Is Electrolysis Painful On The Face And Body?
The goal of electrolysis is to kill hair follicles. Thus the current must be strong enough to eradicate the cells responsible for hair growth. You have to feel something for electrolysis treatment to be effective.
Where is electrolysis most painful?
The upper lip seems to be the one area where most people wince. Particularly the area right beneath the nose. Not only does electrolysis on the upper lip stimulate sneezing but it is uncomfortable because the skin is so thin. Other areas of the face and body vary in terms of intensity of sensation. Your pain tolerance varies throughout your course of treatment based on your mood, the area we work on and, for women, their cycle.
I recommend EMLA to deal with electrolysis pain. For information on how to apply EMLA for electrolysis hair removal, please read this essay.
It’s important to keep in mind that pain is subjective. I’ve always used EMLA when removing my body hair because my electrologist basically fried the hair out.
One’s ability to manage electrolysis pain is determined by personality. If you’re anxious you will feel pain. If you can relax then you’ll have no problem. It is a myth that men can’t handle pain. Very few male clients use numbing cream, whereas increasing numbers of female clients are scared of feeling anything at all!
Non-medicinal methods of pain management during electrolysis
Distraction works well on some people, whether it’s music, a book or talking.
Some of my clients are content with taking a few pain relievers prior to the appointment and that’s enough to relax them for the hour or two I am working on them.
I used to recommend learning some relaxation techniques. Due to the amount of people who deep breathed directly into my face I’ve had to put a prohibition on that. Same with the tapping and the flicking of fingers, it ends up distracting ME and that’s the last thing you want!
To summarize:
Go to your first electrolysis appointment with an open mind and no expectations of how you’re going to feel. You’ll discover fairly quickly whether that most of what you’ve read on the internet is wrong. Electrolysis doesn’t hurt that much, I promise!