This is a scary tale, one I'm not proud of, but documenting it for others and myself.  I had a very stressful electrolysis day.  I should preface, that I had just done 3 hours of it the night before.  Today I was doing another 3 hours.  This is the same technician that's fairly green, but the price is right, or is it?  I also worked the second night shift in a row and was surviving on just a few hours sleep.  So I wasn't my best.  However, this session started to riddle me with anxiety almost immediately.  She's slow, lacks confidence.  It's painful, is it too painful?  She would ask her colleague to watch her every now and then and did I hear contempt in the colleagues tone?  Is it just me?  How many of these painful sessions must I endure?  Ouch, that hurt, that hair better come out.  That didn't hurt at all, is she doing it right?  You get the idea, these type of questions, over and over and over in my head.  By the end of the second hour. I felt beaten.  With every painful jab I was vowing to myself, it's time to go.  Then, I called it when I got a bad jab again.  I said, I'm done for the day.  I immediately started crying, and had to collect myself to have them do the cleanup.  When I eventually got out I cried in the car, and basically cried for an hour.

So my question for you all, how can I reduce the anxiety?  I'm already not going back to this technician, but all that circular thought made it very scary.  I am tempted to ask my doctor not for numbing cream, but for some kind of anti anxiety pills.

Bari Jo

Electrolysis is painful. There are things to use that will mitigate the pain, but not completely eliminate it.

1. Always use a numbing cream. At the very least use non-prescription Lidocaine 4% cream or lotion available at any drug store. Emla cream is better and some compounding pharmacies can make up stronger topical creams. Ask them for the formula and ask your doctor to prescribe that formula.

2. If your electrologist is working out of a doctor's office, sometimes they will administer an injectable nerve block, similar to what dentists use. This will temporarily stop all pain in that area. Some electrologists who do marathon sessions use this approach.

3. There are 2 types of electrolysis, thermal and galvanic.  If you hold a metal object in your hand, that is galvanic. Both methods are effective and painful. The amount of pain is determined by the setting on the machine. The higher setting the more painful and it will kill the hair follicle more effectively. Too high a setting and the skin could be burned and permanent scaring results. My electrologist uses a blended machine and she is constantly changing the setting for each area. She is also good at watching me flinch if it becomes too painful or alternately, I may ask her to lower the setting or work on another area on my face.

4. If the hair follicle is zapped good, it will come out painlessly. Sometimes on my face a hair needs two zaps. If she inadvertently tugs on a hair that she did not zap, it really hurts. There are many hairs really close together and it is easy to lose track of what was zapped or not zapped.

5. Lastly, we all have an individual tolerance to pain. Some of us are more sensitive and others can take a higher level of pain. We just have to deal the best we can with what we are. We have many issues like that. We are strong and we do what we must.

Hi Barijo

I commend you for being so stoic as to hang in their for as long as you did. I would like to share a couple of my experiences and things I have learnt.

My first session lasted 10 minutes and I was horrified at the pain and cried all the way home...I thought how can I endure hours and hours of this. The electrologist I used was young and had been trained by someone who had a good reputation and had 5 years experience. I tried a few more sessions with her and could only do 15 minutes max. This continued until I found a way of dealing with my pain by getting facial injections  I also have a dentist who will give me dental blocks to numb my top and bottom lip. I have had 6 clearances on my top lip

My results have been very good but I still have a stubborn top lip to do. My biggest concern is the damage that can be done to the skin by incorrect settings and worse still is when the hairs are incorrectly taken because if there is any tugging when they are taken the likelihood is that they will grow back.

The skill of your electrologist is paramount is reducing the risk of scaring and most of all the amount of regrowth. I had a dental block done and used a different Electrologist and all I could feel was lots of tugging...all that has pretty much regrown. No point in you putting in all these hours only to have to re do it.

I got a prescription for Valium which I take to reduce my anxiety, I always use Emla cream applied 1.5 hrs in advance and dental blocks for the lips. I am not too many hours off finished...my top lip is being very persistent.

I am also trying Hypnotherapy to try and get into a trance like state to minimise the awareness and anxiety....I am having mixed results but will persevere for a bit longer.

Once zapped, hairs should slide out and you should not feel any tugging or pulling sensation.

I would be concerned about the skill of someone who is new and just learning. I may not want them to be working on me all the time even if they are cheap...I would sooner spend more and get a good fast electrologist who knows what they are doing because they will be more effective and in the long term quicker at clearing your beard.  I hope you can solve your pain issues.

Bari jo I think you sticking it out as much as you can is super courageous! I don't know if I can do electrolysis from what I read and watched on YouTube it just looks and sounds too painful.

I'm using the recommendations here for laser which is painful but it's fast. Also this process is SO stressful I wanna cry thinking about how many sessions, time and $ I need to "try" and look passable without facial hair...

Really wish I could just be cis and comfortable.. that surely would be so much easier but that is not an option. It's so tough and I feel you!

