White Beard of DOOM! Why you cannot escape the need for Electrolysis!

[josie76]

Yeh once a hair on the face switches to a "terminal" type it will never go away. 

I have now done 10 high powered gas laser and two other type laser treatments. I also originally gained a bit with a home IPL but not much. I still have dark regrowth after a month but it gets less and less. Now it barely creates darker skin tone but even that bothers me.

Then there are those dang grey hairs. I often pluck them as they get thicker with age but there are seemingly more and more of them. Maybe just more hairs turning grey now. Lol I haven't been able to afford laser the last 2 months due to other things so it's really, really bothering me lately.

[Linde]

Yes that is it in a nutshell.  Cruel irony isn't it?  I would rather have it the other way around.

Indeed it is, indeed it is!

[TonyaW]

Yup. But it's not so bad. Electrolysis is kind of fun lol...

Don't know that I'd call it fun, but its not terrible.  My electrologist has a TV mounted on the ceiling so I watch Netflix while I'm there.

I had a few laser sessions which got rid of the dark hairs.  I started with at least half the hairs too light for the laser. At least  that the patches I have to grow out for electrolysis are all white now and easily covered with makeup.

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[VickyS]

Can I also join the weird gang who enjoy electrolysis? 

I am almost at 50 hours and have bald patches which I can't help but stroke - SOOOOO satisfying. I find that the pain is a lot more manageable now that I use LMX4 instead of Emla and PLASTER it on (especially top lip and under the chin) then cover with cling film (saran wrap?).

Also my electrologist is a really wonderful lady and seems to be a therapist for me also!  I usually leave her sessions feeling really positive. 

I have taken shots of the before and after areas each time I have gone and the thinning out is very visible even though I started with mostly white hair, then red and a little black.  Weirdly though, some of the white or red has come back black but she zaps them straight away!  I really can't wait to complete, but I know I will have another 2 years or more and maybe another £10k to spend.  Then I will really miss our sessions (sounds weird doesn't it?) lol

[sarahc]

I find that the pain is a lot more manageable now that I use LMX4 instead of Emla and PLASTER it on (especially top lip and under the chin) then cover with cling film (saran wrap?).

That's really interesting! I'd love to hear others' perspective...have others done better on strong lidocaine than on EMLA? I'm starting electrolysis next month and might try lidocaine only to begin with.

[KathyLauren]

That's really interesting! I'd love to hear others' perspective...have others done better on strong lidocaine than on EMLA? I'm starting electrolysis next month and might try lidocaine only to begin with.

I mostly use Emla.  I tried 5% lidocaine, but didn't really notice any difference from Emla (2.5% lidocaine, 2.5% prilocaine)

The most pain relief comes from covering it up well.  I use a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of gauze, then another layer of plastic wrap.  The gauze sandwich traps heat and makes the Emla more effective.

[VickyS]

I mostly use Emla.  I tried 5% lidocaine, but didn't really notice any difference from Emla (2.5% lidocaine, 2.5% prilocaine)

The most pain relief comes from covering it up well.  I use a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of gauze, then another layer of plastic wrap.  The gauze sandwich traps heat and makes the Emla more effective.

Yes, in my experience the AMOUNT of cream AND keeping it moist by covering it up will have more effect than the different brands, although the LMX4 seems to suit me slightly better, but others may have different results.

In my experience if an area FEELS like it's going numb (light tingle and coldish feeling) then you have put enough on.  If it doesn't feel like that then not enough is applied and it's going to hurt more!

Generally speaking a 30g tube of LMX4 does me for 4 or maybe 5 2 hour sessions.  I used it sparingly when I first started and the pain was much worse and the covering as KathyLauren says is also crucial.  Her method is better than mine as I use a double layer of plastic wrap and tape it down with surgical tape which seals it to my face as I have to then drive for an hour to my appointment.  They say it's effective from 30 mins to 5 hours, but in my experience, at the end of the session (almost 3 hours after it was applied) I can feel it wearing off.

[KathyLauren]

They say it's effective from 30 mins to 5 hours, but in my experience, at the end of the session (almost 3 hours after it was applied) I can feel it wearing off.

The rate of wearing off varies depending on where on the face it is.  From the time she wipes off the cream to begin work, my upper lip lasts maybe 10 minutes.  Less right under the nose.  Other areas can last an hour after being wiped clean.

I prepare several areas, each covered separately, so that she doesn't have to uncover them until she is ready to work on them.

[Linde]

I mostly use Emla.  I tried 5% lidocaine, but didn't really notice any difference from Emla (2.5% lidocaine, 2.5% prilocaine)

The most pain relief comes from covering it up well.  I use a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of gauze, then another layer of plastic wrap.  The gauze sandwich traps heat and makes the Emla more effective.

Have you ever tried to use Tegaderm^TM, the same clear transparent dressing type used for setting iV's?  it is brought to you by my lab to support moist wound healing.  Pin is felt at the receptors when they are exposed to oxygen, an appropriate film keeps the oxygen away and thus reduces the pain
Tegaderm Film (Sale) - SaveRiteMedical.com‎