I would like electrolysis more if it didn’t hurt so bad. The micro flash and flash isn’t too bad, but there is some pain there. The thermolysis treatments I get hurt pretty bad, especially once you get into the second hour. It starts to wear on you. What are some good ways to avoid pain? Where can you buy lidocane without a prescription? I know to avoid caffeine and drink alot of water, and I Do, but it still hurts pretty bad. What to do? I don’t have a plane ticket to Buffalo to see Mr. Walker so I can’t sleep in my treatments. That would be amazing.
Read this:
http://www.hairfacts.com/tips/pain/painmain.html
You can do a google search to find online sites where you can buy 5% lidocaine cream products.
www.skinstore.com and www.cosmeticsurgeryshop.com are good starts, but snoop around and see what the pricing is like on other sites as well.
Topicals add to the expense. Many people become acclimated to the sensation of electrolysis after a 5-6 treatments. Work with your practitioner and together, you may discover strategies and levels that work in your favor. Maybe she can press above the insertion area to trick the nerves or lay an ice pack above the are as well. You can use non-medicine techniques like visualization or self-hypnosis?
Dee
I used to use LMX and Emla, but after a while found it to be just too much trouble (Having to coat my face in goo and go out in public like that was very unpleasant.) I had a dentist do injections once or twice when I was working on my upper lip, but for the rest I just don’t use anything.
My best advice (and I’ve had over 200 hours) is to try, as best you can, to take your mind off it. If I chat with my operator, listen to music, etc time goes by MUCH faster and I’m not just sitting there thinking “this is going to hurt…this is going to hurt…”
Four things,
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Apply Tridocaine 30 minutes before Canada Drug Superstore . I buy it two 30 gram tubes at a time, these people are fully trustable, and least expensive.
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Spray with Lanacaine over it lightly.
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Drink lots of water, no coffee or alcohol the day before.
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Breathe in, inhale, whenever you know the current will be activated. Match your inhaling tempo to your electrologists and you’ll be amazed at how the pain decreases. This is a really neat weird thing I learned here from, I think, James. This cuts the pain by an easy 60% or so. I am now really interested in knowing what else breathing in a trained manner can do. There’s a form of breathing called Kundalini Breathing that i wonder has something to do with this. Try it and practice it, you’ll get into it.
Good Luck
Mantaray
Chuck,
are you really saying electrolysis is that painful, even after undergoing treatments with Gentlase laser??
Using over-the-counter pain relievers can help. If they have aspirin you might experience some bruising. Another option that clients have told me helped is benadryl - it can be found in Tylenol PM. Take care, as it will make you drowsey. A very important measure to follow with using or taking anything is to follow manufacturers directions. Do not over do! Even those topicals MUST be used carefully.
With long appointments, I put a movie in my computer and the client can be distracted by focusing on that.
I’ve only been to two electrolysists and one is much more painful than the other. The one where I am using Micro Flash is less painful, but it did hurt quite a bit when I did the side of my neck. The other one that does regular thermolysis, now that can hurt a little bit. She can really turn it up, and it just kills at way up. I didn’t tell her to turn it down, but she could see how much I was wincing in pain so I think she’s toned it down a little bit. I wish I could just be put out so someone could completely blast the crap out of hairs with so much energy that there is no way the hair could survive. Yeah, I know I’d have alot more irritation, but if it didn’t scar then I DON’T CARE. Why isn’t this a practice?
Compared to the GentleLase, I’d say the pain is very similar. Electrolysis is bearable for longer periods of time because the in between zaps is a little longer. With laser, it is wap wap wap and so many hairs are hit that it is pretty unbearable. If one spaced laser out with slower zaps, then pain really wouldn’t be as big of a deal.
I think I’m going to try that Tridocaine stuff. Thanks Manaray, that doesn’t look too expensive. I don’t know how long 15 grams will last me though. I’ll try the breathing too, breathe in and then exhale after the zap or what?