Hiya!
So I just had my first session, bloody painful in the face. Put on EMLA for an hour and a half, with plastic wrapper on it. At first it seemed like it was all numb, AT FIRST. Then hell took over, pins and needles and stuff. So my question is if there is a proper way of putting the plastic in the face to secure maximum efficacy. I put two layers of cream on, but I think I might just need a little more just on the face, based on the experience (which was surprisingly painful), and I just put the plastic on my face with almost no bubbles or space between skin-cream and plastic. Any tips (which would be more than welcome)? Any experiences with both EMLA and plastic wrappers?
Thanks! (and... ouch!)
I tried the EMLA cream (5% lidocaine) with plastic wrap on-top... didn't feel any more effective than w/o the plastic wrap. I also felt like an idiot with the cream plastic wrap combo on my face. :P After a few visits, I stopped using anything. You should more or less get used to the sensation after a visit or two. The upper lip area right under the nose is the worst.
Oh, yeah, another detail I wanted to point out: my tech actually lowered the levels a bit because my skin seemed a bit too sensitive. Have you ever had an 'extra-sensitivity' issue? I mean, like really sensitive compared with any other part of your body being lasered.
Pain threshold may be responsible here. In a sort of unrelated event I have had 3 tattoos done on my back, the first two were fine, but the 3rd one went on for about twice as long and at one point, I went from being quite comfortable with the pain to hypersensitivity. It was quite bad after that. Maybe you reached your threshold before they got to that area? Assuming they ended there of course. Otherwise my suggestion is moot.
Quote from: Elena G on September 26, 2012, 04:24:52 PM
Oh, yeah, another detail I wanted to point out: my tech actually lowered the levels a bit because my skin seemed a bit too sensitive. Have you ever had an 'extra-sensitivity' issue? I mean, like really sensitive compared with any other part of your body being lasered.
No. Not really. But when I was having my legs done (both upper & lower), it would start making me a little twitchy after awhile... something like an automatic reflex action maybe. I have a pretty high pain tolerance (which can be good and bad) so I don't think I had it as bad as some others. Generally the tech will want to use the highest level you are comfortable with to achieve the best results. Electrolysis IMHO was much more painful (especially on my face) than laser.
Ok well I'm three laser sessions in, the first they numbed me up.. still hurt like hell but granted I had the full beard. The second I had a different tech, no numbing cream.. holly hell did it hurt. Now however since my face is starting to get cleared and it seems like most of the really thick hairs are off, the third session wasn't nearly as bad as the first two. They gave me the option on weather to numb or not, I opted not to since i'd be in and out in 20 min instead of an hour or so. It hurts but only for a little while, I think shaving so close actually causes more lingering pain than the laser. So i'd say for advise, just make sure to shave as close as possible and if needed bring a razor and touch up right before.. oh and mosturize!!! It soothes your skin and also helps it heal after the session.
Quote from: TessaM on September 26, 2012, 08:28:57 PM
TRUE DAT!
Elena im sorry. If you think laser is bad, just wait till you see how much "fun" electrolysis is ;)
Compared to laser elecrolysis isnt painfull at all I think. Just like with laser though around the mouth hurts like hell..
Also, the type of laser can effect how much pain you feel. Diode and the NdYag are supposedly more intense vs some others. Basically more energy delivered to the hair so it heats up more.. which is good to kill the hair, but more heat = OUCH!
Another question for you gals: how much energy/power did your laser tech use (as in joules per cm2)? I got 18 everywhere except on the face, which got 12 (as the results can attest). And how much have you been able to stand before surrendering?
Thanks!
I don't get it, I keep hearing about how painful laser has been for people but when I did it, it was like no big deal. The first time the tech was all worried because she thought she was going to hurt me too bad when I didn't want to numb. She was freaking me out so much with stories of bringing people to tears.
When she started I was like "Really? That's it? You got me all worked up and freaked out for nothing!"
