Electrolysis Face Covering

[Nygeel]

Hello, I don't come over to this side of the site much but have a friend who is looking for some help.

She's a trans woman and has an electrolysis session coming up soon. She doesn't get out a ton and has to grow out facial hair for electro (and will have post electro face). My friend is looking for something to cover her face on her way to the appointment and on the way home. Any recommendations?

[Rachel]

Hi Nygeel,

I have been doing 1 hour sessions and I will need to increase it to 2 or 3 hour sessions.

I go to two technicians. One is slow and my face is less damaged from the treatment. The other goes fast and turns up the amps on the machine. My face afterword looks bad. Zink oxide and aloe are good after treatments.

Depending on the time and speed of the technician they concentrate symmetrically on my face and usually on an area like cheeks or upper lip (ouch). So the area of growth need not be the entire face (check with the technician). One tech uses a magnifying plate with a light and only needs me to not shave that morning. The other does not use the magnifying plate and needs 2 mornings of no shaving (not good). 

Right now it is very cold where I live and a scarf would be a good accessory to shield a face.

I was warned not to do marathon sessions but it is tempting. I will try 2 hours and may up it to 3.

[Muffinheart]

Out of the approximately 100 hours of electrolysis I had done in 2008, only once did I do more than 1 hour. That two hour session for me, was more painful that getting my 7 tattoos, helix and nose stud combined.
Cannot imagine three hours.

[Nygeel]

She lives in an area where it isn't cold so a scarf probably wouldn't look right.

[warlockmaker]

I have had close to 180 hours of electrolysis and now I have only clearing sessions once a week and have not shaved in a year.  I can remember, earlier in the treatment, the need to not shave so I could do my sessions with some hair growth -used to go 2x a week. But some would get horribly long and visible and I work in finance, so I compromised and actually used a sissor to trim it down to an un-noticable length but ok for eloctro. After electro, and I never went beyond 1 hour, I would have very mild swelling for a couple of hours. Its not noticable to third partieds.  I have had 2 technicians and one would cause more pain and swelling, she was slower and I felt went beyond the depth of the base of the follicle with the needle, and I have brought this to her attention, otherwise my usual one is just great.

[Rachel]

Here is an example of a silk scarf. it can be adjusted to cover more or less. It is not perfect but it may help.

[mfox]

One word; VOGMASK

http://www.vogmask.com/

Also, if you have darkish hair and lightish skin, laser is more "friendly".  You have to keep a clean shaven face to the appointment, and they can clear an entire face in about 20 minutes.  You only have to go every 8 weeks too.

[Ms Grace]

The issue is that after a treatment she should avoid putting make up on the treated area for a day or more to avoid infections so she might not be able to cover it up afterwards. I'm usually a hermit for a couple of days after a session.

[Obfuskatie]

Easy solution, SARS mask.  She can pretend she's sick and very considerate.

Hi Nygeel,

I have been doing 1 hour sessions and I will need to increase it to 2 or 3 hour sessions.

I go to two technicians. One is slow and my face is less damaged from the treatment. The other goes fast and turns up the amps on the machine. My face afterword looks bad. Zink oxide and aloe are good after treatments.

Depending on the time and speed of the technician they concentrate symmetrically on my face and usually on an area like cheeks or upper lip (ouch). So the area of growth need not be the entire face (check with the technician). One tech uses a magnifying plate with a light and only needs me to not shave that morning. The other does not use the magnifying plate and needs 2 mornings of no shaving (not good). 

Right now it is very cold where I live and a scarf would be a good accessory to shield a face.

I was warned not to do marathon sessions but it is tempting. I will try 2 hours and may up it to 3.

OMFG, I can only stand crying constantly for maybe an hour and a half, even with meditation.  Electrolysis is not a method you can rush, if you are concerned about how quickly you are getting coverage, you can alternate sessions of electrolysis and laser removal.  You are still going to take around 2 - 3 years to remove all your facial hair.  I would HIGHLY advise against sessions that are too long, as the longer your treatment, the longer your recovery.  You also want to make sure you don't do too much at once because there's a higher chance of pigmentation and injury the longer the technician is working on you in each session.  Also, drink lots of water, and take anti-inflammatories like Advil/Ibuprofen 30 min to an hour beforehand.  Please don't go overboard.

[mmmmm]

This might not be a good idea if she lives in any kind of conservative christian or jewish area... otherwise, why not...
But seriously, despite the information being out there everywhere, many people still delay hair removal too long. The best way to do it, is to get rid of the problem before even thinking of going full-time.