On being Liz

[LizK]

This is all my own doing and took awhile to get a Dr to agree and I know she agreed because she is trans and knows how dam painful it is. Then I had to co-ordinate the appointments which in the beginning was a nightmare but we got there in the end. I would not be as far along as I am without it. I don't get it...many women find this part of Transition really challenging and this is not a choice as much as a necessity but yet no services are available. At least you have access to places like E3000 and the like here in Oz we have nothing. Most Dr's don't want tot know about facial injections...it is in the "Too hard basket"

[Laurie]

Hi Liz,

  I admire your tenacity in addressing your needs to get the electrolysis done. You're awesome. And you have the end in sight!
  I know it takes many hours ( like over 100  ) to get to where you are and I have but begun with only 3 measly hours under my belt. I wish I could see Something for those three stinging and costly hours but no  where she has been working looks indistinguishable from where she hasn't. At this bare beginning it feels like I've gotten nothing for my pain and money. I know, I know patience Grasshopper,  but this is as bad as waiting for breasts to grow. Worse!
     /sigh

I hope you are having a good Day Liz

  Hugs,
   Laurie

[LizK]

Hi Liz,

  I admire your tenacity in addressing your needs to get the electrolysis done. You're awesome. And you have the end in sight!
  I know it takes many hours ( like over 100  ) to get to where you are and I have but begun with only 3 measly hours under my belt. I wish I could see Something for those three stinging and costly hours but no  where she has been working looks indistinguishable from where she hasn't. At this bare beginning it feels like I've gotten nothing for my pain and money. I know, I know patience Grasshopper,  but this is as bad as waiting for breasts to grow. Worse!
     /sigh

I hope you are having a good Day Liz

  Hugs,
   Laurie

You Know what is interesting Laurie is I have no real good idea how much I have had done....The initial quote I got was for 150 hours to clear my face...so as I was mainly dark hair about 70-80% I went after laser to take care of the dark stuff. I was told probably somewhere around 15-20 sessions to deal with 90% of it. So after just over 18 months of laser there would be 80% of it is gone either by laser or Electrology  so if we start working the numbers then with laser we are talking maybe 50 hours to clear, meaning 2/3 cleared by laser, 1 /3 by electrolysis its actually a bit more than that because laser won't kill it all, there are some that just keep coming back. That leaves about 50 hours required by Electrolysis to clear the remainder of the face...I have had at least 25-30 hours...My Electrologist says it takes 100 plus hours for most girls to get to where I am...I am very lucky in that respect...

so going by what I can see and how long it takes to grow anything another 20 to 25 hrs seems about right...All over my face there might be an hours worth of first growth stuff....we are working on final clearance of my top lip and cheeks at the moment... I am now out to 6 days to grow long enough to work with, So that makes the occasional first growth hair really long after 6 days(difficult to hide under makeup) and the second growth stuff I can't see in a normal mirror until about 8 or 9 days, but I still hate the look of it under makeup...hopefully I am not too many weeks where I can get a full clearance each time I go and hopefully by then I will have the Hypnotherapy to help me through the sessions.

[Laurie]

Hi Liz,

  *sigh*

  Breast growth is faster and more satisfying.

  *sigh*

Hugs,
    Laurie

[LizK]

Hi Liz,

  *sigh*

  Breast growth is faster and more satisfying.

  *sigh*

Hugs,
    Laurie

Hell Yes it is and much for fun!!

[Laurie]

Hell Yes it is and much for fun!!

LMAO  I was going to say fun but didn't want to tell everyone I love playing with them.

Hugs,
   Laurie

[LizK]

Prepping for Electrolysis today...Fluids, moisturise, drugs, injections,zapping

This is the third session I have had on the top lip...If I had been able to tolerate more I would have finished it last week but after 40 minutes my nose was streaming and so were my eyes...we had to give up. The biggest issue was that up around my scar line which runs through the centre of my lip and the others run along the base of my nose like a T. I counted today there 50 hairs that have got to go....then maybe another 30 minutes for final clearance...If I need to have another session then I will.

I have to wait till September for my first hypnotherapy session at which I am going to try and find some way to desensitise myself to the pain. Although I suspect that by then I may have the majority of it beaten....I am still going to be dealing with some secondary growth and if I can manage it with hypnosis and cream I can do it really fast. I am slowed down by how often I can book for injections. I would like to make that a thing of the past...facial injections hurt.

Today I am going to use Valium and an Audiobook to try and get in the "zone" and concentrate on that and not what she is doing to my face....I so want this to be the last major session I have on my lip... if we can get this done then I really am on the home stretch to the maintenance phase. If I can get rid of this primary growth the secondary stuff is so much easier hide and remove. This leaves only a couple of  injection sessions to finish off the primary hair and then with cream alone I can tolerate a fair bit with the lighter secondary stuff.

