Through the advances of Internet technology, I've discovered many people visiting my site lately have been seeking information on the type of numbing cream used in laser hair removal treatment.
This is what Ideal Image uses: it's called triple anesthetic cream, and it's a combination of benzocaine, lidocaine, tetracaine and phenylephrine.
Instructions call for applying the cream to the laser treatment site one hour prior to treatment and covering the area with plastic wrap. You are advised not to use this cream if you are pregnant or nursing. Honestly, I think laser hair removal would be the last thing on the mind of a pregnant woman.
Personally, I have found the cream to be a huge help in keeping pain and discomfort during treatment at bay. I have several blogs on laser hair removal.
Showing posts with label laser hair removal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label laser hair removal. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
Laser hair Removal- Part 6
Today was my fifth laser hair removal treatment and I was bummed going into it because my partner-in-crime who is undergoing this voluntary torture with me wasn't able to be here. I had a schedule conflict. But I had to soldier on, so here are all the details.
I applied the numbing cream two hours prior to my appointment and placed the dreaded plastic wrap over said application areas. My dogs spent the next two hours anxiously following me around. At first, I couldn't understand why. Then it hit me.
My dogs would have been great candidates for Pavlov's experiments. They've become conditioned to running toward the sound of celophane because there's always something good to eat inside celophane wrapping, in their minds.
Well, they're following me because every time I walk or move my arms, they hear the crinkle, crinkle of plastic wrap. And now they're looking at me, disgusted that I have no treat for them.
I head to my appointment also bummed out that Rachel, the nurse who typically administers the torture, isn't going to be there today. Another casualty of my changed schedule.
I arrive and sign in, start flipping through an old People magazine and I hear...Rachel! She, too, had a schedule change. I'm elated. And then I ask her, "Are you working on Saturday, too?" That's when my friend will be in for her appointment. The answer is no.
Oh no. I love Rachel, but my friend loooooooooooves Rachel. And she's the worst creature of habit I know. She's not going to take this change well at all.
I decide my fifth treatment is probably the most manageable- in terms of pain- since the first treatment. I notice that the most uncomfortable areas to laser are the creases in my armpits. There must be some serious hair follicles in that area.
I also realize that for the first time between treatments, I really didn't have to shave my armpits, because there just wasn't any hair there. There was a bit in the bikini line, but overall, I would say there has been a 90% reduction in hair growth in the treated areas.
I'm so happy to have made it to the magic No. 5 treatment. That's one full year of treatments. The next year will be about spot-treating areas where the hair continues to grow. My next appointment is 12 weeks away.
I applied the numbing cream two hours prior to my appointment and placed the dreaded plastic wrap over said application areas. My dogs spent the next two hours anxiously following me around. At first, I couldn't understand why. Then it hit me.
My dogs would have been great candidates for Pavlov's experiments. They've become conditioned to running toward the sound of celophane because there's always something good to eat inside celophane wrapping, in their minds.
Well, they're following me because every time I walk or move my arms, they hear the crinkle, crinkle of plastic wrap. And now they're looking at me, disgusted that I have no treat for them.
I head to my appointment also bummed out that Rachel, the nurse who typically administers the torture, isn't going to be there today. Another casualty of my changed schedule.
I arrive and sign in, start flipping through an old People magazine and I hear...Rachel! She, too, had a schedule change. I'm elated. And then I ask her, "Are you working on Saturday, too?" That's when my friend will be in for her appointment. The answer is no.
Oh no. I love Rachel, but my friend loooooooooooves Rachel. And she's the worst creature of habit I know. She's not going to take this change well at all.
I decide my fifth treatment is probably the most manageable- in terms of pain- since the first treatment. I notice that the most uncomfortable areas to laser are the creases in my armpits. There must be some serious hair follicles in that area.
I also realize that for the first time between treatments, I really didn't have to shave my armpits, because there just wasn't any hair there. There was a bit in the bikini line, but overall, I would say there has been a 90% reduction in hair growth in the treated areas.
