OMG ELECTROLYSIS OUCH! O_O

[Violet Bloom]

  Okay, so I just finished a year of laser on my face and neck, thirteen sessions in all.  While it was something of a torturous marathon at least the sessions were short and I could tough it out without too much effort.  (I've been told at a much higher energy level than many of their clients tolerate.)  The effect overall was quite impressive.  While I still have a lot of hairs left, a large number of the remainder are white.  My skin condition has also improved beyond my wildest dreams over the constant irritated mess it used to be from shaving and regrowth.  Ingrowns have been virtually eliminated forever too.

  Determined to have a face that doesn't feel like sandpaper however I went out to investigate electrolysis.  What I thought was just going to be a brief initial consultation turned into a full session lasting three and a half hours.  Now I've read plenty of other people's experiences on this site before and had some idea what to expect but I wasn't fully prepared for the reality of what it was going to feel like.  OOOWWWW!!!   Holy crap, like, some areas weren't so bad and a few hairs I didn't feel anything, but a large portion of it was almost unbearable!  Perhaps they should have offered me a bullet to bite on so I wouldn't grit my teeth so much.  They used EMLA cream on my mustache area but everything else was done in 'tough-love' fashion.  The pain was worst in the following areas - edges of the mustache where the cream didn't reach, all along the jawline and under the chin, and down the outside edges of my neck.  It wasn't so much a problem of the pain at the individual hairs as it was the relentlessness of it.  I think it's fair to say this could easily be used as an effective form of psychological torture!  I seriously felt at a few points that I was going to start bawling or swat the damned equipment away with an uncontrolled reflex.  It was very difficult to contain myself and keep control.

  I was really kind of in shock by the end, no pun intended.  I'm not known for saying "Oh my god!!!" but I was certainly remarking this to myself afterwards!  The technician mentioned some of her clients using painkillers before work on the bikini area - I shudder violently at the thought.  Now that I've had to start growing out the hairs again for this, post-laser, I can see clearly what I'm up against.  There seems to be as much hair still on my face afterwards as the amount they ripped out.  They said it will get better and faster each time but I'm afraid I won't be reaching the point of major improvement anytime soon.  It was recommended that I return for a three-hour session weekly for the foreseeable future.  I'm kinda freaking out about how long it's going to take even just until they can clear my whole face in one session - a year perhaps?  This is also going to eat almost half my monthly earnings for quite a while.  I guess that's what my savings are for.  Time to raid my bank account...

  Any suggestions for effective pain management would be welcomed - Tylenol? A full slathering of EMLA?  A good, stiff drink?!?  I'd also like to hear how long it took for you gals to progress and how frequent and long your sessions were.  As committed as I am to change, it's times like this that make me wonder what the hell I'm doing.  It's going to be quite a trip!

  Oh ya, and one important bit of advice for everyone I was told by the technician - DON'T wax an area you eventually want electrolysis on!!!  She showed me a diagram depicting how the positioning of the follicle ends up distorted from repeated waxing damage.  Basically the normally straight path for the needle ends up hooking sharply to the side at the base of the hair and this messes up the contact with the follicle, reducing the effectiveness of the treatment.  I thankfully have never had this done.

[Ms Grace]

It's painful alright. Strangely some sessions are better than others. Not sure if it's my frame of mind, how tired I feel or if it's related to the electro's focus that particular day. Maybe all of the above. I use emla for the top lip. Kind of helps a bit. Haven't had electro on the top lip without emla, so don't know what the comparison would be like.

[big kim]

I took Dihydrocodene an hour before electrolysis which helped a lot.I also got an injection from the dentist when I had my top lip done which was a great help

[EmmaD]

That is about the longest I have ever gone.  You will find yourself thinking that it must be something you REALLY REALLY want to go through that discomfort.  Amazingly, you will keep going back too!

Painful bits - top lip, lip line, bits where there is little tissue underneath like the jaw line and collarbones, at the side of the neck where the tendons are (don't know why, just is).  Other places there just seem to be nerves just waiting to be stimulated!  Emla is OK, non-water-based creams are better for me but you may not be able to find them.  I got mine from a compounding pharmacist.  My Doc offered to prescribe something stronger if I wanted.  Some people take pain pills too.  You have to work out what works for you.

