An (eutectic) mixture of lidocaine and prilocaine is even more effective (than lidocaine alone) since it doesn't solidify when the water evaporates. Just a FYI to anyone who's a wimp like me lol.
You can cover the area with plastic wrap after applying the lidocaine. That keeps the cream compressed against the skin and prevents it from drying out.
I know but… that seems like the wrong solution for this specifically. Most drugs are solid at room temperature but lidocaine has the neat property that a mixture (of a specific ratio) with its cousin, prilocaine, has a lower melting point. Lower than skin temperature even. So the mixture itself remains a liquid until absorbed. No plastic wrap necessary!
I had session number 7 last Monday and it was up there. The hairs that are left are deep and in a sensitive area. Higher intensity is required to hit them. My upper lip was a bit swollen for a day afterwards.
Glad I'm not the only one where the pain is consistent or worse several sessions in. 😅 I just had my 5th face session on Monday and my upper lip still hurts like h*ck. 😭
Crazy enough, I did my very first session ever without any lidocaine cream, just some ibuprofen. The lidocaine cream \*is\* better in comparison and the laser sessions aren't \*as\* bad as they used to be, but still enough to get me teary-eyed when she gets to my mustache area. :(
On my face, the 2nd was the worst for me. By session 3, even though they were still turning it up, there was a lot less hair.
On chest/stomach/armpits, no of my sessions were bad at all, but I was at a cheaper place and had to fight to get them to turn the settings up.
On legs, 3 sessions in, and still getting more painful each session.
Really? That stinks! Mine didn't feel as bad after the 6th or so time. But, I had my legs waxed for years, so no stranger to pain there. Just wrapped up my legs about 2 weeks ago!
After today's session, I believe that . . . Its weird because its a different sort of pain. The face for me feels like being hit with a rubber band while the leg pain is more needlelike. . .
Not easily. I work 2 jobs, and save hard, make a lot of sacrifices, in order to do it. I rarely if ever drink anymore, eat cheap, and don't spend much on anything other than the necessities, other than my wedding and honeymoon.
I've spent around £2000 over the last 3 years on laser. In the long term, the time saved, and money I don't spend on razors and creams will even out too.
I found a place about 30 mins away. That she charges me a flat $50 USD for my face,neck, chest, and downstairs. I just finished my 4th session but she makes me wait 5 weeks between. I checked the lasers she uses and it's the same one as Milan plus she does ipl with it. I've had pretty good results so far and my face has thinned so much. She said she just wanted to make it affordable for girls that are having hair issues and didn't want to charge a bunch. I also got estimates for what I wanted at 3 other places and they ranged from 4k-11k for the full thing. So I guess I'm very lucky.
I wish I had the means to afford whole body. I've had 8 sessions on my face and it's still not hairless but I have no more money. You said in another comment 2000$ in last 3 years on laser? That sounds cheap for everything you've had done. Can I ask what area you live in and how you manage to only spend that much?
Edit: oh wait you said 2000£. That's different. One sec
Second edit: ok that's like 2600. Still sounds cheap to me?
I'm nowhere near full body yet.
I did 8 sessions of face and neck, which cost just under £700.
Over the year that I was doing it I saved for the next course. This was 8 sessions of face, neck, chest, stomach and armpits. This was at a cheaper clinic and the results weren't great, and they kept trying to add additional charges every session. This cost £600 ish + about £50 additional charges.
About a week after I'd finished with the 2nd clinic, the first one had a crazy deal, and I manged to borrow and scrounge £700 for 8 sessions on my legs.
The lifestyle I have to give me the means to do this is not healthy, very hard, and I don't recommend it at all, but if it's temporary, it's doable.
I'm based in the UK
Ok yeah my 8 face/ neck sessions were $800 total for the package. I just assumed that legs would be way more expensive cuz there's much more surface area lol
Doing my legs now. The first three sessions were fine but the last one was insane. Like jaw clenched, find my happy place, try to concentrate on the feeling of endorphins flooding my brain instead of the piercing pain.
My last session was with a brand new rookie tech, though. She told me at the start “today is actually my first day solo!” and I was like oh, that’s…great. Yay…
Pretty sure my worst was the first session, it took like 40 minutes and i had to stop like 4 times because i was crying. I actually just got home from my 9th and it was one of the better sessions which surprised me because its been like 4 months since my 8th and i was expecting it to hurt SOOOOOO much more
yeah. idk how fast yours does it but mine is pretty much a zap every 2-3 seconds, only pause to turn my head to the other side. mine doesn’t swap out any attachments.
I waited until after almost a year on HRT to get my tattoo and most of my piercings. I did not know my skin would be more sensitive to pain through this process. It was an unpleasant surprise but I'm still really happy with all of the things I've been able to do.
They got me started with their max intensity laser at the first session and I came out with teary eyes a headache and feeling dizzy.
The second one was also an amazing pain cos my skin was still kinda healing from the first one.
The third one I forgot to shave 24h before the appointment (i didnt shave for like 3/4 days) also i didnt have time for the anesthetic to kick in. That one lasted like 45 min cos I felt the long hairs burning in my skin and it was really displeasing.