I'm so sorry you have to go through that. (Big hugs). I'm sorry for anyone that has to go through hair removal. I have 5 stiff "guy"  hairs on my upper lip. I manage them with tweezers. After I first joined the site I had read about people's experience with electrolysis and I'm very sorry to say I thought they were just being babies. Like people who say waxing hurts too much. Then I came across a home electrolysis unit on amazon so I figured I would just zap my lip hairs permanently and I ordered it. I zapped ONE hair and that was the end of that! I couldn't believe how much that hurt! It brought tears to my eyes. It felt like a wasp sting. My brother thought I was being a drama queen so I zapped a hair on his hand. He found it very painful and let out a bunch of curse words. That was a home use unit. I imagine the professional ones are much more powerful and hurt even worse. I deeply apologize for thinking people were being babies about electrolysis. Anyone going through electrolysis has my total respect. I couldn't do it. If I had had facial hair I would have been screwed.

Don't feel bad for crying. Women cry when they get upset. When I get stressed out and upset I use something called Rescue Remedy. It's all natural but it does help. It's made by Bach Flower Remedies if you want to try it. I have anxiety issues though much less now than before transition. I refused prescriptions for xanex and other narcotics so my Dr prescribed Hydroxyzine. It's non narcotic but it totally calms you down. If you want to go the non narcotic route you might ask your Dr for a prescription of it.  Low cost or not I would dump that technician. You don't want someone inexperienced sticking a hot needle in your face.

I hope things get easier for you.

Bari Jo, I'm so sorry *hugs*.  Sounds like you already have the inner strength to do it again.  It was just this last session hit your limit.  There is nothing wrong or weak about hitting limits.  The next time you go just make to sure to schedule with a more experienced technician.  One way to look at it even though they are more expensive they will be more efficient providing better value.  Then when going to the next session try to think positive knowing that you are going to a different more experienced technician.

You got this girl!

You need a new technician. It should not hurt this much. Pain should be minimal. To just accept that "electrolysis is painful" is not an option. I will go as far to say that it should be a mildly pleasurable experience.

Thanks everybody, I'm usually fine with electrolosis.  I do about 7 hours a week.  My main girl I see does 1-1.5 hours a week.  She zaps upwards of 400 hairs an hour on my face using thermolysis.  She's not cheap and in high demand.  The others aren't as fast and really finding their zone, hence the cheaper rate.  I reached out to the one I'm closest to, and she's pairing me with someone more appropriate.

Yes, mostly my electrolysis has been fine, the pain being tolerable.  This time it was right at my Max many times, but the anxiety is what killed me.

Thank you Julia, like you I don't like to do anything narcotic.  I had a sister that OD'ed on that stuff and the addictive nature of it is enough to warn me off.  I will try the calming solutions you offer.

A local girl here said I might want to learn some meditation techniques.  They might not help for the pain, but will for the anxiety.

I will be traveling to Tokyo for a few weeks and won't be able to continue electrolysis while there.  The going rate per hour in Japan is $240.  I'll wait till I get back and it might give me time to learn these techniques and get the anti anxiety drugs.

Bari Jo

I use the prilocaine / lidocaine cream about an hour before I go. Covering the area with a layer of plastic wrap. This keeps the medication from drying out before numbing the area. I also learned the hard way, do not have caffeine before you go and drink plenty of water as it eases the pain and makes the hair easier to pull. It still stings but not nearly as much as when I first started. Good news is the extra water and lack of caffeine will improve your voice too. So says my voice coach who complains every time I show up to our sessions with a mocha.

Hi Bari Jo,

   I still fairly new at electrolysis because I do  1 hour sessions 3 weeks each month. You may have passed  me in hours by now. My last 2 sessions had tears leaking from my eyes. Cristina has been working on my mustache area and it hurts more than other places. The last 3 sessions have been there an so will the next and each one until it is cleared. I have found that doing the things you can to mitigate the pain is important:
1. Being well hydrated can make a big difference. I usually only drink about 20 oz of water a day but the day before I try to triple or more that amount and drink more the day of a session.
2. I believe EMLA cream is slightly better than 4% lidocaine alone (I've done both separately) for these last few sessions. Time is not your friend. Topical numbing lasts 15 to 20 minutes. (I pretreat 2 separate areas and cover with plastic wrap separately about an hour before she switches area after a half hour)
3. Again time is not your friend. I commend you on your longer sessions but if you are not using a nerve block or injections you are causing yourself undue pain and torturing your self. cut the session times down to bearable durations.
4. HRT increases the pain. I started electrolysis before an increase in my HRT and it definitely more now. I was on a low Normal dose and have had 2 increases since starting. There is good reason for doing electrolysis before HRT.
5. I take ibuprofen about 45 minutes before a session and it still hurts but worth doing no aspirin
6. Electrolysis is a no coffee (caffeine) in the morning day have some after the session.

These suggestion might help. Tears are likely to happen due to the pain and area being worked on that is normal and nothing to be ashamed of. Your crying was started by the pain then crossed over into an emotional release. You can lessen both by doing all you can to mitigate the session pains as much as you can.

  I do feel your pain Bari Jo.

Hugs,
   Laurie

3 hours at a time with no numbing? I can't even imagine. Don't be too hard on yourself, let yourself take a break when you need it.

Thanks for the tips everybody.  I will take them to heart and try it all.  I won't be having any more sessions for about 3 weeks.  What will I do with the extra time?  Yes, three hours plus at  a time.  If I could afford more if go it!

Bari Jo

Quote from: Bari Jo on October 27, 2017, 09:47:27 AMThe going rate per hour in Japan is $240.

The best place I know dedicated exclusively to electrolysis charges around $150 an hour.