Was wondering if anyone had first-hand experience with Kelly.@Jamie320 goes to Kelly and speaks highly of her.
I've had laser on my face and am not unhappy with my results. I'll certainly never grow a beard again.
Unfortunately, I'd started going grey before coming out to myself, and even before then my beard was a melange of brown, black, blonde and red. Laser just won't clear everything, and there are some very dark hairs that it can't seem to clear no matter what.
I live near Chicago, and when I mentioned electrolysis to my tdoc, she immediately blurted out "Kelly."
The website looks promising. When I used the search function on Susan's, I was able to draw up a couple of mentions, but it left me wanting to know a little more.
I was just wondering if anyone could speak first-hand to their experiences there.
Thanks!
@Jamie320 goes to Kelly and speaks highly of her.
I am going to be going to Precision Hair Removal in Chicago. Jamie had recommended them to me as well.
Both places work closely with the transgender community and offer large portion hair removal.
My first round of removal will be 30 hours long! Two days with 2 techs working on me for 8 hours each day!
I recommend talking to Jamie320 for some more first hand information. Kelly is a very sweet person from the conversations I have had with her.
Good luck!
Lacy
Hi Lacy, Have you done the major session yet? Any reports you can make?Kate,
Thanks!!!
Kate
Kate,
My session is on the second week of May. The doctor is on Vacation for the months of March and April.
I will make sure to do a thorough catalog of my experiences for everyone.
Lacy
Ping? Any experiences you would like to share? Hairy faces want to know... ;DKatie,
Thanks!
Katie
Katie,
I was just thinking about you this week! My May appointment had to be rescheduled to July 8, 9 due to some Family graduations that took place in May.
I already have the days off, so this is it! I will make sure to give some before and after pictures along with my experiences!
Lacy
I have actually had a surprising reduction in facial hair from the HRT. I will post some pictures once my beard grows out a bit longer.
OMG. You have way more guts than I do. One of my biggest issues in scheduling weekly sessions is trying to grow out my facial hair enough for the electrologist to do their thing. It sort of means 4 days of not going outside. I can't imagine letting people see me like that. I was SO embarrassed to let it grow for a few days to take pictures to send to the Precision Hair people. I just hated having to memorialize that. I understand why they needed the pictures. It just hurt to wait, and it hurt to take and see the pictures.
So, I am pretty sure I won't ever post the before pictures on any web site.
As I have said many times, fundamentally, I am a coward. And, I am amazed how often that is proven during transition...
And too am happy that several of us are in the same calendar quarter. It does give me hope...
Katie
I hated growing it out for the new patient pictures as well. I hadn't gone without shaving for a long time when I did that.
For the sake of showing people just beginning transition I feel like I will pony up and post some distressing pictures. My beard used to be long enough to nearly touch my chest! I was majorly compensating.
Facial hair is easily one of my biggest triggers now. I am not going full time until August 15th. That is probably the inly reason I can grow it out long enough to get some photos!
After electrolysis though, there will be no growing any of it out until I have to for future appointments!
Thank you for sharing your experience Lacy!Maddie,
Northern IL is really not that far to go for me, considering...I should look into this and inquire about cost.
I'm in NE WI, and have been slowly chipping away at this stone since 2015 with an electrolyst who has never cleared a transwoman face.
Hi and thanks for the update ! -
Katie: You mentioned Dallas, was it Electrology3000 that you went to? Are you now switching to Precision hair removal in IL?
Oh! I am sorry to hear that. I went to Electrology3000 and had Denise (one of the co-owners) & a technician work on my face. Its too early to say anything because i have only had 1 clearing on my face. I also looked into Precision in Chicago but went to Dallas instead. When i read up about Precision's process, i saw that they too use the thermolysis technique but as skills vary depending on operator, one could be better than the other...I wish the whole profession of Electrology was more standardized esp male beard removals... I would love to know more about your experience though if youre comfortable ofcourse... I wasnt 100% satisfied with my experience in Dallas too but i doubt that i would be 100% satisfied anywhere i go- its such a painful process to be stabbed in the face ... both emotionally & physically painful...
So, it was either 2000 or 2005, I don't recall which. (Those were the years I flew to the Oshkosh, WI AirVenture, and I stopped in on the way to AirVenture.) I had heard good things about them and so made an appointment. They told me they should be able to do a complete clearing in one day, which would not show hairs for a week or two, and within a week or so, I could be back in makeup. They did not ask for pictures of my facial hair. When I got there, they were VERY pleasant, and in spite of my looks called me she/her 100% of the time. The owner, maybe, at the time was a dentist, and she would come in and give you some injections, and the technicians would get to work. We stopped for lunch, and after lunch more injections, and they went at it again. The injections hurt like holy tarnation. But they were hugely effective. The whole thing was completely painless except for the excruciating pain of the injections.