Then she kept asking me if I was OK like every 15 seconds and i'm sitting there smiling. ;D
I seem to have a pretty high pain tolerance...if we're talking the same type of laser + calibrations, my numbers average 24...last time the Head Mistress Tech said I would tolerate "a bit more" and for the Jr. Ms. Tech to turn it up "to there". (I found out later "to there" was to 28) I weathered that ok, but they were spooked by how red and welt-y my face had gotten...it all cleared up about 2 days after.
I do not know the levels, all I know is after getting laser done around budding breasts, the face is nothing.
...Why another LHR Thread?
Quote from: Elena G on September 26, 2012, 04:00:29 PM
Hiya!
So I just had my first session, bloody painful in the face. Put on EMLA for an hour and a half, with plastic wrapper on it. At first it seemed like it was all numb, AT FIRST. Then hell took over, pins and needles and stuff. So my question is if there is a proper way of putting the plastic in the face to secure maximum efficacy. I put two layers of cream on, but I think I might just need a little more just on the face, based on the experience (which was surprisingly painful), and I just put the plastic on my face with almost no bubbles or space between skin-cream and plastic. Any tips (which would be more than welcome)? Any experiences with both EMLA and plastic wrappers?
Thanks! (and... ouch!)
For my LHR of the Face, I used EMLA cream, started bout 2 hrs before treatment. Didn't use the plastic wrap then. The worst part was the Upper Lip! ...and OUCH! :laugh:
Quote from: vivienne on September 27, 2012, 03:24:40 AM
Compared to laser elecrolysis isnt painfull at all I think. Just like with laser though around the mouth hurts like hell..
For me Electrolysis was less painful, especially the upper lip. As for the upper neck and jawline...enough pin pricking pain to be irritating. Still using the EMLA cream, rather use it than find out without it! :laugh: In fact just got back from and Electrolysis session this evening.
If all of your Facial hair is dark, then stay with the LHR and try to do 8-10 treatments every 6-8 weeks without stopping. It might look like all the hair is gone after 5-6 treatments but...surprise! Some will come back!
And just like with Electrolysis...there will probably be some maintenance sessions in the future...
Quote from: Brooke777 on September 28, 2012, 09:25:54 PM
I do not know the levels, all I know is after getting laser done around budding breasts, the face is nothing.
Did they ever give you a "safety word"?
LOL >:-)
Quote from: Brooke777 on September 28, 2012, 09:25:54 PM
I do not know the levels, all I know is after getting laser done around budding breasts, the face is nothing.
Away from the face is more bearable, depends on the type Laser used. Mine was done with the Luminus Learshear Duet. The large head allows for "one pass" instead of two. Had 4 chest ab and small back areas done with LHR. Some small areas regrew, Electrolysis can take care of those also. What kind of Laser was used on you?
Quote from: Beth Andrea on September 28, 2012, 09:31:10 PM
Did they ever give you a "safety word"?
LOL >:-)
...like MERCY? :laugh: (good book, so-so movie...lived in Houston at the time also...)
Quote from: Beth Andrea on September 28, 2012, 09:31:10 PM
Did they ever give you a "safety word"?
LOL >:-)
Yes. It was OH GOD PLEASE STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It really depends how thick the hair is to start with. No joke I had some that could give you a splinter because they were so thick, now after a few sessions most of those have cleared and the pain is not anywhere near what it was at the start. During my first session I was talking to the tech and she said the thinner the hair the less you feel it.
Quote from: Penny Gurl on September 28, 2012, 09:44:34 PM
It really depends how thick the hair is to start with. No joke I had some that could give you a splinter because they were so thick, now after a few sessions most of those have cleared and the pain is not anywhere near what it was at the start. During my first session I was talking to the tech and she said the thinner the hair the less you feel it.
TRUE! And thicker hairs are easier than thinner hairs to get rid of with LHR.
Quote from: Penny Gurl on September 28, 2012, 09:44:34 PM
It really depends how thick the hair is to start with. No joke I had some that could give you a splinter because they were so thick, now after a few sessions most of those have cleared and the pain is not anywhere near what it was at the start. During my first session I was talking to the tech and she said the thinner the hair the less you feel it.
Probably explains mine.
Luckily my facial hair is rather pathetic.
