Emla: Application For Electrolysis or Laser Treatments

EMLA For Pain Relief During Electrolysis

Pain management is very important when you’re doing extensive body work with electrolysis because, in order for you to have an effective treatment, it’s gotta hurt. Over the counter “numbing creams” are very effective provided you use them correctly. EMLA is the one with which I’m most familiar, but Maxilene has been recommended to me as well. The advantage of Maxilene is that it does not have to be occluded (covered in an airtight dressing) like the EMLA, however, EMLA is available at every Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada, unlike Maxilene.

These creamss are quite pricy so it’s important to you use them properly so you get the maximum benefit. Here are some pointers on how to use EMLA:

  • Supplies: tube of EMLA, (or plastic wrap or produce bag cut into strips, tensor bandage or surgical tape). Tegaderm patches are better than plastic wrap and surgical tape but they can be pricy.
  • The ideal window of time for application is 2-4 hours before your treatment time. The earlier the better though if you want to feel absolutely no pain.
  • Apply EMLA in a thick layer over skin. Let’s say you have a 2 or 3 hour appointment to work on the front of your right thigh. You should expect to use one-half of a 30g tube to cover this area. If the area is not occluded properly (meaning sealed in an airtight dressing) then you will most likely have to re-apply several times to achieve greater numbing.
  • Once EMLA is applied, place plastic strips to completely cover area. Leave a half inch border at the edges as the EMLA will spread to cover that area by the time your treatment begins.
  • Wrap tensor bandage around the area so that the plastic wrap stays in place. (You can use surgical tape in place of the tensor bandage, however, hairs will be ripped out when you remove it.)
  • Put your feet up an enjoy several hours of doing absolutely nothing!

Getting from your home to the electrologist’s office is the tough part here.  It’s a good idea to have several tensor bandages to wrap around to really secure the area while you’re in transit.

EMLA is effective for about 20 minutes after you remove it. That’s why I recommend the strips of plastic. It’s much easier to expose a small area to work on, while still leaving the rest of the area intact. (The Tegaderm patch is ideal for this because you can lift a small corner of the patch but the rest stays relatively air-tight.)

Further Reading

Is Electrolysis Painful? – Pain Management For Electrolysis Treatments

Emla vs Maxilene

Prepare Your Skin For Electrolysis

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One thought on “Emla: Application For Electrolysis or Laser Treatments

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