Ultimate Pain Reliver combo - Sweet!

Hey,

Cut to the chase – I went through week after week of very uncomfortable and painful electrolysis sessions. I tried low settings, LMX, advils, Emla, etc. Nothing was making it “bearable” enough to be able to do it week after week.

Then…

I got the COMPOUND TETRICAINE LIDOCAINE gel from Beverly Hills Compound Pharmacy (address, info on hairfacts.com). It’s like 8% lidocaine plus a bunch of other good stuff.

I used that with:

Rubbing Alcohol - Rub in before application of the gel.

Ultram - Prescription pain reliever.

I took 1 Ultram 30 mins before the session. And the gel 30 mins before as well. The sessions went SMOOTHLY and barely felt anything. Just whistlin and thinking happy thoughts.

To get a prescription – i booked an appointment at my local doctor. I printed out info on what ultram is, what the procedure for the lidocaine gel is and what to prescribe. Just told him what i wanted, and that was it. Took the scripts and ordered away. Cost like $20 for the office visit.

So if you’ve tried EVERYTHING and about to give up – try those 3 elements together. Now, granted i don’t know how useful ultram is compared to the gel since i didn’t take one w/o the other – so maybe it’s all because of the pill or all because of the gel – but it works and no sense breaking something that isn’t broken.

btw: that gel is expensive. use it sparingly and only put it in the area that can be completely treated during one electroysis session. No need for a “cake frosting” type application or seal. Just apply and rub into the skin.

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Thanks for the input!

We need all the feedback from personal experiences we can get.

Moondin,

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Reading your post hit home today.

I have a client who had the compounded tetracaine gel made at a local compounding pharmacy. No instructions were given because they said they never heard of this formula before and didn’t know what instructions to give her. She has used the gel 3 times, leaving it on for 45 minutes, applied thick, with occulsion. When I peel back the saran wrap, she feels very little sensation for 5 minutes. After that, I’m lucky if I can work on her 10 more minutes. I have tried every combination on my epilator imaginable, but she is just very, very sensitive.

I showed her your post today and she seemed interested in the Ultram. Since this drug affects the central nervous system, do you have any problems taking this medication and then driving to your appointment? Also, is your tetracaine gel truly a gel or is it of a white creamy consistency? I’m wondering if the compounding pharmacy here mixed this properly, following the formula that was given them from hairtell via my client’s doctor. It certainly metabolizes quickly and does her little good. What instructions were you given by Beverly Hills Pharmacy for applying this stuff? Did they recommend the alcohol and thin coat application? Like you said, you’re not sure if it’s the Ultram or the anesthetic doing the trick for you. It would be great to know which is helping the most. Glad you found relief, though.

James, this one’s for you: have you ever tried or heard of anaphoresing an area after an anesthetic was applied? Since the act of anaphorsis opens the pores, wouldn’t that help the numbing stuff get deeper into the dermis and closer to the nerve network around each follicle?

Most people find electrolysis tolerable, but there is always going to be a small percentage that are much more sensitive and there should be some workable numbing options short of injectable lidocaine that would completely numb an area. We certainly don’t want to do anything that can harm a client or get them addicted to an internal pain killer just for hair removal. Even though I have a great epilator (Sil-Tone VMC) that delivers a very comfortable treatment energy for the vast majority of my clients, I’d like to have a workable solution for the tiny few that are very sensitive no matter what tricks of the trade are employed.

Dee

Thanks for posting this, moondin! I haven’t tried the compunded gel myself, but I know many people swear by the recipe on hairfacts!

For those who want more info, go here:

http://www.hairfacts.com/tips/pain/painalts.html

For general pain relief info:

http://www.hairfacts.com/tips/pain/painmain.html

Careful with prescription drugs, which can be habit-forming!

James, this one’s for you: have you ever tried or heard of anaphoresing an area after an anesthetic was applied? Since the act of anaphorsis opens the pores, wouldn’t that help the numbing stuff get deeper into the dermis and closer to the nerve network around each follicle?

Phoresing pushes surface treatments deeper into the skin, and should increase the effectiveness, but some worry if the phoresing will make the topical absorbtion too much higher than the normal rate.

As long as the phoresing tool is clean to at least sanitary levels, you should have no problems. If there is dirt and debri on the phoresing tool, those are also being ionized and pushed into the skin as well. I know you don’t need to know that, but for general information, I add that in.

Moondin,
I showed her your post today and she seemed interested in the Ultram. Since this drug affects the central nervous system, do you have any problems taking this medication and then driving to your appointment?

No. I feel a bit more woozy, but nothing that bad. I can drive quite fine to and from. Plus it’s only 1 pill a week. I doubt anyone could possibly get addicted with that tiny a dosage.

Also, is your tetracaine gel truly a gel or is it of a white creamy consistency?

Um, it’s white creamy with visible water in it. So it’s more of a cream than your typical gel.

I doubt that pharmacy did it exactly like the Beverly Hills one. This one requires no wrapping or anything of the like. Plus the rubbing alcohol is important too. Just the alcohol, then RUB IN well the crema. Then 30 mins good to go. You’ll kow it’s working cuz your lower lips are almost frozen.

Just got back from another session. Just annoying pricks of the needle going in and out. You learn to ignore it after awhile. But nothing uncomfortable.

Definately not the “fist-clenching”, “jaw grimacing” pain i was enduring before.

I suggest getting a bottle into the office. If someone complains about pain – apply it to a tiny area at the start of their electrolysis. 30 mins later, do a test and see if they feel any pain. If not – definatley advise them to order some themselves.

Not sure yet about the ultram if it’s the credit behind the newly found painfree sessions. For all i know, it could be the main factor. But at $10/co-pay for generic ultram at my local pharmacy – it’s worth trying.

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Good point about the Ultram and thanks for your helpful reply.

How much did you pay for the tetracaine gel, bottom line including shipping and handling? How long did it take to get?

Dee

I think 3 days. i believe it was $55 for 30g maybe? Not exactly certain – but it was expensive; so use it sparingly.

It’ll probably last me maybe 7 sessions or so i would imagine. Maybe more. You can buy a bigger size tho and save a bit of money.

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Careful with the Ultram… Apparantly it doesn’t affect the poster that much, but it is a synthetic opiate and thus not a controlled substance like OxyContin. It might affect different people differently…