Today was my third visit for one hour. The first time the pain was light mostly. The last visit hurt a lot more. I thought I read somewhere that it tends to hurt more around your period so I figured that was what it was, so this time I took an advil before I went. Today hurt as much as the last time. Is there anything else I can do besides advil? Should I ask her to turn the machine down? If she does, will that change the effectiveness?
The pain is not excruciating, but it does hurt pretty good. I’ll just deal with it if the higher setting makes the hair removal more effective, but if it doesn’t then I’ll ask her to turn it down.
The effectiveness should be the same, the difference is that a lower number of follicles can be treated at the same time session. If you have a high density of hairs per square centimeter, ask your electrologist work on contiguous follicles in a small area with low values and then she/he can go around in circles, in about 10 minutes your pain threshold should rise and she or he can intensity up a bit.
A few tips that may help in keeping your treatment a bit more comfortable is stay hydrated before treatment. Avoid stimulants like caffeine, chocolate or sugars on the day of your appointment. Also try to avoid making appointment before and during your menstrual cycle.
Yes, asking your electrologist to lower the settings may help but like Josefa said lower number of follicles will be treated.
hi there, not sure if local creams work for electrolysis but i very recently used dr numb cream for laser, and found it to be better than lmx or emla. Maybe something to consider. I think besides cost, pain is, the next big thing. Ansthtc creams made laser possible for me.
I use a numbing cream (Topicaine) and while I don’t find it takes away all the pain per se, it takes away the sensation of heat, which just makes it less irritating for me, for some reason. Also, just deep breathing when it’s a particularly hurty spot helps. It also just seems to get easier with time–not sure if that is just from getting used to it, or because the coverage of hair is less dense, or a combo.
I haven’t found Advil super helpful but the Tylenol + Codeine that you can get over the counter in Canada seems more effective. Not sure where you are but if that’s an option I recommend it.