Electrolysis: As fast as possible, or a little at a time?

[Adabelle]

Hi everyone,

I had my first electrolysis appointment this week. I've schedule for an hour each week, but I could afford more than this. I need to be really efficient financially with the treatments though so I'm curious if anyone has any recommendation about the speed at which to tackle the electrolysis so as to not waste money.

I think once I read that it's good (if you can afford it) to go for complete clearance as soon as quickly as possible, and then work on the areas that pop up as they come through. Is that true? Or are there are lot of people who just do an hour or two a week and push through that way?

I guess I'm fortunate that I don't have really dense hair growth on my face, just upper lip is dense, the rest is really not too bad so that's why I'm wondering if I'm doing it the best way.

[Bam]

I went once a week for an hour to give my skin and myself a chance to recover each time!!!!

[lilacwoman]

how did you manage the pain and how much mess did it leave behind to be camouflaged are the issues I'd be considering.
if your electrologist is a fast worker and you can stand the pain and mess then it would be better to have as much as possible asap.
Some of the areas that stayed bare for ages after first clearing are now hairy again so as usual it comes down to how fast all the roots wake up.

[rejennyrated]

If you are talking conventional needle electrolysis then unless you have an exceptionally low amount of hair at one hour a week you will simply never get there. (laser is different because it works quicker in the initial stages)

The ABSOLUTE minimum amount you need to start with is 3 hours a week.

I didn't actually have all that much facial hair, and I had none on my body arms or legs thanks to partial Androgen insensitivity. When I started I was having 9 hours a week - and it still took me over a year to complete the job. (although that amount did start to steadily reduce after a couple of months)

In fairness 9 hours a week was a bit mad... but if I hadn't done it then I would still have been having electrolysis after two years - which as I was postop after just 6 months really wouldn't have been a good plan!

[Bam]

I used a topical that numbed it to a certain extent,and it usually took three times on each area for them to be gone for good. I just used concealer and regular make-up and it hid it pretty well. The best part is when they are doing it round your lips they get all puffy like you have had botox shots,very sexy!!!!

[pebbles]

With me I get high pressure concentrated bursts to clear as much as I can in the time allowed thus as fast as possible approach. upto 6 hours a week in those times I'm able to get electrolysis.

My electrologist mentioned that doing so broke a few rules but that shes learned over the 20 years shes worked there that the hair your fighting doesn't follow rules. I would have asked her for more 8-10 hours a week but when we've trial run plans like that my skin develops a number of worrying complications. (complications like the top layers of my skin ablating off, Or the bottom layers producing large amounts of oil and tissue fluid, Swelling heat and temporary loss of sensation)

1 hour a week would be heartbreaking it would be so slow unless you only have a tiny amount of facial hair.

[Julie Marie]

After the first 20 or so hours of electro, I did an analysis on cost, time spent, overall length of time for complete removal, etc.

Here's what I was looking at:
Each one hour session cost $80.00, took three hours out of my day, required 2-3 days growth, added 50 miles gas cost and depreciation to my vehicle and took up to 36 hours to fully heal.  I was going once a week at the time.

I looked at E3000.  A friend of mine did it.  The first time she went for (5) five-hours per day sessions with two operators working on her.  In one week she got 50 hours electro, as much as I would in a year.  The cost was about $5,000 and yes, the recovery was substantial.  It took her a week to recover.  And with the E3000 you have to take two weeks off work, pay for airfare, food and lodging (unless you live in Dallas.)

For my (50) one-hour sessions it would cost me $4,000, take 150 hours out of my time, require 100-150 days of letting the hair grow out, burn up 2,500 miles up on my vehicle and require 50 days of healing.  At $0.50/mile vehicle expense, the drives there and back add up to about $1,250.

Before figuring in the lost income from the time off, costs looked fairly even.  The value of getting rid of that much facial hair that quickly and having all that extra time back in my hands is pretty high to me.  The peace of mind knowing I wouldn't be spending half my days hiding (facial hair before & swelling afterward) adds even more value.

In the end it was a slam dunk for me.

