Yesterday I went for my second electrolysis treatment.
First treatment was 19 days prior during which we completely cleared happy trail, several hair on a chest bone and around nipples, several hairs on my inner thigh and one hair on my face (I only have one at a time on my face). The tech used blend method on almost all the hair except a few stubborn ones on my thigh. It took 30 minutes, I used prescription numbing cream and while the treatment was painful, I was OK with the pain (and I have very low tolerance for pain).
Yesterday was completely different experience with the same tech. I used numbing cream again. I did not have much regrowth - only a little bit on my happy trail, one hair on the thigh, one hair on chest bone and couple of hair around my nipples. It took 18 minutes to clear that because the hair would not want to come out. The tech had to try different methods on the hair and it was PAINFUL. I know the cream worked because when I applied the cream I could not find the hair on the thigh and did not apply any cream on the thigh. During the treatment we found that hair and that spot hurt so much worse then the ones with numbing cream.
Overall the treatment was so painful that I decided not to proceed with several hairs on my bikini line that I wanted to add to the areas being treated. When the tech tried bikini line, it felt so horrible that I just had to end the session (I yelled: stop!!).
My question is: Is this normal? (both in terms of pain and hair being so stubborn).
My tech suggested that I come back another time and she will apply their much stronger numbing cream (15% vs. 5%) prior to treatment and she will take care of my bikini line then. I scheduled an appointment and I think it will work. Do you think I will always have to use their cream from now on?
Please let me know what you think?
P.S. It is not that time of the month - so you can rule out that being the cause of pain.
Do you consume much caffeine the day before and/or the day of treatment? This can amplify your pain response. Are you fully hydrated, drinking plenty of water before treatment? This greatly assists in the epilation process, because your skin contains more moisture as a result. Finally, some people take one or two Tylenol 30 to 60 minutes before their appointment, to take the edge off any expected pain.
I consume about 2 cups of coffee a day, so in theory I would have the same amount of caffeine in my body during both treatments, and this is why I don’t think it explains so much pain during second treatment.
Nevertheless, thank you for the tip, I will for sure not drink any coffee on the day of my next appointment. I still have residual pain in the areas that were treated.
I had a similar post the other day…I have been going weekly since January for the sides of my face, and back of my neck (no problem)…this past week, I had her get the few hairs on my “happy trail”, and started my upper lip…my happy trail quickly became my unhappy trail! I thought she was going to have to peel me off the ceiling! She said, sometimes when you work towards the “center line” of the body it hurts more…she tried a few different settings, but it just wasn’t working for me…I am going to try again next week and see…she said my tolerance has gone up since we started…she is using more frequency on the sides my face and I am tolerating just fine…I am hoping my tolerance for my happy trail and upper lip increase as well!
You should ask whether the electrologist increased the settings this time. Other things that can affect pain levels are your period, caffeine intake, lack of hydration, stress, and other related things.
Did you leave the numbing cream on for the exact same amount of time as last time? And did you apply it the same layer in terms of thickness?
When you say blend wasn’t affecting some hairs, what did they use instead? Galvanic? That shouldn’t be necessary, generally, with a good electrologist.
From what I understand the settings were the same for both treatment with blend method.
I read some of the posts and I don’t think I have very skillful electrologist. I think she in general much slower than 5/6 hair a minute. On the other hand, I am not sure how to find a good electrologist.
If anybody can recommend a good one in Minnesota (west suburbs) I will appreciate it.
Well, I probably won’t mention specific names of people to start with as you check out electrologists because last time I did that it ended up with me being slimed and slandered. Just get a list together and go see as many as you can. Go to www.hairfacts.com and www.electrology.com (FAQ’s) and read the “How to Find a good electrologist” parts and you should be able to put it altogether.
I tried to have a treatment for my bikini line last Friday (18th) with the strong numbing cream and I just could not take it. I know the cream worked, because that area stayed numb for a while afterwords.
I did not drink coffee, nor did I take my dietary supplement (which contains caffeine) prior to treatment (I had the treatment in the morning).
I don’t know what to do now. I am terrified of the pain.
Can somebody suggest the machine and/or method which will give the least amount of pain? I don’t care if it is going to be slow as long as it is not very painful. My place is using ClareBlend UltraBlend.
I am terrified of my next treatment on my happy trail in couple of weeks. I am OK with not having a bikini line done, but I would prefer to take care of the happy trail and whatever will come out on my chestbone.
Maybe it is the galvanic current? Some people react extremly sensitive on it (and many don’t mind). As she obviously can do flash - why is she not testing wether the pain is reduced by flash? Did You ask for an attempt?
BTW: 5-6 hairs per minute with blend is pretty fast.
Beate
PS: as long as You are in fear of pain it will be harder. You might want to come back to a more neutral position toward the treatment as far as this is possible.
At this point I agree with you - it is in part psychological and I have to overcome my fear.
I will continue with my chest and stomach (and occasional hair on my face) for now. I really don’t have that much hair so I can achieve clearing with my current electrologist in 15-20 minutes on all those areas. I do not believe my electrologist is as fast as 5-6 hairs per minutes (maybe 2-3).
I will try new electrologist next time on those areas and hopefully she will be faster. I am thinking as long as I keep treatments short (but still achieve clearing every time), I will be able to continue with my treatments. I will see what I want to do with the bikini line at a later point.
I never waxed or tweezed those areas - I clipped or shaved them, so I think I don’t need that many treatments. The hair on my chest bone still did not grow back from 4 weeks ago.
I will report back about new electrologist as soon as I know more. Meanwhile if somebody has more suggestion, I welcome your input.
I work on these areas with an Apilus Platinum using one of three thermolysis modes of choice. There is sensation involved, but no one has ever jumped off the table and sped away. Only a few have chosen to use numbing cream, in conjunction with their normal OTC pain reliever. A 27 megahertz epilator may be helpful, using one of the thermolysis modes offered. It may be still be uncomfortable, but may be better than the other treatment. Doing blend on this epilator may even be more comfortable.
The abdomen is one of those ouchy areas for most, but a skilled electrologist will try different combinations of timing and intensity to try to make it as comfortable as possible.
You can use an ice pack next to the area she is treating to trick the nerves. Don’t let the ice directly touch your skin. Use a fabric barrier to protect your skin. These hairs seem to give up easily once treated.
thank you. I just made an appointment with the new electrologist. She has Apilus machine. I was told that her usual mode of operation is blend, but she will do other methods if she sees fit.
I explained my situation to them and I’ve been told that they will try their best to make it as comfortable as possible.
One more thing: When should I take pain reliever - 1 hour prior to treatment or some other time?
Today I went to my firtst appointment at Something nice in MN (Twin cities area). They have Apilius senior II. What a difference. I did not have time to apply numbing cream. I also forgot to take painkillers. But while the tr
eatment was not pain free, I was able to complete it. Machine does make a difference.
Thank you for updating your thread, Lerkin. It’s good to hear when someone receives and recognizes better treatment. I agree with you about the Apilus Senior II. It’s what my electrologist uses, and it’s centuries/worlds ahead of the analog machine my previous electrologist used, eight years ago.
I believe the worst offenders in many cosmetic products are the different types of alcohols, used to help the product evaporate when applied to the skin. After electrolysis, any product containing alcohols (like my moisturizer, I found out) should not be used for the first two or three days following treatment. The alcohol irritates the freshly treated follicles. In my case, it caused pinpoint redness that did not exist before applying the moisturizer, and this persisted for many more days.