All of my electrolysis was done after starting HRT. With the exception of the central upper lip area and the odd zinger (either of which could suddenly jolt me through the roof), I never found electrolysis particularly painful. It was pretty much 95% go to sleep - and I fell asleep often on the table - and 5% excruciating, with little in between. I had exactly one really uncomfortable session for some reason. While that session concentrated on the area below the chin, that area didn't bother me in other sessions. Go figure.
Also, I never found topical painkillers helpful. I tried them a couple of times then didn't bother. The after-treatment was more important to me. I made a point of using ice packs followed by chilled aloe gel. The cold packs had the effect of briefly making the redness worse for an hour or so, but improved healing time and felt GREAT!
