Facial Hair: Does it ever really go away?

[Dana88]

SO the title is pretty self-explanatory. I am seven laser sessions in. I had the right complexion for it and have had damn good results so far. I have nothing left at all on my cheeks or neck. Then the goatee area, while there's still hair, it's MUCH thinner and easily coverable with makeup. I have one laser session left, then I was gonna switch to electrolysis on whatever was left. I have a few friends who did the same, and a few who did electrolysis only. Both of them, after some time, had some regrowth. All of them seem to need to get new rounds of laser or electrolysis every little bit. Is this normal? Or is it actually possible to get your facial hair to a point where you don't have to do anything anymore save for plucking the occasional hair that cis women get too?

[Tessa James]

If we could wish it away I could save a lot on razors.  I think your experience and knowledge seem to correspond with mine so of course it is normal for us;-)  Our facial hair is so very dependent on what we bring to the table, our genetic make up.  You are fortunate to be getting great results from laser.  Laser has worked on my dark hair but those blondies and graylings remain to be electrocuted or plucked.  We had a girls game night last evening and talked about that plucking business.  One of our crowd, a cis woman, has been plucking unwanted hair forever and has very little left.  We cringed at the thought of plucking underarm hair but for some it is just routine.  Many of us do get some regrowth after laser while most electrolysis customers seem to report more "permanent" hair loss and a lighter purse

There is a price to pay to look this way hmmm?

[iKate]

Electrolysis will supposedly take care of it for good.

[orangeskipper]

This is a very timely topic in my case. I have very fair skin, and only ever had light blonde facial hair, with maybe a 10% distribution of darker ones on just the chin and lip.

For me, twenty years post and more than that on HRT, that facial hair has thinned out even more, but has never gone away. It hasn't been enough for me to bother too much with aside from a razor, but now that I'm recently unemployed, I'm biting the bullet, and allowing this mess to grow the requisite 1/8-1/4 inch length the electrologist I consulted with told me was needed to do manage the electrolysis session.

Here I sit in the local Starbucks, all these stealth years later, bristling whiskers and all, waiting to go for my first electrolysis session tomorrow. It's humbling indeed. I feel eyes boring into me from every direction.

Best of luck to you in finishing off those last stubborn folicles.

[awilliams1701]

I've heard they are both permanent the problem is that new follicles will replace the old ones. My laser tech told me that testosterone increases that risk.

[Rejennyrated]

Electrolysis is permanent - having very low androgen levels helps too.

Thanks to the non availabilty of puberty blockers back in 1976 I had to have about two years of intensive electrolysis, but eventually, post SRS, I did get to the same point as an AFB where for the last three decades its been the occasional odd one. Interestingly though as I'm ageing I'm noticing a few more "old lady" hairs just as is the case for my AFB compatriots.

[Jenna Marie]

I had laser done about six years ago now, and have basically no regrowth - there were maybe a dozen surviving hairs at the time and I think there might be 3-6 more than that now, but I can get away with occasional plucking and have less "shadow" than my wife. I still debate doing electro to take care of the last few stragglers...