Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

Minimizing Lhr Pain


Guest Audrey Elizabeth

Recommended Posts

Guest Audrey Elizabeth

So tomorrow I am going to my first session for laser hair removal. It makes me so nervous every time I think about it and of course it is only a day away now. Yikes!

I was wondering if anyone knows whether these creams that are supposed to minimize the pain actually work. I got one and I am ready to use it but I was curious to know what you all thought about it? Do any of them work?

Audrey

Link to comment
Guest Darcie

I've started researching hair removal options and it didn't take long for me to decide on laser vs electrolysis. From what I've been informed so far, laser is much less painful, much cheaper, faster and unless you're dark skinned the risks of skin damage/scarring are minimal. Caveat: I've learned that there are three types of lasers. Ruby, Diode and Alexandrite. The latter having the higher (755nm) wavelength that is supposed to be the safer and more effective choice. Apparently Kaiser Permamente thinks so to because that's what they use. Cost for each session (they do the whole beard area each time) averages $175-$250 and requires a 4-6 week re-growth period between treatments to get at the re-growth follicles. Average # of treatments to complete the work 10-12 spanning about a year and half for an average face like mine. That works out to be substantially cheaper, less painful than electrolysis and each session only takes 15-20 minutes. Be super careful who you choose and what type of laser they will be zapping your pretty face with. I've heard horror stories of actual doctors disfiguring their client's by using older, cheaper lasers like the ruby and not knowing what their doing or just adopting a macho "git-er-done" attitude. This isn't a thing to bargain shop. Get references, good recent references and check the salon's credentials and for any complaints through their licensing agency before deciding which salon to use. Especially if you have darker skin. I'll try to update my personal experience and progress here as it unfolds.

Joy!

Darcie

Link to comment
Guest Donna Jean

.

Great tasting...

Less filling....

LOL...Laser Vs. Electrolysis....

The ongoing debate....

I have done 65 hours of electrolysis because my hairs are gray/white and laser won't work on them...

Most people who get Laser end up getting some electrolysis at the end because the Laser doesn't get it all...

Also remember.....Electrolysis is the only proven permanent hair removal system...

If you are getting Laser, be sure to read all the pros and cons....Google is your friend!

Good luck!

Huggs

Donna Jean

Link to comment
Guest Julie T

Audrey Elizabeth

I haven't gone the LASER path, I used electrolysis, and that had a cream I used very successfully. I know a few people who have had LASEE, and as an example, my roommate Sally used LASER several times, and lived. She used a numbing cream they applied at the clinic.

Julie

Link to comment

Dear Audry,

Yes, I did survive - largely in part by using that cream - it does actually work as a matter of fact you can feel the numbness most of the day.

You will still feel each zapp!

But remember one zapp here does what about 200 hundred or so electrolysis zapps - it may not be totally permanent but it does last for a long time and it does really destroy some of the hair follicles completely - sort of the difference between blanket bombing and going house to house and getting every enemy one at a time and believe me facial hair is your enemy.

Love ya,

Sally

Link to comment
Guest Emily_MI

So tomorrow I am going to my first session for laser hair removal. It makes me so nervous every time I think about it and of course it is only a day away now. Yikes!

I was wondering if anyone knows whether these creams that are supposed to minimize the pain actually work. I got one and I am ready to use it but I was curious to know what you all thought about it? Do any of them work?

Audrey

For me laser was not all that terrible, it does depend on what type of laser you will have done though? but when I started my electrolysis is when the pain really started! I use EMLA cream to help (a little) especially in the upper lip area (ouchie!!!) I am going to see if I get some get shots from my Dentist which will help A LOT to help with numbing that area. I will have to check to see if my Dentist will even do that (some do, some wont) but again laser for me wasn't all that bad so hopefully you will have the same results when you have yours done, good luck!!!

-Emily

Link to comment
Guest EvenClose

Ask your laser center what they recommend. Mine has a doc and nurses and one can/could write me a presciption for a cream if it was too severe. Otherwise they had an in house cream that is basically like ora-gel. I choose none.

I chose WRONG! it hurts. It is worse than that whole rubber band slappy facey deal. Its more like a bee sting each time. The more hair zapped per pulse the more it hurt. Next time Im gonna try out the in house cream and see if it works.