I'm so happy to have made it to the magic No. 5 treatment. That's one full year of treatments. The next year will be about spot-treating areas where the hair continues to grow. My next appointment is 12 weeks away.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Laser Hair Removal- Part 5
My friend and I recently underwent our fourth laser hair removal treatment at Ideal Image. This time, we were looking forward to it because it was the first treatment we had while using the optional numbing cream.
We were told to apply the numbing cream to the treatment area 60 to 90 minutes prior to our appointments. I swore someone at Ideal Image said to put Saran Wrap over the area after applying the cream, but my friend doesn't recall that. But just to be safe, we try the Saran Wrap trick.
We arrive for our appointment and the nurse performing the treatment asks me if I applied the numbing cream, to which I replied, "That's a big hell yes."
She directs me to the bathroom to wash it off with those disposable facial cleansing cloths. I never knew a disposal cloth could generate so many suds. Anyway, after that, I step into the treatment room.
I'm so excited about undergoing this procedure with the numbing cream, until the nurse says, "you're still going to feel it. The cream just takes the edge off."
Darn.
While she's guiding the laser over my armpits, I carry on a conversation, which helps me not to think about the discomfort, which isn't too bad, actually.
The nurse knows I wound up with a few blisters across the top of the pubic area last time and asks if I had been in the sun prior to treatment. I said no. She decides to decrease the laser intensity over that area. Even with the numbing cream, the process is uncomfortable, but I notice that it's definitely better with the cream than without.
My friend, on the other hand, disagrees. For her, this fourth treatment is the worst to date.
I notice when I get home that instead of any blisters, this time I just have a raised welt across the top of the pubic area. I think I must just be sensitive to the laser.
Regardless, the discomfort is manageable and I'm very pleased with my results thus far. I'm seeing a marked reduction in hair growth and when the hair does grow back, it's much finer than it was prior to treatment. I also continue to notice that I can go longer without shaving between each successive treatment.
We were told to apply the numbing cream to the treatment area 60 to 90 minutes prior to our appointments. I swore someone at Ideal Image said to put Saran Wrap over the area after applying the cream, but my friend doesn't recall that. But just to be safe, we try the Saran Wrap trick.
We arrive for our appointment and the nurse performing the treatment asks me if I applied the numbing cream, to which I replied, "That's a big hell yes."
She directs me to the bathroom to wash it off with those disposable facial cleansing cloths. I never knew a disposal cloth could generate so many suds. Anyway, after that, I step into the treatment room.
I'm so excited about undergoing this procedure with the numbing cream, until the nurse says, "you're still going to feel it. The cream just takes the edge off."
Darn.
While she's guiding the laser over my armpits, I carry on a conversation, which helps me not to think about the discomfort, which isn't too bad, actually.
The nurse knows I wound up with a few blisters across the top of the pubic area last time and asks if I had been in the sun prior to treatment. I said no. She decides to decrease the laser intensity over that area. Even with the numbing cream, the process is uncomfortable, but I notice that it's definitely better with the cream than without.
My friend, on the other hand, disagrees. For her, this fourth treatment is the worst to date.
I notice when I get home that instead of any blisters, this time I just have a raised welt across the top of the pubic area. I think I must just be sensitive to the laser.
Regardless, the discomfort is manageable and I'm very pleased with my results thus far. I'm seeing a marked reduction in hair growth and when the hair does grow back, it's much finer than it was prior to treatment. I also continue to notice that I can go longer without shaving between each successive treatment.
Laser Hair Removal- Part 4
About 12 weeks pass before my friend and I go to our third treatment. Once again, the laser is intensified and the area of each zap is a bit smaller.
In 12 weeks, I completely forget the clothing routine and for some reason I strip for this treatment. As I'm lying naked on the paper-covered table, I begin to wonder to myself, "Am I supposed to be completely naked for this?"
I suddenly can't remember my routine from the past. When I finally decide I definitely shouldn't have all my clothes off, the nurse is knocking on the door to come in. Oh well, too late to re-dress now. And I decide I shouldn't even be embarassed, because this woman does Flare Do's on people (see last Laser Hair Removal- Part 1 for explanation). She's seen much more weirdness than me naked on the table.
