So I have started my electrolysis journey, and had my first 3 hour session today.
I did not think pain would be an issue as during my taster sessions I felt very comfortable, and at the beginning of today’s session I also felt comfortable.
However by the end of the first hour the pain became very unbearable, and I clenched my jaw and flinched at every insertion. In the end I had to stop 10 mins before 3 hours as I really couldn’t go the final slog.
My electrologist has recommended I use EMLA cream, which I will try. But I was wondering if anyone knows of any other methods/drugs etc. that can help with the pain?
I tried Paracetamol and Ibuprofen. It did not help anything. During my initial attempts, EMLA did not work either (upper lip). As soon as i did it right it was perfect, at least below my chin.
Anyway: almost three hours is quite a long time to withstand electrolysis pain. You will observe that there are days You manage do deal with even more and other days where almost nothing is possible. I had both.
You will also observe that Your ability to deal with the pain will improve during treatment (and maybe get worse again when a large portion of te work ist done). My experience both with myself on the table as well with my clients.
A few things to consider, I always recommend that the client make sure they are well rested, have a good snack, avoid caffeine and if the office is cool bring a blanket to keep warm. You might be surprised at what a difference these things can make.
first of all: prepare a cover of relatively thick yet elastic foil. Cut it precisely to a fitting shape. That’s crucial because EMLA must kept away from the air in order to avoid oxidization. Which means the foil must have contakt to the skin an MAY NOT contain a significant amount of air!
Application of the cream itself - we must somehow deal with the poor penetration of the cream into the skin. (it would be great to have an agent improving the transport without additional risks and side effects…)
Massage a small amount of EMLA against the stroke of the hairs into the pores. You need numbing within the follicles…
Repeat that after 3 minutes. A few times until You feel the onset of numbing. About 5 times plus minus.
Then apply a thick layer of EMLA.
Add the foil and thoroughly (!) fix its entire border by some tape. Again: try to minimze the amount of air under the cover.
Quite obviously this might become difficult if the area to be numbed does not have a convex surface (anxilla) or cannot be densely closed (lips…)
I normally use LMX to numb sensitive areas like the center of the upper lip. However, the one time that I tried the Laurier IBP probe, I found that the treatment was more comfortable (without LMX). In addition, my skin colour resumed to its normal colour within a few hours (versus the usual bright redness over days normally). Since I have only tried that particular probe once, I could not tell you if it was an off chance experience.
But just another factor to consider i.e. the probe being used…
I agree with electrolysislady about being in the best condition you can be, but the fact remains that prolonged hours can be hard to take.
I’ve had up to 5 hours on my face in one day and there is NO reason for the client to have to try to bear through it without some kind of numbing. Without numbing I would have given up after 2… no matter how well fed or rested I am (and I don’t smoke, nor drink alcohol nor coffee).
Not to mention that truly effective electrolysis hurts. By this I mean when the electrologist is actually killing every follicle they stick their probe into… it’s not a fluffy cuddly time.
Beate’s advice is the best. You need a thick layer of EMLA and it needs to be occluded. We use cling film, taut and pressed onto the EMLA. We avoid tape because it will adhere to hairs and probably pull some out when removed. EMLA requires at least 1.5 hours to be really effective but once removed, the numbing effect will only last 20 mins or so. Therefore, the best method is to peel the cling film back from one side and clean off the EMLA only over an area which will take 20 minutes to treat. And continue.
I’m waiting for the day when the profession as a whole finally opens its mind to the fact that there is a pain management method which will render the client pain-free. Allowing for the client to be comfortable and the electrologist to go about their work with full concentration. When a client isn’t fidgeting from discomfort or constantly asking for breaks, the work you can perform is better. It’s the future people, embrace it. The idea that it’s not needed and ‘my client’s are comfortable because of my equipment’ is limiting the reach of electrolysis.
I don’t want to seem combative here, but I have to ask Stoppit&tidyup, as someone who has had work done by many different practitioners, and has now settled in with Josefa, can you seriously say that you don’t see a difference in treatment comfort with her, as compared to others? Can you really say that you can’t see how the amount of time you could comfortably do with her is different from what you could easily tolerate with others?
Now I am NOT going to say that pain management is not an issue. Everyone is different, and what works for one person has no positive effect on others. I do know, however, that the problem of the most comfortable electrolysis experience is one that is best met from both directions. If both the client and the electrolysis practitioner are not doing all that can be done, the experience won’t be what it could be. Of course, the practitioner will bear all the blame in the client’s eyes, while the practitioner will have to grin and bear it, even as the client slanders that person’s abilities.
If the message has been muddled, allow me to attempt to address the misunderstanding; the best equipment and techniques don’t eliminate sensation and even pain from the equation, but it sure does reduce it to the point that those who are doing the average appointment (industry wide, one hour or less) see no reason to invest in the additional cost for pain management extras, nor the additional time and potential additional skin trauma involved.