When they were done at the end of the day, they had "cleared" my upper lip, and about an inch wide swath down each side of my face, in sort of the goatee area. They did not touch the cheeks, nor throat. (Which as it turned out, was good for me.) My lower face resembled hamburger, and was oozing and dripping a lot. They suggested zinc oxide and some antibiotic. But either of those just sort of melted off pretty quickly. After a week of oozing, it did stop, to be replaced by huge scabs all over my chin. The scabs lasted another month or so. During that time, I could not shave anywhere close to the area, and hair was everywhere. I had hoped to visit AirVenture dressed as female, but that was not possible. And, actually it was probably two months before I could remove enough facial hair and /or wear make to go outside. It was one of the most embarrassing times of my entire life. When all the healing had finished, I had several scars left in the area. They are still there, my reminder of trying to do the easy-button version of transition.
Fast forward 15 or 20 years, and because of my work schedule, I have had perhaps 20 hours of additional electrolysis. It is a huge pain for me to work as a female, and somehow let my facial hair grow for 3 or 4 days to get long enough to zap. And having to shave while hiding in a bathroom stall every mid-afternoon has been less than fun. So, in desperation... once again, I am thinking of trying for the easy button approach.
I literally don't know what I will do if Precision hair ends up the way Electrology 2000 did for me.
Was that more information than I should have shared? ;D
Katie
Hi Lacy-
How many hours of electrolysis did you need for your face on your last clearing at Precision? Also was it your 1st ever clearing? You mentioned that you scheduled for 2 days- could you tell me the breakup of how many hrs on days 1 and 2.
My 1st clearing took 14 hours. Im curious to hear your experience-
thanks a ton :)
Wow 30 hours is a lot! I was done in 14 hours in E3K in Dallas but im not sure whether Precision uses a different technique than does E3k. E3k uses thermolysis. If i do switch to Precision, i hope im not in for 30 hrs- seems too brutal ... lol
Did you feel the pain from lidocaine shots? Not sure what the point of twilight is if one still feels all the pain from the shots?
Btw prior to my 1st ever clearing i was told that i have an "average" beard if that makes a difference.
I remember that for my clearing i must have had 70-80 shots in all in 1 day! I was emotionally drained... AND THOSE SHOTS HURT LIKE HELL too-
How many shots did you get at a time? And how many times per day? Was it Dr Zukowski himself injecting you? Sorry for my questions but the more one knows about it before going in, the better it can be emotionally...
I will answer any and all questions you may have!
Lacy
Im guessing that youre on the electrolysis chair now- how did day 1 go?
Oh my god, Katie. That is VERY intense...!
Im glad you found the courage to go ahead with this and also book your next session.
So since we last texted, i did a 1 hour trial session with a local electrologist who is excellent with over 30 years of experience and is super professional. I hired my own doctor to give the lidocaine shots (with epinephrine) so the 1 hr trial with the electrologist worked fine. I dont why many other people do not pursue this option- look up "concierge doctors" in your area and reach out to each with your detailed story. I am now booked for an entire clearing over 2 days during the end of September. No more travel to either Texas or IL for now- im glad i did the 1st clearing in Texas though. Without it, i wouldnt have known what to look for in either the lidocaine shots or the electrologist.
Good luck with your recovery though- i was thinking of you on the 30th because i remembered that you were going to go through this with Precision.
So, I am back home now after both days. I have LOTS to say, and a few pictures to show. Some are exceptionally embarrassing to me, but I have been inspired by Lacy's transparency, and maybe any of this will help others thinking about Precision Hair Removal.
Short background: I had been to E2000 (now E3000) in about 2001, and had 16 hours of work done that damaged my skin and turned my chin into hamburger for at least a month. Since 2001, I have tried the hour here, hour there thing, but because of my work schedule could never get anything regular going for long. So, all told I have had perhaps 30 hours of electrolysis done on my face in my life. This is the picture I sent to Precision Hair as the before picture.
