Laser's not much worse than tattoos they said

[IzzyC]

What a load of bull that was.

Holy moly, even with numbing cream it was pretty painful. I bore the pain as much as I could though first session and only asked her to stop twice.

Apparently I have a higher risk of going "hyper" and having circular tanned splotches though since I'm hispanic.

Dangit.

[Anela]

What a load of bull that was.

Holy moly, even with numbing cream it was pretty painful. I bore the pain as much as I could though first session and only asked her to stop twice.

Apparently I have a higher risk of going "hyper" and having circular tanned splotches though since I'm hispanic.

Dangit.

I did electrolysis 3500$ . It's all there still. I stopped because I just shave everyday. It's will. Be about 15,000 to clear my face

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[LadyGreen]

They told me it would sting but i felt it was more like needles on fire being stabbed in my face. [emoji3]

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[Devlyn]

It probably isn't much worse than a tattoo....a tattoo to the whole face! 

Hugs, Devlyn

[LadyGreen]

It probably isn't much worse than a tattoo....a tattoo to the whole face!  [emoji23]

Hugs, Devlyn

I always wondered if i could handle tattoos and after laser i think i could but i dont want too [emoji6]

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[LizK]

I know with my treatment the first few were the most painful and I have a light beard. I can imagine that if you have a heavier beard it would hurt all that much more. But rest assured it should hurt less (YMMV) with more treatments as there are less hairs to treat, depending on how thick your beard is it may take a couple of sessions to reduce....more hair is likely to be more painful. When I go every 3 months now I hardly feel it zap except for a couple of persistent area's. Hope you start to see some great results and it becomes more tolerable.

[Bari Jo]

What a load of bull that was.

Holy moly, even with numbing cream it was pretty painful. I bore the pain as much as I could though first session and only asked her to stop twice.

Apparently I have a higher risk of going "hyper" and having circular tanned splotches though since I'm hispanic.

Dangit.

Heh, you will love electrolysis then:)  when they do thermolysis it hurts so good.  I actually giggle when the pain is to great, somehow that's my defense mechanism.  If it is unbearable though, something is wrong.

[steph2.0]

Interesting timing on the topic. Today was my very first laser session. On a scale of 1-10, about 50% of the area was 1, maybe 35% was 6, and the rest - the tip if the chin and above the upper lip, was 8. Those areas took only about 8 or 10 shots. There was only one shot that I'd class as a 9 or better, on the upper lip. I had used BLT cream (Benzocaine 20%, Lidocaine 6%, Tetracaine 4%) and wrapped my face in Press and Peel wrap before I drove the 1:20 to the appointment. I felt pretty silly driving like that, with strips of plastic falling off on the way, but it seemed to do the job.

I was surprised how fast it went. The whole face in about 25 minutes. I don't know what kind of laser it was, but it shot out something cold on each hit.

I thought I'd be all swollen and sore afterward, but it just felt like a light sunburn for a few hours, and there's no discomfort now at all. I was able to enjoy the afternoon out shopping (dressed).

Izzy, what kind of numbing cream did you use? I've only used the BLT, but I hear about Emla a lot.

Stephanie

[RavenMoon]

I find tattoos more irritating than painful. But I will tell the artists to pause when it gets to be too much. Lol

But it depends on the part of the body. Like ankles hurt more than arms. I'd imagine a tattoo on your face would hurt!

I'll be starting laser soon. Then the rest has to be done with electrolysis since much of my beard is now white.


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[Charlie Nicki]

It hurts like a bitch. For sure.

But it gets better with every session just because there's less hair than before.

[Jailyn]

Interesting timing on the topic. Today was my very first laser session. On a scale of 1-10, about 50% of the area was 1, maybe 35% was 6, and the rest - the tip if the chin and above the upper lip, was 8. Those areas took only about 8 or 10 shots. There was only one shot that I'd class as a 9 or better, on the upper lip. I had used BLT cream (Benzocaine 20%, Lidocaine 6%, Tetracaine 4%) and wrapped my face in Press and Peel wrap before I drove the 1:20 to the appointment. I felt pretty silly driving like that, with strips of plastic falling off on the way, but it seemed to do the job.

I was surprised how fast it went. The whole face in about 25 minutes. I don't know what kind of laser it was, but it shot out something cold on each hit.

I thought I'd be all swollen and sore afterward, but it just felt like a light sunburn for a few hours, and there's no discomfort now at all. I was able to enjoy the afternoon out shopping (dressed).

Izzy, what kind of numbing cream did you use? I've only used the BLT, but I hear about Emla a lot.

Stephanie

I with Stephanie on this. For me it was mostly not painful, but around the chin and lips it hurts like a bugger!!!! I went through so far 2 sessions now and going all the way through without pausing. My tech says I am like the 1% of patients that do that. It all comes down to you pain tolerance. A tattoo scares me more than the laser hair removal though. I don't deal with needles well. Ask the nurses that don't listen to me and end up having to pick me up off the floor.