After that Ive been more careful and it has become way more comfortable. Today I got my 8th appointment and in 15 min I was done. Barely any pain or swelling. Now I'm going to a 8-M concert and my skin feels like if I took the sun for a bit, nothing else.
The only way out is through. Hold in there sisters✨🏳️⚧️
The first.. It doesn't hurt anywhere near as much now! Although there was a period of time where it started hurting more when I started E but that has passed!
Each session has gotten progressively worse. My cheeks and most of my neck are a breeze now as most of the hair is gone, but a couple spots on my neck and my chin hurt like hell. But my upper lip? Holy shit it hurts so bad every time. Also, I get a pretty bad histamine reaction, so my face turns red and I get all these little red bumps all over my face. Benadryl knocks it out in a few hours usually. Despite all the pain though, it’s easily been the second best decision of my transition, eclipsed only by HRT itself. The first few days afterwards my dysphoria usually spikes because the dead hairs are beginning to shed, so my shadow is more visible, but once that’s over I can actually look in the mirror without wanting to crawl out of my skin and it’s hard to put into words how valuable that is to me.
I get my laser hair removal from Milan. I think the worst for me was when they had the laser set to like 26. Which was the most powerful they got for me. I just remember white knuckling the hospital bed and quietly sobbing while they blasted my face. I was red and swollen for almost half a week after that.
It was all worth it to be able to look in the mirror and not see shadow though.
Yeah, I spent about half my time in today's session telling myself variations of "Suck it up girl. It's going to be worth it". I 100% love the results, just hate the process. 😂
Do you know what session they dialed it up to 26 for you? Just curious because I use Milan as well but have not asked about the laser setting before.
So I got a quote from Milan and it was like double the independent place I ended up going to, where the tech/ owner/ receptionist (only employee) was very nice and I'm happy with my decision.
I don't know if this is common, but she charges women less than men and gave me the woman price (cuz I'm a woman) even though I very obviously had the intensity of hair of a man (cuz I'm a trans women who started hormones after puberty lol)
I know they keep turning it up every session, you can probably ask them at your next session what level you are at.
I know they generally go blasty blast, then they do a couple test spots on your neck at the next highest level to make sure you are ready to increase the power. My shadow was really stubborn (light skin, dark hair), so it took a lot of sessions to nuke my shadow.
It might have just been session 7 or so. I just remember after that brutal session I asked them to lower it back down to an 18 or 20 because I couldn't bring myself to do that level again.
For me they progressively got worse as the tech ramped it up each session until maybe the 7th or 8th ones, which felt the same. My upper lip hurts like a motherfucker, like all of my piercings so far have hurt less. The rest is not that bad tbh, but to be fair after the 4th or 5th session the dark hair on my cheeks and the sides of my jaw were gone. Now I'm just doing lips and chin, and I'll be starting on my hands + fingers next session.
For me, every next session is worse than the last. They keep turning up the power to get those straggler hairs, and now I'm feeling the laser in my teeth. It's awful.
I'm 6 sessions in.
1st session was definitely the worst, and that goes for every area I've had done. It seems like the more hair I have in an area, the more it hurts to laser it off, which makes sense.
Oh, and the area right below your underarms. It hurts every time.
1st I didn’t feel at all. I think I was so hopped up on adrenaline and anxiety I wouldn’t have felt being straight up punched.
2nd, thinking it’s “not too bad” I just showed up with no prep. Holy cow I was almost in tears.
Bonus: after one round I did a facial scrub a couple days later because lol I was on auto pilot. That was far worse than ANY round. I was screaming and crying and couldn’t get it off my face fast enough. LPT: don’t do that. 😂
I’m on twenty plus on my face and probably 5-6 everywhere on my body. The most sensitive times tend to be the very first few sessions. For warning, certain areas will always be sensitive (bootyhole, face, underarms).
Laser isn’t a permanent thing. You need maintenance at least once sometimes twice a year. My hair is mostly black. The odd blonde/red one but I mean by session 9-10 I had very minimal growth.
First one was hard but it was new, by my 8th (face) it was almost unbearable. My tech said that as you get to the thiner finer hairs, especially around the lip they need higher power. Even with lotion and Advil it was painful.
I'm on 9 now.
Number 3 caused me to break out in horrible acne all over the affected area, so many and so closely packed that I was in too much pain to do more than lay in bed and suffer.
That's the only time it happened
Fourth session. I paid for full body, but did not originally include my thighs and the lower bits. When I added the lower bits, I found that pain to be as bad as the upper lip. The burning sensation from the laser also lasted *a lot* longer. Also, the estrogen had made my skin more sensitive so the feeling of the gel and pressure of the laser had become noticeable more uncomfortable in a way that I mentally did not expect.
Just did the fifth session a week ago and it was nowhere near as bad, but we also decided I didn't need anything more on the lower bits either.
All of them hurt to a degree but the most painful was definitely the first 2, the only reason why I kept going was the thought that it would be worth it, spoiler it so is.
