1st Laser and Electrolysis Appointment

[islandgirl]

I just had my first appointment! Went in for laser but had too many white hairs to have laser alone. So, I started electrolysis treatments, not too painful, and a small amount of laser, very painful. The appointment lasted about 1 hour.  Looks like it will be a regular weekly electrolysis appointments for me. They will be 1 hour appointments.  Very happy to be started!

[Mariah]

Yay and Congrats. I'm at a point where I just have to many white hairs to push laser any further too and in my case laser made the situation worse. Good luck
Mariah

[Emily R]

Hi,

My experience is that laser is like nothing, very few moments of uncomfortable rubber band snapping.

So far I have had 3 sessions of electrolysis lasting one, two and three hours, first one and second one were mostly sideburn and side of face and although uncomfortable it was not a big deal. Yesterday on the other hand she worked more towards the chin and the upper lip and I really wanted for her to finish, I dont think I will book more than 2 hours appointments as even if she did apply EMLO (sp?) numbing cream and it was still very uncomfortable specially th4e upper lip area, not the screaming pain, type but a constant pain that I wanted for her to finish.   How about you?

Oh, BTW remind the person working on your face that you want the wispy sideburns that women have and not the straight cut like a man!

When I got home yesterday, my lips were all swollen and have remain swollen today although a little bit better, not unlike an exaggerate caricature of womanly lips all full and sexy, like they had been over injected with fat or something, the lady who is doing the electrolysis called me today to find out how I was doing and she suggested that nest time we spread the process all over the face instead of concentrating on specific areas like I had asked her.

Islandgirl, I  think both of us are in step with each other, lets keep in touch.

Hugs

Emily

[islandgirl]

My lady started on my upper lip and chin as my beard had not grown enough for her to get to other areas. I am supposed to not shave before Thursday appointment. I don't think I could handle a 2 hour appointment! One hour was enough for me.

[islandgirl]

Well, I just finished my second appointment. 1 hour long with a few zaps of the laser. I don't know you some of you girls can do 2 hours. I am going to get elma gel for next week. I need some numbing going into the next hour. I also now understand why it takes many sessions before a face can be clear. All part of the process.

[Emily R]

You are right!

No more three hours of torture electrolysis for me,  but I do have scheduled 2 hours for next tuesday, otherwise as you said it will never happen!

Good luck and enjoy the results if not the discomfort.

Emily

[islandgirl]

I must be a whimp! Three sessions of electrolysis and each has been unbelievably painful. I even used emla cream the last time, stuff my son the doctor said I should not probably be using. It was supposed to numb my skin but...... Anything else that people are using? Any help is greatly appreciated as I do have a long way to go!

[Emily R]

I feel your PAIN!!!  and not in a literal way..

Don't know what to tell you other that yes is is very very uncomfortable, I usually squeeze by hands very tight for the whole session and it makes it tolerable.

There are places where they will shoot you with Novocaine or some other pain killer for 4 or 8 hours and you may have two operators working at the same time, but it is somewhere in Texas with the additional expense of flying and hotel, and then you face probably  becomes unrecognizable for a few days.

Or like the old saying of "it takes effort, in this case pain, to be beautiful"

Good luck and let me know if you come up with some solution.

Emily

[jeni]

When I got home yesterday, my lips were all swollen and have remain swollen today although a little bit better

I'd recommend doing some icing after a session---it's a lot easier to keep the swelling from forming than it is to get rid of it once its there.

I had my full face done over two days a month ago, on a Wednesday and Thursday. I iced practically all evening both days, and the swelling was pretty much gone by Saturday. It was still substantial swelling, but it could have been a lot worse...

[Emily R]

Jeni,

Thank you for your recommendation, the lady that does the electrolysis actually gives me an ice pack either while she is working on me on when I leave and even with the ice specially the face was still very swollen.

Last time I went to her, I took 2 Benadryl caps before I got to her office and 2 more 4 hours later and had a lot less swelling, of course I also applied the ice as you recommended.

Some of us may be more sensitive to the swelling and pain that others.

Emily

[jeni]

Hadn't heard of using benadryl. I used ibuprofen starting the night before, and kept on it while swollen.

[Emily R]

I found the reference to benadryl on the internet and it appears that it worked at least that time,  I will try it again on my next session on Monday and will let you know.

Emily

[islandgirl]

Thanks girls for your feed back. I do ice afterwards, although for not long enough. The soreness does not last but I do remain swollen, at least in the area where most work done, for four days. I know that this is just what I will expect to have the hair removed.

[jeni]

Interesting. For me the swelling went away quickly, but now 5 weeks or so later, I am still sore in a few spots. It was a bummer, because the soreness meant I missed being able to appreciate the super-hairless period before the next wave of hairs grew in.

[Mariah]

Jeni, the swelling was less and less each time especially after first 3 laser treatments. Once that happens you will really start get to enjoy some super-hairless period your referring too.
Mariah

Interesting. For me the swelling went away quickly, but now 5 weeks or so later, I am still sore in a few spots. It was a bummer, because the soreness meant I missed being able to appreciate the super-hairless period before the next wave of hairs grew in.

[jeni]

Yeah, I'm imagining that as there are fewer hairs to zap (I am doing electrolysis), there will be less trauma to the skin and less swelling.

Don't get me wrong, even with the hair that's back, it's great. I have a much fainter shadow than before, though I expect it will fill in some more before my next appointment. Shaving is a lot faster and easier now, though. Which is fortunate with the continuing soreness---I used to have to go back and forth to get rid of the stubble, and that would leave me pretty raw with my skin the way it is now...

[Mariah]

That was my issue to was having go back and fourth left me more raw then even laser and electro has done. The same is true with Electro as you have less hairs remain. I didn't react to be badly at all to Electro, but by the time I started the amount of hair to deal also wasn't what it was when laser had been started.

Yeah, I'm imagining that as there are fewer hairs to zap (I am doing electrolysis), there will be less trauma to the skin and less swelling.

Don't get me wrong, even with the hair that's back, it's great. I have a much fainter shadow than before, though I expect it will fill in some more before my next appointment. Shaving is a lot faster and easier now, though. Which is fortunate with the continuing soreness---I used to have to go back and forth to get rid of the stubble, and that would leave me pretty raw with my skin the way it is now...

[judithlynn]

Hi Emily;
I actually have a medical condition that sometimes gives me a lot of pain, so before an Electrolysis session I take  2 of my Panadeine Forte tablets. The only problem is that you shouldn't drive afterwards. They take about 30 minutes to kick in and generally last for about 2-3 hours, so after my 1hour session, I normally leave the car at the salon and take a bus to the nearest shopping mall for some retail therapy returning to my car  when the pain kilers wear off. The prescription says you can take 2 4 times a day, but I find that if I do that I am in a perpetual daze!.  I also then use ice pack and alcohol swabs and anti ageing serum on the treated area as it helps the skin recover. I am normally back to clear skin after a day or so on the treated area. If one gets pimple breaks outs is imperative to use the alcohol swabs
JudithLynn