Exactly my point James - her treatment is 99.9% effective and as such, I feel more pain despite her equipment. I couldn’t endure a 5 min underarm treatment with Jossie (Apilus, IBP etc) but easily managed 30 mins + with my old electrologist… but I did hours with her over the course of a 1.5 years and the results were not good so she wasn’t killing my follicles. TTT with Jossie of less than 2 hours (perhaps even less than 1.5 - I can’t remember) and my armpits are hair free. I had prior Laser but stopped a good year before starting with my old electrologist. I had about 20-30% remaining armpit hair which I wanted cleared up with electo.
On the face, we often joked that I can handle two pulses (i.e. if she’s using pico) but when she does the third, I squirm like crazy. But she says it’s that third which is making sure that the follicle is 100% dead.
I’m not saying equipment doesn’t make a difference - anyone who reads my posts knows how important I think good tools are. But if the electrologist is going for 100% effective treatment… there will be pain and possibly more than one can endure for long periods. Unless you are like my sister… but we’re not all built the same.
I put in many hours of work on all areas. I am referring to long and short appointments added together. I have used different set ups, four different epilators, three kinds of vision aids, two different light sources and three different probe brands. These things really matter in regard to sensation issues as much as my level of skill. The vast majority of people need nothing for pain because I am doing what I can on my side if the fence.
The variety of responses to “pain” I observe is very interesting. Many go forward with appointments that range from 2-6 hours and take no pills or use no topical numbing, with good tolerance. I am not opposed to pills or topical numbing agents as I respect the individuals desires and needs. If my clients use topical numbing, it is mainly on the middle upper lip area. A few of my clients are nervous wrecks and come equipped with a pharmacy full of ideas. Well, that gets my bunny ears on full alert and it makes me nervous!
I believe that the perception and anticipation of pain is pretty much established in childhood. I believe having a proper set up helps with sensation issues, not to mention psychological soothers (soft voice, gentle touch, sweet smelling breath, nice music). I will do everything I can to keep this as tolerable and stress-free as possible so one doesn’t have to resort pharmachological help.
So, we see a lot of variety with sensation issues and not all cases need drug help. One thing I know for sure is, I could have used some topical numbing when I had work done on myself years ago by a very experienced electrologist with a very crude epilator… In the last year, when a colleague worked on me with my epilator, an Apilus Platinum, it was a heck of of lot better and my hair was permanently affected.
We need to think on an individual basis about our clients needs and do of all we can do, naturally, before we slap on anesthetics. If that effort is not good enough, then the next step should be numbing.
stopit’s plan for applying EMLA is exactly what I would recommend, especially for a middle upper lip case.
Yes, some people need topical help. It’s okay, but I would encourage electrologists to try other strategies before routinely advising topical creams.
Yeah but some ppl like me are wuss. After a while I just couldnt take it anymore. Were quite long sessions. Emla was a godsend as was the local…back of arms especially sensitive for me. Dont get me wrong josefa did everything right but everyone just has different thresholds…same for electrologists and settings. The pain was nothing compared to laser though…how I wished I could just sleep and wake up once its finished. no pain…all gain.
I believe this is the “secret” behind high kill rate v. low kill rate and TTT with many electrologists out there. Lack of pain management options forces them to “compromise” highly effective energies/settings for your comfort and the results end up taking more hours than needed to achieve, but for client it also means more money spent on treatments to achieve the end goal. Pain management needs more tools in the box.
I believe this is the “secret” behind high kill rate v. low kill rate and TTT with many electrologists out there. Lack of pain management options forces them to “compromise” highly effective energies/settings for your comfort and the results end up taking more hours than needed to achieve, but for client it also means more money spent on treatments to achieve the end goal. Pain management needs more tools in the box. [/quote]
The case of zaphairzap is a clear example of that pain is not an excuse to provide effective treatment. She has a surprisingly high pain threshold. Her thighs, arms, chest, and one of her armpits were made with hardly use any anesthetic. Regarding tolerance she is the ideal customer, the dream of every electrologist. However, her previous two electrologists in Texas, CPE or not, failed to take advantage of that fact, and give she the most effective treatment possible. Again, 15 hours for a job that should have been done in 2, it’s really unfortunate. Not to mention the 20 hours spent in her sideburns, where I could see a reduction of only 40%.
So NO, do not count on me to provide the perfect excuse for incompetence.
And for the record I’m not against anything that will help make things easier. Whether local or topical anesthesia is one of the best inventions of man … after Electrolysis.
Well I used EMLA today and had 4 hours worth of electrolysis and it was SO much better!
At times I couldn’t feel a single thing, obviously as the session went on and some of the emla wore off / oxidized it started getting more painful, but not intolerable.
I also took about 32mg of codine. Not sure if that helped or not.
Either way I am much happier!
My perfect situation would be to fall asleep for 10 hours, wake up, and be all zapped. Obviously this will never happen, nothing is that easy!
I agree with all the well-thought-out comments above. I’m happy to see this conversation and the terrific progress that has been made in this area. Skilled techniques and newer machines are delivering “the goods,” and that’s terrific! BRAVO to all of you!
I will say that when given the choice between no pain (sensation) at all and “some pain,” clients usually opt for “none at all” (well, mostly).
no pain…all gain. 