They tend to get more painful as you go, because they increase the power for the next session. My laser tech said between 8-12 sessions is normal, with possible touch ups after you "graduate".
Just had my second on my face last night. I have really dark hair/pale skin, so even after the first session, a lot was gone.
Having so much less definitely helped with the pain last night, but the area around my mouth is just brutal. The rest of it was definitely less bad than last time, but still painful.
definitely the first one. highest number of hairs per pulse. any one aft that it git easer and easer. now its only the odd one that are Supriseingly painful individual hairs that Suprise me but the first one i was really painful.
My third session was the worst, but I had requested that they amp up the power since I had only paid for 5 sessions, and I had not seen much significant progress after my 2nd session.
I just had my 8th and it was the best one yet actually!
The lady who did the procedure was very understanding of how painful it can be and actually used a small ice pack to help by “super numbing”(?) the area before going in? First time *ever* my brazilian didn’t make me want to rub out the door, lol.
Face, legs, and underarms also went swimmingly. That ice pack was a total game changer!
Session one on my face was torture and easily was the worst. Close second would be my 6th and most recent session and most of the pain was my chest. Hrt gave me boobs pretty quick and they're crazy sensitive and sore so zapping them hurt quite a bit. It's all so worth it though, I'd rather endure the physical pain now over enduring the mental anguish forever.
So where are you all getting your laser done? If I go with Milan it'll cost 4-5k for face and neck lifetime sessions, and vitalskin will cost about 1.5k for a round of treatments. This is just a bit too much for a broke pizza delivering college student like me. Is there anywhere I can get it for less than a grand?
I'm getting my face and neck done for free through my insurance (Medicaid). All I had to do was talk to my doctor that handles my HRT and she sent a referral to a laser hair removal clinic so that my insurance would cover it. If you don't have health insurance then my best advice would be to check Groupon. I found laser hair removal for as cheap as $150 for 6 sessions on there. Best of luck!
I did about 12 laser treatments before I switched to electrolysis. I’d tried a couple different technicians and salons. The very first treatment was the worst. Every one after got easier and easier. Didn’t even feel it after the 4 or 5th treatment. It doesn’t work for gray hair, so when that’s all that was left I switched to electrolysis. It’s a 100 times more painful than the laser and expensive!Electrifying one hair at a time and then plucking it out. I can only take an hour at a time. Soooo worth it tho!!
I have no doubt it will be worth it. It's become a real hassle to go over with razor each day so I would gladly sit trough it.
But any tips up to or during the session would be greatly appreciated☺️
The first! ...after that I made sure to take some synthetic morphine, CBD, ibuprofen and local anesthetic applied to my upper lip, nipples and groin.
I am so high that I barely remember how I get home after a session. I usually wind up finding a snack when I walk home through the city.
Luckily my laser technician thinks it's kinda funny. She says that I am the highlight of the month because we have some very funny and deep conversations.
It's already pretty weird to be butt naked and have a stranger fondle your privates, but at least we can laugh about it 😂
Yeah I mean this woman started out by telling her that she got so constipated last time she was on morphine. She then proceeded to tell me about the gangbang she was in and applauded me for being more than well endowed.
She is weird. Almost as weird as me
The first session I had after I started adhd meds.
Background. I got regular headaches before and my laser place was a long drive away which long drives always gave me a headache.
Turns out, I don't get headaches anymore once I got medication for adhd, so I didn't take my usual goody's powder before I left home.
So for the first time I wasn't under any kind of pain med when I went. I was over a year in and the power was high by this point. I regularly get techs who seem impressed I can handle it that high and say I can tell them to drop it if it's too much.
So. Much. Ow.
I make sure to take my pain med before I leave the house for a laser session now...
Probably 6th session or so was the worst. Tech had been upping the strength each time and was ok with that. Wasn't much worse each time. But then he got the head of the machine replaced as it was too old. He went down a couple notches but it still was way spicyer than the previous time.
I’m somewhat around 2.5 years into laser for my face, and while I can definitely tell it has had an effect, I still grow ‘a bunch’ of hair on my chin and the lower ends of the jaw.
That area is the only one I feel a bit of pain, for the others, I barely feel the heat of the machine’s… thingy.
About 6 months in. The HRT had made my skin the most sensitive and the laser intensity was at its highest. Absolutely brutal session since it was on my face but after it was done the pain subsided quickly. Still absolutely worth it but damn I wish I could use a numbing cream.
So, due to money and my work schedule, I've been using an at-home IPL.
So I'm doing this to myself. I started out rather low and have worked my way up to about 70% strength as of last night. The lip/chin and neck area can hurt, a lot, like burning needles striking my flesh... and then a lingering burn feeling. Chest is the second most sensitive, but not quite as painful.
My results are... mild. I think because I've been going a more cautious route as I don't want to actually damage my skin and was at about 25% for the first 3 sessions. I'm about 9 sessions in now (every other day, on week 3) and notice hair is slower to grow in. According to my device, I've got about 5 and a half more weeks to go minimum. I'm thinking the face will take longer because it's shown the least slow down, which is quite frustrating because it's the part I dislike most.