Treatment three begins and...holy crap...does it hurt. The "discomfort" is almost unbearable. With each zap of the laser, my leg does this uncontrollable seizure-like jerk. I start sweating. And damn it, I'm naked, which means all this paper on the table is going to stick to me when I get up.
The laser zaps get so bad, I have to tell the nurse I need a break for a minute. I remember the consultant's words during that initial consultation: "it feels like a bee sting."
Uh, yeah. If that bee belongs to the Taser gun family.
As we're walking to my car, my friend and I agree that this treatment is the worst to date. We drive home and I start feeling some definite discomfort in the bikini line area. That night, I look in the mirror and I've got second degree burns right above my hoo-hah.
Now I'm pissed because I can hear my mother's overly-cautious banter in my head from when I told her I was going to start laser hair removal treatment. "That's fine...until you get second degree burns!"
I call my friend to see if she's got burns. She gasps, "You've got blisters where?!"
The next day I call Ideal Image. They say this certainly should not have happened. I decide there's nothing to do now but wait for them to heal, which they do. Very quickly, I might add.
I call my friend back and ask her what we're trying to prove by going "commando" to these painful treatments, when we could have gotten the numbing cream.
I call Ideal Image and demand the ointment prescription before the next visit.
The results are great, but the pain isn't fun.
In 12 weeks, I completely forget the clothing routine and for some reason I strip for this treatment. As I'm lying naked on the paper-covered table, I begin to wonder to myself, "Am I supposed to be completely naked for this?"
I suddenly can't remember my routine from the past. When I finally decide I definitely shouldn't have all my clothes off, the nurse is knocking on the door to come in. Oh well, too late to re-dress now. And I decide I shouldn't even be embarassed, because this woman does Flare Do's on people (see last Laser Hair Removal- Part 1 for explanation). She's seen much more weirdness than me naked on the table.
Treatment three begins and...holy crap...does it hurt. The "discomfort" is almost unbearable. With each zap of the laser, my leg does this uncontrollable seizure-like jerk. I start sweating. And damn it, I'm naked, which means all this paper on the table is going to stick to me when I get up.
The laser zaps get so bad, I have to tell the nurse I need a break for a minute. I remember the consultant's words during that initial consultation: "it feels like a bee sting."
Uh, yeah. If that bee belongs to the Taser gun family.
As we're walking to my car, my friend and I agree that this treatment is the worst to date. We drive home and I start feeling some definite discomfort in the bikini line area. That night, I look in the mirror and I've got second degree burns right above my hoo-hah.
Now I'm pissed because I can hear my mother's overly-cautious banter in my head from when I told her I was going to start laser hair removal treatment. "That's fine...until you get second degree burns!"
I call my friend to see if she's got burns. She gasps, "You've got blisters where?!"
The next day I call Ideal Image. They say this certainly should not have happened. I decide there's nothing to do now but wait for them to heal, which they do. Very quickly, I might add.
I call my friend back and ask her what we're trying to prove by going "commando" to these painful treatments, when we could have gotten the numbing cream.
I call Ideal Image and demand the ointment prescription before the next visit.
The results are great, but the pain isn't fun.
Laser Hair Removal- Part 3
I'm blogging about the laser hair removal process my friend and I are undergoing through Ideal Image. If you would like to read my first two blogs about this, they are appropriately labeled "Laser Hair Removal- Part 1" and "Laser Hair Removal- Part 2."
When our second treatment comes, we are actually looking forward to it. One step closer to permanent bare skin in our armpits and bikini line.
We had good results from the first treatment. After several days, hair began falling out, leaving smooth skin in its place.
We find out once we arrive that on the second trip, the laser is intensified and the area in which it targets with each shot is smaller. Oh well, maybe the discomfort will be slightly greater this time. No problem.
I remove my panties for this treatment because although Fire Crotch is a nice enough nickname for Lindsey, I've been mulling it over in my head a few days and it really doesn't suit me. I'm wearing a short sleeve shirt that day, so I remove that, but leave the bra on.
