Hair removal question

[marti]

I am not full time but I have started getting electrolysis. I go on Monday afternoons. I shave on Saturday mornings but not on Sunday or Monday. That way I am only a little scruffy on Mondays. As someone else said earlier, if you concentrate on small areas at a time just leave that area with growth and shave the rest of your face.

[Peta_T]

Yeah the IPL for me worked permanently, but only on the dark hairs. I had a very full beard and as I said, IPL got rid of 90% of it. All that was left was mostly grey's. Moral of story, with IPL do it while your young before you go grey

With regards to cost, I've paid out more dollar wise for Electrolysis than I have for IPL, just through needing more treatments. Either way, laser, IPL or Electrolysis, none of them are exactly cheap.

[MarieTS]

Rachael, as I said in a previous thread, facial hair removal is Job#1. All the estradiol and spirolactone in the world can't subdue facial hair growth. So, if you are serious about transitioning , get after it girl!

[Sara Olivia]

Hi Rachael,
I will add in my two cents worth and it falls right in line with Allie's advice. I had a lot of facial hair and I started with electrolysis about three years ago. After about 50 hours of electrolysis the reduction in facial hair was really disappointing. I was imagining it taking 500 hours to remove all my facial hair. At the time I was involved in a trans support group. A number of ladies suggested that I try laser hair removal and then finish any remaining hairs with electrolysis. Like Allie said, for laser hair removal they want you closely shaved at the time of the treatment. After 8 treatments at 6 week intervals all the dark facial hair was 99 percent gone. I am now back at electrolysis every two weeks but now because there are only white hairs, they are almost invisible even if I cannot shave for a few days.

I get the expense side of it. I doubt this expense is really in anyone's budget. But I agree with all the advice that says its a non negotiable if you want to spend the rest of your life as Rachael.

[Rachael Leigh]

I want to thank all here for their kind advice on this. For me I’m just not of the opinion if I don’t get something done I’m somehow not in the fulltime club of passing as Rachael. Truly I’m just not that vain. I do well now with my presentation and I know that their are sacrifices with being a fulltime girl but my budget and frankly my time just won’t allow for these things
Again thanks all I appreciate all the advice
Rachael

[DaisyLawrence]

For me I’m just not of the opinion if I don’t get something done I’m somehow not in the fulltime club of passing as Rachael.

Well said Rachael I fully understand your thinking. You are in the club if you say your are, there can be no minimum entrance requirements imposed by others.

Daisy x

[Nikki.]

Rachel, it may be worth checking the special offer site that starts with a G and ends with “on”. There’s a couple medical esthetic places in my town with [insert dr. evil voice] “lasers” that run specials for laser hair removal. One in particular runs 6 treatments, face and neck, for $400 and has good reviews. I talked to the receptionist yesterday and she seemed knowledgeable and surprisingly not sales pushy.

I have a consult coming up at another one in a fancier zip code that i expect to be more $$$$. My guess is I’ll end up at the $400 place. There’s another one that appears cheaper, but the reviews are not favorable. good luck!

[Becky Blue]

Rachael, I had laser on my face 3 years ago and its been wonderful, my ONLY regret was not doing it when I was younger, as of course it doesn't kill the grey hairs. I have light skin with quite dark course facial hair. After 8 laser sessions almost all of the dark hairs are gone forever. I need a touch up twice a year for an occasional spot mostly under my chin and on my upper lip. the impact of the laser has been amazing. Firstly all I need to be as smooth as a babies bottom is a VERY light shave. I have zero shadow and i am still as smooth as anything that night. The next morning I can feel spikes but can see nothing... if I were not to shave on day 2 little grey dots appear that afternoon. Of course the speed of regrowth would differ for everyone.

The best part is what the laser did for my face, people keep saying to me what have you done you are looking younger. My face is smoother and at times shines, its hard to explain my skin feels much softer too. Although i shave almost every day, it is such a light quick shave it takes me under 60 seconds to shave.

I was told to make sure the laser they used was a Candela.

