Hi everyone. About 4 weeks ago I had my first laser treatment and after 3 weeks I noticed zero improvements – absolutely none of my hairs fell out. So, this past week we tried electrolysis instead. I have red hair and am treating the area under my chin and a few hairs on my lip and neck. I thought the electrolysis was very painful and uncomfortable – is there any way to alleviate some of the pain during the session? Some of you have mentioned Lidocaine injections – should my electrolysis have offered this? My skin was nice and smooth when I left but a little red. However, it looked great in a few hours. Also, what’s good setting for the machine?
There’s a cream called Emla that numbs the area. My electro used it on my upper lip at my first session last Friday. She applied it and left it on for about 10 minutes. Worked like a charm.
Hey, I’m sure that some of the pros will respond to you, but for what it’s worth…
Most electrologists do not offer lidocaine injections and from what I’ve heard, you would want a doctor or registered nurse to administer one. Topical creams seem to be the easiest way to go for controlling the pain. EMLA requires a prescription from a doctor…they’ve told me that most doctors will prescribe it if you say you’re getting electrolysis. Mine wouldnt though…There are a couple of non-prescription creams (check the sister site hairfacts.com!) but they are pretty expensive…so I’ve been using an over the counter cream called alocane…I got a big tube from drugstore.com for $10. it contains 4% lidocaine which I think is the active ingredient in EMLA as well. I put a couple of layers of it on before my treatment and it doesn’t cause total numbness, but it dulls the pain enough that i barely notice it. Good luck!
Thanks so much for your replies! I actually have a dermatologist appointment this week so I will ask about the Emla. If that doesn’t work I’ll try and hunt down some Alocane before my next treatment. I’ll keep you posted!