Hair removal before or after HRT?

[antia212]

Hi everyone,

I'm wondering what your thoughts are on electrolysis before or after starting HRT. Does it depend on the person? Is it easier to do it after being on HRT for some time?


Thank you in advance for reading and replying!


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[Jessica Lynne]

In my case it was much easier prior to HRT. It hurt much worse after I started. If you want to finish b4 starting, be prepared for a year of effort at a minimum and that's a best case scenario

[VeronicaLynn]

Electrolysis can take a long time. Not all hairs are even active at the same time, some might not become active until a over a year from now.

I'm not on HRT yet, but I regret not starting electrolysis earlier.

I gradually started presenting a lot more androgynous and now I'm having to have a visible stubble beard out for several days each week and it's not making me happy at all. I'm basically avoiding going out half of the week. I'm between jobs right now, I couldn't imagine doing this if I had a job, but at the same time, I really need a job so I can pay for all of this. Hopefully it will be at least thinned out enough that it's not as noticeable in a few months.

[Anne Blake]

It sort of depends upon which areas you are wanting to remove hair from, for your face, start just as soon as you can afford it. The electrolysis takes a long time, over a year minimum and some folks have had it take many years due to either financial limitations (lots of money) as well as pain tolerance. By the way, many say that our pain thresholds shift with hrt or said differently, electrolysis hurts more after beginning hrt.

Any other place on your body, wait to see how hormone therapy changes your body hair. For many it greatly reduces body hair, for a lucky few it gets rid of it all together (changing the typical dark male hair to a soft virtually transparent vellus hair. Genital hair is generally not effected by hrt, the pattern may shift but both guys and gals have a natural bush.

Good luck

[Roll]

I've been wondering about this as well. Mostly regarding back and chest hair, as it seems a shame to spend a lot of money on such large areas only for it to possibly go away to a degree on hormones. (Though I want to start with laser regardless given I'm pale with dark hair, doesn't look like anywhere around me that does the real thing...)

[Charlie Nicki]

Facial hair, treat it ASAP. Body hair, you could wait, I've read everywhere that HRT can slow it down, make it thinner etc...

[Kendra]

I went after my facial hair, attacked it with electricity two years before I began HRT.  I had fear when I started but it was one of the best things I have done.

Having a smooth face made it easier to dress more often and that led to my decision to start HRT.  Before completing electrolysis I needed at least 45 minutes to apply makeup.  These days I set aside 5 minutes for makeup.

[KathyLauren]

Female skin is much more sensitive than male skin.  Do it before you start HRT if you can.  It hurts like hell once you are on HRT.

[Jessica_Rose]

I started both laser (face and back) and electrolysis (face) treatments in January of this year and started HRT in late March. I am doing both because I have about 30% grey hairs and laser will not work on those. The first few electrolysis sessions were painful, although tolerable I had tears flowing most of the time. Taking two ibuprofen before the sessions helped a little. Either electrolysis is becoming less painful or I am just getting used to it because now I actually fall asleep during some of the sessions.

The laser sessions are a mixed bag. They are usually not too bad on my back, but going over the face is more painful than electrolysis. One session in particular was extremely painful. I found out later that one of the lasers was not calibrated appropriately and I got a much stronger 'zap' than what was planned.

My body hair is thinning out quite a bit on HRT. I should probably have waited on the laser treatments for my back. I now think the HRT would have taken care of it. I would suggest waiting for 6 - 9 months after starting HRT to see if it is affecting you body hair before starting laser on those areas. Facial hair may be slowed down by HRT, but it will not reduce the area covered by hair. Start facial hair removal as soon as possible.

I have not really noticed any change in pain levels that I could attribute to starting HRT.

[LizK]

It hurt heaps more after I started HRT

[Kendra]

Same here.  That is why it's called HRT

[Jessica Lynne]

Female skin is much more sensitive than male skin.  Do it before you start HRT if you can.  It hurts like hell once you are on HRT.

Sooooooo true. It went from, meh! I can do this...no sweat.......to, stop! Stop! STop! STOp! JUST STOP!!!

[RobynD]

I'm glad i waited until well after starting HRT, because of some of the factors mentioned here. I won't need to do any permanent removal on my body as it is all going or gone away.

I'm also waiting on my face to post SRS. For me it doesn't cause that much dysphoria and i feel like I can only so so many things at once.

It is true though it will hurt more for sure, my skin is considerably more sensitive now.

[Roll]

Is there an equivalent level of pain to compare it to post HRT? I'm wondering because I've traditionally had a high threshold for skin pain, and am wondering exactly how bad we are talking. (Oddly enough blatant/true pain doesn't often bother me, but I can't take minor irritants in the slightest.)