The second treatment certainly has a level of discomfort to it. I tell my friend afterward that my treatment hurt a bit. She is shocked. Hers felt fine.
Hmmmm....I must need to toughen up.
When our second treatment comes, we are actually looking forward to it. One step closer to permanent bare skin in our armpits and bikini line.
We had good results from the first treatment. After several days, hair began falling out, leaving smooth skin in its place.
We find out once we arrive that on the second trip, the laser is intensified and the area in which it targets with each shot is smaller. Oh well, maybe the discomfort will be slightly greater this time. No problem.
I remove my panties for this treatment because although Fire Crotch is a nice enough nickname for Lindsey, I've been mulling it over in my head a few days and it really doesn't suit me. I'm wearing a short sleeve shirt that day, so I remove that, but leave the bra on.
The second treatment certainly has a level of discomfort to it. I tell my friend afterward that my treatment hurt a bit. She is shocked. Hers felt fine.
Hmmmm....I must need to toughen up.
Laser Hair Removal- Part 2
I had been informed during my initial consultation that the procedure was not painless; that the "discomfort" was "manageable," but if I preferred, I could have a prescription for a numbing topical ointment to put on prior to my treatment. They described this "discomfort" as being similar to a bee sting. Well, a bee sting doesn't feel good, but I've certainly never felt like I was going to die from one.
I'm like a guy when it comes to situations where my pain level might be called into question. I like to think that I'm tough. I've been through Army Basic Training, for crying out loud. In my mind, I'm a regular bad-ass.
I decide I don't need numbing ointment prior to my treatments. I'm going "commando."
The consultant also informs my friend, who's going through this with me, that we must shave our bikini lines the way we want them to look at the end of our laser treatment regimen.
Good Lord. I try not to look at that area very much. But the night before our appointment, I'm in the shower, doubled over, trying to keep all my lines straight. But heck, I can't tell if it's straight.
So I enlist my husband's help. I step out of the shower with legs bowed like I've been riding a horse and ask, "Honey, is this even?"
Boy, does he become concerned about this project all of the sudden. He even gets out his reading glasses.
TREATMENT 1
My friend and I arrive for our first treatment. I'm told I can remove my panties, or they can just "work around them" when lasering my bikini line. I'm wearing a sleeveless shirt, so there's no need to remove any clothing to reach my armpits.
The armpits are a breeze. Very little "discomfort."
When we get to my bikini line, the nurse says in such a nice voice, "If you want to continue to wear your panties during future treatments, you want to avoid wearing black (I'm wearing black). The laser is attracted to pigment, and I would hate to catch your panties on fire."
And she laughs the friendliest little laugh after saying that. Meanwhile, I'm suddenly afraid I'm about to earn Lindsey Lohan's nickname, Fire Crotch.
My treatment ends peacefully- panties intact.
I'm like a guy when it comes to situations where my pain level might be called into question. I like to think that I'm tough. I've been through Army Basic Training, for crying out loud. In my mind, I'm a regular bad-ass.
I decide I don't need numbing ointment prior to my treatments. I'm going "commando."
The consultant also informs my friend, who's going through this with me, that we must shave our bikini lines the way we want them to look at the end of our laser treatment regimen.
Good Lord. I try not to look at that area very much. But the night before our appointment, I'm in the shower, doubled over, trying to keep all my lines straight. But heck, I can't tell if it's straight.
So I enlist my husband's help. I step out of the shower with legs bowed like I've been riding a horse and ask, "Honey, is this even?"
Boy, does he become concerned about this project all of the sudden. He even gets out his reading glasses.
TREATMENT 1
My friend and I arrive for our first treatment. I'm told I can remove my panties, or they can just "work around them" when lasering my bikini line. I'm wearing a sleeveless shirt, so there's no need to remove any clothing to reach my armpits.
The armpits are a breeze. Very little "discomfort."
When we get to my bikini line, the nurse says in such a nice voice, "If you want to continue to wear your panties during future treatments, you want to avoid wearing black (I'm wearing black). The laser is attracted to pigment, and I would hate to catch your panties on fire."