(http://i.imgur.com/odRPu2q.jpg) (https://imgur.com/odRPu2q)
I was told to plan for two days, and I signed up for last Thursday and Friday. I was told to show up at 9:00 AM on Thursday and that a half hour of prep each day was built into the schedule. Being pathologically early to everything, I showed up at 8:15. I walked through the red doors and there were chairs and nothing else. No people, no nothing. So, I sort of stood around for a bit and maybe 10 minutes later, Irena sticks her head out of the back room and says, "Here for electrolysis? Have a seat, someone will be with you soon." Soon turned out to be 9:05, when Irena came back out and brought me to that same back room. She had me sit on the table and she slathered the numbing cream all over my face.
(http://i.imgur.com/00XyQaK.jpg) (https://imgur.com/00XyQaK)
Irena said the doctor would be there about 9:30, do the IV and drugs, do the lidocaine in the face, and we would get started. 9:30 came, but no Dr. Z. 10:00 came and no Dr. Z. About 10:20 Dr. Z does come in. He is pleasant enough, although I still don't like being called Honey by men younger than me, which is just about all of them... While putting in the IV, he gave me the sales pitch about 60 - 80% of his practices is TG and... The Dr adds the versed (a benzodiazepine sedative), which works pretty quickly. A couple minutes later, the Dr comes in and injects the upper part of my face about 10 times with lidocaine. He does this in what looks like a willy-nilly cowboy fashion. One handed, and sloppy, it seems to me. Lidocaine is spraying all over the place, and I bleed like a stuck pig. But it doesn't hurt a lot. HEE-HEE breathing gets me through it.
Dan and Digmar (spelling?) start working on me. Talk about focus. In my life, I do not think I have ever seen such focus in one person, and here were two people, really going at it. they start at the top of my side burns and work down. They never stop. Never. The only time they stop is if I ask to stop. They never eat, they never pee, they talk only to ask me to move my head this way or that. It was incredible.
About 11:30, the Dr says he is leaving for an hour, and did anyone need more shots. Nope, we are all good, as the lidocaine should work for 4 to 6 hours. However, by about 2:30, I can feel everything. But no Dr. Z. Of course they keep working, because nothing stops these incredible people. 3:00 comes and goes without seeing Dr. Z. About 3:30, he comes into the office, and Digmar and Dan immediately stop and wait for him to inject me.
But did I mention that the lidocaine had worn off more than an hour ago? Hmmm. There is no Versed for anything but the first round of the day. So, Dr. Z goes to inject my face, in about the same 10 places, but this time I felt every little bit. If you would like to know what it felt like do this: Take a 2.5 inch 20 gauge needle and stick it into your face, all the way, under the skin about 10 times all around your cheeks, jaw, and chin. I was trying not to scream, but I was crying like a baby. I have not birthed a baby, so maybe I don't know severe pain, but those 3 minutes were the most painful of my entire life. Dr. Z kept saying, "You're doing great, honey." Like hell I was doing great...
Dan spent the next 5 minutes very gently wiping the tears and blood off my face.
Then, Digmar and Dan got back to work. They had me positioned with my head lower than my feet, which put a strange pressure on my back. After 3 or 4 hours, my back hurt a lot. I had to take breaks every hour or so to stretch it out, and even then, it hurt enough to make me cry. OK. You may be getting the idea that I am a big baby. Until Thursday, I did not think I was a big baby. (I have had 9 knee surgeries with no post-surgery pain killers after the first one, and every doctor I have ever been to has remarked about my high pain tolerance.) before the Dr left, they had him give me one more round, and he commented on how quickly I metabolize drugs. lucky me.
I thought because of the late start that Digmar and Dan would end at 5 or 6, and I would just be shorted hours. Little did I know their perseverance. At 6:00 I asked them how much longer. I was constantly crying because of my back. Dan replied, "How about another hour?" OK. Let's do it. At 7:00, we were done. I walked back to the hotel (which I was later told I should not have done. Don't exercise after electrolysis!) And, I looked like this:
(http://i.imgur.com/pb1aKM1.jpg) (https://imgur.com/pb1aKM1)
I asked about what time to show up the next day, Friday. They said 12:15. 12:15???? How will we ever get done if we start so late??? Irina says, We will try really, really hard to get the rest done in that one day. Oh boy. No one told me previously that Friday was a late start day. Crud. If I had known, I would have scheduled a different day. Crud. Oh well, that will give time to do the Lymphatic Recovery thing in the morning at least.