I am/have considered electrolysis but after laser I would need about a weeks growth which is just not practical for me. The place I went to did however offer an option which could work for you Rachael. As we all know hair grows in cycles and electrolysis is very inefficient as only about 20% of the hairs taken out are in the right phase. Thus needing many treatments. What can be done to accelerate the process, is to let your hair grow and then have a sugar treatment, Sugar is a very good hair removal process as it pulls the hairs out at the roots. Once your face is 'sugared' all the hairs that regrow are all in he same growth phase thus requiring a short but intensive removal process. According to the place I visited the whole process can be done in under 3 weeks, from starting the growing through the sugaring to the electrolysis. So perhaps you can take some leave from work if that could work for you.

[LeaP]

Plucking (or sugaring) on the face can promote ingrown hair in some people. On the done in 3 weeks comment - facial hair growth cycles can be YEARS ... you can make substantial progress with intensive sessions, but new growth and re-growth will continue and has to be addressed periodically.

[Melanie Moxon]

Does one need to be on hormone treatment (i.e. fully into the transition phase) for laser removal to have good effects as I quite like the idea of getting the jump on it so to speak, or is it best left until the point where I am taking blockers and hormones which could be well over a year away?

[Pat]

Everything I've read says do hair removal before hormones if you have a choice. The threshold of pain is higher for a testosterone-fueled body. My experience is with electrolysis and the difference doesn't really seem to be night-and-day -- it hurt before, it hurts now -- so it seems like an academic thing to me.

[Rachael Leigh]

As to the one who started this thread I know for me I won’t be doing the electrolysis. After the new year I am now going to
consider laser if I can fit it into the budget, especially since laser requires you to be shaved which is a plus.
Also since I did come out before I began hormones I plan on being on them in a month or so so I guess I am going about
this backwards but those were my choices
The new year will be interesting for sure for this new blossoming girl
Rachael

[Nikki.]

Rachel, check out group on for deals. I found a place that offered 6 treatments, full face and neck, for $400 in my relatively high cost of living area of northern california.

oh, and use lidocaine cream 30 minutes before. I applied it about 90 minutes before so the effectiveness was reduced. It hurts!!! If they sell the 8 or 9% lidocaine cream (rx only), it’s probably worth it. the otc stuff is only 4%.

[LeaP]

Does one need to be on hormone treatment ... or is it best left until the point where I am taking blockers and hormones which could be well over a year away?

The standard answer, which you should take to heart, is “start yesterday.” It’s NEVER too soon.

[Melanie Moxon]

Thanks girls, sorry if it seemed a bit 'thread hijack' but as it was a discussion about hair removal I thought I'd ask the question

[Kaitlyn Michele]

Transition is forever (hopefully)..

over the years i stopped hair removal...i was VERY hairy... the laser and HRT worked wonder on my body..and in fact i lasered everywhere...legs armpits etc...amazing!! no hair..i rarely shave my legs or armpits ...its wonderful

face is a different story..im easily over 300 hrs of electro over many years..ugh...and im back to doing it...more on that in a moment

btw plucking is almost always a bad idea...it also damages follicles and can make future permanent removal more difficult..and sometimes it hurts just as bad as electro...

laser is not always permanent...we can debate the word, but hair that is lasered often regrows ...sometimes over many years..

i did it all btw...but electro just never seemed to end, and so i quit... and after about 5 years of shaving every other day...feeling good one day and not as good the next...cutting up my face, not wearing make up because it started to irritate the shaved area, planning when to go out around when i could shave...welll i just wanted to die...(not literally)...but it SUCKED..it had a huge negative impact on my life quality.

i tried another laser...guess what...it STIMULATED growth...

im back at electrolysis...almost 10 yrs after i started...

you dont know how you will feel in years...but i can give you and idea...its not about joining a club or staking a claim to identity or authenticity...its about your quality of life, and trust me, if you are wearing a wig and shaving 4 times a week, its not going to be as tolerable years from now...transition is when you HAVE TO do it...its neccessary...it can feel transcendant and life saving...you can life the car to get at your identity....then transition is over...years pass....you are just some invisible lady...you have to think about her...and thinking about her now is a good thing..

if money absolutely forbids electro..i get it...you'll have to deal with it..but as priorities go, its pretty high up as something to save for... and i cant stress enough, there is no guarantee with laser that it wont grow back on your face...

also, wigs.... i have seen amazing results with hair replacement....another high priority in my mind...i'd pick hair removal and hair replacement over GRS if im not 30 yrs old and want an active sex life...

