So far i had close to 10 hours done, and method is galvanic, where you get to hold the stick and squeze the life out of it.
All this time ive been experimenting with water intake two days prior and on the day of the treatment, as well with different pain killers. I didnt invest in Emla or Ela max, because pain isn`t that unbearable.Besides, for the price of the cream, i can get one hour treatment, so…
Anyways, in regards to experiment this is what i discovered:
I have my appointments only on saturdays. Few times i tried starting drinking water early thursday, continuing thru the saturday morning. I noticed that pain was about 5-6 times stronger than in cases where i m not drinking at all. I just want to mention that i am one of those rare people on earth who cant stand water and i rarely ever drink anything. I am just never thirsty, and on top water gives me awful heartburn.
So for me, not drinking equals a lot less pain, almost to a point where i can fall asleep on the table, even when she`s doing the hairs under the nose.
Also, i always take two painkillers half an hour before treatment. Advil didnt help much. there is only about 200MG in each pill, maybe a bit more. So i went to a pharmacy, and bought Bayer aspirin for BACKACHE, which has 550 MG in one pill. When i take two of these, i cant feel the needle going in 60 % of the time, and the current is more menagable, even to a point where it becomes pleasant.
So all in all, no water plus Bayer Backache aspirin, equals very pleasant treatment.
Please note, this is probably not going to work for everybody. I guess we are all different and our bodies react differently to different stimulants. This is something that works for me, and i thought i might share, because i have had read on here that some people have very painful treatments, even though they are well watered.
You know, every time I hear someone say that they don’t like water, or that they hate water, I find out they are only drinking low quality tap water. Give that same person a well chilled bottled water, or cold water from a quality filtration or purification system, and they can’t stop drinking. No one’s body likes dirty chlorinated municipal water loaded with sediment and bacteria. (A good friend of mine recently found out that she was deathly ill every evening because she was drinking water from her tap every night so as to save the walk downstairs for the “good water.” She has learned her lesson.
Seriously, I am worried for the average female in this country. When I test hydration levels, the men are never lower than 60% hydrated, while it is not uncommon for females to arrive at my office as low as 40% hydrated.
Please check your total hydration situation. Your fruit, vegetable, salt, potassium, and calcium intake. When you are done with that, make sure that your b vitamins are at good levels. With a little work, a good balance can be achieved, and maintained.
I have been following your advice and drinking lots of water, especially on days around my electrolysis sessions. I find that it does help me somewhat in making the sessions less painful.
I had some questions for you, if you don’t mind.
Firstly I thought that “strictly galvanic” treatments went out with the Flintstones. My electrolygist uses mostly thermolysis, but will do blend if needed. I understand that galvanic is like watching paint dry, so you can’t get many hairs removed per hour.
Is there any advantage to galvanic over blend or thermolysis?
How is the pain level for galvanic as opposed to the other methods?
I know no benefit of galvanic over blend for the customer, other than the benefit of the lower learning curve for doing good treatment. The benefit of galvanic and blend over thermolysis is the chemical reaction that continues even after the epilation of the hair. Thermolysis of course, gets more hairs per hour, thus potentially overwhelming any benefit of doing the others ASSUMING good treatment. (and that is a lot to assume)
I think with galvanic, you would be lucky to remove 50-60 hairs in an hour. With thermolysis you probably could do 300-600 hairs.
If someone had to clear thousands of hairs from the face for instance, then galvanic would take close to forever. Probably
you would end up looking like Rip Van Winkle before they finished your beard.
It might be OK if someone had very few hairs.
I’m going to ask my electrolygist if she has ever used the galvanic method before.
Most galvanic practitioners I have talked to agree that 100 hairs per hour would be fast work. 250 to 300 hairs per hour in thermolysis is not uncommon.
Too bad i ant find anyone close to me that offers blend or thermolysis. James, you are absolutely right, and so are you Alicia. It takes close to forever if not longer. Ive been doing my upper lip, and had close to 10 hours. I have yet to see complete clearance, and moneys running out. They way this is going ill be doing this for more than two years. I just dont understand why someone so apprecated as Maria de Nicola doesnt want to go the faster route and make it easier for the clients. I hate the fact that i need to call and check other places around, and drive 20 or 30 miles to get a treatment, when Maria is so close;but on the other hand, this is way slower than i thought it will be.
My electrolygist is actually 20-30 minutes from my home, so that is not that uncommon.
One of the best things we can do in getting rid of hair, and also making us feel better about ourselves is to get a full clearance. If you aren’t getting a full clearance then it feels like you aren’t getting anywhere. If you are getting full clearance then with regular treatments all the ahirs being treated will be in the growth phase.
Whichever route you go, stick with it, even if you have to wait a few months till you save enough funds. Some of the hairs you have treated so far, should not come come back. Eventually you will have accomplished what you set out to do.
It is common to underestimate how long it takes to get to a happy place with regards to our facial hair removal. I started out with laser and then realized afterwards that electrolysis was the only “sure way” for me. Then with electrolysis there were times when I thought it would never end, Eventualy though I got to a point where I have very few facial hairs coming back. I am still going however since I am very fussy(that’s fussy, not fuzzy!)about my facial hair. If I can rub my hand over my face or neck and feel a single hair, then I want to get rid of it.