It will get better especially once you start only having to work on hairs that are in the correct part of the growth cycle.  Initially you are removing hair that is very mature and a bit tough to move.  The techs working me over noted that the bits attached to the hair are getting smaller and smaller. 

[Jenny07]

After a session yesterday to refresh my memory how much it hurts, I personally find it not terrible, however some really hurt more than others and test my painometer.
What I don't like it the pain and swelling the following day as well as the crusty residue.

So far it has been much better than I feared and expected so that's good??? No

The part I find painful is the cost.

[Kara Jayde]

For those who have had electrolysis and gotten tattoos (maybe in painful areas, like underarm?), what's the pain like in comparison. I'm a bit of an ink junkie, so I'm wondering if the pain is similar or much much worse (I don't personally think tattoos hurt very much).

[Ms Grace]

The part I find painful is the cost.

Yes. Ow.

[RosieD]

For those who have had electrolysis and gotten tattoos (maybe in painful areas, like underarm?), what's the pain like in comparison. I'm a bit of an ink junkie, so I'm wondering if the pain is similar or much much worse (I don't personally think tattoos hurt very much).

It depends on which are you are talking about but there is nowhere when electrolysis is as completely painless as having the top of your shoulder done. At its mildest (cheeks) it is roughly the equivalent of having your bicep inked. At its most intense (top lip) it is right up there with the sensitive parts of the ribs.  I usually have an hour a week and have been going for about 7 months following 3 fairly ineffectual laser sessions. I never use any painkillers but rely on meditation and the acceptance of pain that got me through being tatooed.

Rosie

[Violet Bloom]

Great! I am contemplating to do a couple of sessions in a month or two, so this thread was very inspiring and uplifting to read!

Violet, You just did scare the hell outta me

  This is one time you might still appreciate the tough-guy period of your life.  You may need to channel that!

  Emla is OK, non-water-based creams are better for me but you may not be able to find them.  I got mine from a compounding pharmacist.

  My tech is an older woman who used to be a pharmacist so she's providing her own EMLA.

What I don't like is the pain and swelling the following day as well as the crusty residue.

  I didn't really experience any of this.  Perhaps they are cranking it up a little too high with you?  Or maybe mine was low and I'm just being a baby?  I can't imagine making it through this at a higher setting!

For those who have had electrolysis and gotten tattoos (maybe in painful areas, like underarm?), what's the pain like in comparison. I'm a bit of an ink junkie, so I'm wondering if the pain is similar or much much worse (I don't personally think tattoos hurt very much).

  Ack!  Tattoos?!?  This electrolysis marathon is going to leave a permanent-enough stamp on my psyche.  Maybe one day when I'm through it all I'll get a little tattoo to celebrate winning the war.  It might not feel so rough after the pain conditioning from this current hell!  ("current" - also no pun intended!)

[JulieBlair]

There is no doubt that electrolysis hurts, costs too much, and takes too long.  I have a bit over 100 hours done, and so have about 100 to go.  At two hours a week I'll be completely done sometime in winter 2015.  But this is my choice and a good value for me.  I sometimes cry quietly while my technician and now friend Christine is doing her job, and I think this causes her as much angst as the whole thing does me.  Still I thank her when I leave, am grateful that I no longer have any shadow  between shaving, and that eventually it will end.  As it stands now I'll be done with this about the same time my REL passes the year point, and I begin preparing for gender confirmation surgery.  The journey continues, and no matter what, is so right for this lady.
j

[Laurelin]

I also had my first session this week, I have a 2 patches on my chin that was resistant to laser so I have no other options left. The strange thing is my technician just plucked 10-15 hairs and called it finished for the day, I asked and she told me that she cant work in such a dense area without messing up the skin and told me that our sessions will last 20-30 mins every week which seems REALLY slow for me. I thinks this is her first time working with a beard and she seems hesitant. I dont know what to do, confront her or look for somewhere else? It will take many years for those patches if we go like this

[Christine Eryn]

For those who have had electrolysis and gotten tattoos (maybe in painful areas, like underarm?), what's the pain like in comparison. I'm a bit of an ink junkie, so I'm wondering if the pain is similar or much much worse (I don't personally think tattoos hurt very much).