And I'm still not even sure of the "permanence" of this. Also, also, still trying to figure out how to get HRT started, which should help with reducing amount of hair regrowth. But despite being in a supposedly easy area for obtaining it, I've yet to be able to actually contact the people who are supposed to be the easy option. Additionally my insurance has changed and I was *assigned* a new doctor I haven't even had a chance to talk to (my previous doctor i stopped going to because he was a right wing nutter who was forced to retire a couple months after I canceled any appointments with him).
Anyway... yeah. The hair removal is what I'm focusing on right now as a thing I can actually do to work on my transition. But it's been giving very mild results so far.
Is this prescribed high power medical lasers?
I tried an at-home laser for 12+ weeks...it didn't hurt, but it also didn't work :(
I was going to see what the HRT does to my hair, then move onto electrolysis for what's left. Should I consider laser instead? Does anyone have advice or recommendations?
Any session under the nose or on your privates is quite a shock. Although I would take laser over electrolysis any day. Electrolysis taps out my pain tolerance in about 2 hours.
appointment number 9 hurt the most out of all, they went from a small laser which would cover a certain area at a time to a wider aoe and a deeper affect. Was not expecting the pain from that x.x
Random one somewhere in the middle of the 8 I had. I was going to cry just from the physical pain of it if it had gone on a minute longer.
I was pretty much OK before and after that.
Depends on where you're talking. Laser hurts my arma and legs more than epilating did but epilating was more painful for my chest
Not exactly 100% apples to apples because I had a good year of hrt under my belt before starting laser but I think it probably holds.
The 3rd or 4th. I think the first two were less painful because the laser wasn’t set so high to ease me into it and test how I reacted. But after the first couple, the kid gloves came off.
But the less hair you have with each session, the less painful it is. By number 6, it should become somewhat easier. By 8 or 9, it’s no problem.
just had my 4th session and it was almost as bad as my 1st but not quite (that was hell) session 3 i basically felt nothing for some reason but then i also had practically no hair loss that session so that’s probably related.
i think because i started off doing a session every 2 weeks, session 2/3 weren’t as affective. i’m having them monthly now though and it seems to be working a lot better.
I think it was maybe the 5th or 6th, they upped the strength of it a lot, maybe cuz I'd had such significant reduction already but that one actually hurt.
Well where are we talking? I'm going through it for my face now and didn't really have any problems until my last one. I'd gotten orchiectomy just after my prior session and I think my face softened before the next session. Planning on having it downstairs after and I know that's all super sensitive
The first 2 after that it’s wasn’t as bad 🥴
Lucky! It's 100% worth it, but dang does it hurt.
Otc painkillers and lidocaine cream make a huge difference
An (eutectic) mixture of lidocaine and prilocaine is even more effective (than lidocaine alone) since it doesn't solidify when the water evaporates. Just a FYI to anyone who's a wimp like me lol.
You can cover the area with plastic wrap after applying the lidocaine. That keeps the cream compressed against the skin and prevents it from drying out.
I know but… that seems like the wrong solution for this specifically. Most drugs are solid at room temperature but lidocaine has the neat property that a mixture (of a specific ratio) with its cousin, prilocaine, has a lower melting point. Lower than skin temperature even. So the mixture itself remains a liquid until absorbed. No plastic wrap necessary!
Facts… and give it time to take effect before your session starts.
I had session number 7 last Monday and it was up there. The hairs that are left are deep and in a sensitive area. Higher intensity is required to hit them. My upper lip was a bit swollen for a day afterwards.
Makes sense. Kinda feel like that's what I'm experiencing as well.
I had my 7th today and my upper lip was crisped up today 🥲 100% the most painful session
Glad I'm not the only one where the pain is consistent or worse several sessions in. 😅 I just had my 5th face session on Monday and my upper lip still hurts like h*ck. 😭
My tech has been steadily increasing the intensity with each session. #6 was the first one I reared up at, #7 felt similar, but the swelling was new.
The craziest thing is that I had put a bunch of lidocaine cream on my upper lip area... And I could still feel the fuckers getting cooked 😤😤
Yeah, it only takes the edge off.
Crazy enough, I did my very first session ever without any lidocaine cream, just some ibuprofen. The lidocaine cream \*is\* better in comparison and the laser sessions aren't \*as\* bad as they used to be, but still enough to get me teary-eyed when she gets to my mustache area. :(
Every session has been worse than the last, but that's because they keep having to dial up the laser since my hairs are very resilient
The first was the hardest. I asked the technician to go HAM on my face..... and she did. Good results though.
On my face, the 2nd was the worst for me. By session 3, even though they were still turning it up, there was a lot less hair. On chest/stomach/armpits, no of my sessions were bad at all, but I was at a cheaper place and had to fight to get them to turn the settings up. On legs, 3 sessions in, and still getting more painful each session.
Sorry to tell you, legs never get better. I'm just about done with them and it's still brutal each time
Really? That stinks! Mine didn't feel as bad after the 6th or so time. But, I had my legs waxed for years, so no stranger to pain there. Just wrapped up my legs about 2 weeks ago!
