I've used Betacaine for upper lip work. it helps -- some... There's just no getting around the fact that of all the areas on the face, the upper lip, and especially right underneath the nostrils, is painful!!!!
Be careful with the anasthetic creams, though. They usually include a vasoconstrictor, to keep the blood from flushing away the anasthetic too rapidly. This is NOT good when using electrolysis or blend, because the process needs moisture (water) and salt in the skin to electrolyze into sodium hydroxide (lye).
I had a bad experience one evening. I took some benadryl (an antihistamine that also dries you up,) and then 'buttered' my face with Betacaine. The combination left my skin with little moisture, even though I'd been hydrating (drinking lots of water) that afternoon. I 'bubbled up' very poorly, and had some neck hairs (another pain-filled zone, because the hairs are deep and slanted,) that took more than a minute to treat properly. Now I don't take benadryl until after the session (it cuts down the post-session inflammation.)
While I'm at it, when you get your upper lip done, your eyes will tear up and your nose will turn into a snot-factory before plugging tight. For that reason I'm adding 12-hr nose spray to my electro prep kit (90% alcohol, gauze sponges, betacaine creme, ibuprofin ('ranger candy', if I can get it
), generic benadryl, swiped business cards to use to apply a thick, even layer of the creme.)
Karen