Electrolysis upper lip killing me !

[Rachel4now]

 My Doc would only prescribe me Tamadal 50mg. and my electrolysis has this cream similar to others
benzocaine 20% - lidocaine 6% tetracaine 4%  " Biosense Unical '.

this for pre procedure pain remedy ?  any other advice? mainly for my face.

I know this is and has been talked to death. I really can't take the upper lip area.

She says dentist numbing  is like $450 a pop. 

I don't know what hurts more??? this sucks  .

I'm not too hairy but looking in a magnified mirror made me realize i still have a longer than i thought road to haul on my face.

And i won't really ever be me until its done.

o i hate this !! its brought on so much depression that  i thought  i got rid of when i "Accepted Myself" for who I am.

Now I'm not going to be happy until the the upper lip and chin hairs cease to exist and the pain of the upper lip is making it impossible , I REALLY CANT TAKE IT.

I don't know what to do.

any advice is greatly  appreciated in advance

thank to all

[Rayna]

I haven't done electrolysis yet, so these are just general tips.

Distraction:  do the alphabet backwards, meditate, think of beautiful places, listen to exciting stories on headphones. All these might help a little in addition to whatever painkillers you can get.

Medical marijuana (depends where you live)?

Good luck and be strong. Temporary pain for a permanent benefit.

[Dena]

I did electrolysis without any  pain killer. I would pick topic to concentrate on and do that for the entire session. I ask my operator not to talk to me while she was working as it would break my concentration. I know that might not work for everybody  but there are some tricks I have seen here.

Some people use over the counter pain medication but you need to take it long enough before the session so it has time to take effect.

Others have used several creams but they apply it heavy and about an hour before the session then cover it with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out. I tried to look up the formulas they were using for the cream but I wasn't able to find the one that seemed to get the best result. As I recall it was two medications at 5% each.

[Barb99]

I just tried "Ebanel Numb 520" I found it on Amazon for about $30. This is the first cream I've tried that actually worked. Most only numb the surface but this went deep enough to work.
I put it on fairly heavy and covered with saran wrap and let it sit for an hour. Then wiped it off and reapplied about 20 minutes before my appointment. It only lasts about 45 minutes so you will probably only get about half of the upper lip cleared.

[Maybebaby56]

Hi Rachel,

I tried EMLA cream, and that didn't work.  I had lidocaine injections, which did work, but they were so painful in themselves, I can hardly recommend it.

You know what worked well enough for me?  Ice.  Plain old ice.  I would hold an ice pack on my upper lip while my electrologist worked on the rest of my face.  Then she would ask, "Are you ready for a few?"  I would say, "Yeah, go for it", and she would do a few whiskers, usually less than a dozen, and then I would go back to icing down my lip. That way I could get 20-30 hairs on my upper lip per session. It took a couple of years, but I got my whole face cleared like that.

With kindness,

Terri

[Rachel4now]

wow great idea
makes sense
ill try and figure how to balance it out while she does one side etc
so as to not get in her way

[Janes Groove]

I've been doing electrolysis for about 14 months now. I have a whole check list for my electrolysis day.

1. no caffeine on the day of.
2. no sugar the day of.
3.  drink lots and lots of water.
4. I use super numb and apply it an hour before the beginning of the session, not too thin, not too thick (your electrolysist should be able to show you the right amount).  I've used a few numbing creams and gels and this one works the best for me.
link to their website:
http://supernumb.com/
Then I cover it all with Glad Press and Seal (I cut a hole in it for my mouth to breath and talk and drink and stuff).
5. I also take two ibuprofen an hour before the session begins.
6. It's still bad (they stick needles in your face and zap with electricity and then pluck), but so worth it.

[Rachel_Christina]

Is your hair grey? If it's dark go for laser.
It still hurts like hell. But it's quickly over!

[Dayta]

Ice.  Plain old ice. 

