Laser Hair removal and plucking

[Joanna Dark]

I know this should prolly go in the Laser section but it seems that section is a forum less travelled. My question is I have been plucking my chin and lip hair. Will this present a problem with laser? Also, how long does it take to see results. I don't have lots o facial hair. I mainly want the chin and lip and the strap around the jaw gone asap. Will I see results after one session. Anybody know of any good places in Philly? I have been waiting for five months. My unemployment was put on hold because instead of sitting at home I decided to get a part-time job as it was the only one I could get. Apparently the gov't wants you to be lazy as working will be punished. Five months without that income I earned thru 10,000s of dollars in taxes.

If the mods could leave it up for just a little bit I would appreciate it but if you have to move it I undersatnd. I just want to schedule a session this week. I need a new ID and I did not want one with a beard shadow. But the time is here!

[Cindy]

I had laser and that and spiro got rid of the lot. I had 'normal' guys beard face. It took about 9 sessions over 18-24 months. But I did have a full face of it.

People noticed the reduction after about 3 full sessions. You seem to have black hair and white skin from your avatar so laser would work really well for you.

If your hair cover is light a couple of sessions would make an impact. Remember it is 6 weeks between sessions in order to get the next growth cycle. If you can go to a place that caters for woman with POCS, as they are used to heavier hair growth than the average places and generally have higher power lasers.

Oh and it hurts! At least the upper lip for me was enough to fill the protective goggles with tears! But it was worth every tear!

Cindy

[Teela Renee]

yep laser will be your best friend for any hair issues.  I got me a do it yourself hand held blue light, and my whole body is almost hairless XD

[Joanna Dark]

How long will it take for beard shadow to dissapear? I care about that more then shaving itself. I was hoping after the first session there would be at least a reducation in shadow. I have soft black hairs. They aren't corse. My ex used to say I have the softest facial hair she's ever felt. Will that make a difference? I'm hoping three sessions will take care of a lot of it as I don't have full facial hair and none on my cheeks. Just chin lip and neck. If I could get six sessions for $300 that would be great. Otherwise I'll just get three sessions and buy a Tria 4X on Craigslit after the initial clearing. Or wait. I want to get laser resurfacing to. And juvaderm to stop my nose from pointing down. God I'm vain.

[Cindy]

How long will it take for beard shadow to dissapear? I care about that more then shaving itself. I was hoping after the first session there would be at least a reducation in shadow. I have soft black hairs. They aren't corse. My ex used to say I have the softest facial hair she's ever felt. Will that make a difference? I'm hoping three sessions will take care of a lot of it as I don't have full facial hair and none on my cheeks. Just chin lip and neck. If I could get six sessions for $300 that would be great. Otherwise I'll just get three sessions and buy a Tria 4X on Craigslit after the initial clearing. Or wait. I want to get laser resurfacing to. And juvaderm to stop my nose from pointing down. God I'm vain.

No your not, you're female and we like to look good!

[Yukari-sensei]

yep laser will be your best friend for any hair issues.  I got me a do it yourself hand held blue light, and my whole body is almost hairless XD

Does it really work that well? 

My beard is not that thick,  my skin is reasonably fair for a latina and my hair is very dark.  I'm trying to decide if it's better to do get laser professionally or buy the home kit.

In the meantime I'm relying on my epilator.

[Cindy]

I've posted this before and I'll copy and paste, and please it isn't meant negatively:

hair growth is cyclical, the 6-9 week period is to hit the next growth cycle, yes it is frustrating, but upping to 2 weeks does nothing but damage your skin. Yes I know how horrible waiting and shedding is. Been there.

The power of the lasers used on me was 220kj/cm (from memory) I had full facial hair. It wasn't a bee sting. It also worked. I had 9 sessions I'm hair free, it took 18 months. But noticeable loss after 4/6 sessions in that I no longer needed makeup at all to cover facial hair. I also had my chest and tummy done, together with Spiro I now have normal female hair distribution.

The big lasers cost $250,000 the Tria costs $200-500 depending on the country. The big lasers need trained people to use them, the Tria's are toys that anyone can use.  They are obviously equivalent!

I hate to say it but as in everything in life if it sounds too good to be true, it is.