I did all the things they told me about Neosporin and Eucerin, and sleeping elevated, and the next morning it looked like this:
(http://i.imgur.com/N2mnbG2.jpg) (https://imgur.com/N2mnbG2)
Not super bad swelling. Reina came in, not at 8:00, but more like 8:35. Late, but Reina was great. She was VERY transparent about her own story, very knowledgeable about lymphatics, and very efficient. the Lymphatic Recovery felt very good, and maybe even it helped.
12:00, and I was back in the office. By 12:10, I was in the nearer room, with the flat table. I worried about my back with that table based on Lacy's comments. By 12:15, I was gooped up, waiting the for Dr again, who supposedly would be there at 12:30. Nope. 1:05 he shows up. He still calls me Honey, but at least this time he doesn't give me the sales pitch. He does the Versed, and the injections, which like day 1 I can feel but they don't hurt that much. He doses me pretty good I think, because of the day before.
The second day, I had Dan on the left, and Irina on the right, because although Dan is a right side person, so is Irina, and Irina wins. (I had no idea there were left side and right side electrologists. Apparently they CAN do either side, but always have a strong preference. Who knew???) They start working, and it is the same intensity as the day before. Incredible. About 3:30, the Dr calls out that he is leaving, and did anyone need anything. Irina asks, if he is leaving for the day, and Dr Z responds, "That's what leaving means..." Even though it may be a bit early, she asks him to come re-do me. He does, and because everything is still numb, I barely feel it. And then Dan and Irina get after it. By about 3:30 my back was hurting, but there was no way I was going to say anything and have them stop.
And, about 6:30, they were actually done with the lower half. even being so late on a Friday, the last 15 minutes were each one looking over the other's work to see if another set of eyes would find something else to zap. when I left, my face looked like this:
(http://i.imgur.com/zcSpJuR.jpg) (https://imgur.com/zcSpJuR)
And the full face version:
(http://i.imgur.com/T91e14D.jpg) (https://imgur.com/T91e14D)
The next morning, my upper face seemed a lot better, although both upper and lower face were still oozing quite a bit. By the time I got home yesterday afternoon, it didn't look all that bad besides the crusty oozing crud all over my chin and neck. In fact my spouse and I visited friends last night and neither of them commented on my face. Sort of, it looked a lot like it did when I was 30 pounds heavier. This morning, it is a bit more swollen, but at least I can open my mouth almost all the way. It is still oozing quite a bit.
But, I am confident that the swelling will be gone in less than a week, and that I should be able to go out and be seen by the 10th of September, when I am supposed to be back in front of customers.
So, my summary:
1: Irina and her whole crew are incredible in every way. They are not only exceptional at their job, they are dedicated and intense at a level that is nearly super-human. I cannot say good enough things about them. Considering that I have paid other electrologists $100/hour, their $130/hour is an incredible value.
2. Dr. Z sucks. Totally sucks. At least for this part. He may be the best plastic surgeon in the world. But I would not go to him to wash my car, much less slice open my face. I mentioned to Dan that Dr. Z did not seem very precise. Dan said, He is with his surgeries. Maybe. But I would never give him the chance. That said, if you go to Precision Hair Removal, you have no choice. None.
So, in fact, I will schedule my next appointment for round two. I will do my best to keep Dr. Z shooting me up before he leaves for long periods of time. In my mind, Dr. Z is the price I pay to get Irina, Dan, and Digmar.
Sorry for the super long post. I just thought I would do the brain dump, in case anyone wanted to know.
Katie
PS. I thought I would add one final picture. This is a close up on my neck. There are two things to note: 1: The oozing scabbing part, which was significant on my chin and throat presumably because of the hair density there and all the heat it takes to nuke all of them. And, 2: there is bruising below the hair, right about where the adams apple would be. You can't see it well, but it is pretty well bruised. They end up having to push in pretty hard to stretch the skin and on my throat, that caused lots of bruising that I can still feel. And actually, the only painful thing today, Sunday, is that bruising. It looks like someone tried to strangle me. Which, come to think of it is sort of what it felt like when they were working down there...
(http://i.imgur.com/RbKrNNl.jpg) (https://imgur.com/RbKrNNl)
(Edited to try to correct image links...
And a second edit for the PS...)
Katie,
I am so glad that you got through your appointment! It takes a real trooper to handle so many hours of electrolysis.
Your description of Irena and her staff is so accurate! They are machines. Next level workers for sure.
Sorry to hear that Dr. Z was rough with your face and made you cry. Those shots are the worst! It is unfortunate that his nurses weren't available to come give you shots when he wasn't there. With him having his own practice and schedule it can be inconvenient not to have someone to numb you up when needed.
