GCS Electrolysis

[cafebikegirl]

Hi everyone,

Started medical transition about 5 years ago and finally have money saved up for GCS.  I had hoped to already have a date set for the surgery by now however electrolysis is a problem. Even with a strong numbing cream I cannot handle the pain. How have others gotten through this? Laser isn't going to work for me (not that I would tolerate the pain any better).

[Devlyn]

Welcome to Susan's Place! Here's some information: https://www.susans.org/wiki/Scrotal_skin_graft

Some surgeons/techniques don't require the hair removal to be done beforehand, the follicles can be scraped off during the procedure. Hope this helps!

Hugs, Devlyn

[Mariah]

Hi cafebikegirl, welcome to Susans. I look forward to seeing you around the site. Good luck and hugs
Mariah

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[cafebikegirl]

All of the doctors I am considering require electrolysis, I would also never rely on the method mentioned above to be infallible. A friend of mine went to a surgeon that used the scraping technique and a few months after surgery had problems do to a patch of follicles that was missed. So even if I was planning to go to a surgeon that doesn't require electrolysis I would still do so as a backup.

[suzifrommd]

I've used hypnosis pain control techniques and mindfulness. Some tricks:
* Imagine that part of your body doesn't belong to you. Imagine that it's something that you're wearing or that's been attached. Any sensation from it is your own imagination.
* Imagine pain from an electrolysis needle is a nurturing force that fills your body with power. See if you can get yourself to a point where you're actually looking forward to the burst of pain.
* Accept your reaction. Tell yourself that however you react to the electrolysis burst is ok. Vocalize it to yourself if necessarily. "I tensed up when I felt that, but that's OK".
* Imagine there is a dial that allows yourself to control how much pain you feel. Test it by turning it up and feeling how something hurts more. Then turn it further down and notice how that makes it hurt less.
* Convert the pain to some other sensory input. Some people can turn it into a color, or a smell or a taste.

There are many others.

[cafebikegirl]

I already have an innate ability to "dismiss" most forms of pain, I sleep through the electrolysis I've had done on my face and legs so far. There are portions where I seem to have involuntary responses, these are near my ears, upper lip, jaw bone, and the groin. Jaw bone and upper lip I handle just fine except my legs jumping around. Numbing cream doesn't really seem to do much (20% bezocaine, 6% lidocaine, 4% tetracaine), i'm not surprised by that since most of the procedures I've had done that required local anesthesia either were ineffective or wore off very quickly. That might be a genetic thing since my father is the same way, he even woke up briefly in the middle of open heart surgery once about 10 years ago. Regardless of how much pain I can handle when she is working down there I can't keep myself still enough for her to work and don't know how I'm going to possibly work through 30 hours of electrolysis down there. A friend of mine said she would go to her doctor before each session and have him give her a shot of local, however my doctor is 90 miles away and I don't think he would go for that if I asked him.

[JustASeq]

I had my first session of this last week.I go back this coming Tuesday. I had zero issue with pain so far. I took 2 ibuprofen and had applied numbing cream before (like an hour), then did a weird saran wrap tuck to cover that cream (it's messy and looks petroleum jelly based!), and away I went. I took public transit all the way there and just before she started, she added some other high strength cream before starting. I go to an electrologist that specializes in trans patients, so maybe she has the golden touch?? Either way, I am not very hairy to start out so it looks like I won't need that much. One thing to note, is since my insurance covers GCS, the electrolysis must be covered too since I got a letter from my surgeon saying it was medically necessary. Good luck!! 

[Wynternight]

Sadly my electro doesn't do that area and Anchorage isn't exactly filled with places to go so I need a surgeon who will work around that.

Honestly though, I don't think I could take the pain in that area.

[Mariah]

Some spots hurt worse than others. The more sensitive the spot the more it has hurt so far.
Mariah

Sadly my electro doesn't do that area and Anchorage isn't exactly filled with places to go so I need a surgeon who will work around that.

Honestly though, I don't think I could take the pain in that area.

[Wynternight]

I've been getting facial electro since last August. The only area the really kills me is the upper lip. I'm in tears the whole time and the EMLA cream does nothing for me.

Some spots hurt worse than others. The more sensitive the spot the more it has hurt so far.
Mariah

Sadly my electro doesn't do that area and Anchorage isn't exactly filled with places to go so I need a surgeon who will work around that.

Honestly though, I don't think I could take the pain in that area.

[Mariah]

I don't doubt it. I made the switch to Electro on my face when I started Electro for GCS. I don't bother with the cream anymore I have found it really doesn't have any impact on the pain for me. Hugs
Mariah

I've been getting facial electro since last August. The only area the really kills me is the upper lip. I'm in tears the whole time and the EMLA cream does nothing for me.

[Wynternight]

My electro is hoping to make friends with one of the dentists in the building so her clients could get lidocaine injections before sessions in certain areas. I'd pay a few extra for that for the upper lip.

I don't doubt it. I made the switch to Electro on my face when I started Electro for GCS. I don't bother with the cream anymore I have found it really doesn't have any impact on the pain for me. Hugs
Mariah

I've been getting facial electro since last August. The only area the really kills me is the upper lip. I'm in tears the whole time and the EMLA cream does nothing for me.

