excrutiating

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

I just tried lhr for the first time. The pain was unbearable. did back and shoulders. About half of the area treated (lower back and shoulders) was painful but tolerable. the upper back was brutal. i had to brace for each shot. After each shot, I would writhe in pain, brace for the next one and BAM! unbelievable pain. I tried a topical anesthetic but it didn’t work much. The laser is the lightsheer, setting was about 27. skin type is a 2 (I think), light skin, dark hair.

my tech says its because I have a lot of hair pain will diminish each time. I’m committed to doing this, but if there is a better laser or method to reduce pain, i’d be very interested. I’m really scared that the pain is so bad, I won’t be able to finish. I had to break up the first session and come back the next day to finish. pain was truly indescribable.

#2

The first session is always the worst because you have the most hair and it’s most dense. It hurts more in areas where hair is coarse and dense. If you want to use a numbing cream, you need to put it on about 1 hr before the treatment. Don’t use it on your entire back, it’s not safe. But you can try it on those most painful areas. I think you will find that the pain will get much better with the following treatments. It won’t be that bad. Try to think of final outcome <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> In general, for LHR, no pain, no gain. If you barely feel anything, there’s a good chance it’s not working.

#3

Wow!!!
I’ve had laser done several times and it felt like a snap from a rubberband. There are several types of laser some that use less heat. Some are air cooled and that can make a difference. If you let your Dr. know your doing laser he/she may perscribe some meds. Avoid caffine 24 hours before your appt. and you might try taking Ibprophen 1 hour before and using a topical. Consult your Dr. Topicals can be purchased on line. Good Luck

#4

thanks for your tips. rubberband snap huh? I guess I can buy that if by “rubberband snap” you mean 5 screaming cannibals with jumpercables and a car battery!

just kidding, but I wanted to post b/c my experience seems so much worse than what other people have experienced. my 5th grade bully (billy miller, arrgh!) must have been right about me, I am a wuss. anyway, If it truly gets better with each session, I guess I can handle it. of course I know she’s gonna up the amps on me next time too so I got that to deal with. I got one session under my belt so i’m cautiously optimistic. If she hurts me too bad next time though, i’m gonna fight back.

I’m really interested in knowing about the joules if anyone knows anything about them. She had me at 30 (too much) so I went down to 26 and suffered not so silently at that setting. One guy on this site was talking about something crazy like 60 joules! does that mean that 30 is doing nothing for me? if so, i’d rather bump up b/c the pain can’t be much worse than what I experienced. Is the gentlelase laser more manageable? thanks, this site is awesome. and i’m making a donation by the way, well worth it.

#5

I just tried lhr for the first time. The pain was unbearable. did back and shoulders. About half of the area treated (lower back and shoulders) was painful but tolerable. the upper back was brutal. i had to brace for each shot. After each shot, I would writhe in pain, brace for the next one and BAM! unbelievable pain. I tried a topical anesthetic but it didn’t work much. The laser is the lightsheer, setting was about 27. skin type is a 2 (I think), light skin, dark hair.

my tech says its because I have a lot of hair pain will diminish each time. I’m committed to doing this, but if there is a better laser or method to reduce pain, i’d be very interested. I’m really scared that the pain is so bad, I won’t be able to finish. I had to break up the first session and come back the next day to finish. pain was truly indescribable.

If the hair was really coarse and dense it could easily be that painful. That is a sensitive area as far as laser hair removal goes. Yes, the pain will diminish as you lose the hair. Hang in there, it is well worth it!

Did you smell any burning hair? Did any hair fly out of the follicles immediately? That may not happen with the diode laser, but that doesn’t mean it is not working. See how much hair you shed in the next 2-3 weeks. That will give you an idea of how the first treatment went.

RJC2001

#6

Hi:

I have had Lightsheer on my face and on my hands and arms.
It did hurt on some areas of the face, quite a bit.
The backs of my fingers also hurt somewhat.

Besides the topical, you may want to take some tylenol 3’s ahead of the treatment.

30 Joules is not too bad a setting, and it could even go slightly higher. I think 60 joules would cause svere burns, personally.

I find that after a certain period of time we can stand no more, and have to say “No Mas”. I find that with my electrolysis, I can only take so much work in some areas in one session before I cry uncle.

Alicia

#7

I had a Lightsheer test spot done on my beard and it was extremely painful. It did remove the hair in the test spot though.

If you are concerned about pain, here is a new device to consider:

PPx Photopneumatic Therapy

I am very interested in this new device and most likely will be trying it out next week.

RJC2001

#8

Wow! That device does look interesting, please keep us posted. Would love to hear results etc.

#9

If all goes well, I should be trying it out Wednesday. My practitioner tried it out on herself last week and said it seemed to work very well, but too early to tell.

