Looking for the REAL story about facial hair removal

[abd789]

So, as I begin to look better, I realize this facial hair is a burden that Im about over

Id like to know some real life experiences of those of you who did it.... and details

Did it work and how well?
If in the USA, what did it cost and how long did it take?
Pain level?
Scarring issues?

I guess I just need some hard facts to get me ready to jump, sadly I will need to sell something very dear to me to get it...and I dont want to do this if its a crapshoot

Im 47 and have medium density full coverage with slight graying if I would let it grow out
Im one week into HRT at the moment

thanks

[Ms Grace]

Since you're greying you probably need to go with electrolysis. There are two types, thermolysis and galvanic. I use the latter and after 130 hours over two years am almost fully cleared. They use a multi probe system, 32 probes at once so they can work on many follicles at the same time. Most of my appointments were 3 hours but are now down to 2. I have a fairly high pain tolerance but it hurts, it really hurts. Especially the upper lip, but they do use a numbing cream which helps a lot. It's not cheap, I won't give you the Australian price. But it is effective, once they treat a follicle no hair is ever coming out of there again, so re clearing is unlikely.

[SashaGrace]

I've had laser and electrolysis but I started when I was 18, before then I didn't really have much facial hair anyway but between those 2 I'm facial hair free and I'm nearly 22 now, haven't had a session in about 18 months and hopefully won't need another.

Again, I won't bother giving you the UK price as it won't mean anything to you!!

Pain wise, I am a wuss, I know this, I've always known this but I seem to handle trauma pretty well but if I stub my toe I cry... It was a bearable level of pain, it's not that intolerable but it's still painful. I agree the top lip is the most painful bit. The numbing cream and the blower thing kinda helps but I swear they turn the blower down when the laser is doing its thing 

I haven't had any scarring issues

HTH xx

[KayXo]

Id like to know some real life experiences of those of you who did it.... and details

Did it work and how well?

Yes, amazingly well. 8-9 yrs later and no regrowth to speak of. I have super smooth skin and ciswomen have more hair than I do.

I started with 6 laser treatments, followed by 150-200 hours of electrolysis (thermolysis). Also had my chest and abdomen treated. All gone!

If in the USA, what did it cost and how long did it take?
Pain level?
Scarring issues?

In Canada. Cost me probably around 15K. Pain was manageable especially with electrolysis because by then, hairs had gotten weaker and more sparse. With laser, used EMLA to not feel the pain. Worked great! But, still some pain.

No scarring to speak of.

I dont want to do this if its a crapshoot

In the right hands, it is going to give permanent results. Better to go with electrolysis as laser is not always permanent.

Im 47 and have medium density full coverage with slight graying if I would let it grow out
Im one week into HRT at the moment

Gray hairs can only be treated with electrolysis.

[RubyAliza]

Hey,

       I've had 16 laser hair removal sessions and at least a 100 hours of electrolysis (thermolysis) on my face. I had a multicolored beard, practically every color on the spectrum. It's still coming back. Just yesterday I did about 2 hours and still left with a bunch of long blond hairs. I agree, the upper lip is so painful. Numbing creme doesn't really work well for me because my follicles are so deep. IMO the most painful part of my whole transition. My story could be summed as depressing, expensive, and yes, damn worth it.

- Ruby

[Randi]

There is one facility in the Dallas area that is well know for their work on transexuals.  They use anesthesia and frequently have two electrologists working at a time.  It's pretty intense, and requires travel, but can be very effective.

You will need to make at least 4 trips, about 3 or 4 months apart.  They will also do genital electrolysis.

Electrology3000

[Stevie]

 As others have said upper lip is painful, but what bothers me the most about is letting it grow for 3 days before a session. I try to avoid close contact with people on the 3rd day fortunately most of the people I work with are old so they cant see so well in our lab as we keep the lights dim to see the displays on equipment easier.
Most of my hair is white which is a blessing and a curse, as I don't have much of a beard shadow, but the color makes removal more difficult.
I pay 60 US dollars an hour and live in the Sacramento region of California, my electrologist told me she hasn't raised her prices in  10 years though. Very sweet woman we talk about a lot stuff while I am there. Its important to find someone you like as a person, because you are going to be seeing a lot of each other. 