Well I cried :'( . It hurt so much. Although it's true that the first time was the worst because of the quantity and size of the facial hairs. Now I'm reading that electrolysis is going to be worse! Great...
What I find challenging now is not shaving for weeks after treatment to let the hair naturally fall out and also not to strengthen the other hairs between treatments. Whats a girl to do with patches of beard on the face? Not forgetting that putting cream on my face after makes my face break out in acne. I am obviously not comfortable with this patchiness so it feels like putting a hold on living my life the way I want to. I get a little depressed about this at times.
Quote from: PaigeMtl on September 30, 2012, 10:07:05 AM
Well I cried :'( . It hurt so much. Although it's true that the first time was the worst because of the quantity and size of the facial hairs. Now I'm reading that electrolysis is going to be worse! Great...
What I find challenging now is not shaving for weeks after treatment to let the hair naturally fall out and also not to strengthen the other hairs between treatments. Whats a girl to do with patches of beard on the face? Not forgetting that putting cream on my face after makes my face break out in acne. I am obviously not comfortable with this patchiness so it feels like putting a hold on living my life the way I want to. I get a little depressed about this at times.
Yes we know...BUT CHEERUP PaigeMtl! Soon it will be over, and Electrolysis isn't as bad as you might think! The thinner the hairs get with successive LHR treatments the "pain" decreases! If you don't have any "light/white/grey/clear colored hairs, you might bypass Electrolysis!
Just try to get 6-8 LHR treatments if that is the case, don't stop after 4-5, it takes more.....I know.
Another question: how long did you wait before shaving after every session? I shaved 5 days after a session and I think I should've waited a bit more, but I just can't see my face with facial hair anymore. How about two weeks? Is that good enough?
I know my tech told me that I could shave as soon as I liked after. I have gotten to that same point where I just hate seeing hair on my face. The first time I waited about four days after since my face was still sore, the second I waited two days and after the third session my face wasn't hurting bad at all and did a trim the next day. Also the act of shaving can help bring out the dead hairs instead of just waiting to let them fall out.
WTF I never used any painkillers or creams or plastic wraps( lol wut?) and whatnot I mean it only really hurts on the upper lip and a little on the jawline suck it up people and take the heat!
My laser tech told me that you need to wait a week before shaving otherwise there will be stubble caught under the skin. It won't hurt, but it will look like there is hair there. I follow this rule for my chest, but not my face. I shave the next day for my face only because I can cover up the little hairs with makeup.
Quote from: Seyranna on October 03, 2012, 07:47:24 PM
WTF I never used any painkillers or creams or plastic wraps( lol wut?) and whatnot I mean it only really hurts on the upper lip and a little on the jawline suck it up people and take the heat!
Well, not all of us can dominate the Matrix as well as you, Trinity!
Quote from: Seyranna on October 03, 2012, 07:47:24 PM
WTF I never used any painkillers or creams or plastic wraps( lol wut?) and whatnot I mean it only really hurts on the upper lip and a little on the jawline suck it up people and take the heat!
:eusa_clap: :eusa_clap: :eusa_clap:
...and there's even a name for people such as your brave self...Masochist :laugh:
Just to say that last week I had my second session. Numbing cream and the boss doing it to avoid another screw up on my upper lip as the last time. Almost no pain and extra quick (Either an amazing kill rate on the first session or I did not have a lot to begin with). Although they will do an extra session for the upper lip, since they wanted to minimise the damage to that part. They said it probably was folliculitis and healing properly, but the red pigmentation was unexpected (it was healing properly, but when they saw it they delayed the session to get an oppinion from an expert). If it does not disappear, the may apply another treatment to remove ths four burn like spots. For now, Max Factor .50 foundation when I need to cover them, and a lot of sunscreen.
The last thing is that we switched the aftercare cream, from their laser face repair to a Aloe Vera one with some sort of Acid. "Glicolyc", or something like that.
Shaved a week later for an interview.