I've been getting electolysis for the past few years on and off, but I realize I don't have forever. So recently, I've been going nearly twice a week since late last year for an average of an hour & 1/2 a session. Funny you mention tattoos, as I've been looking to get 1 or 2 or several myself for the past few months.  I figure it couldn't be as painful as getting needles in your face 10,000 times.

Parts of my face and neck I don't even feel it. Other times, it is excruciating. Sometimes, I just lie there literally thinking to myself...

don't flinch

don't move

don't tear up

STFU and don't complain

Just like when I told myself when I got my ears pierced a few months ago, the mental pain of not doing anything is worse than the temporary physical pain. It is expensive and a royal pain, but the payoff is, as they say, priceless. Most of my face, especially my cheeks and neck are buttery smooth. 

[Cindi Lane]

...
  Any suggestions for effective pain management would be welcomed - Tylenol? A full slathering of EMLA?  A good, stiff drink?!?  I'd also like to hear how long it took for you gals to progress and how frequent and long your sessions were.  As committed as I am to change, it's times like this that make me wonder what the hell I'm doing.  It's going to be quite a trip!
...

Hi Violet,

Almost everybody has a cumulative pain threshold, try going for a shorter session (like two hours) then try a little longer if your fine. I have worked up to the point were I can just handle two hours, going longer just seems to magnify the pain.

I have a few areas that are very painful (just below the center of my nose and and some "hot spots" near the jaw joint).

There are a number of numbing creams, you may need to try different ones (note that most creams have a very short shelf life). The best results for me were LMX for 30 minutes and covering it with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. YMMV

Any time I am stressed out or exhausted, the pain level is higher.

This is what I do in preparation that really helps me:

- I drink plenty of water every day and some extra the day before and morning of the treatment.
    Electrolysis is more effective when the tissue around the follicle is fully hydrated
- I get plenty of sleep during the week before each treatment
- I try to calm my mind and let go of life stresses starting the evening before treatment
- I take acetaminophen (a pain reliever that does not thin the blood) 1.5 hours before treatment
- I take diphenhydramine (an antihistamine) 1.5 hours before treatment to reduce my skin's reaction during treatment.

The electrologist, the mode, the type of probe, and the current settings all effect the sensation.  A skilled electrologist will not just "turn up the heat", the settings must be high enough to provide an effective treatment (when the hair releases from the follicle easier than it would by just plucking), too high of setting increases the healing time.

Hugs and Sympathy
-Cindi

[Cindi Lane]

I also had my first session this week, I have a 2 patches on my chin that was resistant to laser so I have no other options left. The strange thing is my technician just plucked 10-15 hairs and called it finished for the day, I asked and she told me that she cant work in such a dense area without messing up the skin and told me that our sessions will last 20-30 mins every week which seems REALLY slow for me. I thinks this is her first time working with a beard and she seems hesitant. I dont know what to do, confront her or look for somewhere else? It will take many years for those patches if we go like this

Hi Laurelin,
I think you should be looking for a more skilled electrologist, preferably with experience in beard hair removal.

A skilled electrologist can remove dense areas of hair without "messing up the skin". Aftercare is important, some small scabbing may occur, but should fall off within a week.
If they are not properly treating and removing at least 6 hairs per minute I would be very concerned with both the equipment and the skill. The best professionals can easily treat 600 or more hairs per hour. Typically for the first time (or first few times) clearing very dense areas, they should wait for 4 to 6 weeks before clearing that same area again.

Androgen driven terminal facial hair (male beard hair) is more difficult to treat than any other terminal hair on your body. I would be concerned about under treatment with your current electrologist which can damage the follicles in ways that make it more difficult to complete treatment (essentially the same damage that can happen with plucking or waxing the face).

