I went to get laser done on my face today and I opted out of buying the analgesic cream the spa offered. Needless to say the treatment hurt a lot since I have extremely course dark hair. I had no adverse reactions to the treatment however, just a tiny bit of redness.

Can anyone tell me if analgesic cream works for laser? I can bear the pain it's just that damn it really hurts! (only for a second then it fades away).

I found laser to be much more bearable with the BLT (benzo-lido-tetracaine) cream.  I use it for electrolysis as well.

I've been using a 5% lidocaine ointment when I use my Tria at home... I want to say it works in that it's less painful than without. But, it's still REALLY painful.

Quote from: Jill F on January 27, 2014, 08:41:55 PM
I found laser to be much more bearable with the BLT (benzo-lido-tetracaine) cream.  I use it for electrolysis as well.

This.

Have it mixed up at a compounding pharmacy (you'll need a prescription) and then slather on plenty about 45-60 minutes before your session. It works a lot better than EMLA.

It's easy to get and if that still doesn't work then some people have claimed they got a dentist to inject them with lidocaine first. I guess if you don't kind drooling on yourself Cosby style while getting the work done then it would be ideal.

I had my first electrolysis a month or two ago while in Atlanta and it went so well that I'm trying to find a local place that offers it.

Quote from: NoReflection on January 27, 2014, 10:22:55 PM
I have not had any electrolysis yet, but I have a consultation this weekend.  In any case, I don't have any point of reference at this time as far as pain is concerned.

Granted, I haven't had any professional hair removal done. But, I've been using the Tria for laser hair removal, and the One Touch for elecrolysis. And my experience has been that the laser hurts like a *long string of expletives censored*, and that electrolysis feels more or less like a very mild pinch. But, again, the One Touch is powered by a 9v battery, so, it's quite possible professional machines cause more pain.

Everybody's thresholds and triggers are different. Some say that laser is the devil for pain. Others swear that electrolysis is. But this makes sense in a way because we are all different and so are the people who work the equipment. So find what works for you and get it done.

I like to go without cream and just take the Advil before I go in. It kept the swelling down and made the uncomfortable pillow situation bearable for at least the first half hour.

Quote from: NoReflection on January 27, 2014, 10:22:55 PM
Once or twice I have tried applying some kind of mild pain relief cream or popping a few ibuproffens prior to treatments, 

Something to be aware of is that ibuprofen may increase photosensitivity rustling in burns. My clinic gave me strict instructions not to take ibuprofen 24 hours before treatment.

That being said the same thing has been said about Estrace and they never had any concerns about that.

I used the antigenic cream on my upper lip and found it took the edge off slightly. What helped me the most was an ice gel pack I could apply from time to time before and after treating an area.

Also they would give me a "stress ball" that I could squeeze and I would try to focus on breathing.

I've been doing my own laser for nearly a year now using three types. One is a professional unit that set me back quite a bit of $$ but it will treat up to 60 hairs at once. During it's pulses I feel a kind of pinprick sensation that goes away immediately once the device is removed from that area. I have a single hair unit (even though my professional unit has a setting for single hairs) that is a continuos beam kind I use on my eyebrows. Now it flat out hurts if you hold it over the area too long. I also have a flash -n -go that is a pulse light device I use for large areas such as my legs and arms. It hardly hurts at all. As for my face most all of my dark hairs are gone but I do have some grays in some areas I use the charcoal dye on, however these still are giving me the most trouble getting rid of them but they have thinned out quite a bit. And if it's a darker grey my professional unit seems to zap it w/o the dye.

As for the pain, I'm repulsed by hair on my face so much I actually like feeling it because feeling that pinprick tells me hair follicles are dying. In fact, I gave my face a full treatment yesterday afternoon. So now in two weeks after "fallout" completes I'll know how much more I'll need to do, or, if I need to obtain an electrolysis device to get rid of these grays.

Quote from: ♡ Emily ♡ on January 27, 2014, 11:23:21 PM
I was using EMLA cream in combination with TRIA home kit and it helped me to get through initial stages.

