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PaperclipPerfector  6mo ago (text post)   3303 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

Fw: exchange with the technician (all bold emphasis added):

Technician: You sent in a message asking about the type of laser we use and how painful the treatment is.
First of all, I am sorry you're having that experience. Our laser is the Rohrer Epilaze. You are being treated with the 810 Diode attachment currently.
Use a lidocaine cream about an hour prior to our appointment and ibuprofen or tylenol at that time as well. When you come in I will have you remove it completely so we can have a more effective treatment. As far as the pain goes, those are the only options for pain relief.
I do want to reiterate that this is not supposed to be a pain free experience unfortunately. There is a hot laser going into coarse hair follicles to try to kill the follicle so hair doesn't grow back. The first treatments are usually the worst because you have the most hair. It should eventually get easier, but the face is always going to be a very tender area.
Do you want to continue treatment?

Me: Is there a reason the 755nm alexandrite isn't being used in my case? I've read that it's less painful for sensitive areas, and I thought that my facial hair is dark enough & skin light enough to support its use.
I'm currently trying to get my hands on a stronger lidocaine solution; the 4% gel and tylenol I used before our previous session didn't seem to help much. I'll also try adding ibuprofen in.
I'd like to proceed at least through our next appointment[.]

Technician: Everyone [fitzpatrick] 1-3 I debulk with 810 diode due to its debulking power. I have found in my experience with 755, I only pull it out once we have gotten to the point in the laser process where the hair is very fine and sparse. That is when 755 is most effective. If you’d like I can use 755 at your next appointment, but your results are going to take longer.

Me: Do you mean that it would take more overall sessions, or that each session would just take a bit longer?
I’m perfectly OK to be in the chair getting zapped for a few more minutes if the pain could be a bit less intense; but I absolutely don’t want to risk making the overall treatment slower or less effective. If using the 810 is the best way to ensure that the debulking gets done well in as few sessions as possible, then let’s stay with that for now.

Technician: Using the 755 would take more sessions! We will continue with 810, and if you ever want to swap before necessary let me know!

I wonder how much of that is “genuinely true” vs. just a consequence of clinic-wide policy meant to keep these $67 sessions as short as possible for maximum patient throughput...

$67 sessions? I have a sudden urge to talk to a lawyer about the thousands I spent, only for it to turn out I had enough greys left over to just look mangy and artificially aged. ... supposedly with an 80% off coupon which I am not convinced was properly applied.

In any case, I don't know the laser details. The procedure sounds the same. I experienced pain, but it doesn't sound as intense as what you described. More like getting repeatedly slapped in small areas. Although, it grew more painful with later sessions, presumably because they increased the power.

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