A person with faint hair - go for it, but they also can get treated in normal beauty saloons with the little lasers they use. They don't work on people with 'hair' sadly.

Cindy.

[Cindy]

Cindy, I'm no expert but as I understand it, the Tria design keeps improving year after year. more power and subtle shifts in wavelength and pulse shaping.  I wonder if the source of your statistics is based on a recent Tria model, or something a few years old?

Well I'm open minded but the information came from my laser technician who was an RN and had worked with POCS woman for 15 or so years. She was also very negative about someone with my degree of facial hair going to a normal beautician laser clinic.

I have no personal experience with the Tria etc, I know several women here swear by them so they obviously do work on some people. And Joanna does seem to have light coverage so maybe it's a goer.

I'm just nervous for people to think they can get the same result from a device designed to act on natal female facial hair growth compared to T driven genetic male facial hair growth.

Obviously if it is working for you, go for it. I have read some posts though where the poster says they are using them daily. That is dangerous IMO, having facial hair is terrible (for me) but having scarring would be just as bad if not worse.
Just expanding on that. MtF have a very strong desire to 'pass' ASAP and for many of us risks are not seen as risks, and I include myself in that group!
(As an aside my endocrinologist says she can always tell the difference between a trans*woman and cis women that she treats for menopause. Trans*women don't care about the risks of having E, cis women worry about possible side effects, true for me!! )

I just want people to have a think and let them make their own opinion with the info we can present to each other.

Cindy

[Sammy]

It works for me greatly (the last model Tria 4x) - I am using it with intervals of 3-4 days, but I am mostly working on diff areas though they do tend to overlap at times. It is in average an interval of 5 days between I treat the same area and I am mostly on 3rd level now. I have tried 4th on my cheek and it was kinda OK, but swelling was more intense, so I am not very eager to zap my upper lip with 4-5th degrees yet.

[Emmaline]

Nice new Avatar pic Joanna!

I am saving for laser now so its nice to see some fresh chat about it.

I was wondering-a total aside-  like Joanna I dont have facial hair on the sides of my face either (or hands)  Is there any link to this and mosaic xxy or something similar?   Or are we just lucky genetically speaking?

[Sammy]

Nice new Avatar pic Joanna!

I am saving for laser now so its nice to see some fresh chat about it.

I was wondering-a total aside-  like Joanna I dont have facial hair on the sides of my face either (or hands)  Is there any link to this and mosaic xxy or something similar?   Or are we just lucky genetically speaking?

I think we just got lucky... Anyway, I am waiting for results of my genetic testing (due sometimes in the end of this month), but I am not holding too much hopes for that. I got pretty delayed puberty, testosterone was quite easy on me - damage could have been harder... My hands were pretty much hairless and if something grew out and was shaved then for weeks!!! nothing grew back, I had 41 size feet (which is ~ 40 now), smaller hands and very soft skin. Yet, anything else which could be boosted by T was pretty much boosted - strenght, libido and aggression... I suppose this is the area which has not been examined very thoroughly and we have just as many different stories and there are different TS/TG persons.


Emma - if You have any questions, feel free to PM me - I will help if I can. I remember being torn between TRIA and IPL Silk'n' Sense till the very end - I just got a deal on e-bay which I could not resist... Costs, maintenance, possible risks on "male-type" hair... all that made me quite insecure, but at the end it all turned well . I am using that EMLA cream with lidocaine too - its not that it is really helping in terms of pain, but it gets manageable (I do still have tears in my eyes at times, lol).

[Katie]

I had laser a number of years ago. It got rid of a lot of the hair. I ended up ignoring the rest of the hair and shaving for years till recently I brough an electrolysis machine and am in the process of finishing the job. The one thing with electrolsys is if you zap a hair it is not coming back!!

[Embrace]

In Philly you might consider trying the Mazzoni Center.  I have nothing to compare it to and I've only had one session, but I have no complaints so far.

From what I was told you should avoid plucking and sunlight (or use high SPF lotion).  Apparently having a tan can require them to have to use a lesser-powered setting (I'd guess the more contrast between skin color and hair, the better).

The machine they use is a Cynosure Apogee Elite in case you're interested in checking it out.

Good luck!

