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Electrolysis Pain : What to
expect; factors involved in the perception of pain. |
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Pain Control : A
preferred method to alleviate/eliminate the discomfort of electrolysis
treatment. |
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Oral Nonopioid
Medications : Oral pain medication used in addition to topical pain
management. |
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Adjunct Medical
Support : Physician facilitated pain management during electrolysis treatment. |
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EMLA : A topical
anesthetic. |
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Occlusive Dressings
: Application instructions for cream type topical anesthetics like EMLA. |
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OTC topical analgesics
: Non-prescription topical analgesics available to the electrology
patient. |
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Adjunct
Medical Support
Most
electrology practice, as it typically functions, involves brief
treatment encounters with patients experiencing mild to moderate
hirsutism (unwanted hair); the affected areas usually possess somewhat
fine and shallow follicles. Treatment usually incorporates brief visits
over extended periods of time as unwanted hair growth is brought under
control.
But in
many instances that involve transgender care, the electrologist is
unable to sufficiently control the degree of pain and after-effects that
are associated with extensive treatment with the use of over-the-counter
preparations.
The three
most widely practiced alternatives to medical pain management appear to
be:
- Shortening
of the treatment encounter
- CONTRARY
EFFECT:
Under many circumstances, beard removal may require approximately 200
hours of treatment. Treatment encounters that utilize no more than one
or two hours may make the normal process of beard removal impractical.
Maintaining a timeline congruent with hormonal management is especially
important since increased sensitivity to electrology pain typically
occurs as the skin softens.
- Reducing
treatment energy
- CONTRARY
EFFECT:
Electrolysis
energy is downwardly adjusted to allow for longer sessions to be
comfortably tolerated. This reduction of treatment energy may minimize
electrolysis pain, but the overall response to treatment suffers greatly
with markedly fewer follicles killed.
- Inadequate
topical analgesic and antibacterial preparations from over-the-counter
(OTC) products
- CONTRARY
EFFECT:
While
OTC topical preparations are often sufficient for less intensive
treatment (fewer hairs, shallowly rooted), the extensive treatment
associated with coarse, deeply rooted follicles may be too painful or
intrusive for the patient. Patients may suffer needlessly through the
process or prematurely withdraw from electrolysis treatment,
transitioning with the added burden of a significant amount of facial
hair remaining. Additionally, the intrusiveness of extensive facial
electrolysis suggests a need for topical antibiotics following
treatment, which have been demonstrated to significantly reduce recovery
time and lessen the risk of scarring.
Here, the
patient often requires the support of a medical provider as an adjunct
to the electrology process.
In such a
situation, the physician forms a bridge between transgender medical
patient and the electrologist in order to safely provide the necessary
management of medical therapies (prescribing of more potent topical
anesthetics than are normally available OTC, and topical antibiotics as
indicated), and providing the necessary patient education to allow for
their safe administration during the electrology treatment encounter.
In such
arrangements where non-physician ancillary health care providers are
involved, an importance should be placed on meeting established training
guidelines in their respective field; as the electrologist aids the
patient in the application of prescription topical anesthetics and
topical antibacterial preparations during the course of electrology
treatment, one measure of proficiency may be holding a certification of
CPE or CCE, as established by either of two national electrologist
affiliations. For more information concerning electrologist
training and accreditation, please refer to Training & Licensing Issues.
In
essence, the physician helps to facilitate a safe and controlled
environment for the transgender patient requiring permanent hair
removal. As in other situations where responsibility is placed on the
patient to follow physician direction, maximum benefit is often based on
proper compliance with the treatment plan.
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