Now if mother nature will cooperate and hold off on the snowstorms! I had to cancel my electrolysis appointment Friday because of a bad snowstorm. Fortunately, she was able to fit me in on Saturday.

RJC2001

#10

I had laser on my neck line, and to shape my beard in front. Yes, it did hurt. Bad.

One treatment I asked her to jack it up and I left with so many terrible welts, I looked like I was wearing a scarf.

I have my nose done, and it feels like someone punching me. The tears just explode out!

It won’t hurt forever, though and gets better each time. At this time, it is tolerable for me. Just relax, and keep focus on relaxing immediately after the zap.

#11

I’m new to this web site and i would really like some information on the best clinics and contact numbers if somebody could helpme that would be fantastic.

#12

thanks for your tips. rubberband snap huh? I guess I can buy that if by “rubberband snap” you mean 5 screaming cannibals with jumpercables and a car battery!

just kidding, but I wanted to post b/c my experience seems so much worse than what other people have experienced. my 5th grade bully (billy miller, arrgh!) must have been right about me, I am a wuss. anyway, If it truly gets better with each session, I guess I can handle it. of course I know she’s gonna up the amps on me next time too so I got that to deal with. I got one session under my belt so i’m cautiously optimistic. If she hurts me too bad next time though, i’m gonna fight back.

I’m really interested in knowing about the joules if anyone knows anything about them. She had me at 30 (too much) so I went down to 26 and suffered not so silently at that setting. One guy on this site was talking about something crazy like 60 joules! does that mean that 30 is doing nothing for me? if so, i’d rather bump up b/c the pain can’t be much worse than what I experienced. Is the gentlelase laser more manageable? thanks, this site is awesome. and i’m making a donation by the way, well worth it.

settings/joules vary with the device used. 60 joules on Coolglide is not the same as 60 on LightSheer, and neither is same as 60 on GentleLASE. Don’t get confused by that. On LightSheer, most people vary between at least 30 and 40 joules for best results.

#13

I had a Lightsheer test spot done on my beard and it was extremely painful. It did remove the hair in the test spot though.

If you are concerned about pain, here is a new device to consider:

PPx Photopneumatic Therapy

I am very interested in this new device and most likely will be trying it out next week.

RJC2001

There are 2 people who have tried it on other forums and although it didn’t hurt, they didn’t see any shedding/results at all. Let me know if you’d like the link to the thread.

#14

I’m new to this web site and i would really like some information on the best clinics and contact numbers if somebody could helpme that would be fantastic.

Try using the search feature above and search for your city. Also, read the sticky post with FAQs. There are more suggestions in the last question.

#15

Take vicodin before your appointment, or another painkiller of your choice. It hurts most at the beginning because there is more hair to kill.

#16

I would like to see that thread on the PPx. My practitioner said some patients didn’t see results with it but others did. She said she tried it on herself and liked it.

It worked ok on my lower legs but I don’t have much hair there so that is not a good test. I would like to try it on my arms, where I can get a better idea of how well it works. I had some test spots on my beard with it but it didn’t do anything there. It seems better suited for fine hair in areas where the follicles are not so deep.

RJC2001

#17

Quote LA Girl: “It hurts more in areas where hair is coarse and dense. If you want to use a numbing cream, you need to put it on about 1 hr before the treatment. Don’t use it on your entire back, it’s not safe”.

Why is it unsafe? I may have put myself in danger as I used EMLA on my entire Chest and abdomen, and was planning on using it for the whole shabang (chest, shoulders, abs, and back) next time. Not good?

How about, tylenol 3 w/codine, vicodine, percicet (sp), or oxycodone (sp)? are any of these recomended and/or has anybody used them?

aaron

#18

Just google EMLA and Lidocaine or what not, it’s not safe in large doses. As for your second question I’m not sure if that’s even serious?? Take an advil or two before that will definitely help but I’d def avoid t3 or oxy! You don’t want to out of it and passing out from it, plus taking those you pretty much can’t drive yourself home after.

#19

Hi:

Some people have died after using massive amounts of a stronger compounded topical pain killer on large areas, but I haven’t heard of the same problem with Emla. However caution should be used.

It becomes extremely expensive to cover large areas with Emla at
about 50 dollars for a 30gm tube. If you use the 5gm tubes even moreso.

Alicia

#20

A few people have died from using numbing creams on large areas - but that way because they got stuff that was compounded improperly (manually at a pharmacy). EMLA shouldn’t be an issue. But still, I wouldn’t use it on areas where it’s not absolutely necessary.

You don’t need to take any of those super strong painkillers. It’s probably not a good idea to combine them with lots of numbing cream either. I would just take an advil or something like that. That should be enough.