That it will be safe that I use EMLA on my whole chest and abs.
I do not want to kill myself!
And You are sure that You need EMLA on Your chest at all?
Compared to photoepilation in the face, it is easy going on the chest. At least it was to me; i did not feel any need to numb my skin before thos treatments.
Beate
Yes, it should be fine. EMLA has a normal 4% lidocaine. The people who died didn’t just die because it was applied to a large area. They all used a manually compounded cream of 8%+ lidocaine.
EMLA is not 4% lidocaine.
It is 2.5% lidocaine (metabolized in the liver) and 2.5% prilocaine (metabolized in both the liver and kidneys). Your physician should educate you on the maximum dose and the maximum area size. All medications you are taking, including non Rx such as Tylenol, need to be reported to the prescribing physician.
The first laser hair removal related death was due to EMLA reacting with another medication.
Hi:
I’ve actually covered the area you are describing with Emla many times. I’ve been getting electrolysis there.
It will be costly though since you’ll probably need a 30gm
tube or most of one.
So I basically use a thick layer? or thin? then use plastic wrap when finished? would a tight under armour shirt work as well?
Reports say that a good way to go would be to:
rub EMLA on the area until it soaks in,
then apply a thick layer on top of the area,
Cover with plastic wrap (this keeps the body from excreting it back out via sweat)
Then you can put your Under Armour shirt on to keep it in place 
You should let it sit under the plastic for 30 to 60 minutes prior to treatment, and gradually uncover only the area that is being worked on if one is doing a large area, as the effect will start to wear off as soon as the plastic is lifted, and the body can work to eliminate the mixture from both metabolism and sweat/evaporation.
Additionally, a thin layer of Tea Tree Oil, and/or DMSO on the area before applying the EMLA will help it sink in faster and deeper.
I’m pretty sure you’re NOT supposed to rub it in at all. Just a thick layer on top and keep on for about an hour. Plastic wrap can help.
James’ directions are correct. First layer rubbed in, then 2nd thick layer, like icing a cake. Plastic wrap makes a huge difference.
I would add, don’t use alcohol to wipe the cream off. It reduces the numbness.
I use the generic version of Emla and I
- rub on one layer about 60 minutes before my treatment
- apply a thin second layer just to make sure the entire area is covered
- wrap the area with a plastic wrap
This is the manufacturer’s suggestion to apply EMLA. These instructions don’t have our special application of rather deep intrusion in mind.
We should consider where we want to have the numbing: ideally concentrated to the nerves ending in the follicles. What happens between the hair is not very important for us. So we should find a method to bring the Lidocaine to those parts of the surface of the skin where it is actually needed (remember- also the interior of a follicle is part of the surface of the skin, at least mathematically). Using EMLA, this can only be achieved by rubbing it in.
A collegue with over 30 years of experience even told me to apply and rub in small amounts of EMLA more than once every 15 minutes and keeping it under occlusion.
I’ve found that just leaving it on the skin and covering it for
at least an hour works fine. I would think it gets absorbed through the pores and into the follicles through absorption,
capillary action, osmosis or even the skins tendency to breathe.
Alicia