[Anne K]

I had the same experience as Laura. I had laser on my entire body and had excellent results. The facial hair has gray hair and after 6 treatments, eliminated the dark hairs. I will need electrolysis for the gray hair. It’s a journey!

[Chrissi]

Same here as others....I did and am doing the laser (for dark hairs) first, and electrolysis for gray/white hairs second. I’m to the point that I no longer need to color correct for facial beard. Heck I barely need to shave anymore, but do daily regardless. I’ve only had a couple of treatments. I know I was one of the lucky ones with barely a beard to begin with pre transition.
I’ve never had chest, or body hair...family history rumor was Native American ancestors, I tend to believe that more now...lol.

[LindaAnne]

I started off waxing a few parts of my body. I loved the smooth feeling and feminine look so over time I expanded the waxing to everything but my face, lower arms and lower legs (I even had my hands and feet done). A few months ago I tired of the waxing so have now started to get laser treatments. As I've only had a few laser treatments I can't speak to how "permanent" it will be but my guess is, as with anything in life, it will vary by person. The laser treatments have been amazing so far. I am much more smoother and no ingrown hairs! The only thing left will be facial hair. I can't wait to eliminate having to shave my beard and also that will greatly assist with makeup. Regarding comments as to cost, my esthetician is a wonderful lady who is the upmost professional. She offers a discount for repeat customers and with the laser treatments, she offers a very generous discount if you pay up front for the package. Ask if there are any deals if you are concerned about cost, but trust me once you get into hair removal you'll love it and the money will be well spent. So girly being smooth!

[Peta_T]

Thanks girls, sorry if it seemed a bit 'thread hijack' but as it was a discussion about hair removal I thought I'd ask the question

Think of it this way:-
removal + transition = dream come true.
removal + no transition = never have to shave again, thus win.

No downside really in my book.

[Melanie Moxon]

Thankyou for the advice. I will move it forward as much as possible then, beats having to shave the coarser hair that is for sure!

[Wendi_cd]

Rachel, check out group on for deals. I found a place that offered 6 treatments, full face and neck, for $400 in my relatively high cost of living area of northern california.

oh, and use lidocaine cream 30 minutes before. I applied it about 90 minutes before so the effectiveness was reduced. It hurts!!! If they sell the 8 or 9% lidocaine cream (rx only), it’s probably worth it. the otc stuff is only 4%.

I've had laser, using a special the local place was running, 6 FULL BODY treatments for $1000, treatments after that are at the special price (based on 6/1000).
One session every 6 weeks, takes about 90 minutes per session, depending on what kind of machine they are using.
Some areas are more sensitive than others, the face was quite painful especially in the beginning.
6 sessions in, I have no hair growth below the waist, some very small patches on my chest and just a few dark spots on my face.

You cannot use a numbing medication with laser, as there is no way to gauge how much power the laser needs to be set to. There is a happy medium between **** that hurts and so mild that it is ineffective, lidocaine runs the risk of the laser being set TOO high and causing burns, potentially permanent.

Laser is a "it's usually permanent, but we can't say it is because the FDA says it isn't", any hairs that don't succumb to the laser can be removed with electrolysis.

[LeaP]

If you’re going to a laser tech who is determining damaging power levels by how much it hurts, you need another tech ...

[Nikki.]

The fancy schmancy place i had the consult is owned by an md and sells the rx 9% lidocaine cream. the rn that runs the [fingerquote]laser[/fingerquote] relayed an anecdote of a client who experienced a big difference in pain when she used the 4% stuff. I went to my 2nd face session 2 days ago with a thick layer of the 4% lido cream on my face and 600 mg of ibuprofen. I had to sit on my fists with my hands grabbing my pocket and my jaw clenched it hurt so bad on my upper lip and chin. I may ask my regular doc for an rx for the 9%.

no redness after, but some subdermal irritation for a day. in general i have a fairly high pain tolerance. ymmv.

[Pat]

I had to sit on my fists with my hands grabbing my pocket and my jaw clenched it hurt so bad on my upper lip and chin.

Get a pair of firm stress balls you can squeeze. Much easier on your hands (experience talking. )