[Laurie]

Hi Liz,

  I hope this session goes / went well for you. I know what a pain (in more ways than one) this is for you. Keep a stiff upper lip., Lady and it will be over in no time.

  Hugs,
    Laurie

[LizK]

Hi Liz,

  I hope this session goes / went well for you. I know what a pain (in more ways than one) this is for you. Keep a stiff upper lip., Lady and it will be over in no time.

  Hugs,
    Laurie

So I am back and very sore and swollen We cleared all the last of the primary and secondary growth hairs up along and down the T shape of my scars, into the very bottom, just up into my nose and along the nostril crease(had surgery on them 5 months ago)OUCH!!! I only have left a smattering of secondary hairs that don't require the large current to move. She did a bit of work in areas that had no pain relief at all and I tolerated that well.

Even fully loaded up on Anaesthetic I could still feel a mild sting to sometime quite painful sting. The inside of my nose where it meets the lip was bad and also I had 1/2dozen hairs growing almost out the bottom of the skin that divides the two nostrils at its base...now they made me sit up and curse...but we got through and after 40 minutes she called it as cleared apart from a few minor secondary hairs. My Top lip shots are done for the time being and I will have to see what kind of regrowth I get as to if I need a further injection session to finish the clearance. My confidence is on the rise that I am going to beat this dam thing. I am going to clear my face of this crap!!

Fells amazing to rub under my nose and it feels completely smooth...I have three or four other large areas that feel like this as well so pretty soon we will join the dots...I have 8 weeks straight of injections as well as a second appointment 2 days later for a shorter time using numbing cream. I am usually good for about 20 minutes or so. But doing each week adds at least another 1.5 hrs per month...so its pretty much now down to how good her skill has been at removing those  thick posts hairs, as to how much regrowth I get but the telling one is how much new growth. It is the new growth that will be the deciding factor as to how much more I need. The secondary growth is even scarcer so maybe by the last session in July I will be done with the needles...that makes 8 more to go and I have had cheek and lower neck injections before and they are nothing compared to lip /nose injections which only last maybe 10 minutes if you are lucky. So I am glad they are done...if you couldn't tell LOL                                

[Shy]

Glad to see you're nearly cleared of the beard now Liz. I went straight for directly under the nose on my first electrolysis appointment, in hindsight probably not the best area to start, but it was the most awkward area for me to shave and seemed to make sense at the time. And they say ignorance is bliss, I beg to differ

Peace and love and all that good stuff,

Sadie

[LizK]

Glad to see you're nearly cleared of the beard now Liz. I went straight for directly under the nose on my first electrolysis appointment, in hindsight probably not the best area to start, but it was the most awkward area for me to shave and seemed to make sense at the time. And they say ignorance is bliss, I beg to differ

Peace and love and all that good stuff,

Sadie

Ouch what a baptism of fire. I have had 4 hours of Dental Injections prior to these last 3 x 40 minute sessions...unfortunately when the first operator did my top lip whilst I was numbed up she was rough and  proceeded to just about pull the hairs out so of course they grew back. My Current Electrologist turned the current down as they were not need due to the amount of work done already but even so I could really feel most of it after about 20 minutes. We got to some of the more really tender area's and she would say OK we have 5 hair 2 strong and 3 weak and them count me through them. I just kept picturing a cleared top lip. It is such a good feeling when she really has to search to find some hairs to work on...we have planned an all out assault on the two areas left that have any primary growth on it,  between now and the end of July. After this period I am going to take a break for a couple of months and see how I am looking, But the feeling is I should be close to the end. YAY!!! but the worst has been done.

[KathyLauren]

Geez, you're scaring me, Liz!  I am less than 20 hours in, and she hasn't even started on my upper lip yet.  I find it hard to get through a one-hour session, even with a ton of Emla, and Tylenol and Advil (my doctor suggested using both together). 

Today, she started with the area just below my lower lip.  The first couple of zaps were tolerable, and I thought I'd finally gotten enough Emla on the area.  But it turned out it was only because she had just started.  @#$% that hurt!!  In that area, the effectiveness wears off in a couple of minutes, so then she had to move on to my chin and neck.  In less than an hour, my neck was beginning to wake up too.

I think when it comes time to do my upper lip, I'll have to book 30-minute or even 15-minute sessions.  From what I'm hearing, there's no way I'd survive a full hour.

I am happy for you that you are nearing the end of the process.

[LizK]

Geez, you're scaring me, Liz!  I am less than 20 hours in, and she hasn't even started on my upper lip yet.  I find it hard to get through a one-hour session, even with a ton of Emla, and Tylenol and Advil (my doctor suggested using both together). 