My biggest issue though unfortunately is a logistical one. I can start HRT "now", but I can't do hair removal really now. I definitely need to start with laser, but the only place that does it around here has atrocious reviews and is crazy expensive (like triple the typical rate). (I've mentioned it in other threads, but where I am has pricing oriented towards  tourists and the uber rich summer house crowd, so poorer residents like myself are often left without many options.) I'll be going to Atlanta the middle of next year, but I really don't want to put HRT off that long. :/

[LaRell]

I just recently started IPL hair removal on my face.  I have watched videos on YouTube that suggest doing it before starting HRT.  And the reason for that as far as Laser or IPL, is that after a while on HRT, if your facial hair thins, or gets lighter, the laser will not work as effectively.  And then electrolysis is your only option.  And that is so incredibly time consuming.  The laser still takes 6 to 9 sessions at 4 to 6 weeks apart, so a long time, but the laser can cover so much more area per "zap" so a session on your face, can be as short as 15 minutes and you are out of there.  Rather than electrolysis where they can only do one single hair follicle at a time. 

   Electrolysis may be more effective, but you have to lay there and endure pain for a lot longer, spread out over a very long time.   If laser or IPL is going to work for me, I would much rather endure 15 minutes of maybe a little more intense pain, to be good for another 4 to 6 weeks.  I'm betting my IPL treatment would have been a lot less painful had I started it before going on HRT.  But my insurance (Kaiser) will not pay for laser hair removal til you have been on HRT for 6 months.  I explained to them the problem of your hair thinning out on HRT and then the laser being less effective at that point.  I think their mode of thinking is either that it will work better after you have been on HRT for that long, or that they want you to see if you even still want or need the treatment after being on HRT that long.  It's pretty interesting.

  I have a tremendous amount of dysphoria surrounding my facial and chest hair.  So I'm not waiting for insurance to pay for the face.  My wife gave me the hair removal treatment as a wedding anniversary gift.  So I could get that started before the 6 months is up.  Then I will probably let the insurance pay for the hair removal down below that  their surgeon Dr. Dugi requires before he will do the GCS.  But again, I have to wait another 3.5 months before they will even pay for it.

[Jessica Lynne]

IPL doesn't work, it's useless, can damage the follicle and may make hair removal more difficult in the long run.

[Kendra]

I am not aware of any specific case where IPL worked where laser failed.  But I am aware IPL hardware is significantly cheaper to buy and maintain, and that can translate into a higher profit margin.

Medical quality laser is a good initial option for facial hair removal on some people but not everyone.  As for the time required for electrolysis, I've heard the same complaints about weight loss and other things that are difficult.  Some shortcuts will set you back and move the goal even further out. 

[Roll]

  As for the time required for electrolysis, I've heard the same complaints about weight loss and other things that are difficult.  Some shortcuts will set you back and move the goal even further out.

I think this, a renewed focus on the goal, is why I'm leaning more towards just sucking it up and doing everything simultaneously as money allows. I wanted to get a lot done before HRT because it's "easier", but I'm starting to look at it like this...  (even if this thread is about hair, I'm using weight as the example since it's easier to quantify.)

Keeping specifically to public presentation (ie: not including potential GCS and what not):
Without HRT, let's say it takes a year for me to reach my goal weight, losing an additional 40-50 pounds at a no-effort required and foolproof just under 1 pound a week.
With HRT, let's say a year and a half for the same amount of weight not including weight lost from muscle loss. (And that is a really high estimate for time, as I doubt it is an entire 50% harder on HRT.)
Then let's say HRT takes about 2 years for "close enough to full" effect. (Completely arbitrary value here of course.)
If I wait to finish my weight loss, that puts me 3 years out from the HRT/public presentation goal. If I go ahead and do both simultaneously, even if weight loss is slower I will still be "done" before HRT goals are met, but that goal will be met far sooner.

Switching gears back to the topic of hair removal, I think that while more pain doesn't sound fun and a late start will make early transition more difficult in a way that weight does not(as of course it is not a gender specific issue)... in the end the same concept to the timeline above still applies, as it is all about that final goal.

[Anne Blake]

Hi Roll,

A slightly different perspective on this thread. It started off as a discussion on hair removal relative to the starting of hrt. You have introduced a few more factors all of which relate to a more full view of transition with focus perhaps on getting it done. Each step is part of transitioning, or perhaps, being more comfortable with who you are (the combination of all the inner and outer aspects). Just recognizing who you are and realizing a need to transition is the beginning (imho) and each step taken will progress you along the journey regardless of the order taken. For me, there is no endpoint, and while I admit to a huge amount of impatience, each step along the path is celebrating the magic of who I am as Tia Anne. If I had waited until this or that had been achieved, I would have missed out on so much of my life worthy of celebration. This is truly a case for, "slow down and smell the roses". I will also suggest that as you progress, particularly after beginning hrt, your priorities or sensitivities and dysphoria will change; for me the triggers changed swiftly and I shifted my priorities accordingly. It could be argued that there is no right way or wrong way to chart your journey as long as you are enjoying the steps along the way. However you choose to experience your transition, I hope that you can enjoy the ride, best of luck.