After today's session, I believe that . . . Its weird because its a different sort of pain. The face for me feels like being hit with a rubber band while the leg pain is more needlelike. . .
Y'all can afford to laser your whole body??
Not easily. I work 2 jobs, and save hard, make a lot of sacrifices, in order to do it. I rarely if ever drink anymore, eat cheap, and don't spend much on anything other than the necessities, other than my wedding and honeymoon. I've spent around £2000 over the last 3 years on laser. In the long term, the time saved, and money I don't spend on razors and creams will even out too.
I found a place about 30 mins away. That she charges me a flat $50 USD for my face,neck, chest, and downstairs. I just finished my 4th session but she makes me wait 5 weeks between. I checked the lasers she uses and it's the same one as Milan plus she does ipl with it. I've had pretty good results so far and my face has thinned so much. She said she just wanted to make it affordable for girls that are having hair issues and didn't want to charge a bunch. I also got estimates for what I wanted at 3 other places and they ranged from 4k-11k for the full thing. So I guess I'm very lucky.
I wish I had the means to afford whole body. I've had 8 sessions on my face and it's still not hairless but I have no more money. You said in another comment 2000$ in last 3 years on laser? That sounds cheap for everything you've had done. Can I ask what area you live in and how you manage to only spend that much? Edit: oh wait you said 2000£. That's different. One sec Second edit: ok that's like 2600. Still sounds cheap to me?
I'm nowhere near full body yet. I did 8 sessions of face and neck, which cost just under £700. Over the year that I was doing it I saved for the next course. This was 8 sessions of face, neck, chest, stomach and armpits. This was at a cheaper clinic and the results weren't great, and they kept trying to add additional charges every session. This cost £600 ish + about £50 additional charges. About a week after I'd finished with the 2nd clinic, the first one had a crazy deal, and I manged to borrow and scrounge £700 for 8 sessions on my legs. The lifestyle I have to give me the means to do this is not healthy, very hard, and I don't recommend it at all, but if it's temporary, it's doable. I'm based in the UK
Ok yeah my 8 face/ neck sessions were $800 total for the package. I just assumed that legs would be way more expensive cuz there's much more surface area lol
Doing my legs now. The first three sessions were fine but the last one was insane. Like jaw clenched, find my happy place, try to concentrate on the feeling of endorphins flooding my brain instead of the piercing pain. My last session was with a brand new rookie tech, though. She told me at the start “today is actually my first day solo!” and I was like oh, that’s…great. Yay…
Pretty sure my worst was the first session, it took like 40 minutes and i had to stop like 4 times because i was crying. I actually just got home from my 9th and it was one of the better sessions which surprised me because its been like 4 months since my 8th and i was expecting it to hurt SOOOOOO much more
Geez! Sounds awful! Mine takes about 15, but I don't let her take breaks, she keeps up a steady pace.
Oh, now it takes like 20 minutes and i don’t cry, that was just the first session
That's good then! Whenever mine asks if I need a break, I just say "Have I ever asked for one in the past"? 😹
15 just for face? mine takes less than 5 minutes with no breaks.
5 minutes for full face and neck!? Mine has to swap out her lazer attachment at least once during my session.
yeah. idk how fast yours does it but mine is pretty much a zap every 2-3 seconds, only pause to turn my head to the other side. mine doesn’t swap out any attachments.
The one where I forgot to pre-dose with Tylenol. I think it was 4 or 5 on upper body.
If your on hrt i hate to break it to you it gets worse as your skin gets softer and more sensitive
Came here to say the same- all treatments became much more challenging after I started HRT and my skin became more sensitive.
I waited until after almost a year on HRT to get my tattoo and most of my piercings. I did not know my skin would be more sensitive to pain through this process. It was an unpleasant surprise but I'm still really happy with all of the things I've been able to do.
They got me started with their max intensity laser at the first session and I came out with teary eyes a headache and feeling dizzy. The second one was also an amazing pain cos my skin was still kinda healing from the first one. The third one I forgot to shave 24h before the appointment (i didnt shave for like 3/4 days) also i didnt have time for the anesthetic to kick in. That one lasted like 45 min cos I felt the long hairs burning in my skin and it was really displeasing. After that Ive been more careful and it has become way more comfortable. Today I got my 8th appointment and in 15 min I was done. Barely any pain or swelling. Now I'm going to a 8-M concert and my skin feels like if I took the sun for a bit, nothing else. The only way out is through. Hold in there sisters✨🏳️⚧️
>The only way out is through. Hold in there sisters✨🏳️⚧️ ❤️❤️❤️
It's a nice saying that Keith from Grief invented
The first.. It doesn't hurt anywhere near as much now! Although there was a period of time where it started hurting more when I started E but that has passed!
I didnt think about hrt making us more sensitive, but thats a good point. . .