How long before you noticed significant results with the Tria? I've been belting my face with it at least three times a week for three weeks now, and although there are a small handful of spots where I think it's been thinned out, I can't be sure.

What I have noticed is I've gotten a lot of ingrown hairs. Which never happened prior to using the Tria. Ugh. I just want this to be done!

Non of the creams are worth the money and time IMHO. Tried them all. Just grin and bear the pain, and use the extra $$$ for more laser.

I used lido when I started and until there was significant reduction. It just takes a little bit of the edge off.

I tell you what really works though, last time I went in for a quick clean up and I had a dentist apt in the morning. I was not having anything to do with that so he set about numbing the holy hell out of my mouth. I think they inject lidocaine now for dental anesthetic and I assume it's more powerful that the topical. Anyway, my whole face was numb as hell and I didn't feel a thing and towards the end I bit the hell out of the inside of my mouth. The dentist decided that just pumping me full of more lido would be better than a stitch, even though I was basically drooling blood for an hour. But, I never felt a thing at either place.

I had forgotten about dentists! When I had my wisdom teeth pulled they pumped my face so full of lidocaine I didn't realize I was drooling blood for most of my ride home on the bus. I just thought people were giving me weird looks for no reason 

I wonder if I can call up my local dentist and just say "Weird question, but, how much to pump my cheeks full of lidocaine and then send me on my way?" I can sit in my car in the parkinglot and go to town with the Tria until it wears off...

Quote from: ♡ Emily ♡ on January 29, 2014, 12:20:46 AM
I got some nasty festering boils on my face when I overdid Tria...

I thankfully haven't had that happen... yet. But, that's good to know. So far I've just had ingrown hairs. Those are bad enough...

Did you actually notice hair ejections? Or, was it a gradual sort of "hmm, there used to be hair there..."? People who've done professional laser report ejections, and I haven't really noticed that happening. So, for the moment, I can't really tell if it's working. Although I suspect that it is, because there are tiny tiny patches here and there that seem less dense than other areas.

I've been getting professional done. I can definitely notice ejections. Sometimes I just look for hairs that are coming out and help them finish, makes me feel better lol.

I know I won't stop until every last one of the repulsive things are gone. Hair on my face discusts me to a point beyond words. And, every time I feel that little pinpric pain I halfway smile knowing it's another facial hair dying.

Emilie's right 3 times per week is way too much. In fact, treating that much you could actually stimulate more and/or new hair growth. I treat once every two weeks, sometimes every three because you have to allow time for those dead hairs to fall out, or "eject." Let me assume here that the day after your treatment it actually feels like you've grown more hair or accomplished nothing. The ejection process will feel to the touch as rough hair growth. However if you wait a week this will begin to get noticeably thinner in the treated area. And after around two weeks you can accurately gauge how much hair is left in the treated areas.

Your getting ingrown hairs because the frequency of your treatments are most likely stimilating new hair growth -especially if you go over the same area multiple times during each session.

A couple of other things to consider are the three cycles of hair growth: Anagen =active growth phase, Catagen =degradation phase, and Telogen =the resting phase. Lasers and pulse light devices are only effective during the Anagen or active growing phase. During the other two phases these devices are ineffective. And when it comes to facial hair, only about 30% of the hair is in the Anagen (growth phase) at any given time. So each time you treat your only treating 30% of the hair. And because the resting phase can last between six weeks and up to six months in some individuals this is the reason that multiple treatments over a one to two year period will be necessary to remove most of the hair. Facial hair is the only hair on the body that only has so little - 30% in the growth or Anagen phase at one time, so therefore it takes the longest time to be rid of say compared to leg hair which 62% is in the Anagen (growth) phase at a given time, and thus will take less treatments to remove.

I've done alot of research on the subject so I could understand laser treatments and how they work so I can be as most effective as I can doing it on my own. Just be a little more patient with your treatments Missadventure and you'll start seeing better results. Hope this has helped some.