair follicle where it is absorbed. Transformed into heat, the laser energy can disable the follicle, leaving the surrounding skin unchanged. This technology is both quick and comfortable, making it popular for problem areas on large parts of the body such as the legs, back, bikinis and underarms. They are also known for other laser beauty treatments.
Men typically have twin papillas’, which means that hair follicles have more than one hair. Any temporary hair removal will stimulate the dermal papilla, making hair grow faster, even hairs that aren’t quite ready to come to the surface yet. Thinking of shaving? It might feel satisfying, but it’s nothing but a quick fix. “When people shave and tweeze, it creates ingrown hairs, resulting in double work for us. The more you touch your hair, the more it’s going to damage the upper layer of the skin.”
Let’s just say that the proof is in the progress! “I haven’t touched my legs in 18 years!” exclaims Berenice. “The younger you are, the faster the hair is going to grow. Circulation is different, depending on your age.”
No matter what type of hair you might have, Berenice and her staff have just the right service to keep your body – and attitude – at their best.