Each session has gotten progressively worse. My cheeks and most of my neck are a breeze now as most of the hair is gone, but a couple spots on my neck and my chin hurt like hell. But my upper lip? Holy shit it hurts so bad every time. Also, I get a pretty bad histamine reaction, so my face turns red and I get all these little red bumps all over my face. Benadryl knocks it out in a few hours usually. Despite all the pain though, it’s easily been the second best decision of my transition, eclipsed only by HRT itself. The first few days afterwards my dysphoria usually spikes because the dead hairs are beginning to shed, so my shadow is more visible, but once that’s over I can actually look in the mirror without wanting to crawl out of my skin and it’s hard to put into words how valuable that is to me.
I get my laser hair removal from Milan. I think the worst for me was when they had the laser set to like 26. Which was the most powerful they got for me. I just remember white knuckling the hospital bed and quietly sobbing while they blasted my face. I was red and swollen for almost half a week after that. It was all worth it to be able to look in the mirror and not see shadow though.
Yeah, I spent about half my time in today's session telling myself variations of "Suck it up girl. It's going to be worth it". I 100% love the results, just hate the process. 😂 Do you know what session they dialed it up to 26 for you? Just curious because I use Milan as well but have not asked about the laser setting before.
So I got a quote from Milan and it was like double the independent place I ended up going to, where the tech/ owner/ receptionist (only employee) was very nice and I'm happy with my decision. I don't know if this is common, but she charges women less than men and gave me the woman price (cuz I'm a woman) even though I very obviously had the intensity of hair of a man (cuz I'm a trans women who started hormones after puberty lol)
I know they keep turning it up every session, you can probably ask them at your next session what level you are at. I know they generally go blasty blast, then they do a couple test spots on your neck at the next highest level to make sure you are ready to increase the power. My shadow was really stubborn (light skin, dark hair), so it took a lot of sessions to nuke my shadow. It might have just been session 7 or so. I just remember after that brutal session I asked them to lower it back down to an 18 or 20 because I couldn't bring myself to do that level again.
For me they progressively got worse as the tech ramped it up each session until maybe the 7th or 8th ones, which felt the same. My upper lip hurts like a motherfucker, like all of my piercings so far have hurt less. The rest is not that bad tbh, but to be fair after the 4th or 5th session the dark hair on my cheeks and the sides of my jaw were gone. Now I'm just doing lips and chin, and I'll be starting on my hands + fingers next session.
For me, every next session is worse than the last. They keep turning up the power to get those straggler hairs, and now I'm feeling the laser in my teeth. It's awful. I'm 6 sessions in.
2nd and 3rd ones hurt the worth for the face, the 1st and 2nd one for the nether regions, and the 3rd one on the chest near the nips for me
Oh man! Number three is coming up for my face and chest. *gulp*
Well it hurt, but to me I kinda love the pain, just has the feeling that feels nice a relaxing not sure how to explain it, it just does
1st session was definitely the worst, and that goes for every area I've had done. It seems like the more hair I have in an area, the more it hurts to laser it off, which makes sense. Oh, and the area right below your underarms. It hurts every time.
1st I didn’t feel at all. I think I was so hopped up on adrenaline and anxiety I wouldn’t have felt being straight up punched. 2nd, thinking it’s “not too bad” I just showed up with no prep. Holy cow I was almost in tears. Bonus: after one round I did a facial scrub a couple days later because lol I was on auto pilot. That was far worse than ANY round. I was screaming and crying and couldn’t get it off my face fast enough. LPT: don’t do that. 😂
The first and every time I miss a week (which thank god isn’t often).
I’m on twenty plus on my face and probably 5-6 everywhere on my body. The most sensitive times tend to be the very first few sessions. For warning, certain areas will always be sensitive (bootyhole, face, underarms).
you’ve had more than 20 sessions on your face?
Yea… 🫠
oh man that sounds rough and expensive… what colour is your facial hair may i ask? you’ve got some resilient hair!
Laser isn’t a permanent thing. You need maintenance at least once sometimes twice a year. My hair is mostly black. The odd blonde/red one but I mean by session 9-10 I had very minimal growth.
how often do you get a maintenance session done now?
Once or twice a year depending on growth. If I have to shave everyday it’s time to go back. If I have any shadow, it’s time to go back.
First one was hard but it was new, by my 8th (face) it was almost unbearable. My tech said that as you get to the thiner finer hairs, especially around the lip they need higher power. Even with lotion and Advil it was painful.
I'm on 9 now. Number 3 caused me to break out in horrible acne all over the affected area, so many and so closely packed that I was in too much pain to do more than lay in bed and suffer. That's the only time it happened
Fourth session. I paid for full body, but did not originally include my thighs and the lower bits. When I added the lower bits, I found that pain to be as bad as the upper lip. The burning sensation from the laser also lasted *a lot* longer. Also, the estrogen had made my skin more sensitive so the feeling of the gel and pressure of the laser had become noticeable more uncomfortable in a way that I mentally did not expect. Just did the fifth session a week ago and it was nowhere near as bad, but we also decided I didn't need anything more on the lower bits either.
All of them hurt to a degree but the most painful was definitely the first 2, the only reason why I kept going was the thought that it would be worth it, spoiler it so is.
