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PaperclipPerfector  6mo ago (text post)   3324 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for October 27, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

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I desperately need any tips for reducing pain with laser facial hair removal that might not be easy to find on Google.

I'm 2 sessions in so far, and this is so painful that I cannot find words to express it; I end each session with tears dripping down the side of my head, and I get flashbacks to the session for a few days afterwards that are so intense as to be distracting. I do not have any kind of anxiety disorder, but entering the second session I felt panicked at the pain that was coming (and it did not seem that “the anticipation was worse than the event”.)

I believe the technician is not actually mechanically fucking up and burning me, because I am experiencing absolutely zero redness, blisters, or lasting pain; but this is still such an unpleasant experience that I'm considering aborting the sequence even if they won't give me a prorated refund for the unused sessions.

First session:

  • Didn't take any special precautions
    • the clinic's website said “Most patients describe the laser hair removal process as uncomfortable or mildly painful”;
    • I am a pretty optimal candidate as I have rather light skin and medium/medium-dark facial hair;
  • Did standard recommended prep such as shaving 24h beforehand, avoiding vitamin A the week beforehand (applies to all sessions);
  • attempted dissociation / wandering mind during the session (applies to all sessions);
  • applied a cooling aloe gel provided by the clinic at the end of the session (applies to all sessions).

Second session, after asking the technician for tips and doing a bit of basic research (I'm not sure how much any of this actually helped):

  • 3000mg acetaminophen 30mins before;
  • smearing on a thin layer of lidocaine gel 30mins before, washed off at the clinic immediately before the appointment;
    • this was the technician's recommendation, though I just got whatever was to hand at the local store, which happened to be a 4% gel;
  • requested a stress ball to squeeze during the session.

Current plans for the 3rd session, coming up in around 3 weeks — asking for stuff to add/remove/change here:

  • avoid coffee the morning of;
  • drink water the morning of;
  • 4000mg acetaminophen 1h before, so it has time to properly kick in;
  • 100mg diphenhydramine 30min before;
  • smearing on a 1mm layer of 10% lidocaine cream advertised for tattoo artist use and applying saran wrap on top of it 30mins before, washed off at the clinic immediately before the appointment;
  • bringing a small plush toy of my own as a comfort item to squeeze instead of the clinic's stress ball.

I do not know what laser type this clinic is using; I suspect it's diode (810nm), but I sent them an e-mail this weekend asking so I should hear back within a day or 2. I have read that alexandrite (755nm) might be better and less painful for my skin type. I'm currently e-mailing other clinics in the area to see what laser types they have.

https://cambridgelaserclinic.com/laser-treatments/hair-removal/lasers-explained/ (edit: their great diagram doesn't seem to want to embed as an image)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10886276/#:~:text=The%20800%20nm%20diode%20laser%20causes%20greater%20discomfort%20than%20the%20755%20nm%20alexandrite%20laser.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/acetaminophen-safety-be-cautious-but-not-afraid

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-warns-consumers-avoid-certain-topical-pain-relief-products-due-potential-dangerous-health

3000 milligrams of acetaminophen in one dose is dangerous to your liver. That’s one third higher than the recommended maximum dose for a entire day. 4000 would be double the maximum allowed daily dose. Especially if you regularly drink any alcohol at all. Can you ask your doctor to put some lidocaine on your face before he starts? Or use an injected numbing agent?

[3000mg is] one third higher than the recommended maximum dose for a entire day. 4000 would be double the maximum allowed daily dose

The source I linked in the toplevel says that 3000mg would be the “Safest maximum daily dose for most adults” and that 4000 is the maximum allowable 24h dose. Where are you getting your numbers from?

I do not take pain relievers for any other purpose; I had to buy a bottle of acetaminophen specifically for this use.

Especially if you regularly drink any alcohol at all.

I have 2 drinks per week for good health superstition, but will obviously refrain for the week surrounding that dose.

Can you ask your doctor to put some lidocaine on your face before he starts?

At the technician's recommendation, I already did try lidocaine, but I'm not sure how much it helped, so I'm going to be using a higher dose next time. (This clinic doesn't seem to include it with service, in any case.)

A few years ago 4000 was the maximum daily dose but the FDA has recently revised the recommendation down to 2000 mg because of evidence that acetaminophen is more hepatotoxic that previously realized. And to reduce the risks of accidental overdose from multiple medications, and because of the synergistic damaging effects with alcohol.

I've got to ask again where you are getting those numbers from.

I googled fda.gov acetaminophen safety and the first result, explicitly labeled “current as of” February of this year, has the same number as the Harvard article I cited in the toplevel comment:

The current maximum recommended adult dose of acetaminophen is 4,000 milligrams per day

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/dont-overuse-acetaminophen

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