[Fresas con Nata]

I had an intensive session of electrolysis done 2 weeks ago. It was intially scheduled for 4 days, 8 hours a day (32 hours), however it turned out that I withstood the pain remarkably well so she could concentrate on removing hairs instead of also having to be particularly careful, the end result being that we only did 19 hours (and I was billed accordingly ). Pain is like if you were poked with a needle each time. I had IV anaesthesia controlled with a button, but I used it way less than the average patient.

I had severe swelling, especially in the upper lip. Going to the clinic the next day was one of the most embarrasing moments I've gone through in my entire life. The swelling went away in about a week. No scars. At this point I have an uncomfortable numbness that is going away very slowly. The next wave of hairs is already here, yet much less dense. It's obvious, the gone hairs are gone for good. Next session in late May, then another one around July and I'll be clean.

[Obfuskatie]

Laser won't work as well if your hair follicles are losing their pigment. I've done both, and while laser can be uncomfortable it clears a larger area faster and is more useful in the beginning of the removal process. Electrolysis hurts a lot, but with numbing cream it is doable.
I've been doing a blend single probe style with a very experienced technician every 6-8 weeks for a little over two years, and have very little facial hair left. About a year ago I noticed I had less of a mustache than other random women I saw even after growing it out for over a week before my appointment.
Money wise, I pay about $100 per hour, and my appointments started out lasting about two hours and are under an hour now.


     Hugs,
- Katie
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[zirconia]

I underwent both laser and electrolysis. Both worked well. I don't live in the U.S.A. so I won't mention the cost.

The laser clinic eliminated the majority of hairs using a diode laser (lightsheer) at settings which started at extremely low joules for the first session and ended up at 42 joules around the twelfth session. The reason for the low setting at the first session was to merely stun the hairs to make the majority shed. This allowed the clinic to rapidly raise the energy for subsequent sessions, as the lower hair density decreased the total skin trauma.

The first two sessions were two weeks apart, the subsequent six or so at around a month apart, and the rest spaced two or more months apart to allow as many hairs as possible to enter the anagen stage.

As the nurses were well trained to exert high pressure to ensure the hair roots would lay flat and get as much exposure as possible and that the skin was kept cold by the chilled tip, I never noticed skin damage. Still, I avoided the sun for at least a week after each session.

Around twenty hours of blend electrolysis took care of what was left. Again, we spaced the sessions about a month apart to allow as many stragglers as possible to appear.

I was told some clients asked for anesthetics, but to me the pain of both laser and electrolysis was bearable without.

If you have access to a competent electrologist, opting just for electrology may be safer and ultimately faster. Laser only works on pigmented anagen hairs. The best electrologists I know of can—using picoflash thermolysis—safely and permanently eliminate over a thousand hairs per hour. Galvanic and blend are slower, but have the advantage of being even safer.

With electrolysis, regardless of the equipment, the main factor in determining efficiency and safeness is the skill of the operator. With laser the laser must also be appropriate for the client's hair and skin color.

[Maybebaby56]

My experience has been similar to the others.  I started off with a full-face laser session, and after a few weeks, began the electrolysis regimen, with occasional laser sessions thrown in.  I started on straight thermolysis.  It hurts like hell, even with lidocaine cream.  About mid-way through my electrologist switched to blended electrolysis, which seemed a little less painful. I have very sensitive skin, but now I experience less redness and swelling than I used to.  We even went back to straight thermolysis, and I'm okay with it. 

For the upper lip, I found ice works the best.  I bring a small cold pack, and hold it on my lip while other areas are being done, and then when it's good and numb, I'll have her do as many hairs as I can stand.  I then reapply the ice pack and she'll do another batch a little later.

I pay $128/hr, but I love my electrologist. She is very experienced with trans clients, and the salon is only ten minutes away, so it's worth it to me. She doesn't charge me any extra for the laser treatments, and she has even waxed my eyebrows and done other little things for free.

I have been doing about two hours a month for the last 18 months or so. I am a few hours away from being done with the first clearing, but I did not have a real heavy beard, and the whiskers I do have left are all white.