[Ltl89]

I have heard a lot of anecdotal evidence that it works, but I always hear negative things about the efficacy of tria lazors from those who are in the field.  The tria razors are typically okay for small areas and light hair removal.  It may be able to do more, but keep in mind the laser can do damage if used improperly.  I'd recommend going about it in the safer and more efficient route. 

[Sammy]

Well, toasters can do damage, if used unappropriately too. They are often reported to become very lethal in bathrooms...
Sorry, just could not resist.
And of course, You are going to hear a lot of negativism from laser techs, because Tria is taking away their bread.. At least several slices of it .

[Emmaline]

Toasters and bread similes?

Go eat something

I am waiting to hear back from my dna test.  If only it could say xx.  *sigh*

[EdekStaszek]

Okay bear with me for a few sentences, Because I'm a dolt... Yay! I finally found a use for that word. Oh wait. its on myself
Tira is basically lazer hair removal at home, right?
Whats the difference between Electric Tweasers & Tira? Both are done at home, but one is like Electrolysis do-it-yourself, and the other is lazer do-it-yourself, right?
What works better, Tira or Tweasers? (Lazer works only on dark hair? Mine is all light)
Which is cheeper? Tira or Tweasers?
Which is Faster? Tira or Tweasers?
I'm probably only half right on most of this stuff.
Thanks for reading. and bearing with me.

[Joanna Dark]

In Philly you might consider trying the Mazzoni Center.  I have nothing to compare it to and I've only had one session, but I have no complaints so far.

From what I was told you should avoid plucking and sunlight (or use high SPF lotion).  Apparently having a tan can require them to have to use a lesser-powered setting (I'd guess the more contrast between skin color and hair, the better).

The machine they use is a Cynosure Apogee Elite in case you're interested in checking it out.

Good luck!

The Mazzoni Center does laser? Really? Is it on a sliding-scale like everything else?

[Sammy]

Toasters and bread similes?
Go eat something

Shhhh! I am on diet regimen... Dont mention... it... Must not.. eat .

Okay bear with me for a few sentences, Because I'm a dolt... Yay! I finally found a use for that word. Oh wait. its on myself
Tira is basically lazer hair removal at home, right?
Whats the difference between Electric Tweasers & Tira? Both are done at home, but one is like Electrolysis do-it-yourself, and the other is lazer do-it-yourself, right?
What works better, Tira or Tweasers? (Lazer works only on dark hair? Mine is all light)
Which is cheeper? Tira or Tweasers?
Which is Faster? Tira or Tweasers?
I'm probably only half right on most of this stuff.
Thanks for reading. and bearing with me.

Please do not spend Your money on electric tweezers - that is a scam! Google this and if You will see - the strenght of current which flows through tweezers is just not enough to kill the follicle when it reaches it.. The only home electro system which actually works is the One Touch Home Electrolysis. It is a bit more expensive than tweezers and needs more work and patience, but it works! Except, it is quite unmanageable on some parts of face, which You cant see on the mirror and You need some practice to get hands on it to avoid scabbing.

[A]

Yes, you will see results after one session. Should, at least. If you don't, then maybe they were overly cautious with the machine's settings for a first time. But it probably won't be miraculous. Some lucky people are done in 5 sessions to be done, but some unlucky ones need 15, maybe even more.

But yes, plucking is a problem. In the long term it probably doesn't have any noticeable effect. However you MUST stop plucking at least a month, ideally 6-8 weeks, before your first treatment, and stop plucking altogether from that moment onwards. Every hair that you pluck, you essentially save it from possibly being destroyed by the next treatment. Yes, it means it's back to shaving for 6 months or more for you. Yes, that's why it's a good idea to start laser before transitioning. Yes, it'll be hard. Sorry, but if you want to be done with facial hair, you have to stop plucking it. Even if you do electrolysis, plucking isn't exactly advisable.

Also, at-home permanent hair removal... In the laser and IPL area, it's likely that the machine won't be powerful enough to kill everything. Might work though. Well, it WILL probably work, at least partially. As for electrolysis... don't. Not everyone has the required dexterity to ever hope to be able to do electrolysis one day, no matter the training. And you need professional training or you'll put your skin in danger and not be as effective as you could be. And most importantly, doing it on yourself, even on a leg, is a lot more difficult. Imagine in your face, in a mirror, struggling with direction reversal.