Like i said, you can probably handle it without anything, but its not gonna be all rainbows and kittens. My hands were sweating and clenched on to the side rails. They stopped every 6 pulses to let me breath, but I made it through it.

Oh and another thing. If you don't like the smell of burnt hair, it might be worth getting some vicks or something to put in your nose. Cause its probably gonna stink a little.

Miranda

Link to comment
Guest Darcie

Thanks for the input Dee Jay.

I'm gonna give this salon a test run Tues. and evaluate.

Hug,

Darcie

.

Great tasting...

Less filling....

LOL...Laser Vs. Electrolysis....

The ongoing debate....

I have done 65 hours of electrolysis because my hairs are gray/white and laser won't work on them...

Most people who get Laser end up getting some electrolysis at the end because the Laser doesn't get it all...

Also remember.....Electrolysis is the only proven permanent hair removal system...

If you are getting Laser, be sure to read all the pros and cons....Google is your friend!

Good luck!

Huggs

Donna Jean

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Audrey Elizabeth

I did end up buying a cream to minimize the pain and I guess it worked. It still hurt but not as bad as I thought. Except on my upper lip. OMG that hurt so bad. My first session went good and my second is this Friday. The results from the first were mixed. I felt it made hair grow faster but the flip side was that I have been getting the closest shaves. It was weird seeing the hairs that did fall out later. I hope that laser really knocks a lot of hairs this Friday. I know I will end up doing Electrolysis so I am hoping the laser can get a large percent of the hairs.

Link to comment
Guest Audrey Elizabeth

Session two is this afternoon. I got my cream and I am so excited. Of course not about the actual session and the pain that comes with it, but the afterwards when I get to see the results.

Link to comment
Guest Sarahwr

Hi.

I'm going to a Laser treatment establishment on Tuesday morning for a test patch.

My natural scalp hair is now light grey which I believe is not good. I am uncertain about my facial hair whether it is the same colour.

My thought though is, on a discomfort scale of 1 to 10 where badly fitting shoes come in about 2 and a dentist drill comes in about 5 whereabout on the pain scale does laser come please?

And please someone tell me it doesn't go off the scale:-(

Love and hugzzzzzz to all.

Sarah

Link to comment
Guest Christine Alexa

Laser is up there in pain to getting my tattoos (and I have a breast piece, one down on half my back, over my spine and shoulder blades, and on my leg from the top of my foot to the middle of my calf). It's at the top of my Masochism scale, and occasionally past.

Electrolysis on the face, still tollerable, occasionally as bad as getting a tattoo on a sensitve area, just a little worse than laser, but not much, more different, since it's a sharper sensation, but spread across many less nerves.

Electrolysis on the genitals, well, after 10 zaps, we decided to hold off until my numbing cream comes in and went back to the face. It was *BAD*. I could have taken more, but it would have been difficult, and there wasn't much point in doing that when we could just switch back to my face, and go back down there next week. So my advice, don't even consider electrolysis downstairs without some form of numbing cream/balm/etc

Like all of this, everyone is a little different.

Christine

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Audrey Elizabeth

Hi.

I'm going to a Laser treatment establishment on Tuesday morning for a test patch.

My natural scalp hair is now light grey which I believe is not good. I am uncertain about my facial hair whether it is the same colour.

My thought though is, on a discomfort scale of 1 to 10 where badly fitting shoes come in about 2 and a dentist drill comes in about 5 whereabout on the pain scale does laser come please?

And please someone tell me it doesn't go off the scale:-(

Love and hugzzzzzz to all.

Sarah

Laser is not that bad really, but perhaps the cream I use really does minimize the pain. The only complaint I have is doing the upper lips. Now that hurts badly. I am lucky from what I am told since my skin and hair are the ideal so the pain is supposed to be less than other hair skin types and at the same time somehow more effective. I cannot wait to session number 3 because the second treatment was amazing in regards to results. No idea about Electrolysis but give me time and I will know something. UGH!

