is the electrolysis working? dugi consult aaah

[felixtemin]

Hi All

I have my first consult with Dr Dugi next month.
I have been having electrolysis every week for 2 hours, for 6 months now.

I do notice less hair, but I am on vacation for three weeks and it looks like a lot of it has grown back.
I love my electrolysis lady. And I know she switched needle types to  a covered needle.
Is this less effective?
What should I do?
I am worried it will delay surgey and I will get pushed back!


Thanks

F

[Dani]

Many of us report needing about 200 hours for complete beard removal. At 2 hours a week for 6 months, you have about 50 hours in and are one-quarter the way there.

Of course, you personally may need more or less electrolysis. Heavy beards need more electrolysis.

When the hair no longer grows, it is a rather sudden event. I am at about 150 hours now and I am just beginning to see some thinning of my facial hair.

Don't give up now. It will be gone eventually. It just takes time.

[Quinn]

I believe you were talking about clearing for GRS not the beard?

I cannot comment on how long it takes for GRS clearing, im have Kaiser Permente and they are very strict about full clearance. I was talking to my therapist form Kaiser yesterday about this she was wanting me to at least start on the clearing even thou im not sure when I will have GRS. From what she said it takes between 8 to 12 months to get clear.
The 2 surgeons that perform the GRS here in Southern California actually want to check your progress in person every 6 to 8 weeks to see how far along you are with the clearing. If they feel you are not moving fast enough your surgery date may be cancelled or moved.

So very soon I will start to think about this also but im only about 60 hours in on the face and have quite a ways to go there also

[Virginia]

My electrologist has removed a ton of women's and mens beards. She told me going in the average was 500 hours. It only took about 340 for me (including eyebrows) but I'd had 2 dozen laser sessions prior to starting electrolysis and kept my Van Dyke.

[GingerVicki]

My electrologist has removed a ton of women's and mens beards. She told me going in the average was 500 hours. It only took about 340 for me (including eyebrows) but I'd had 2 dozen laser sessions prior to starting electrolysis and kept my Van Dyke.

What is a Van Dyke?

[Harley Quinn]

My electrologists are using the blended method, after the initial sugaring; I have about a third clearance after about 30 hours. It's been a couple months and seems to be staying cleared. The sugaring put everything into the androgen phase supposedly... so it went quicker initially.  My surgeon does follicle scraping as well, so he wasn't too worried of I didn't get everything done. However, I am still going several times a week to ensure that I get all I can.

[GordonG]

What is a Van Dyke?

Google "Van Dyke Beard".

[GingerVicki]

Google "Van Dyke Beard".

looks hipster

[Lucy Ross]

Hi felixtemin,

You probably mean an insulated needle, those are used by many professional electrologists, it really means nothing.  The reputation of the operator and whether you're seeing results is all that matters.  I'd have a frank discussion with your operator about what you're seeing, and whether it's cause for alarm; but these things are very individual, your mileage varies in a big way.  Some have a lot more hair to deal with, it may be more resistant to removal, you may be more sensitive to pain, etc.

I'm in the Portland area and envy you, I'm waiting for my therapist to get my 1st letter written, then have to get the 2nd one, before being penciled in for my Dugi consultation, probably in the next decade!  Oh well, I have plenty to do in the meantime.

[AutumnLeaves]

Hi felixtemin,

You probably mean an insulated needle, those are used by many professional electrologists, it really means nothing.  The reputation of the operator and whether you're seeing results is all that matters.  I'd have a frank discussion with your operator about what you're seeing, and whether it's cause for alarm; but these things are very individual, your mileage varies in a big way.  Some have a lot more hair to deal with, it may be more resistant to removal, you may be more sensitive to pain, etc.

I'm in the Portland area and envy you, I'm waiting for my therapist to get my 1st letter written, then have to get the 2nd one, before being penciled in for my Dugi consultation, probably in the next decade!  Oh well, I have plenty to do in the meantime.

Yeah his schedule is crazy. I saw him well over a year ago, and at the time I had my consult he had a four month waiting list. Because I had transitioned/had orchiectomy over a decade ago at the time, I hadn't been to see a therapist in many years (no need.) Well, to satisfy my insurance I had to go get the two letters for SRS, and during the few months that took me he ended up booking up an extra 14 months out. My surgery date is October 8, 2018 so it's finally coming up. I am actually kind of glad in a way since of course it's given him time to get a lot of extra experience. Seems like there are a lot of us in Portland!

[Virginia]

looks hipster

Thank you, it goes great with my shoulder length hair. I like to keep it short which works out well because my female alters shaves it off every 2-3 days when she has the body.

Don't be confused that "clearing" is the end of electrolysis. It's a milestone but there is still a long way to go. It just means that instead of working on a specific area, enough hair has been destroyed that the  electrologist can treat the entire face during a session. New hair continues to grow for the rest of a person's life. 5 years down the line I still go in for a clean up once or twice a year...

[Tessa James]

Yeah his schedule is crazy. I saw him well over a year ago, and at the time I had my consult he had a four month waiting list. Because I had transitioned/had orchiectomy over a decade ago at the time, I hadn't been to see a therapist in many years (no need.) Well, to satisfy my insurance I had to go get the two letters for SRS, and during the few months that took me he ended up booking up an extra 14 months out. My surgery date is October 8, 2018 so it's finally coming up. I am actually kind of glad in a way since of course it's given him time to get a lot of extra experience. Seems like there are a lot of us in Portland!

Congratualtions for getting a date and jumping through all the hoops   Yes, there seems to be something in the water around here with so many of us being out and about.  I am in the Astoria area and meet new folks in our community all the time thru our little Q Center.  I have also seen Dr Dugi and other surgeons results and he is meticulously careful.  The treatment at OHSU is first rate and I suggest anyone with concerns can contact the team there for advice.  Felixtemin your concerns are valid and you have time to be seen and so advised.  Good luck and happy zapping

[GingerVicki]

Thank you, it goes great with my shoulder length hair. I like to keep it short which works out well because my female alters shaves it off every 2-3 days when she has the body.

Don't be confused that "clearing" is the end of electrolysis. It's a milestone but there is still a long way to go. It just means that instead of working on a specific area, enough hair has been destroyed that the  electrologist can treat the entire face during a session. New hair continues to grow for the rest of a person's life. 5 years down the line I still go in for a clean up once or twice a year...

I bought a laser package for my face and neck. It includes lifetime touch-ups and I figure I will probably need more lasering as a get older. Even women get facial hair as they age right. Anyhow, When I was making payments they slowly increased the strength each session, but when I paid in full they turned it up. I guess they wanted to make sure that I keep coming back and pay the bill. They had me make an appointment in five week, but advised that if I don't have ANY hair growth to wait until the hair starts to grow. I hope that none grows back.

[Virginia]

Even women get facial hair as they age right.

Yes, it is the result of increasing testosterone levels after menopause (much the way older men tend to get boobs and lose the hair on their body as their testosterone levels decrease).

[Violet]

I had surgery with Dr. Dugi 39 days ago and I am very happy! Dr. Dugi is awesome! There are pictures of my Vaginoplasty results on my website. As for Electrolysis I did 7 appointments with Laser hair removal and 8 Electrolysis sessions (90 minutes each) that were scheduled in between. Took about 7 months total. For anyone in the Medford, Oregon area I recommend Beth at King Aesthetics for the Laser and Molly at Ashland Electrolysis. They were Angels to Me! They do not take Medicare/Medicaid however, so I paid out of pocket.