Typically for the first time (or first few times) clearing very dense areas, they should wait for 4 to 6 weeks before clearing that same area again.

Hugs
-Cindi

[victoria n]

Emla cream helps some.  you really should apply it about an hour before treatment and cover it  with plastic wrap. You'll feel really silly but it helps.  uncovered it is much less effective. your electrologist should remove the plastic wrap little bit at a time.

the use of  alcohol or betadine ointment after your treatment is important to control bacteria.

other pain management  is for your electrologist to use an ice pack and move it as needed. I saw this  on TV.

a technician who plucks untreated hair or partially treated hair (hairs should come out easily with no tugging)
is N/G

[Jill F]

Benzocaine/Lidocaine/Tetracaine cream is way better than EMLA.  I cry less.

[Violet Bloom]

  The one thing that did happen to my skin was some small cold sores near the right corner of my mouth.  I don't get these often although I used to have a much more frequent problem with them.  Not sure if these ones resulted specifically from the electrolysis because I've gotten them before simply from high stress alone sometimes.

[KatelynRain]

I absolutely agree.  I endured one and a half years of electrolysis and it was pure unbearable torture.  Unfortunately, I didn't figure out how to properly mitigate the pain effectively till later on in my sessions.  I found that the most effective relief came from a thick layer of emla, enough that you cannot see the skin.  Then cover it up with pieces of saran wrap as a dressing.  Time it that you have the saran wrapped emla on your skin for an hour just before the electrolysis starts.  If done correctly, the skin looks kinda white or blanched.  You want to use pieces of saran wrap instead of one large piece so that the electrologist can remove one section at a time, while leaving other sections to still be covered in emla.

[luna nyan]

Oh the wonderful world of pain management. >.<

I remember being stoic when I had mine done pre-HRT.  No drugs, I just shut my eyes and focused on slow deep breathing.  I found that worked well as most of the discomfort was felt on initial insertion - it turned into a minor buzz after about a minute.  I was having 3 hours sessions on a 16 probe galvanic for reference.

Having been on HRT for 2 years, I have to say that the discomfort I felt the last time I had a touch up was more marked, but I found slow regulated deep breathing still worked well.

My ideas/suggestion for pain management, going up in level of intervention:
1.  Deep breathing and meditation.  Pain is very much a personal perception - if you go in with the attitude, this is going to be agonising, it will be.  A positive attitude "there will be minor discomfort" will move the goal posts - pain is a very emotive word and best avoided.
2.  Ice - an area that is iced will have lower pain perception.  Note that this will constrict the follicles and make it harder for the electrologist to insert the probes.
3.  Pre-meds - non-steroidal anti-inflammatories are your best bet.  Don't exceed dosages - past a certain dose, most over the counter analgesics have no additional pain mediation effect.
4.  EMLA cream - apply liberally over the area and cover up with something for at least 1 hour so it doesn't dry out.  Expose an area as it is being worked on.  It has limited effect as skin is a very effective barrier.
5.  Dental injection - a full cartridge injection of lignocaine with adrenaline or prilocaine with octapressin will give 2-3 hours of anaethesia.  If you're lucky and your dentist does a lot of surgery, they may have bupivicaine which will last a lot longer.

The other important thing is to make sure your technician is always doing some work on the upper lip every session mixed in with other areas at the same time.  If it's spread out amongst the other areas being managed, it is much more tolerable.  In a multi-electrologist centre, they all tend to skive off the upper lip, hoping that the next person has to work there.

I hope that helps.

[shiney]

Thankyou so much for the posts everyone, lots of excellent info here

I'm a while off looking at getting it done myself but I can learn in the mean time right?


A question for you all though..

My chest hair's have darkened and started to grow more over the past two months or so, (didn't like that too much ) so i shaved it off with my razor.

Is this a good idea or will it mess with the natural growth of hair follicle, doing damage that will make electrolysis more difficult when i get to it?

Don't mean to hijack the thread, I hope it's relevant enough.  Guess I just don't want to make it more difficult to remove in the long run


thanks