Hope that helps,

Terri

[Rachel]

I am close to 3 years HRT and at my 1st year I had no torso hair, my armpit hair grows fine, thin and slow. My arms have less hair than many natal woman.  I never had any back hair. Before HRT my chest hair was very light and I did not have much. I would concentrate on face first and start now.

I did 3 laser treatments at my LGBT primary care in Phila., PA. They charge $100 per 15 minutes. Insurance paid 50%. I am about 100 hours in on combined thermolysis galvanic electrolysis. The cost is $120 per hour. I buy 10 hours at a time and get 11 hours. My insurance pays 70%. I do 2 hours per week at a very trans friendly place in Cherry Hill NJ, Body Basics.

I have about 100 to 150 hours to go. Upper lip hurts but ears take the cake or so I thought.

I go monthly to Papillion (they are in New Hope, PA) where I will have GCS to have genital hair clearing. They give a local to numb the area. You have to experience that to believe it. It is worth it because the session after that is pain free. They charge $100/hr which is 70% covered by insurance. They scheduled 4 hours for the 1st 3 of 6 clearings. Clearing 1 was 2.5 hours and clearing 2 was 1.5 hours. I do not have much hair down there.

[FrancisAnn]

It's sure a pain in the butt for me. Now at my age I get a dental block shot from my plastic surgeon, then 2 hour electrolysis sessions for all areas around my mouth, so no pain. I'm getting there but not yet. I had laser work in my early teens, it helped a lot but I ran out of money back then. If your are young go for laser work ASAP. Please do not wait around.

[katiej]

I just finished six laser sessions on my face (one per month) and I couldn't be happier with the results!  As others have said, laser only targets dark hairs on light skin.  And I'm proof of this.  I have fair skin, and my beard was about 60% black and 40% or so is white.  And after laser, only the white is left, with maybe a dozen dark hairs on my upper lip.  So I'll have another session or two on my lip.  Ouch!!

So now I have a bunch of electrolysis ahead of me to address the white.  But at least that isn't what shows up.  No more beard shadow...which makes makeup so much easier.      And as long as I shave in the morning, I'm smooth for a solid day, and the hair doesn't even really start showing till the 3rd day.

While there were cheaper options, I decided that it would be better to pay more to go to an actual dermatologist office, where they have the best equipment available.  And I really do think it made a difference.  I'm in Seattle, and the cost was $1700 for the 6 sessions.  I've heard of girls getting it done for cheaper, but some have been burned, and some have had very patchy and temporary results.

[joanie]

wow really?  so nice to hear of someone with dark hair and fair skin for whom laser was effective!

[FrancisAnn]

wow really?  so nice to hear of someone with dark hair and fair skin for whom laser was effective!

If you have dark natural hairs lasers will work. But do them ALL to kill every last little hair. Once they turn white only electrolysis will kill them.

[highlight]

I don't grow any :3     In fact I am surprised that TS women can I assumed I was the norm. 

[abd789]

sounds like another impossible hurdle for me

a) I cannot afford it

the rest doesnt even matter at this point

[katiej]

Rita, I totally get it. Transition is not cheap, but times are changing. Sometimes insurance can be coerced into helping. I'm in Washington, where the law is on our side and the insurance companies are being forced to catch up. 

Officially, they see hair removal as cosmetic. But it's absolutely not cosmetic for us. This is a medically necessary procedure intended to relieve gender dysphoria.

I'm in the process of getting my insurance to reimburse me for this. They don't want to, but I've spoken with an attorney about it, and she thinks I've got a decent shot. DM me and I'll tell you more about that process...maybe it could work for you too

[abd789]

Rita, I totally get it. Transition is not cheap, but times are changing. Sometimes insurance can be coerced into helping. I'm in Washington, where the law is on our side and the insurance companies are being forced to catch up. 

Officially, they see hair removal as cosmetic. But it's absolutely not cosmetic for us. This is a medically necessary procedure intended to relieve gender dysphoria.

I'm in the process of getting my insurance to reimburse me for this. They don't want to, but I've spoken with an attorney about it, and she thinks I've got a decent shot. DM me and I'll tell you more about that process...maybe it could work for you too

can your attorney coerce the pain as well?