The hardest thing about laser is staying out of the sun. No fun.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   4 Members, 0 Anonymous, 124 Guests (See full list)

    • VickySGV
    • Carolyn Marie
    • Stacie.H
    • Betty K
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.6k
    • Total Posts
      767.9k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      12,014
    • Most Online
      8,356

    Quillian
    Newest Member
    Quillian
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. l.demiurge
      l.demiurge
  • Posts

    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Well, HIPAA is basically useless for keeping government out of your medical stuff.  It doesn't seem to prevent employers from making workplace medical demands either.  About the only thing it seems to do is keep somebody's sister or spouse from having the tools necessary to help you when you're in trouble.  As usual, government made things worse and added unhelpful red tape.  I really doubt HIPAA will be any use in the area of trans rights either.    Honestly, I don't see anything good will come of this no matter how it goes.  If some state AG's win on this, it will cause issues for trans folks.  If the Feds win on this, it'll be a precedent to stomp on states' rights even more than has already been done.  And I'm not sure which way things go will make a difference when it comes to officials from one state trying to do nasty things to people who have left that state and gone elsewhere.    What a crap sandwich... and no matter which plate it gets served on, "We The People" get to eat it. 
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      At least you tried!  Something equivalent or better may come up, and the waiting could be worth it.  Just keep trying and you'll eventually get what you need and want.      For me, having somebody to love was the most important.  Everything else follows after that.  I waited a long time to find somebody...and she ended up leading me to more than I ever thought possible.    Actually, I'm feeling pretty good right now.  I have something work-like outside of my home responsibilities to do for the first time in about 18 months.  Nobody seems to mind the real me.  And this evening, my husband said something that just really made me feel special.  He was rubbing my back, shoulders, and chest while we talked, helping me relax.  He told me that he thought I was really cute in my girl form, but that he thinks my boy form might even be cuter.  And that he's proud of his "smart little Pocket Fox."    For me, the combination of those sweet words and the physical affection was exactly what I needed. 
    • Abigail Genevieve
      Hi!   That was probably hard to write and then read and say, did I really write that?  Been there.   I'm glad you call it a journey.  It is.  One step at a time, and sometimes two steps forward, one back.    Abby
    • April Marie
      Welcome to the forums, Violet! We glad you found us! No one here will judge you. Each of us is unique yet we all share some similarities. And many of us are in the relative early stages of self-discovery.   Take time to wander the sections of the forums. You’ll find lots of information and ideas.   Ask questions if you feel comfortable. You will find lots of people willing to share their experiences.   Is it possible for you to possibly work with a gender therapist? Many of us have found that to be extremely helpful in finding our identity and out true selves.   Just jump in. We don’t bite! We’ve all been in some version of where you are.
    • April Marie
      Literally. 
    • Abigail Genevieve
      Shameless plug for my "Taylor" story down in Stories You Write.  I am not Taylor and the experiences she goes through are not what has happened to me, but there is an emotional expression that I think is the best way to say some things that I don't know how to say otherwise.  I am not Bob, either.  But you might find out some things about me by reading it.  And I hope it is a good read and you enjoy it.  I am not done with it.  If you would like to comment on it, I would appreciate it.
    • Abigail Genevieve
      Tuesday night.  They had a quick supper together at a fast food place.  Bob went off to teach karate and Taylor locked herself inside her apartment and worked on her hiring plan.   First the web site problem.  The two guys who ran it were self-taught and knew little.  It currently had three pages, the Home page, the About page and the Contact page,  She asked them to work with Karen in terms of redesigning it and she needed three designs to show Gibbs tomorrow.  The problem was three fold: the two guys and Karen.  Millville was a small town and all three were relatives of members of the Board.  Millville, Millvale. She was doing it.  People here called it either way, sometimes in the space of a few seconds.  She thought it was Millville.  All three had complained about the work, because the two boys regarded it as done and untouchable, even though they actually had not worked on it at all for months.  Like a number of people, they showed up and collected generous pay checks and did nothing.  She had looked at a number of websites and she had been told the company wanted one both internal and external customers could log into.  Her chief difficulty at the moment there was that there was very little content.  She decided to send the three complainers out tomorrow to take numerous pictures of the thirty acres  Or was it forty?  