For me the only time I got numbed was the first session since I had an excpetionally thick beard. The tech herself was actually concerend so they did it as a precaution. The last two I had nothing applied, the third session was much more tolerable than even the first when I was numbed. So I'm guessing the ladies wo had lighter and thinner hair to start with had much less pain. Now for the fouth session next week I'm actually thinking about asking them to step up the laser setting to try and work out that very stubbon 'muzzel' area. So once again, the thickness and over all folical density really play a huge role in the pain factor.
Quote from: Rotten Apple on October 05, 2012, 08:45:12 AM
Just to say that last week I had my second session. Numbing cream and the boss doing it to avoid another screw up on my upper lip as the last time. Almost no pain and extra quick (Either an amazing kill rate on the first session or I did not have a lot to begin with). Although they will do an extra session for the upper lip, since they wanted to minimise the damage to that part. They said it probably was folliculitis and healing properly, but the red pigmentation was unexpected (it was healing properly, but when they saw it they delayed the session to get an oppinion from an expert). If it does not disappear, the may apply another treatment to remove ths four burn like spots. For now, Max Factor .50 foundation when I need to cover them, and a lot of sunscreen.
The last thing is that we switched the aftercare cream, from their laser face repair to a Aloe Vera one with some sort of Acid. "Glicolyc", or something like that.
Shaved a week later for an interview.
Sincerely...don't kid yourself about the number of LHR treatments you need. I had 5 LHR's to my face and neck, and my Electrologist is still zapping some dark hairs. If all of your facial/neck hair is dark, LHR should suffice, but consider 6-8 treatments because hair grows in cycles.
I stopped after 5 because approx. 30% of my facial/neck hair was white, so I knew I would need Electrolysis.
Also...those red spots are most likely "burn spots, after my 2nd LHR treatment I noticed my Chin was orangish-red, so the Nurse decreased the power/energy level and it cleared up. Be careful about the Glycolic Acid treatment, sounds like they are performing a "peel" to remove the red spots. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycolic_acid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycolic_acid) , http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-glycolic-acid.htm# (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-glycolic-acid.htm#) ) Ask your tech or aesthetician what concentration they are using.
My bad, It was hyaluronic Acid, can't remember a single name. I was told that around 6 sessions would be enough to kill most of it, although of course, they don't know the purpose behind doing this (the only other person getting full face treatment is a flight attendant). The truth is that I did not even have a real beard to start with, just loose hairs that would not cover a single part of my face. One of the few things I lucked out with, I almost don't even have body hair... Anyways, really dark sparse hair over pale skin, so it seems to work quite well.
I took photos of the burns for four weeks and showed to them before starting the treatment, so they recalibrated the machine before the second attack. There may be a few of them in a previous thread around here. They were seen by a doctor and two dermathologist. Two said "folliculitis" and the other "it will take a long time until they fully heal". Much better results on the second session in terms of recovery, though.
Quote from: Rotten Apple on October 05, 2012, 08:45:12 AM
Just to say that last week I had my second session. Numbing cream and the boss doing it to avoid another screw up on my upper lip as the last time. Almost no pain and extra quick (Either an amazing kill rate on the first session or I did not have a lot to begin with). Although they will do an extra session for the upper lip, since they wanted to minimise the damage to that part. They said it probably was folliculitis and healing properly, but the red pigmentation was unexpected (it was healing properly, but when they saw it they delayed the session to get an oppinion from an expert). If it does not disappear, the may apply another treatment to remove ths four burn like spots. For now, Max Factor .50 foundation when I need to cover them, and a lot of sunscreen.
The last thing is that we switched the aftercare cream, from their laser face repair to a Aloe Vera one with some sort of Acid. "Glicolyc", or something like that.
Shaved a week later for an interview.
Try and get "MagicShave" if you can. They're marketed here in the states to primarily african american men or any guy who grows curly hair on their face and that is prone to ingrown hairs. It's basically a depilatory cream that's safe enough to use on your face and won't give you burns. I think that would be better than shaving, since shaving can irritate the skin.
Session 2 1/2. Last Time they did not want to touch a few parts, to observe better the results. From what they told me, the first session did not have the best values for me. I am oversensitive to laser and get completely red in a few moments. In the end they found the adjustment that works for me, but... Maybe the three folliculitis style burns from the first session could have been avoided.