Any reason not to use 10% lidocaine cream prior to electrolysis?

[sarah1972]

One additional thing you can do to help the numbing effect of lidocaine is to clean the area with hydrogen peroxide before applying lidocaine. It opens the pores and helps to better penetrate the skin. Makes a huge difference! I use 3% solution from the drug store....

[AnonyMs]

I know, it is an anti inflam with a lot of possible, rather nasty side effects!  Treating one for another?

Potential side effects, and you don't need to take much, vs swelling actually causing problems. I never had any side effects and took a lot more for some other problem I had.

It's prescription so it's not like youd get it without consulting a doctor first.

[Dani]

Potential side effects, and you don't need to take much, vs swelling actually causing problems. I never had any side effects and took a lot more for some other problem I had.

It's prescription so it's not like youd get it without consulting a doctor first.

There are other anti inflammatory drugs besides Prednisone. I use 1% Hydrocortisone cream after electrolysis and within an hour or so any redness is gone. 1% HC cream is available without a prescription.

Pain is a very subjective topic. Given the same stimulus, some of us feel minimal pain, while other describe the pain as intolerable. Combine this with the electrologists technique and instrument intensity settings, you have too many variables to make predictions of expected pain that apply to everyone.

[Jessica]

@sarah1972

One additional thing you can do to help the numbing effect of lidocaine is to clean the area with hydrogen peroxide before applying lidocaine. It opens the pores and helps to better penetrate the skin. Makes a huge difference! I use 3% solution from the drug store....

Thank you for the tip Sarah!  I will try this out this morning.

[Linde]

There are other anti inflammatory drugs besides Prednisone. I use 1% Hydrocortisone cream after electrolysis and within an hour or so any redness is gone. 1% HC cream is available without a prescription.

That is what the technician applied to my face, and all swelling was gone by the time I got into my car.

I might have a rather high pain threshold, because neither laser, nor electrolysis, or lately my orchi did cause much pain for me.

[KennedDoll]

That's interesting about caffeine. I injured myself once by pushing myself more than I should have on a bicycle, because caffeine acts like a pain killer. But, I maybe it's for a particular type of sensation that reduces pain. Peddling furiously is different than someone pulling hairs out of your face.

The lips are a super sensitive area on a person's body. For my brief period of getting electrolysis the main problem with pain was that i would move involuntarily in reaction to the pain. I don't drink alcohol, I'm sure I had caffeine then though.

I'm still going to try to get novocaine injections.

[AnonyMs]

There are other anti inflammatory drugs besides Prednisone. I use 1% Hydrocortisone cream after electrolysis and within an hour or so any redness is gone. 1% HC cream is available without a prescription.

I was told by a doctor not to use steroid creams on the face as they thin the skin and can cause damage. It's a trade off with risks like prednisone, but at least prednisone is not visible on my face. Here's a reference

https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/medicines/why-can-you-not-use-hydrocortisone-cream-on-the-face/

[Linde]

I was told by a doctor not to use steroid creams on the face as they thin the skin and can cause damage. It's a trade off with risks like prednisone, but at least prednisone is not visible on my face. Here's a reference

https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/medicines/why-can-you-not-use-hydrocortisone-cream-on-the-face/

Skin thinning will only really happening with repeated use.  But doing this once a month will not be thinning you skin.  Any type of skin will be thinned from continuous application of hydrocortizone.

[LexiDreamer]

That's interesting about caffeine. I injured myself once by pushing myself more than I should have on a bicycle, because caffeine acts like a pain killer. But, I maybe it's for a particular type of sensation that reduces pain. Peddling furiously is different than someone pulling hairs out of your face.

The lips are a super sensitive area on a person's body. For my brief period of getting electrolysis the main problem with pain was that i would move involuntarily in reaction to the pain. I don't drink alcohol, I'm sure I had caffeine then though.

I'm still going to try to get novocaine injections.

Caffeine is a stimulant. Stimulation is the firing of neurons. I think with the bicycle you were stimulating your whole body at once, in effect overstimulating, where your brain can't focus on a particular spot.

You could see if your electrologist could work on you while you ride your bike. ; )

[Dani]

I was told by a doctor not to use steroid creams on the face as they thin the skin and can cause damage. It's a trade off with risks like prednisone, but at least prednisone is not visible on my face. Here's a reference

https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/medicines/why-can-you-not-use-hydrocortisone-cream-on-the-face/

This is true for the high potency topical steroid creams, many of which are fluorinated. 1% Hydrocortisone cream is the weakest of the topical anti inflammatory creams and it is non fluorinated. 

It is also true that using anti inflammatory topicals will make any bacterial or viral infection much worse.

Heavy, long term use of any topical steroid anti inflammatory may lead to thinning of the skin. Occasional use where the cause of the inflammation is known to be non-bacterial or non-viral is considered safe by the  FDA here in the US.