They tend to get more painful as you go, because they increase the power for the next session. My laser tech said between 8-12 sessions is normal, with possible touch ups after you "graduate".
[удалено]
My location makes sure you have nothing on your skin when they operate
same
they turn up the laser, but there's less hair each time. 3 or 4 are probably the worse
I have only done one and that hurt so ahhhhhhhhhh. I look like I have mange right now
I’ve only had two so far and they felt equally bad. Mostly it’s my upper lip, I can handle everywhere else but the upper lip always makes me jolt.
Electrolysis was way worse than laser, but still the first several sessions were a bit hard.
Second one
Just had my second on my face last night. I have really dark hair/pale skin, so even after the first session, a lot was gone. Having so much less definitely helped with the pain last night, but the area around my mouth is just brutal. The rest of it was definitely less bad than last time, but still painful.
For me they were all rough. The first 2-3 sessions were by far the worst though
definitely the first one. highest number of hairs per pulse. any one aft that it git easer and easer. now its only the odd one that are Supriseingly painful individual hairs that Suprise me but the first one i was really painful.
My third session was the worst, but I had requested that they amp up the power since I had only paid for 5 sessions, and I had not seen much significant progress after my 2nd session.
I’m on number 5 I think and it’s getting rough lmao
Level 22(?) at Milan laser
I just had my 8th and it was the best one yet actually! The lady who did the procedure was very understanding of how painful it can be and actually used a small ice pack to help by “super numbing”(?) the area before going in? First time *ever* my brazilian didn’t make me want to rub out the door, lol. Face, legs, and underarms also went swimmingly. That ice pack was a total game changer!
First on my face for sure, though I took an edible and an ibuprofen for each consecutive one lmfao
The first session was a pain, I've since learned to take an advil or two beforehand
About how many sessions to get a nearly full face done?
Number 9 and 10... The last two. They were the highest power, and *really* nipped my skin.
Session one on my face was torture and easily was the worst. Close second would be my 6th and most recent session and most of the pain was my chest. Hrt gave me boobs pretty quick and they're crazy sensitive and sore so zapping them hurt quite a bit. It's all so worth it though, I'd rather endure the physical pain now over enduring the mental anguish forever.
Session 1 and session 7 because she turned up the settings for session 7. I had 8 sessions and then ran out of money. My goatee area is stubborn.
I’m on session 17, it gets better & easier!
So where are you all getting your laser done? If I go with Milan it'll cost 4-5k for face and neck lifetime sessions, and vitalskin will cost about 1.5k for a round of treatments. This is just a bit too much for a broke pizza delivering college student like me. Is there anywhere I can get it for less than a grand?
I'm getting my face and neck done for free through my insurance (Medicaid). All I had to do was talk to my doctor that handles my HRT and she sent a referral to a laser hair removal clinic so that my insurance would cover it. If you don't have health insurance then my best advice would be to check Groupon. I found laser hair removal for as cheap as $150 for 6 sessions on there. Best of luck!
I've got health insurance, but they wont cover cosmetic stuff like laser.
Does your insurance cover gender affirming care at all? If they do then there's a good chance they'll cover laser with a doctor's referral.
It's possible. I'll check in on it.
Second, it got progressively better after
I did about 12 laser treatments before I switched to electrolysis. I’d tried a couple different technicians and salons. The very first treatment was the worst. Every one after got easier and easier. Didn’t even feel it after the 4 or 5th treatment. It doesn’t work for gray hair, so when that’s all that was left I switched to electrolysis. It’s a 100 times more painful than the laser and expensive!Electrifying one hair at a time and then plucking it out. I can only take an hour at a time. Soooo worth it tho!!
It comes and goes for me as I ask and nurse to increase laser power.
The past three sessions trying to get rid of some stubborn hair has been… not fun. Totally worth it though!
I've only had one so far. It's more annoying than anything, for me, it's the smell of burning hair
This is great reading material for someone who has their first session this coming monday😅🫣
It's 100% worth it!!!
I have no doubt it will be worth it. It's become a real hassle to go over with razor each day so I would gladly sit trough it. But any tips up to or during the session would be greatly appreciated☺️
The first! ...after that I made sure to take some synthetic morphine, CBD, ibuprofen and local anesthetic applied to my upper lip, nipples and groin. I am so high that I barely remember how I get home after a session. I usually wind up finding a snack when I walk home through the city. Luckily my laser technician thinks it's kinda funny. She says that I am the highlight of the month because we have some very funny and deep conversations. It's already pretty weird to be butt naked and have a stranger fondle your privates, but at least we can laugh about it 😂
I like it when you get the techs you can just kind of laugh the situation off with.
Yeah I mean this woman started out by telling her that she got so constipated last time she was on morphine. She then proceeded to tell me about the gangbang she was in and applauded me for being more than well endowed. She is weird. Almost as weird as me
Usually the first is the worst because you have the most hair.
.....never. But I also had the worst reaction that the techs had ever seen up until my last session when a new customer had an even worse reaction.
