I had facial hair removal by Laser some 15 years ago and paid a fortune - its was a new thing. It promised permamnent hair removal and had a lifetime warranty. After enough treatments so no hair was left I stopped and actually there was not growth for almost a year. Then it started again but less dense and I only shaved twice a week. I then worked in NYC and did not bother and began eventually to shave every day. Now I'm on a HRT program and wanted to remove my facial hair again - BUT its now a mix of dark and white hairs (its the age thing), but its not so dense as the Laser did seem to destroy 50%. Good news though, the company that did honor their warranty and with new technology the dark hairs have gone. THAT left the white ones and I was scared of electrolysis - its the story of pain. Anyway, I had to find one and thanks to this Forum I found one. I expected pain but actually I felt that the Laser was more painful. Honestly I did not find it painful and it is a pleasant suprise. Feels like a small prick, slight electrical current. Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones - or have the stories of pain been exaggerated.
I've found that the galvanic method hurts a lot less than thermolysis. Unfortunately for me, my hair is very tough and I don't have the patience for the galvanic method since it's significantly slower.