Ouch, will it hurt?
This is a question I get asked a lot and it is a perfectly natural one. Especially for first time patients who are getting injectable treatments or lasers. We also have to consider that people have different pain thresholds and tolerances. In some women for example, the time of their cycle can affect how they feel pain and they can be more sensitive to it.
I do not like anyone to feel uncomfortable during a treatment and that is why I have pre-treatment and post treatment guidance and advice. I offer topical numbing cream that is applied to treatment areas and is left to work for a while before proceeding. However most of our treatments do not need any numbing or pain relief as they are fast and come with cooling heads. The most typical sensations are described as pricking, mild scraping or passing of hand pieces, warming and twanging like with a rubber band.
The more intensive treatments like plasma injections for hair restoration are uncomfortable as they are repeated pricks into the scalp which can be sensitive (it does not have any fat padding). In this case we have ProNox which takes the edge off. This is a 50-50 mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide gas. It takes effect within seconds of inhaling the blend, providing increased comfort and reduced anxiety. These effects last for a few minutes at a time and can be extended by self-administering more of the mixture as needed. That is why each patient has their own kit for use during their sessions. Making the decision to come in for aesthetic treatments can be hard enough so it is my job to ensure everything goes without a hitch! So stress and pain-free is my thing!