Genital hair removal and GRS.

[Karmorda]

I'm not planning to get GRS for long time, like 3 to 4 years if I'm lucky. But I found out a potential problem today i had never even thought of. That without electralsis prior to GRS ,there is a chance that hair might grow in my vagina. That thought really freaks me out. But the thought of having electrolysis in that area also freaks me out. I'm a very private person and coupled with my dysphoria the thought of someone poking around that area for many many session to remove the hair from there is more then I can bear. Also I don't know if I could even find someone to do that kind of electrolysis. There are two places that do electrolysis in my city one is a clinic but when I called about facial elect. They said they weren't taking new clients. The second  is a woman who does it out of her house and I'm really really not comfortable asking her if she would do electrolysis on my nether regions.so basically how necessary is it? Am I over worrying?

[Dena]

It depends on the material the doctor has to work with and the surgical approach. If you have sufficient size and you want penis inversion, hair isn't an issue unless you have hair on the shaft. If you are lacking in material, the scrotum may be used to construct the vagina and then hair can be an issue. Some surgeons are able to scrape the skin to remove the hair but that doesn't always work. You should decide on a surgeon and a procedure so you know the issues you will face.

[Maybebaby56]

Hi Karmoda,

Honey, if genital electrolysis is the biggest worry you have about transitioning, then you are very lucky indeed. Transitioning is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, because it required me to be prepared to lose everything: my job, my friends, and possibly my family.  I kept my job and most of my friends, but I am now estranged from my young sons and in the process of getting divorced.

My transition has been a seemingly unending series of impossible steps, things I was scared to death to do.  Three years ago I would have assured you that full transition was simply not possible for me.  Yet here I am.

You don't mention your age, so it's hard for me to get a fix on your life PoV, but a lot to can change in three or four years for anyone.  You may not be living in the same city, you may find a new job or meet new friends that will broaden your knowledge and options.  And mostly, you may be a completely different person in terms of your personal courage, your determination to transition, and your resources.

I think by the time you are ready to actually start looking for GRS surgeons, you will have gone through so many changes, and grown so much as a person, that something like lifting your skirt for yet another medical procedure is going to be just another expensive and fairly painful thing you have to do. Transition is full of those, let me tell you, lol.

So, yes, my advice to you would be not to worry much about that yet.

With kindness,

Terri   

[HappyMoni]

I was weird about it at first. She has these glasses on and only sees a small area. I was actually her first, so she might have been more nervous than me. You can take a paper towel and limit the area they see. She never had to move the offending member, I did. Just get numbing cream and you won't feel it either. No worries, where there is a will there's a way. Moni

[Karmorda]

I'm 25 and only been on HRT for 1 month, sorry if I came as nieve or overstating how big of a problem it is.

[Devlyn]

I think everyone has their  "Electrolysis where?!" moment!   

Hugs, Devlyn

[Julia1996]

Karmorda, don't feel bad. I didn't know this was a thing either until I just read it. And I agree that having someone all up in your personal parts would be like totally embarrassing.  I hope I can have the surgery that you don't need electrolysis down there.

[Maybebaby56]

I'm 25 and only been on HRT for 1 month, sorry if I came as nieve or overstating how big of a problem it is.

No need to apologize, sweetie.  Your concern is real, and I hope you don't think I was trying to minimize or trivialize your anxiety.

I was trying to tell you that I had those feelings about everything, it seemed like.  Every step of transition was a battle with myself. To be transgender is to know fear, self-doubt, and feeling overwhelmed at times.  I wanted to reassure you that what looks large and impossible to overcome now will not always seem that way. 

Full transition is not for every one, but for some of us there is only one acceptable outcome, and we do whatever it takes to finally achieve what we so desperately want and need.  We find a way. Have faith in yourself. You will be amazed at what you can accomplish.

With kindness,

Terri

[Rachel]

People that will do the hair removal have no issue. I too was really shy but after the numbing injections we just chatted the whole time. If I knew then what I know now I would have had the hair (only a few) removed between the vagina and anus. I think I have 15 or so hairs there and I will get that done. I may even have my mons cleared. I really like the area clean and tidy.

