My first volume facial hair removal took 32 hours over two days to clear my entire face and neck using thermolysis (Flash electrolysis). The densest hair was on my chin, and to this day I wish I hadn't allowed my electrologist to attempt to clear every hair on my chin because it damaged my skin. I went on to complete 230 hours of electrolysis, both Flash and Blend modalities. Blend is far less damaging, but takes 10 times as long to clear a section of hair which translates to much higher cost. At $100/hour, electrolysis could be your most expensive feminization procedure, it all depends on how thick, widespread, and stubborn your beard is. I know of some girls who got rid of their facial hair with just 6 laser treatments. Unfortunately, laser doesn't work on blond, red, or gray hair. Even light brown is questionable. Keep in mind also that as you age your skin retains less moisture which makes electrolysis less effective. It pays to keep hydrated and to moisturize your skin religiously to improve the effectiveness of electrolysis.
What you are trying to do is get rid of terminal (male) hair. Hair grows from one of many germ cells in the follicle. If there's a blood supply present at the follicle, another hair will grow from a germ cell to replace the one that was killed. The new hair is often finer and shallower rooted than the terminal hair, but if left alone can grow to be a thick terminal hair, and have to be retreated.
It's important to be hormonally female to keep these fine hairs fine and short (villus hair). Going off your hormones and letting your T levels rise is going to encourage terminal hair growth. Those villus hairs will go terminal if there's enough T in the blood supply. After all those hours of electrolysis, my face is still covered with fine, short, white hairs. I call them my female hairs because they don't develop into the terminal hairs that men have. Some do, however, and have to be retreated. I just pluck them out. I can't stand the idea of shaving my face.
BTW, three fractional CO2 laser skin resurfacing treatments and one dermabrasion did not correct the skin damage from overly aggressive flash electrolysis of the dense hair on my chin. Among my trans women friends, the problem of skin damage from electrolysis, especially among older women, is quite common, so be careful. A person with a trained eye will recognize the scarring and peg you as trans.
