How To Make Laser Hair Removal Bearable
I think the second most feared issue about doing laser hair removal at home, is dealing with pain. The first thing is the worry does it cause skin cancer – NO it can not. There are several ways to ease the pain and discomfort of laser hair removal. Here we will review some of the solutions and items which will help you bear through these treatments.
Use a Less Painful Device
There are plenty of home hair removal kits and systems. The rule of thumb is that the one with the higher energy level is more painful than those with less energy produced. Laser systems use higher joules compared to IPL systems.
The TRIA devices, both the 4X laser system (see image) and the TRIA Precision laser, both use at the peak 20 joules per cm². This is the highest of all the home hair removal systems, not counting the professional systems ( DM9050 laser ) which can be found at Amazon, which can reach higher levels up to four times higher. IPL systems which do not produce a beam but a flash of light, have up to 4-6 joules per cm².
ELOS Is Less Painful For Home Use
So if avoiding pain is your thing, get the IPL devices, they will be less painful than any laser system. It is even more effective to work at IPL max level than at the laser low energy levels. The most popular IPL devices are the Remington IPL or the Silk’n Flash & Go or Silk’n SensEpil.
The best system you can buy or use is the ELOS technology device called Me my ELOS which uses IPL + Radio Frequency, and is more effective than regular IPL used by other systems. You can read details about ELOS at the bottom of this page.
Use Free Home Solutions
There are several do it yourself solutions people use to reduce the discomfort and pain of laser or IPL devices. The most popular of them all is using ice packs. Placing an ice pack over skin which is going to be treated, will numb the skin, and allow the treatment to undergo with less pains felt. Once the treatment is over, placing ice packs to cool the skin and numb the hot sensation.
The main con is that ice packs drip, and they get the skin wet and messy. And handling the ice packed along side a laser treatment makes the whole treatment a hell of zapping, freeze sensation, itching and hassle.
Be The Right Candidate For Laser
Not everyone is suitable candidate for laser, if your skin is tanned, or have olive tone color, than laser will be more painful for you than for those with pale skin. If your hair is blond or fair, the treatment will be more painful than for those with dark hair. Th reason is that the laser light is attracted to dark matter. If the skin is dark, it will get more light and this may cause blisters and scarring. If the hair is too fair (red, grey, white or blond) it will not attract the light and again the skin will get more doses of light than it can handle.
If you have sensitive skin, expect laser to be more painful than IPL. If you plan to treat sensitive skin locations (bikini line, pubic, inner thighs, chest etc..) you may want to do it with IPL and not with laser.
Laser Hair Removal Lidocaine Gel
If you are preparing to do home hair removal with laser grab the “Laser Hair Removal Lidocaine Gel” this is the stuff you need close at hand. The gel has a numbing effect on the skin, applying it will ensure you can complete the treatment with the least discomfort, even when treating sensitive skin.
Make sure to read the safety instructions and follow them.
Note that if you feel no pain, you have to be extra careful when using the laser never to zap the same spot over and over numerous times. Shop here for Laser Hair Removal Lidocaine Gel GREENCAINE Topical Anesthetic.
Use TRIA Calming Gel
TRIA Laser manufacturers have discovered that the main complaint by their customers is that the treatment with the TRIA laser is rather painful. And using the TRIA at he lower energy setting is less effective that when used at the peak performance abilities.
“Tria’s SmoothStart Calming Gel, featuring an Indian plant extract with anti-inflammatory properties, keeps skin cool and comfortable and helps speed treatment with your Tria Hair Removal Laser. Apply liberally prior to treatment and reapply following treatment to calm and soothe skin.”
The bottom line is that he gel is useful for all home hair removal systems, it will cool the skin, and relief the pain and discomfort of IPL flashes over skin. Get the TRIA SmoothStart Calming Gel tube HERE.
Pain Is The Body’s Natural Safety Sensor
Not feeling any pain is very relieving, but pain is the way the body signals us, something goes wrong. While you may not feel pain when flashing IPL over dark skin with numbing gel, skin burns may occur. The gel or anesthetic cream will numb the pain not the scarring effect. So if you have a dark skin cooling the surface may not prevent the deeper heat to be created.
If you have dark skin or black skin, use ONLY the ELOS technology device approved by the FDA for any skin type or color.
Read more about threating dark skin safely with the Me my ELOS:
- Home Laser Hair Removal Machines For Dark Skin
- Best Home Hair Removal System For 2014
- Can I Treat Myself With Laser Hair Removal If I have Tan Skin?
- Me my ELOS Pro Ultra Vs TRIA Laser
- Can Me my ELOS Pro Ultra Cause Skin Cancer
- The NEW – Me My Elos Pro-Ultra Hair Removal (120,000 flashes!)
- How To Use The Quartz ELOS Hair Removal System