Illegitimate child of Wolverine and the Wolf-woman

[Kay]

Hi everyone,
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I just started Electro last month, and was looking for some advice...or maybe even just some encouraging words.
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I'm trying to figure out what I should expect from electrolysis, because my experience isn't matching the comments and stories that I've read elsewhere...and it's a bit discouraging so far.
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I started with the face/beard area.  In the last 30 days, I've logged 50 hours of flash thermolysis with a technician that has 30 years of experience, which includes experience with the Trans community.  She comes well recommended, is careful about the condition of the skin (there has been no scaring or pitting), and the treated hairs that I see appear to have been zapped where they should be.  The only complaint I might have is that she may be a little on the slow side....though it could just be the terrain she has to deal with. 
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That said...after 50 hours, I still haven't had an initial clearing of the face.  To make it easier for the technician as well as get a jump-start on things, I grew the beard out for a month (trimmed, but didn't shave) .  (hated it, but had to do it.) So, when I say "initial clearing", I mean that all of the hairs that were growing at this time haven't been zapped yet...and at this rate probably won't be zapped for another 10-15 hours...if I'm lucky). (I know it will take a couple years to get all of them...I was just hoping to speed up the process and get down to Anagen "stubbies" as soon as I could.)
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Unrealistic Expectations?:  I tried to read around the web looking for other stories to compare my experience to.  The first story that I read stated that the person did 3 marathon sessions over one weekend and got their face initially cleared in a little over 30 hours.  Another one I read said that theirs was initially cleared after 48 hours over the span of 3 months.  So my question:  Is it unusual to have logged 50 hours over a span of 30 days and still not have an initial clearing done?
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Granted, I am the illegitimate child of Wolverine and the Wolf-woman.  My beard is very thick, and grows back very fast.  A few years ago I plucked the whole thing (taking about 6 hours), and it only took 9 days to revert back to normal shaving thickness.  When this technician started treating my face, she had difficulty with some areas having 4-5 hairs growing out of the same spot.  After 20 hours of electro, it appeared to be thinning out nicely...but no one at work even noticed, because "thin" for me is about normal for many of them.  So...I guess it looks like this is going to be an uphill climb. 
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Anyone have any perspective, advice or words of wisdom out there that might lift my spirits a bit?
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Thanks,
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Kay

[tinkerbell]

In my experience, I found that the blend method worked best for me.  I did try thermolysis as well, but to my surprise, the hairs didn't seem to die as quickly as with the blend type.  Yes, it was less painful but not as effective IMO.

One thing that needs to be understood is that getting rid of all that facial hair takes time with electrolysis, years sometimes.  I used to do two hours a week at first (except on the lip area - I once endured four hours straight of pain all at once), but as the hairs died, I felt that doing one hour a week was sufficient in my case.  Overall it took three hundred and sixty something hours for me to be hair free, but it was all worth it.

As fair as the pain, well, yes, it was very painful, especially on the upper lip and chin areas, but I had no other choice .  The EMLA cream didn't use to work for me, so I felt compelled to ask my psychiatrist for prescription pain killers to mitigate the pain a bit.  I've also known girls who have asked their dentist for lidocaine injections before each electro session.  Like my grandpa used to say "baby steps, baby steps will take you there"...


tink

[sarahb]

Hmm...I can't recall exactly how long it took for the initial clearing, but I'd like to say somewhere around 2 or 3 months. However, I was going A LOT and it probably added up to like 50 or 60 hours. I was thinking the same thing as you, why was it taking so long for me when I hear of others being able to clear the entire face in a marathon weekend or something. I though it would be impossible to do that with how long it was taking me. I didn't really have that much facial hair either.

Anyways, I guess it could be a combination of her being slow and precise, along with the fact that you said you have multiple hairs growing in the same spot or really close to each other. This makes it harder and slower for the electrolygist to work. If you wanted to, you could always check out other electrolygists and see if they have better and faster results and switch to them instead.