Hair in vagina....we need to discuss openly

[warlockmaker]

How many have issues with hair in the vagina, how many have checked with a gyno?

A subject that is seldom openly addressed yet seems to be quite common when complaining about surgeons My experience is that I have no hairs inside where scraping was performed. But I had hairs at the lower entrance to the vagina where the non cut skin inverted inwards to the vagina. I successfully removed with laser as it was accessible.

What about those deep inside? What can be done. A lady from another post of mine succwssfully used a depilating cream successfully. But check with your Dr.

Any others with issues or solutions.

[chinee]

I also had strands of hair in the vaginal opening (probably until 2cm inside) I also used depilating cream / hair removal cream for sensitive area and put it around inside my vagina. I let it stay there for like 5minutes and tada! the hair came off easily using my finger and toilet paper! I washed and douched quickly after that and now my vagina is hair free inside!

Now I'm wondering if the hair would grow back again (hopefully not) but lets see.

[Thessa]

I also had strands of hair in the vaginal opening (probably until 2cm inside) I also used depilating cream / hair removal cream for sensitive area and put it around inside my vagina. I let it stay there for like 5minutes and tada! the hair came off easily using my finger and toilet paper! I washed and douched quickly after that and now my vagina is hair free inside!

Now I'm wondering if the hair would grow back again (hopefully not) but lets see.

Since the cream does not destroy the follicles you will have to repeat it once in a while. I fear that my result will be similar, it's almost impossible to find a good electrologist that will do also the genitals in my area.

[chinee]

Since the cream does not destroy the follicles you will have to repeat it once in a while. I fear that my result will be similar, it's almost impossible to find a good electrologist that will do also the genitals in my area.

Sad to say but I think youre right. I also have no other choice than this one. I don't mind repeating it again and again once in a while! I just hope the cream wont react to my vagina for long term use!

[warlockmaker]

Chinee and Thessa,  Can you confirm if it was growing in the non cut skin area, outside the scar area? Did you have any electrolysis or laser in any area below before surgery?

I raised this outside the cut and scar line hair issue with my surgeon and yes you can reach these areas with laser or electrolysis and it does not damage, and also with careful use of dipilatory cream.... be sure to throughly wash it off. This does not apply to those hairs deeper inside say 1 inch or more and inside the scar line. Would love to hear from those who have this issue and confirmed by a gyno.

[chinee]

mine was also on the non cut skin area (the part that were not scraped) and just at the near of the opening. I never had laser prior to the surgery as I thought I wont be needing one.

[Thessa]

My surgery will be in July, but he told me during the last consultation that he can't do any scraping in that area, because it would become to weak.

Due to the bad electrolysis coverage at home I need to deal with it at a later stage and somewhere else.

Deep inside there should be no grow, but I can only tell in a few months.

[Zumbagirl]

The electrologist who did my genital electro had done some electro on post-op women who rushed like Captain Ahab to get their surgery. He said it needed to be done with a speculum and is very painful and very slow, not the kind of thing I ever wanted to do. One time when I was going for an appointment I met one of the women who was there for hair problems and told me that it made dilating was uncomfortable and she was unsure if she would ever want to be with a man. Again that's not what I considered to be within the margin of success. In the end we all consider our own success by whatever it is that makes us happy. Me personally, I didn't want to live in discomfort years down the road. I was also driven by women who rushed their facial electrolysis and ended up having facial hair growing out a couple of years post-op. Just think of how hard that is going to be to live every day. To each their own I guess. I just wanted to come out the other end and live a normal life afterwards and not worry about hair wherever it would be.

[Axolotl]

I was also driven by women who rushed their facial electrolysis and ended up having facial hair growing out a couple of years post-op.

Electrolysis is permanent.  Did you mean laser?

[AutumnLeaves]

I think it sounds like a serious problem that is underreported. My electrologist, who is very trans experienced and has been doing hair removal for trans women for decades, told me not to believe any doctor who told me that "scraping" was enough to remove all hair follicles. She explained that she has had clients from most of the big-name surgeons and that several of them who were told not to have electrolysis ended up with vaginal hair, which could sometimes be removed and sometimes was too deep for anyone to get at with a probe. Again, this includes patients who went to doctors who "guaranteed" scraping was enough. Apparently it's almost impossible to remove all hair follicles with one pass of anything, and while it doesn't happen to everybody, the risk is enough that she encouraged me to not even consider SRS without a year of genital hair removal first, which I am in the middle of now (which is just as well as my doctor requires genital electrolysis.)

For me, it's a no brainer. The additional 8-12 months of occasional electrolysis treatments to ensure I won't end up with a hairy vaginal interior is a tiny price to pay for a good result. The idea of having to pluck hair from my vaginal interior or douche with Nair is pretty unappealing and would be right up with with "worst case" scenarios in my mind. There are just too many reports from people online, and people I have talked to, involving cases where scraping follicles during surgery did not get all the hair for me to feel comfortable taking a chance like that. For that reason I highly, highly encourage all of my trans friends considering SRS to have the full electrolysis regimen prior to surgery no matter WHAT the surgeon tells you. An additional 1-2K (and some insurances will pay now) is a small price to pay to pay for a result that you will have to live with for a lifetime. Personally I have found the process to be much less painful and unpleasant as many said it would be, though I do use LMX 5% and take Tylenol prior to my sessions.

