Have a cocktail or two.

Many people advise against drinking alcohol before a session

Risks:

- impairs ability to gauge overtreatment
- thins blood
- impairs driving
- dangerous in combination with pain medications

Although some consumers have written suggesting this, others find alcohol actually makes it worse. Like aspirin, alcohol thins the blood, and it can increase the amount and duration of bleeding/bruising, so if you have other options, you should rely on those.

I do not recommend the use of alcohol for hair removal pain management. If you do decide to use alcohol, don't drink and drive to your appointment, or combine alcohol with pain relievers or tranquilizers.

Hairfacts: pain management methods with risks

Hairfacts: pain management main page

I know caffeine is bad news before electrolysis but I have run out of my pain pills and I found some codeine mixed with acetametiphin in my cabinet but the problem is that each tablet contains 15mg of caffeine. Would it be more harmful than helpful to take a few?

Those clients of mine who have taken those did not seem to have a problem, however, there is not all that much to feel with Apilus Platinum or Apilus SX-500. I don't know what the outcome would be if one needed the level of pain reduction needed for some of the more sparky machines out there.

Most clients find the Apilus Platinum to be an incredibily better experience sensation-wise than other epilators I have used, HOWEVER, there are about .01% of clients that hurt no matter what brand of machine or modality is used on them. Pain is very subjective.

Is the pain from electrolysis that bad?

No, it's not that bad at all. It feels like a little pinch. However, everything depends on experience and the electrologist and the machine used. Some are better than others. That's why you need consultations to test out different ones.

Let me describe the range this way:

Quote from one of my clients:
"What do you mean you are done? I was laying here wondering when you were going to actually start working!"

Quote from a different client:
"Is there any way we can arrange for me to just be knocked out while you do this? I will pay anything."

In between those extremes you have a gentle warming sensation, a tingling sensation, a burning sensation, a stinging sensation, and a short sharp shock. What you will feel is dependant on a lot of variables.

I can take pain if it's something I need like hair removal, so thank you for your input.

Also, it is not just the person that experiences this kind of pain in different ways - there are other factors involved as well. At certain times, one's sensitivity will vary considerably due to multiple factors - search and you will find comments on caffeine consumption, menstruation, etc...

I should add that our body regions have considerable variation in nerves which affects the feel of treatment. My underarms barely feel anything - same with upper cheek (face). However, when you move toward the goatee region (upper lip, mouth, chin), pain is very noticeable. For male brazilian, I can vouch for the most painful parts (e.g. center line down the raphe), while often I can barely feel the probe just a few millimeters away...

So, be prepared and try some of the remedies discussed on the forum and see what difference it will make for you...