I haven’t noticed any correlation to drinking water and less pain. In fact, I was dehydrated as crap one time from drinking booze the night before. I got electro the next day and I felt fine. The thing that works for me is sleep. If I get alot of sleep it seems to hurt a little less. I think everybody just reacts differently I don’t know. I really haven’t found anything that really works for pain except injecting lidocaine. It was awesome, you can’t feel a thing. I wish I could buy my own, learn how to inject it, then go to treatments and let them string the crap outta me.
Yes, very few follicles receive treatment when single probe galvanic is administered however when one uses multiple probe galvanic, a skilled practitioner can treat 500 hairs an hour. If you are not getting your PERMANENT HAIR REMOVAL results quickly enough with local practitioners who are using thermolysis or blend techniques, then consider that multiple probe practitioner and give her/him a try.
Just remember, you might have to pay a premium of an additional $20 or so per treatment for full sets of presterilized disposable probes. Make sure that you get a new set each time, that it comes out of tiny shrink wrapped packets.
Administration of Multiple Probe Galvanic is a dying art as very few request training. It is the most difficult modality to master.
Regarding water consumption and pain - “Going without a drink can make you more sensitive to pain…” Google Dr. Michael Farrell who conducted the research.
For those who feel differently, perhaps you are drinking lots of juice or consuming lots of fruits and vegetables and this will provide hydration or … who knows. Could be you have an unusual metabolism.
I Love You Arlene, but I don’t know a SINGLE multi-probe galvanic artist who can do 500 hairs per hour. It often takes minutes to set up the many probes before the power is even turned on. The largest Multi-Probe Curtain I have ever heard of was 32 probes, so that person would be inserting 32, and then retracing her steps and removing them all. Although it is statistically possible for a multi-probe operator to do 720 hairs per hour with a 32 probe curtain, I don’t know anyone who does more than 100 per hour. Most people are only working with an 8 probe curtain in the first place.
Some people’s machines you must set all the probes before starting the treatment energy. Many who have the machines that will independently do energy don’t use them that way. Even if you could get the machine to work for you that way, probes often fall out due to gravity or the person’s inability to remain stock still while you are working on them.
I personally don’t think I could remove that many hairs with my multi-probe function because a person cannot lay perfectly still for a full hour. One big sneeze or furious itch and all the probes fall out of the follicles. Very frustrating indeed.
How many electrologists use multi-probe as their only modality? Is there anyway of knowing this? I wish there was a video of this modality being performed on youtube by one of the practitioners that can remove 500 hairs per hours. It would be fun to watch and see how they get into some kind of rhythm to accomplish this. Oh, are you talking about a 32 probe rack or a 16 probe rack, Arlene?
I had heard of someone piecing together a 64 probe curtain rack, but that may just be a legend.
Perhaps the bottom line here is that just as some electrologists reach the point at which they can use thermolysis to remove an entire man’s beard to first clearance in 5 hours (just before they retire… or semi-retire) perhaps there are those in the Galvanic field who manage to approach the statistical limits of that modality as well.
It would still be a hard thing to find, and by no means the standard to which the consumer could expect to measure their local practitioner.
Does anyone ever use pain pills like vicodin or is that too drastic? Is EMLA a form of lidocaine? How do you get lidocaine injections? How is EMLA bad for you? What is the generic name of EMLA or full name to give to my Dr.in order to ask for a prescription? (you can’t get it from the electrologist, right, cuz you need a prescription?)
Can you tell I want to be as well prepared for the pain as possible?! ( I already drink a lot of water and sleep a lot!)
I think you’re worried too much unnecessarily. It’s really not that bad at all. I don’t use anything at all and I’ve been doing it for a few years. Just drink a lot of water, avoid coffee that day, take an ibuprofen half hour before, and go in. Don’t get EMLA just yet (yes, it’s one brand of a lidocaine numbing cream. there are others. and yes, you need a prescription from a doctor, and your doctor will know various varieties). Lidocaine creams can be dangerous in high concentrations when applied and left on for a long time on a large area like full legs. Btw, if you’re using it, you have to apply it about 1 hour before and wait for it to kick in. Definitely go in without one for your first treatment and see how it goes. Most likely, you won’t need anything.
So I bought some ibuprofen for my 1st appt coming up this Thursday but then I reviewed my prescroption info for the spironolactone I’m taking (50mg 2 x a day). It warns that if using ibuprofen one needs to be monitered more closely. Any thoughts? Should I use a different pain remover and ARE there even any anti-inflammatory pain meds other than ibuprofen?
I have been ok as far as the pain factor, except for on the middle of my throat, which is very sensitive, with my hour treatments but I am going to have an extra long session of a few hours next week at a time, including my throat. I’m thinking of getting some lidocaine prescribed just for such long sessions.I usually take 4 ibuprofens an hour and 1/2 before my session. I asked the pharmacist about taking ibuprofen with spironolactone and he said once a week is fine.
Is putting lidocaine on my entire throat, chin and cheeks a dangerously large area to cover if its only once in a while?
What is the cheapest form of it or is there a generic?
How long does it last?
Do you have to cover it with saran wrap while you wait the hour for it to kick in if it is on your face?