[Anne Blake]

I have been using the services of E3000  in Dalls. They use numbing injections and clear the entire area for me. You can also just have them clear the your surgeon  requires. They are very  respectful and I have never felt judged or wrong having them work on that area, it is just something that needs to be done to get to where I need to be.

[Debra]

I had several laser sessions beforehand as recommended by my surgeon and I've never had problems with hair in the vagina....been post-op for 6 years.

[AnonyMs]

There's been some previous discussions related to this.

Hair in vagina....we need to discuss openly
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,223149.0.html

[Jessika]

It also really depends on the Surgeon you are choosing. I am going with Dr Chett for my GCS and here is what is stated regarding Hair removal:

http://www.chet-plasticsurgery.com/dr-chettawuts-recommendation-of-genital-hair-removal/

[AnonyMs]

It also really depends on the Surgeon you are choosing. I am going with Dr Chett for my GCS and here is what is stated regarding Hair removal:

http://www.chet-plasticsurgery.com/dr-chettawuts-recommendation-of-genital-hair-removal/

If you search you'll find women who have vaginal hair after srs with Dr Chettawut.

[Michelle_P]

The need to do genital electrolysis will vary with the surgeon and the details of the surgical procedure.  In my particular case, I know the details, and have very detailed instructions on how the hair has to be removed in certain specific spots.  I understand why, as the information I've been given on the procedure (a variant of penile inversion) was quite detailed in how the surgery would proceed.

My electrolysis tech has worked with my medical plan and my surgical team before and understands what to do.  Generally, the surgeon's office should be able to provide details on the area to be cleared to any electrolyst, and will often have the names of electrolysts that they have worked with before.  That is a good starting place.

An electrolyst that routinely does genital electrolysis has likely spent hundreds of hours poking around 'down there'.  As my operator told me she was told by her instructor, "Skin is skin."  They can be pretty nonchalant about this.  They'll be considerate about your sensitivity, providing a place to partially disrobe and the right sort of seating to be comfortable.  (My work was done on an exam table rigged with stirrups, just like at the gynecologist's office.)

Yes, it can be embarrassing and uncomfortable.  You may be able to talk to your doctor and get a prescription for something to ease your discomfort. (I took a 'Norco', paracetamol or Tylenol plus an opioid drug). Pain-wise, it was much less uncomfortable than the upper lip, cheek, or parts of the neck were. 

In my case I do two 2 hour sessions of electrolysis every Monday, morning and afternoon.  The last two Monday morning sessions were spend on the South Pole .  An hour and 20 minutes into the second session my operator announced that she was out of hairs.  Granted, I had lighter than average hair coverage, but that surprised both of us.  I'll skip any work down there next week, as there's nothing to do.  The week after that we will check for any new growth and take a few minutes to zap that.  After 6 months of occasional retreatment, the surgery area should be hair-free.

It was actually much easier than I had feared.  I'm glad I got it out of the way.

[Gail20]

I'm surprised you're doing sessions so close together.  It was mine, and my Laser tech's, understanding (past and current), that hair grows on 28 to 30 day cycles and then is dormant for awhile. So you space your clearings with this many days in between to catch the current growth??

[Michelle_P]

Hairs don't move into active growth phase in waves.  Each follicle is on it's own schedule.  So far there have been plenty to work on each week.

At some point in the near future I will reach a point where there's not four hours worth of work appearing each week, that is, I will have a weekly session in which I am cleared before the full session time is up.   At that point we will move to shorter and less frequent sessions.

Note that I am doing electrolysis, because of unsuitability for laser treatment.  This is a slower process, and I will likely need close to 200 hours of work to stop needing regularly scheduled appointments.

[Gail20]

So sorry you can't use Laser. Having experienced both, and recently the newest Laser equipment in preparation for Aug surgery, there is an enormous difference in time and pain. I do not have a great deal of hair but I was blown away when my first clearing took about a half hour . . .