Oh, what to do about body hair...

[Bea]

Hello again everyone 

Today it came to mind that although I have been using IPL laser therapy on my face for 4+ months now, or 4 sessions, I have noticed only a slowing of the growth and so I am going to look into electrolysis right away.

My concern for body hair has changed a bit here and there simply because I am being told many different things by both friends and therapists.

Ok, so before I started my transition I was a hairy dude. I had a hairy chest, belly, arms, legs, and could grow a mean beard that would creep down my neck if I let it.

I have been told not to worry about body hair because HRT would thin it out to fine hairs or none at all, on the other hand I have read otherwise and wonder if I'll need to get IPL laser or electrolysis elsewhere on my body. (aside from pre GRS)

I worry a bit since I just started hormones this week and don't want to end up with hairy boobs in 6 months or so!

This just may be one of those personal deals where everyone has a different result but I am curious anyway as to what the experiences are before I waste money on something I don't need to.


Hugs,

[Steffi]

(I'm 57 and fair haired. )
After time on hormones and waxing or epilating, hair on my arms and hands grows back slowly as female vellus hair.
Legs hair grows slower and weaker and I still need to epilate, but then so do most born women especially as they get older.

I only ever had about 30 hairs on my chest centre and about 20 around each nipple and they seemed unchanged - in fact, the nipple hairs might have got stronger, but perhaps that's in my head.   Anyway, I had electrolysis on all those.

There was a recent thread about the efficacy of Spearmint Tea for body hair suppression

[Karii Cloud]

I have been on HRT for 81 days (so short I know), but defiantly developing hairy breasts, so if you are worried about that, it may happen. Unless, of course, you intervene with some form of hair removal.

My hair does grow back more slowly, not much more but a bit, no change on the face of course. My endo(helping MtF since 1971) said that for a long, long time (1-2 years) expect only slower/lighter growth, but that chest and back hair may turn to light fuzz instead of male hair, but that would take a while, and is very linked to your T/anti-androgen levels.

I really feel your pain on the body hair front, as it seems one of the biggest hurdles to my transition at this point. Electrolysis is so time consuming and expensive it is extremely daunting, and the laser I have had so far has only had moderate success, as I have dark hair, but very very olive skin(1/2 black, but very light).

I'm pretty much at the point where I'm looking at paying $65 an hour for a highly recommended thermologist.

I still have a very significant amount of beard hair, so I think I just need to bite the bullet, and have huge spots on my face at work, while paying a ridiculous amount of money to lie still for hours having an electrified needle shoved into my face. After an electrolysis appointment, for kicks, I like to go get a root canal with no anesthesia.



*sigh* glad that's over. Smooth skin is totally worth it. Plus, the hairier you are to start, the more you'll appreciate not having it. Gotta be glass half full, I suppose. Some days it feels like too much, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.

Besides, what's getting rid of a bit of body hair when your looking to change your external genitalia?

[Naturally Blonde]

I suppose I've been very lucky as I don't get any body hair!

[Stephe]

I was VERY hairy. I had dense hair from my pubic hair to my neck on my front. Also lots of hair all over my back too. Had very hairy arms and legs/hands etc. I always hated it but OMG it would cost $100,000 to kill it all with electrolysis.

Enter HRT. I was on spiro only, no e for about 6 months and it started to go away. My doc added finisteride at the "prostrate problem" dosage, still no e and my body hair 3 months later had almost disappeared. I had a chance to get a free laser back clearing about 6 weeks ago and one session seems to have killed all of what was left. I have no regrowth after 6 weeks.  I'm tempted in a few months to let them go after whatever is left on my front side. I used to have to shave my legs every day to keep them clear, now every two weeks is good and it's mostly the fronts of my knees/kneecaps for whatever reason. The hair on my hands is all but gone, arm hair I was trimming with like a dog groomer type clipper every week or so (lol), now I rarely run it over them and the hair has become very fine. I'll probably stop that soon.

My advice, take as much AA as you and your doctor feels is safe and see if the body hair goes away like mine did before you decided other treatments are required. It's not gonna happen over night though.

 

[Cindy]

Yes as the other girls have said. AA's helped, but not overnight for me give 8-10 months in my case. But I got into rounds of facial laser, has been wonderful for me. I had my boobs tummy and bikini lasered with excellent results, but I do go back for top ups every few months now a days. I'm told by my laser nurse that I do not have male pattern chest or tummy hair anymore just slightly more than normal female. I didn't believe but she takes photos and I have to admit I've gone from monkey to slightly fuzzy . Very reassuring BTW.

I do get my back waxed, I was talking to girls at work and I get my back and legs waxed about as often as they do. Usually for a special event or getting ready for summer, and for me a back will last for 3-4 months. Legs I touch up with a razor or with hair removal cream.

I'm not a teen so I don't have a teen body hair, but I do seem to have an adult female body hair and seem to bitch about it as much as my adult female friends. So I'm happy.

I hope this comes over correctly as I do not mean it in anyway rudely, just a matter of female life.

We are high maintenance creatures. Men never understand that. I think woman who are transitioning from MtF don't always understand that either. I have regular facials, eyebrows, nails, waxing, laser etc. I usually meet the same woman in the same appointments over time. If you want to look the way I look and the way they look, we have to keep at it to look 'natural'. To prove that  this is true, walk down the high street and count how many places are selling female beauty stuff, from hairdressers to nail techs and everything in between. Then count how many places are catering to male beauty products.

There is a massive industry in keeping us gorgeous. 

Cindy

[Stephe]

There is a massive industry in keeping us gorgeous. 
Cindy

Very true. It's a lot of work and quite a bit of pain to be pretty for most people.

[Colleen Ireland]

I worry a bit since I just started hormones this week and don't want to end up with hairy boobs in 6 months or so!

Girl, just think of hairy boobs as a rite of passage, lol!  The main thing is to get boobs.  If you get 'em, rejoice.  I was pretty hairy, but not a bear.  Still, long, dark (well, salt-and-pepper) chest and tummy hair, a good bit of fur on my back, too.  Nearly 11 months on HRT (Suprefact, estrace and Prometrium) and the hair on my back is mostly a memory (my backside, too!).  The hair on my tummy and chest is a lot more sparse, finer and takes longer to grow back.  I generally shave.  Lately, my electrologist has had me start a treatment that involves waxing the chest and tummy, then there's a "Shock treatment" lotion to apply up to 5 times a day for the first 3 days.  It's made by Acad Epil or something (France).  Terribly expensive, but it does seem to slow the hair - the shock treatment apparently absorbs into the follicles after waxing, and "shocks" the follicle, so it dies a little bit.  Several treatments, I'm told, will hopefully give me a nice smooth front.  I hope so!  I do hate shaving.  But at least there's a lot less hair, and it's easier to deal with...

[Bird]

I did one session of laser around the chest area, it lowered the amount of hair there significantly. Anyways, talking about general body hair, at 11 months of HRT they have reduced a lot with only waxing. Given time, it doesn't stays the same and I would say, buying a epilator is a good idea for any of us.

Of course, lasering facial hair off is a must.