Torture
I underwent my first ELOS treatment last Tuesday. ELOS is the new laser light and current hair removal method that I found on the internet. I got to the office at my scheduled time and was met by smiles from the staff. It felt like everyone knew my name and was anxiously awaiting my arrival. It was kind of weird. The doc took me right in to the treatment room. He looked at my three day growth with an inspecting eye. He then handed me a razor and directed me to the bathroom. I haven’t used a blade razor in years. I had to use the soap in the bathroom to try to lubricate the oncoming pain from razor burn. I shaved the best I could, but still had stubble and a couple of bad nicks. I went back into the treatment room and got back on the table. He asked me if I had any infectious diseases, I assume because of all the blood from the nicks on my neck.
He started the evil machine. It at first sounded like an airplane taking off, then it made various beeping sounds. The doc then slathered some sort of gel all over my cheeks and around my mouth and chin. He seemed a bit nervous, like he was trying to remember what to do. I got the feeling he doesn’t have much experience frying people. He set the machine for a long impulse wave and started the torture. He pressed the handset against my upper cheek and it emitted a bright light for a second and then the electric current came right after. It was like the laser treatments I had in the past, with the added electrical twist. Felt really strange at first because I really don’t like the feeling of getting shocked. Sometimes it made a popping sound which I thought were the follicles exploding because they were being superheated. Later I realized that it was the current arcing on the surface of my skin and in turn scorching it. It could also be that some of the missed stubble was being vaporized and burned the skin around it. Whatever the case may be, popping is not a good thing. I was also wondering if the gel he put on my face was too thin in some areas and didn’t distribute the current evenly, creating hot spots.
I will ask the doc if he has much experience using the machine next time. I want to tell him exactly what happened so we can avoid the burns the next time. The current made my neck muscles really jump like the frog leg in biology class. He went over my face and neck twice to make sure I had more than enough pain. The places where it hurts like a bitch are upper lip, lower lip, along the jawbone, and along the throat. I think I will treat these areas with Emla next time before going. The system works like this, the laser light pre-heats the skin and then the high frequency electric current is switched on. The skin conducts electricity better the warmer it is. He also did my chest area in between my breasts and above them. That area hurt pretty badly too.
When we were finished I told him that if this method works, my doctor has some others that she would recommend him to. He said he hoped it worked out for me too. He said something about 250 euro, but I told him he said 200 euro when I last spoke with him. He said ok then, 200 it is. I gave him also the 20 euro I owed from the initial visit. He was like; if 200 is fair then 200. Another clue that he doesn’t do this that often. He made it seem as though I knew better what to charge than he did. That’s fine with me, 200 is fair.
I made another appointment for six weeks later. I went home and cooled my face. All that pain had taken a bit out of me. My face wasn’t as red as it usually got with the other laser I used to do. I was skeptical that it had done anything. I didn’t shave the next day because when I put aloe on my face it burned. I wasn’t sure if it was from the razor burn or the treatment. I noticed there were black spots on my cheeks. I tried to scratch them away with my fingernail and realized it was my charred skin. Ouch!! I put some cortisone on them and they seemed to heal quickly. They were apparently a result of the popping sound I had heard. I shaved the next day and it was really easy. The next day I had hardly any stubble. I did notice that the follicles had been affected because they were swollen for a couple of days. I also have a couple of folliculitis infections, but nothing too bad. I am anxious to see how the hairs react over the next few weeks, but it seems to have stunted them. I only hope it lasts.
The next few weeks will be the test whether or not I continue with this treatment. So far it seems to have done something. I’ll comment when I think of it in the coming weeks.
He started the evil machine. It at first sounded like an airplane taking off, then it made various beeping sounds. The doc then slathered some sort of gel all over my cheeks and around my mouth and chin. He seemed a bit nervous, like he was trying to remember what to do. I got the feeling he doesn’t have much experience frying people. He set the machine for a long impulse wave and started the torture. He pressed the handset against my upper cheek and it emitted a bright light for a second and then the electric current came right after. It was like the laser treatments I had in the past, with the added electrical twist. Felt really strange at first because I really don’t like the feeling of getting shocked. Sometimes it made a popping sound which I thought were the follicles exploding because they were being superheated. Later I realized that it was the current arcing on the surface of my skin and in turn scorching it. It could also be that some of the missed stubble was being vaporized and burned the skin around it. Whatever the case may be, popping is not a good thing. I was also wondering if the gel he put on my face was too thin in some areas and didn’t distribute the current evenly, creating hot spots.
I will ask the doc if he has much experience using the machine next time. I want to tell him exactly what happened so we can avoid the burns the next time. The current made my neck muscles really jump like the frog leg in biology class. He went over my face and neck twice to make sure I had more than enough pain. The places where it hurts like a bitch are upper lip, lower lip, along the jawbone, and along the throat. I think I will treat these areas with Emla next time before going. The system works like this, the laser light pre-heats the skin and then the high frequency electric current is switched on. The skin conducts electricity better the warmer it is. He also did my chest area in between my breasts and above them. That area hurt pretty badly too.
When we were finished I told him that if this method works, my doctor has some others that she would recommend him to. He said he hoped it worked out for me too. He said something about 250 euro, but I told him he said 200 euro when I last spoke with him. He said ok then, 200 it is. I gave him also the 20 euro I owed from the initial visit. He was like; if 200 is fair then 200. Another clue that he doesn’t do this that often. He made it seem as though I knew better what to charge than he did. That’s fine with me, 200 is fair.
I made another appointment for six weeks later. I went home and cooled my face. All that pain had taken a bit out of me. My face wasn’t as red as it usually got with the other laser I used to do. I was skeptical that it had done anything. I didn’t shave the next day because when I put aloe on my face it burned. I wasn’t sure if it was from the razor burn or the treatment. I noticed there were black spots on my cheeks. I tried to scratch them away with my fingernail and realized it was my charred skin. Ouch!! I put some cortisone on them and they seemed to heal quickly. They were apparently a result of the popping sound I had heard. I shaved the next day and it was really easy. The next day I had hardly any stubble. I did notice that the follicles had been affected because they were swollen for a couple of days. I also have a couple of folliculitis infections, but nothing too bad. I am anxious to see how the hairs react over the next few weeks, but it seems to have stunted them. I only hope it lasts.
The next few weeks will be the test whether or not I continue with this treatment. So far it seems to have done something. I’ll comment when I think of it in the coming weeks.
posted by Christine Cormier @ 9:57 PM
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