And she laughs the friendliest little laugh after saying that. Meanwhile, I'm suddenly afraid I'm about to earn Lindsey Lohan's nickname, Fire Crotch.
My treatment ends peacefully- panties intact.
Laser hair Removal- Part 1
I'm sick of shaving. That, combined with Ideal Image's quest to flood every form of media with advertisements about being hair free for life, recently convinced me to do something about it.
First of all, let me say that I've tried myriad hair removal methods. I've shaved everything. I've plucked in places I can barely see without the aid of a handheld mirror. I've waxed until I've brought tears to my eyes. I've used creams.
But none of these is permanent. I'm looking for a permanent end to the 5 o'clock shadow that plagues my armpits. And fellas, don't whine to me about razor burn, because my bikini line could tell you stories that would make you cry.
So with armpits and bikini line clearly targeted as the guinea pigs of my experiment, I head off to the laser hair removal center. With a friend, of course.
For crying out loud, women can't go to a public restroom alone. Do you think I could fly solo on this excursion?
The first visit is all about the free consultation to tell you about the procedure, find out which area you're looking to de-hair, etc.
When I mention bikini line, the consultant's eyes light up and out come these drawings of a woman's nether regions. She starts telling me about "The Brazilian," and I immediately think, "You're gonna shoot a laser where?!"
I sooooooooo do not think so.
Then she starts talking about "The Flare 'Do." Apparently, some women like to reflect some personality in their pubic hair these days.
Rumor has it, lately the center gets a lot of Lucky Charms requests.
If I've not drawn a clear enough picture, here's the deal: you can have all of your pubic hair removed except for a shape of your choice. You could have a heart down there, if you wanted.
I decide that even though she's a woman, I could never look my gynecologist in the eye again if I showed up with question mark-shaped pubic hair and decide the Flare 'Do is definitely a Flare Don't for me.
I glance over at my friend and I can see that although she came along for moral support, she's fidgeting with her checkbook. I think I've found a partner in crime to endure these laser treatments over the next two years.
Yep, that's right. It takes two years to become completely hair-free.
Stay tuned.
Note: Lorrie is working on a stencil of a peace sign, should she change her mind about the Flare 'Do.
First of all, let me say that I've tried myriad hair removal methods. I've shaved everything. I've plucked in places I can barely see without the aid of a handheld mirror. I've waxed until I've brought tears to my eyes. I've used creams.
But none of these is permanent. I'm looking for a permanent end to the 5 o'clock shadow that plagues my armpits. And fellas, don't whine to me about razor burn, because my bikini line could tell you stories that would make you cry.
So with armpits and bikini line clearly targeted as the guinea pigs of my experiment, I head off to the laser hair removal center. With a friend, of course.
For crying out loud, women can't go to a public restroom alone. Do you think I could fly solo on this excursion?
The first visit is all about the free consultation to tell you about the procedure, find out which area you're looking to de-hair, etc.
When I mention bikini line, the consultant's eyes light up and out come these drawings of a woman's nether regions. She starts telling me about "The Brazilian," and I immediately think, "You're gonna shoot a laser where?!"
I sooooooooo do not think so.
Then she starts talking about "The Flare 'Do." Apparently, some women like to reflect some personality in their pubic hair these days.
Rumor has it, lately the center gets a lot of Lucky Charms requests.
If I've not drawn a clear enough picture, here's the deal: you can have all of your pubic hair removed except for a shape of your choice. You could have a heart down there, if you wanted.
I decide that even though she's a woman, I could never look my gynecologist in the eye again if I showed up with question mark-shaped pubic hair and decide the Flare 'Do is definitely a Flare Don't for me.
I glance over at my friend and I can see that although she came along for moral support, she's fidgeting with her checkbook. I think I've found a partner in crime to endure these laser treatments over the next two years.
Yep, that's right. It takes two years to become completely hair-free.
Stay tuned.
Note: Lorrie is working on a stencil of a peace sign, should she change her mind about the Flare 'Do.
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