(Thanks, Terri)

Rachel,

I've done it with EMLA cream (5% lidocaine) and with lidocaine injections now (w/shots it's WAY easier, just so ya know), but my electrologist just suggested ice for me next time after our session today.  One of the things to keep in mind is that each time you clear that lip, you're one more clearing closer to DONE!  I realized today that I've had 4 1/2 clearings now, and the hair is much thinner, whiter and weaker than when I started.  Try to keep the faith, and it will ultimately pay off.  And don't forget to run your finger over that nice smooth skin after it's cleared, cuz it's gonna be like that forever one day! 

Erin

[Rachel4now]

Is your hair grey? If it's dark go for laser.
It still hurts like hell. But it's quickly over!

I have dark brown hair on my head mixed with some greys (I'm mid 40s)
I have red , blonde, grey and dark hair on my face. I have a really mixed back ground.
Not too hairy but still.

[Rachel_Christina]

Maybe it would have been worth it to start with laser??

[Rachel4now]

Maybe it would have been worth it to start with laser??

I only switched to Electro because i was told that Electro was way more permanent but has the bad side of
being painful.

Ugh I never realized how hard being who I am on the inside was this hard !!!

Wish i had the (balls . haha!!) to have started this years ++ ago. Oh well

[Rachel_Christina]

So many people got tricked off with IPL, that's why everyone thinks laser doesn't work.
Intense pulse light is simply not laser :/
But technicians won't tell anyone who thinks it's laser and willing to pay otherwise

[Dena]

I only switched to Electro because i was told that Electro was way more permanent but has the bad side of
being painful.

Ugh I never realized how hard being who I am on the inside was this hard !!!

Wish i had the (balls . haha!!) to have started this years ++ ago. Oh well

And that is why when somebody ask me where to I start, the first two things on the list are therapy and facial hair removal. The good news it it doesn't have to all be gone before you can pass effectively. Once the bulk of the hair is gone, you can stop shaving and your facial hair isn't going to give you away.

[Rachel4now]

And that is why when somebody ask me where to I start, the first two things on the list are therapy and facial hair removal. The good news it it doesn't have to all be gone before you can pass effectively. Once the bulk of the hair is gone, you can stop shaving and your facial hair isn't going to give you away.

Thats exactly what I'm doing  Your right IMO.
IM in therapy ( had to switch  therapists because my first one cost too much )
Removing Facial hair and Chest/breast -
Laser rest of my body when i can afford the extra cost
- And started HRT almost 3 months ago ( HURRAH !!! ).
and the rest  can wait a Year ( or when ever deemed appropriate )
EDIT TO ADD : OF COURSE GROWING MY HAIR OUT!  -- on my head     

[ainsley]

With or without the lidocaine on my lip I just lie there are the tears flow when she does my upper and lower lips.  The tears usually pool in my ears.  Painful af.  However, I took a couple of vicodin (hydrocodone) an hour before my last session and I did not leak one tear.  It was blissful.  It was the first time I tried that after MANY sessions.  I had a prescription of them from a while ago in my cabinet and I though I would just give it a try.  Worked pretty good, I must say.  I'm going to do that for my session one week from today.

[Rachel4now]

oH YEAH!!!

I TOOK prescribed by my doctor  2  Tramadol 50mg with the numbing cream worked a lot better.

Still stung a bit but much better

[JenJen]

I had my doctor wrote a script for a triple caine cream that I had made at a compounding pharmacy, it is much stonger than any over the counter cream.

20%Benzocaine, 10% lidocaine and 10% tetracaine

It will numb you up similar to an injection at the Dentist. I put it on the areas to be treated an hour beforehand and immediately cover it in plastic wrap until the procedure to keep it moist and working. It will last a few hours, I always do two hour appointments. I also used it on the genital area when I had that done. Last time I had it made it was about $60 for 45 grams.

I originally searched online for the strongest triple cream I saw advertised to get the ratios, hope this helps!

[staciM]

I need me some of that potion

[Paige]

I have dark brown hair on my head mixed with some greys (I'm mid 40s)
I have red , blonde, grey and dark hair on my face. I have a really mixed back ground.
Not too hairy but still.

So if laser get rids of the dark hairs and leave the lighter pigmented hair, wouldn't that still be a good start and leave less work for electrolysis?  Isn't getting rid of the dark hair also helpful because they show up more than the lighter hair?

Paige