No one seemed to care. She cared, because she needed to get it right.  She debated outsourcing the website to a company, but first she needed something to outsource, and before then she needed to decide whether to keep these people.  She didn't need to mess with them.  So she decided to recommend they hire an experienced website developer with management skills. Would such a person come to Millville?  The schools were good, because the company had poured money into them, and the streets were well paved.  The company had bought all the abandoned houses and maintained them, hoping someday they would be filled again. Millville was crime-free.  People did not lock their doors. Neighborly. Very conservative, but in a good way.  Hard working, ethical, honest. Maybe the Chinese money was corrupting the town?  Not sure.  So she thought they would hire someone, even if it were a remote position.  She would rather have them here, but she would take what she would get.  That would move the website out of her hair. Secondly, she needed an effective presenter.  She could not do all these presentations herself.  She had natural talent but a lot could be passed on. She needed another Mary and another Brenda, or their understudies, effective hardworking people.   Bob. Was he okay with this?  He said she was Management.  Was that a problem?  And she was now earning a ridiculous salary, which she put down to company dysfunction more than anything she had done.  Was that a problem? She was not sure.  He was highly competitive and he had that male ego.  She did not.  A feeling of guilt rose.   Her therapist had brought up her feelings of guilt about not making Dad's expectations, never being the man Dad wanted her to be.  She never could, and this physical evidence backed that up.  What would the doctor say?  She thought about it, and that her therapist said she needed to find a sexual assault survivor's group more than a transgender group right now. Was there one here?  She thought about serving in a women's shelter.  There was one here, oddly enough connected to the church they had visited.  That F on her drivers' license would help.  She was waiting until after she talked to the doctor again to move on that stuff.   Was Bob really buying 160 acres near the old air strip on speculation?  Much of the land around Millville had been for sale for a long time.  That land was being offered at a dollar an acre, the owners having inherited it and now living out of state. Common knowledge.  They would take the first offer, and it had been for sale since the airstrip closed twenty years ago. Airstrip.  That would help.  Not tonight. Focus, girl, she told herself, and read over her notes to do so, which were making less sense the further down she went. It was eleven, and she gave up and went to bed.
    • violet r
      .my name is violet. I'm new here and thus is my first try at forums. I'm 45 and just recently having came to terms of who I really am. Thought a lot of self discovery since I stopped drinking. Drinking was my coping mechanism to hide a lot of thing. There were plenty of signs though the years. As I look back. That i hid inside. Now really sure what made all of this bubble to the surface at this time in my life.  Mabye it was waiting for me to be open minded and ready to accept that I am trans. I have a very unhealthy environment at home that is anti trans. I really don't know what else to say but hi. I hope everyone here will be accepting of me and me work through my journey of finding the real me. I know that since I accepted it I have been much happier than I can remember. Being to real me makes me happy. I hate having to hide this all the the time at home. I work retail management and have no idea if I could even stay in this business if I am to fully come out. Wow that was scary saying all that. It's a first for me
    • Ivy
      It is a lifesaver for a lot of us.
    • Abigail Genevieve
      Thanks.  What I do as a man is what a woman would do if she were a man.  There is just something feminine about the way I act as a man.  It's not that being a woman is actually better, or something to aspire to, but it is just that I am one, while not being one.   If beating my head bloody to get rid off this stupid dysphoria would fix it I would find the nearest wall, but I know that if I did that, when I woke up, it would still be there.   If I did not have this struggle I would be someone else and I would be less of a person than I am.  They say an oak tree growing in an open field is far stronger than one in a forest.  The storms come and go and I stand.   This forum is the first time I have interacted with other people struggling with the same struggle and parallel struggles. It helps.
    • Ashley0616
      I'm sorry! :( Hopefully something better will come up
    • Ashley0616
      Thank you! Did great with the kids
    • Sally Stone
      That's me too, Mae.  I don't think it's me as much as it is the camera (that's my story anyway).  Cameras hate me.  I never met one that liked me.  I often wish I was photogenic; sadly, not so much.   However, you look terrific in that selfie! 
    • Sally Stone
      April, I'm so glad things went well when you came out to your spouse.  So often, things can go sideways.  It's a hurdle we all have to jump at some point.
    • violet r
      I totally understand what you just said. I can relate to this very well. I have a lot.of similar feelings.
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...