[Jenna Marie]

I did notice that this seemed to be coming up a lot lately for some reason.

I have no hair inside the vagina (and I've been examined with a speculum by a gyno and my GP both). There is one annoying hair about 1/8" outside the entrance that sort of "curls inside" and pokes me in a sensitive spot, so I pluck that  one, but the first time I complained about this, my wife laughed and said she has three of those. Otherwise, there is hair on my vulva in places cis women have hair (outside part of the outer labia, mostly) and that's it. I went to Brassard, did not do hair removal beforehand, and trusted in his follicle scraping technique; it appears I am one of those for whom it actually worked.

[ainsley]

I have no hair inside the vagina (and I've been examined with a speculum by a gyno and my GP both). ...Otherwise, there is hair on my vulva in places cis women have hair (outside part of the outer labia, mostly) and that's it. I went to Brassard, did not do hair removal beforehand, and trusted in his follicle scraping technique; it appears I am one of those for whom it actually worked.

Same.

[Thessa]

I have no option than wait and see. I would do it but there is no one I know of who would do it.

I even have troubles finding a good on for the face, based on some statements here in the forum I would say she is a plucker.

[Barb99]

I have no hair inside the vagina (and I've been examined with a speculum by a gyno and my GP both). There is one annoying hair about 1/8" outside the entrance that sort of "curls inside" and pokes me in a sensitive spot, so I pluck that  one, but the first time I complained about this, my wife laughed and said she has three of those. Otherwise, there is hair on my vulva in places cis women have hair (outside part of the outer labia, mostly) and that's it. I went to Brassard, did not do hair removal beforehand, and trusted in his follicle scraping technique; it appears I am one of those for whom it actually worked.

Same here. Dr. Rumer used the scraping technique, I had no other hair removal before surgery. My gyno did a deep exam looking for granulation, so no hair there at 5 months post op. I assume if it isn't growing by now it never will be.

[Thessa]

Same here. Dr. Rumer used the scraping technique, I had no other hair removal before surgery. My gyno did a deep exam looking for granulation, so no hair there at 5 months post op. I assume if it isn't growing by now it never will be.

Did he scrap everything, also the area where the skin is bend inside? The beginning of the canal.

[Barb99]

Did he scrap everything, also the area where the skin is bend inside? The beginning of the canal.

I'm not sure if she scraped that area or not, but there is nothing there. I have my 6 month follow up at the end of this month. I will ask her exactly what got scraped.

[Zumbagirl]

Electrolysis is permanent.  Did you mean laser?

Here is my take on the subject. When I was going through my transition I ran across a few interesting things. One was a woman who was post-op about 5 years and started to develop facial hairs again and had to go back to the electrologist. I can only imagine how tough that would be to live with especially so many years after the fact and she thought she was a done deal. Likewise I have run across a few post-op women who had problems with vaginal hair and the problem didn't pop up 6 months after surgery but a few years later when everything was healed. I took the time to understand the hairs can remain dormant for long periods of time, so they only way to slay the hairs is very slowly over a long period of time. So from my own observations regarding that, and some women who offered some not very flattering advice on laser treatment I decided to take the matter of hair removal seriously. I figure I only get one good shot at this. If I had problems I didn't want to deal with excessive complications afterwards. As it is, the surgery itself has it's own share of complications as well. Why multiply problems? I could have gotten lucky after my surgery and ultimately saved myself $1-2k of money and spent it on something else, but I only have one me and only one good shot.

Taken as an opinion you might be thinking that, eh, it's just a couple of people can't happen to me. I just didn't want to be "that" person who had to say, happened to me. I didn't want to be that person after transition who had to shave or cake on makeup before going outside. I likewise didn't want to see myself putting depilatory cream on my crotch when I'm an old lady. I was thinking about my quality of life afterwards. I just didn't want to leave anything to chance. So I am now 14 years post-op and doing just fine with no hair problems and no need to pick up a razor except to shave my legs.

[HappyMoni]

My surgeon recommends electrolysis with the idea that she could scrape what she finds afterward. The thing is, scrapping takes time, time that you are under anesthesia. Why lengthen that time when it could be harmful to your health?
Moni

[KayXo]

I also used to think that I should have done electrolysis prior to SRS as I ended up with lots of hairs deep inside my vagina BUT after Dr. Brassard suggested the use of depilatory cream and now several weeks later after the treatment, remaining totally hair free, I'm glad I didn't do electrolysis prior as that would have been more expensive, very painful and time consuming whereas now, I just apply a little Nair and in 5-10 minutes, the hair is gone and so far, after just one application and several weeks later, there is no hair regrowth. So simple and effective. I regret not thinking of this earlier. That's my only regret.

[Jenna Marie]

Moni: That also depends on the doctor; Brassard prefers not to use general anesthesia, and he works with a partner. So my surgery took a little over 2 hours, including scraping, and did not require GA. (I actually chose him in part because of the short surgery time and no GA; I did worry about those risks.)