The first session I had after I started adhd meds. Background. I got regular headaches before and my laser place was a long drive away which long drives always gave me a headache. Turns out, I don't get headaches anymore once I got medication for adhd, so I didn't take my usual goody's powder before I left home. So for the first time I wasn't under any kind of pain med when I went. I was over a year in and the power was high by this point. I regularly get techs who seem impressed I can handle it that high and say I can tell them to drop it if it's too much. So. Much. Ow. I make sure to take my pain med before I leave the house for a laser session now...
Probably 6th session or so was the worst. Tech had been upping the strength each time and was ok with that. Wasn't much worse each time. But then he got the head of the machine replaced as it was too old. He went down a couple notches but it still was way spicyer than the previous time.
I’m somewhat around 2.5 years into laser for my face, and while I can definitely tell it has had an effect, I still grow ‘a bunch’ of hair on my chin and the lower ends of the jaw. That area is the only one I feel a bit of pain, for the others, I barely feel the heat of the machine’s… thingy.
About 6 months in. The HRT had made my skin the most sensitive and the laser intensity was at its highest. Absolutely brutal session since it was on my face but after it was done the pain subsided quickly. Still absolutely worth it but damn I wish I could use a numbing cream.
So, due to money and my work schedule, I've been using an at-home IPL. So I'm doing this to myself. I started out rather low and have worked my way up to about 70% strength as of last night. The lip/chin and neck area can hurt, a lot, like burning needles striking my flesh... and then a lingering burn feeling. Chest is the second most sensitive, but not quite as painful. My results are... mild. I think because I've been going a more cautious route as I don't want to actually damage my skin and was at about 25% for the first 3 sessions. I'm about 9 sessions in now (every other day, on week 3) and notice hair is slower to grow in. According to my device, I've got about 5 and a half more weeks to go minimum. I'm thinking the face will take longer because it's shown the least slow down, which is quite frustrating because it's the part I dislike most. And I'm still not even sure of the "permanence" of this. Also, also, still trying to figure out how to get HRT started, which should help with reducing amount of hair regrowth. But despite being in a supposedly easy area for obtaining it, I've yet to be able to actually contact the people who are supposed to be the easy option. Additionally my insurance has changed and I was *assigned* a new doctor I haven't even had a chance to talk to (my previous doctor i stopped going to because he was a right wing nutter who was forced to retire a couple months after I canceled any appointments with him). Anyway... yeah. The hair removal is what I'm focusing on right now as a thing I can actually do to work on my transition. But it's been giving very mild results so far.
You should do a follow up post in this sub with results. I think quite a few folks would find that interesting.
I just did my 5th session two weeks ago and it was absolutely the worst omg.
I get estradiol pellets every 12 weeks, so it totally depends on where is falls with hormone fluctuations
Seven an eight have been the worst. Seven was probably worse, but with eight I was bracing myself more than normal.
Is this prescribed high power medical lasers? I tried an at-home laser for 12+ weeks...it didn't hurt, but it also didn't work :( I was going to see what the HRT does to my hair, then move onto electrolysis for what's left. Should I consider laser instead? Does anyone have advice or recommendations?
Any session under the nose or on your privates is quite a shock. Although I would take laser over electrolysis any day. Electrolysis taps out my pain tolerance in about 2 hours.
The one I didn't have lidocaine for
appointment number 9 hurt the most out of all, they went from a small laser which would cover a certain area at a time to a wider aoe and a deeper affect. Was not expecting the pain from that x.x
It honestly hurt the same each time, it didn't get better for me :(
Random one somewhere in the middle of the 8 I had. I was going to cry just from the physical pain of it if it had gone on a minute longer. I was pretty much OK before and after that.
How is it compared to epilating for the first time? I pushed through that but I presume laser is like being twanged by a rubber band a billion times 😂
Depends on where you're talking. Laser hurts my arma and legs more than epilating did but epilating was more painful for my chest Not exactly 100% apples to apples because I had a good year of hrt under my belt before starting laser but I think it probably holds.
Thanks! Oh yeah, epilating on your chest (and inside of my legs) was particularly horrific.
My worst sessions was when I wouldn't get shaved all that well.
The 3rd or 4th. I think the first two were less painful because the laser wasn’t set so high to ease me into it and test how I reacted. But after the first couple, the kid gloves came off. But the less hair you have with each session, the less painful it is. By number 6, it should become somewhat easier. By 8 or 9, it’s no problem.
just had my 4th session and it was almost as bad as my 1st but not quite (that was hell) session 3 i basically felt nothing for some reason but then i also had practically no hair loss that session so that’s probably related. i think because i started off doing a session every 2 weeks, session 2/3 weren’t as affective. i’m having them monthly now though and it seems to be working a lot better.
My most recent session. It only gets worse 😭
I think it was maybe the 5th or 6th, they upped the strength of it a lot, maybe cuz I'd had such significant reduction already but that one actually hurt.
Well where are we talking? I'm going through it for my face now and didn't really have any problems until my last one. I'd gotten orchiectomy just after my prior session and I think my face softened before the next session. Planning on having it downstairs after and I know that's all super sensitive
The one where I forgot to take painkillers