From your pictures, it looks like your swelling wasn't terrible the next morning. I can't believe you walked back to your hotel after all that work! You must have been one hurting girl!
The back pain was one of the worst parts for me. It is one of those things that drives me crazy! Next time I go there I will be bringing some back support.
It has been nearly 2 months since my session. I feel like the only hair that has grown back as much as it did before is my mustache. It never has been thick, but it seems it is pretty resilient. I think the lady who did the left side of my neck burned me a bit. That redness has just left within the past 2 weeks. The only other hair that grows back regular like and dark is the patch they weren't able to get. So that isn't unexpected.
It doesn't look like you have any burns. I'm happy for you!
How was your traveling adventures? How did you end up handling everything?
Lacy
Also, how long after the treatment with the lidocaine & twilight before you can drive? Would rather make it a crazy long day vs 2 nights in a hotel. Just to clarify, will have completed 15 rounds of laser with a local facility by weeks end. Had a few hours of electrolysis years ago. That is where I learned the first facility really preferred small spot treatments.
Any info appreciated & (again) much appreciate all of the info provided in this thread.
Just a huge amount of thanks to all of those who provided details about their experience.
I live in down state IL & it is impossible to find anyone local. Even for an hour. Either of the 2 ladies doing it in my hometown area desire small projects apparently. Grrrr.
So quick question. How long of a span is needed prior to having FFS between electrolysis at this level? Guessing 3 months would be ideal?
Also, how long after the treatment with the lidocaine & twilight before you can drive? Would rather make it a crazy long day vs 2 nights in a hotel.
PLEASE NOTE:
Please arrange for transport to and from our office. Operating a vehicle or heavy machinery is prohibited for 24 hours following treatment. If you drive to your appointment, you will be denied.
If you are taking spironolactone, please discontinue use 4 days prior to your large volume electrolysis session. After treatment, you may resume.
Do not take ibuprofen (Advil, etc.), aspirin, or acetaminophen (Tylenol, etc.) for 4 days prior to treatment.
Hydration is important! - please drink one gallon of water per day for a minimum 5 days prior to treatment.
Please do not eat 6 hours prior to the appointment.
A Pre-Electrolysis Facial is recommended to help prepare your skin and hair for treatment and better recovery. Please contact us to schedule.
If you're having electrolysis in the genital area, please ensure a hygienic environment for your technician.
Final payment is due on the day of treatment before treatment begins. We accept payment via major credit cards (3.5% convenience fee applies), cashier's check/USPS money orders (no fee), or cash. Please make cashier's checks and money orders payable to Precision Hair Removal and Skin Care.
Pay the doctor $500/day for his or her work and im sure youll find many. Its money you pay to get rid of your pain. Its worth it.
Katie,
What does that clinic, doctors or nurses tell you about that numbness. I would be totally worried about that and would want to know when, if ever, it will go away. They all should have an answer about that since they are the experts in this. Good luck with all that. I started electrology in late 2011 and am still going, down to one visit every 8 weeks or so. I have some pesky stiff white hairs on my left jawline that refuse to die or be killed. I occasionally get a new dark hair in different areas including right under the chin with most near the left side.
Allie
They said, It happens some times, and how long it lasts is variable...Katie I am sorry I didn't respond to your earlier post. I promise I will!
Not the best answer. And, what options do I have? It is what it is at this point...
Good luck on your hair removal!
Katie
Katie I am sorry I didn't respond to your earlier post. I promise I will!
In regards to this issue with the numbness, I would say that it sounds like our experiences differ a bit.
The complete numbness to the point of being scary to shave, I never experienced. Within a week any complete numbness was gone.
That said I had a sensation of very tight skin, which was probably due to residual numbness for about a month on my jawline and chin and a full 2 months on my neck. I still had sensation and feeling, but it wasn't what I consider normal until the 8 week mark.
Lacy
Im shocked to read about your long lasting numbing on the face, Katie & Lacy. I never experienced any of this long lasting numbing after my first session at E3k in Texas- in fact my numbing shots only lasted like 2-2.5 hours - they (the electrologists) used lidocaine with epinephrine 1%. I have no idea what kind of anesthetic Dr Z was injecting- maybe you should email and ask Precision just for your own record. Also please talk to your PCP about this before you go for your next session because you dont want to end up with any long term facial complications.
Hey Katie,@fen11
How did it go? I have been following your journey from afar and seems like so far you have made great progress and would recommend PHR. This is a project I hope to start in the near future.
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