The best way is to get a referral. Perhaps there's some sort of LGBT center around that you can ask at?
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Otherwise, set up a consultation with the electrologist that you're thinking of going to.
- How many years of experience do they have?
- Have they worked (successfully) with other trans-clients? (particularly on beard removal, which is a bit thicker and coarser than the typical hair they're accustomed to working on.)
- Have them do a test on a few hairs to see their work. Generally I've found that after they treat the hair, it should slide out pretty easy. If it feels like they're plucking it...they aren't treating it properly...and it will grow back. If you look at the hairs, the bulb at the end of the folicle should show where it got zapped.
- thermolysis or blend method? (your choice) Aside from the technical differences, the main functional difference as I understand it is that blend has a bit larger area that it zaps/damages than thermolysis. A skilled, or even moderatly skilled operator in either is great. An inexperienced operator in thermo is more likely to just be plucking your hair, and an inexperienced operator in blend is more likely to damage and pit your skin. (If they're not used to beard hair and try to under/over-compensate their power levels too much, it could be the reverse of that.)
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Here's a site you can look at:
http://www.tsroadmap.com/physical/hair/zapidx.html.
It does take a long long time to complete.
I'm still getting mine done. 267 hours and counting...
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For comparison purposes, here's my experience:
My electrologist (thermolysis) has 30 years experience, and has done 4 or 5 beard removals previous to mine. $60/hr is her basic charge. (I'm in WI, so CA may be a bit more expensive)
It took about a year-and-a-half of clearing an area every week to finally get to the point where there isn't anything left but a couple of strays that pop-up every now and then.
If you're looking to finish in around 2 years, you need to clear the whole face every week. That's a huge monetary and time commitment, especially at first.
I couldn't afford that, so I've been doing 2 hours/week the last 2 years, while throwing a few extra hours in there as the budget allows. Hormones do have an effect. I just started them in January, and it does slow facial hair growth. The second half of my face is progressing much faster than the first half did 2 years ago. I thought it would take two more years...but at this rate, it should be looking pretty good come December.
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Anyway, Hope this helps, and I wish you luck in your search.
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Kay