[Wanda Jane]

Yeah I've done both this year, laser and first tattoo. When she hit me with the first laser blast I was like, "OMG this ->-bleeped-<- REALLY hurts!". I just focused on why I was doing it and how much I loathed shaving. It was easy after that. I'd say the tattoo was way worse. It was near a scar though. Neither was fun, but 2 of the most important parts of my transition. I epilate my arms, legs, underarms and bikini and it is just about as bad. No one told me being a girl was gonna be easy though. LOL.

[IzzyC]

Izzy, what kind of numbing cream did you use? I've only used the BLT, but I hear about Emla a lot.

Stephanie

I honestly don't know, she just used whatever they had there and she put that on me and I sat for 15 minutes for it to take some effect.

I also don't have any pain really right now, and a few hours after the session. She just told me to watch my neck in the morning.

. But rest assured it should hurt less (YMMV) with more treatments as there are less hairs to treat, depending on how thick your beard is it may take a couple of sessions to reduce....

She said I have a pretty thick beard, so I imagine that's why it was so bad. God I can't wait till I never have to shave again. Will literally cut 30 minutes out of my daily prep.

[steph2.0]

I don't deal with needles well. Ask the nurses that don't listen to me and end up having to pick me up off the floor.

Interesting, Jailyn. I've had that problem, too, though I'm starting to get over it, especially if whoever's sticking me is skilled. I'd had a particularly bad experience with a sadistic doctor pulling cell samples from my thyroid glands (fine needle aspiration) that triggered my aversion to needles. I dunno if it has anything to do with the way we handle the laser.

Steph

[steph2.0]

Here's the what my electrologist recommended to make it as easy as possible for both laser and electrolysis, along with other tips I picked up through these forums:

————-
45 minutes before the procedure, take up to 800mg of ibuprofen or Motrin (I hope that doesn't violate the rules here).

At least 45 minutes before, use numbing cream (in my case, BLT) and cover it with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. I put it on just before I started the 1:20 drive to the office.

Avoid caffeine at least 4 hours prior.

Shave within 24 hours.

Avoid sunlight exposure for 1 week prior and after, and always use a sunscreen made specifically for faces.

Hydrate: Drink lots of water the day before and on the day (and any time, really).
—————

I did all these things, so maybe that's why it was easier for me. Maybe your electrologist will give you some of the cream so you can apply it earlier and give it longer to work. 15 minutes doesn't seem very long for it to take effect.

Give that stuff a try next time and see if it helps.

Steph

[Charlie Nicki]

Here's the what my electrologist recommended to make it as easy as possible for both laser and electrolysis, along with other tips I picked up through these forums:

————-
45 minutes before the procedure, take up to 800mg of ibuprofen or Motrin (I hope that doesn't violate the rules here).

At least 45 minutes before, use numbing cream (in my case, BLT) and cover it with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. I put it on just before I started the 1:20 drive to the office.

Avoid caffeine at least 4 hours prior.

Shave within 24 hours.

Avoid sunlight exposure for 1 week prior and after, and always use a sunscreen made specifically for faces.

Hydrate: Drink lots of water the day before and on the day (and any time, really).
—————

I did all these things, so maybe that's why it was easier for me. Maybe your electrologist will give you some of the cream so you can apply it earlier and give it longer to work. 15 minutes doesn't seem very long for it to take effect.

Give that stuff a try next time and see if it helps.

Steph

My laser specialist told me all of these except not to put any numbing cream or any cream really on my face on the day of laser. She told me some of those creams are really thick and therefore difficult to remove completely which can make the process less effective and even make your skin crusty afterwards.


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[Nina]

I have 7 tattoos...and electrolysis without a doubt was more painful than getting tattoos.

[steph2.0]

My laser specialist told me all of these except not to put any numbing cream or any cream really on my face on the day of laser. She told me some of those creams are really thick and therefore difficult to remove completely which can make the process less effective and even make your skin crusty afterwards.

Interesting. My specialist specifically recommended the BLT, and had no problem cleaning it off, with no crustiness before or after. Maybe wrapping in plastic so it doesn't dry out is the solution.

I was surprised at the consistency of the BLT. I expected something like toothpaste, but it's even thinner than sunscreen. It goes on very thinly, which is great, because it's dang expensive, at $53 for 30 grams. That's a container roughly the size of an old 35mm film canister (yes, I'm showing my age). I was  afraid I'd use it up in just a few sessions, but it looks like it'll last a while.

Steph

[steph2.0]

My laser specialist told me all of these except not to put any numbing cream or any cream really on my face on the day of laser.

Whoa, I just reread this. Does it mean that you toughed it out with no numbing? If so, my wig's off to you. It would be anyway, because trying that would have flipped my wig.

Steph

[brandyvgs]

With lazer I will be going to my 4th appointment in November and I have been doing it with out numbing cream, at first it was no big deal but they turning up the heat after each visit and the last one hurt the most was the upper lip and chin =( everywhere else was a small tingle. I am going to have to try that cream for the next visit.