Today, she started with the area just below my lower lip.  The first couple of zaps were tolerable, and I thought I'd finally gotten enough Emla on the area.  But it turned out it was only because she had just started.  @#$% that hurt!!  In that area, the effectiveness wears off in a couple of minutes, so then she had to move on to my chin and neck.  In less than an hour, my neck was beginning to wake up too.

I think when it comes time to do my upper lip, I'll have to book 30-minute or even 15-minute sessions.  From what I'm hearing, there's no way I'd survive a full hour.

I am happy for you that you are nearing the end of the process.

I have very sparse thick grey hair and whilst that sounds good the hairs are really tough(require highest current = they hurt) so I guess that is the trade off. If you are going to get injections I would suggest you find a dentist (Bupa did mine) to give you nerve blocks. Now this is only good for the top lip and parts of the chin...I could feel nothing with these blocks and they lasted a good 2 hours. The injections in the top lip last maybe 30 minutes as there is not much in the way of muscle and skin to absorb the lidocaine. On the Emla cream I can manage no more than about 30 minutes. I have booked a few of those shorter sessions with cream and then injecting sessions for an hour once a week as well. So looking to complete an hour and half each week for the next 7 weeks and after that I would like to be looking at a full facial clearance per session(that's the plan hahaha) or within the two sessions I have booked each week.

[LizK]

Here we go second session for the week of Electrolysis...prepping for that. Only a short 20 minute session today...so have now booked 2 days a week because I just love it so much (NOT). I feel a concerted effort over the next 7 weeks should but a huge dent in what I have remaining might even get me close to full clearing each week. Anyway we can hope and dream.

I have still not shaved from Tuesday's session (so I am now at 10 days growth...not feeling real great) as we need to plan out the next few sessions which she can assess today. Last time I had to do this she cancelled on me at the last minute which is why I have had to do it a second time. I need to get some kind of assessment. Once the few thick hairs have gone all that is left is the secondary finer hairs but there is still a few of the thicker ones along my jaw line which she can clear up today for me. I am also going to try and use an audio book to help distract me...I want to eventually get this second session from a 20 minute out to 30 minutes if I can. I am going to see how much I can accomplish with the budget I have left for hair removal. I have enough money allocated for about another 20 hours, will have to re-assess my options then...lets hope I have the majority done by then...Hoping to get that answer today and depending on what she says I may have to look at how much more I want to pour into this never ending drain called hair removal... at times it feel like trying to catch sand...

[Laurie]

Now Now Liz,

  What ever would you do with all that free time if you didn't have facial torture to fill your days?
Frankly I just can't see it happening. It's become too big a part of your life. How could you even think of stopping?

Hugs,
   Laurie

[LizK]

Now Now Liz,

  What ever would you do with all that free time if you didn't have facial torture to fill your days?
Frankly I just can't see it happening. It's become too big a part of your life. How could you even think of stopping?

Hugs,
   Laurie

Hmm what would I do...certainly not stick burning hot needles into my face every few seconds for an hour at a time...but that is just me though, ....The worst part is that as has been pointed out to me(by my beloved....again) my Boulevard Cruiser that I no longer am able to ride could probably fund the last of my hair removal...that is of course if I want to sell it...I should because I can't ride any longer but I can't bring myself to sell it either....Oh well...don't suppose you know anyone who wants to buy a cruiser with under 5000 ks on it. LOL

[jentay1367]

Sold both my babies for the purpose, Liiz. Honda Interceptor and Yamaha FZ1. Had to let em' go!
Cut her lose, Liz! Time for somebody else to get to enjoy her!

[LizK]

Sold both my babies for the purpose, Liiz. Honda Interceptor and Yamaha FZ1. Had to let em' go!
Cut her lose, Liz! Time for somebody else to get to enjoy her!

No No No NO! .....but I have too it's like cutting off a limb....when "it" gets in your blood there is no stopping , is there Lisa 

[Michelle_P]

Sold both my babies for the purpose, Liiz. Honda Interceptor and Yamaha FZ1. Had to let em' go!
Cut her lose, Liz! Time for somebody else to get to enjoy her!

I know the feeling.  I miss my little Miata.  Not the most practical car, as an older vehicle with some high mileage and years expenses (clutch, replace all belts and hoses, etc), but it sure was fun.  I hope someone with a good garage shop has it and is taking care of it.

[jentay1367]

I know the feeling.  I miss my little Miata.  Not the most practical car, as an older vehicle with some high mileage and years expenses (clutch, replace all belts and hoses, etc), but it sure was fun.  I hope someone with a good garage shop has it and is taking care of it.

So sad...I love those things. Poor Womans Lotus Elan without the grief or maintenance. My friend had an 89'. Ansolute hoot to drive. Sorry Liz.... not trying to hijack your thread. Consider mine an Michelle's posts commiseration😉