[Mariah]

I think we all would because injections would be far more affective.
Mariah

My electro is hoping to make friends with one of the dentists in the building so her clients could get lidocaine injections before sessions in certain areas. I'd pay a few extra for that for the upper lip.

[cafebikegirl]

Yea, I'm using the 6 percent cream and haven't noticed much, if any difference. I've tried applying it 30 minutes and 1 hour before on separate occasions, last time I tried occluding it. My current electrolysist only uses blend, I'm starting to wonder if thermolysis will be easier down there for the pain and leg spasms since the burst is so short. With the blend I can tolerate it for the first second or two but 3 to 4 seconds in the burning feeling is unbearable and my legs are twitching so bad that it becomes a problem.

[Zumbagirl]

All of the doctors I am considering require electrolysis, I would also never rely on the method mentioned above to be infallible. A friend of mine went to a surgeon that used the scraping technique and a few months after surgery had problems do to a patch of follicles that was missed. So even if I was planning to go to a surgeon that doesn't require electrolysis I would still do so as a backup.

This is the strategy I used as well. I felt is was better to be safe and make sure that there really are no hairs before surgery than to have to have it done afterwards. I went to a special electrologist who specialized in genital electro and doing prep for srs. He knew all of the surgeons and knew exactly what areas to treat. When I was getting my bottom done, he told me that he had done a lot of post-op women who had hair problems afterwards because they cheaped out before surgery and later on it was extremely difficult to remove the hairs post-op. Pre-op the skin is all on the outside and easy to get to. Post-op, it's all on the inside and I was told even more painful.

Even though I went to a surgeon who is supposed to do to the scraping, I still did electro and was able to use full thickness skin grafts. I am really happy with the way I turned out.

As far as the pain, I would apply EMLA cream to the area before treatment and try to numb it down. It seemed to help, but it was still a bit of a sting. Near the end I just sucked it up and did with nothing because I knew my surgery date was rolling around. All told it took about a year of treatment, mostly weekly in the beginning, then down to monthly at the end. The electrologist told me that pubic hair is different and much deeper in the skin and requires the probe at a deeper depth than facial hair. I just remembered that afterwards it felt like my crotch was on fire all the way back home (it was a 100 mile one way trip to his office for this).

The plus side is I was able to get the bikini line done permanently and ready to go in a swim suit, once I had healed enough. Hope that helps!

[Alana_Jane]

Yea, I'm using the 6 percent cream and haven't noticed much, if any difference. I've tried applying it 30 minutes and 1 hour before on separate occasions, last time I tried occluding it. My current electrolysist only uses blend, I'm starting to wonder if thermolysis will be easier down there for the pain and leg spasms since the burst is so short. With the blend I can tolerate it for the first second or two but 3 to 4 seconds in the burning feeling is unbearable and my legs are twitching so bad that it becomes a problem.

I'm having thermolysis done on my face.  The best way to describe it is a burning pin prick, but it comes and goes so fast.  So, you may be on to something.  I've only passed the 14 hour mark on my face. 

-Alana

[cafebikegirl]

I had some thermolysis on my face but I won't see that person any more. My current electrologist is the only other one in town who at some point was certified. SC does not require electrologists to be certified or have any type of medical supervision so most of them don't have a bloody clue what they are doing. So the current lady I'm seeing is very fluent with the process and has done it for many trans women but she won't do thermolysis. Next nearest person for me to see is a 90 mile trip one way just down the road from my doc.

So I guess I need to call her and give the thermolysis a shot :-/

[Gretchen0b]

Electrolysis hurts. Numbing creams just take the edge off but not the pain. Shots of Lidocaine work great if you can find a doctor to do them for you. I have used Urologist's for local injection in preparation for GCS, dentist's and GP doctors for facial work. The most important part of reducing the discomfort level is finding a good electrologist. Your best bet when it comes to an electrologist is to find one that specializes in thermolysis utilizing a 27 Mhz machine, typically an Apilus Plutinum/Pure or an Apilus xCell Pro. Probes/needles are critical when using thermolysis, a top of the line electrologist will be using Laurier probes and the reason for this is because of the superior insulation on the probe, thermolysis demands an insulated probe to protect the upper layers of the skin. One of the best ways to educate yourself with electrolysis is to go to this website  World class electrologist freely and openly share their experiences with all who seek knowledge.


Mod Edit -Links require prior permission

[Gretchen0b]

I didn't know I was not allowed to add educational links to other forums, so my above post was partially deleted. Hairtell would be the place to educate yourself on what a good electrologist is.

[Eveline]

cafebikegirl, here's some more info:

• Some Physician's Assistants and LPNs can do lidocaine injections. You might be able to find one near your electrologist. One electrologist I know has her office actually in the same building as a "ready care" center, so the nurse can just swing by before the session starts.
  
  


• You can also get a prescription-strength numbing cream. The same nurse gave me a prescription for topical "BLT" ointment (a combination of benzocaine, lidocaine and tetracaine), which I filled at a local compounding pharmacy (and now get it filled by mail). It's also great for the upper lip.
  
  


• Finally, if you can afford it, I can personally recommend Electrology 3000 in Lewisville, TX (near Dallas). They specialize in electrolysis for trans women, including preparation for GRS, and they use lidocaine injections. Except for the shots, you don't feel a thing...
  

Good luck!