BTW, my friend went back after three months to treat the next growth cycle.  That time it took 35 total hours.  Three months later she went back again for another 20 hours.  Each time the recovery took less time.  In six months she had 105 hours electro, the beard was almost completely gone and her skin looked great.  She said she occasionally goes to a local electrologist to eliminate the pesky little hairs that crop up occasionally.

[Adabelle]

Thank you so much for the responses everyone. I'm going to definitely try and do 3 or 4 hours a week if I can handle it. I was thinking that one hour each week would be too slow. Once we get to my upper lip I think I will get a shot at the dentist to dull the feeling - I just don't know if I can handle the upper lip without the shot, I'm a bit of a wimp on that area. It was so painful when I did laser there.

I had never heard of the E3000 before. Looks really interesting to get so much done in one shot though.

[Bird]

Sorry to steal the thread, but this has me wondering.

With laser you need much less hours right? The person I am going to told me I should come by only once each 45 days. She told me it would take between 6 to 10, hour long sessions, to clear everything.

[A]

My opinion is that you should go for as much as you can, as long as the pain is not too bad.

[JessicaH]

There is a place in North Dallas that specialized in MtF electrolysis and they go for the INTENSIVE approach using a team of technicians. I think I have heard that they can do your entire face in a few days. I think I'd need some good sedation to make it through some marathon sessions of electrolysis....   

[lilacwoman]

for those who have not had electrolysis of the hot needle kind:
the needle tip glows red hot to sizzle the follicle.
depending on what angle the hairs grow at the sizzling may burst through the skin or be hidden and not show much.
if several hairs are sizzled close together all the top skin will be burned off and leave a weeping open sore that may take almost 7 days to clear.
doung several adjacent hairs may be more painful as the needle hits the nerves but sometimes I can have some sizzled with zero pain so I wonder if the needle destroys the nerves at times?
because of this it is best to do one area per visit.
a treated area may seem hairless for several months but may/will eventually grow more hair as dormant follicles wake up - and who knows what causes them to wake up esepcially with us who have modified our natiural hormone levels?

Ideally I would prefer to go to the electrologist unshaven and have her do individual hairs all over the face and neck in order to minimise the burst through and weeping and healing.
Doing it like this with a mega session of an hour or more would really make a difference to the feel of the face though maybe the visual effect would be of little progress until a few mega sessions have passed.

[Julie Marie]

I had never heard of the E3000 before. Looks really interesting to get so much done in one shot though.

Depending on where you live, Chicago could be an option too.  Zukowski's office does the same kind of thing but they are not as well staffed as E3000.  They only have two operators.  One is my electo (who also runs a school).  The other one of her star graduates.  Just an FYI.

With laser you need much less hours right? The person I am going to told me I should come by only once each 45 days. She told me it would take between 6 to 10, hour long sessions, to clear everything.

Laser is not medically recognized as a permanent hair removal procedure.

There is a place in North Dallas that specialized in MtF electrolysis and they go for the INTENSIVE approach using a team of technicians. I think I have heard that they can do your entire face in a few days. I think I'd need some good sedation to make it through some marathon sessions of electrolysis....   

You are probably thinking of the E3000 I mentioned above.

[Kaelleria]

While laser is not recognized as permanent hair removal at this time it very well could be in the future. A combination of laser with electrolysis can have great results for a fraction of the cost and time...

[K8]

I got laser and am getting electrolysis for the white hairs.  I go for an hour each week.  ($60/session plus 3 hours drive time, plus 150 miles wear-and-tear on car)  I have been getting electro for 19 months now and have probably 4-6 more months to go. 

I'm six months post-op, and it is a bit frustrating to still be getting eleco, but I have no scarring, my face heals by the time I get home, the remaining whiskers aren't visually noticeable, and the pain is manageable without drugs.  I have less hair on my face than some of my GG friends.

We all want to be transformed as quickly as possible, but there are trade-offs to consider.  I have no desire to subject myself to more than one treatment a week, but that's just me.

- Kate

[Stephanie.Izann]

Thank you girls for posting this.
I am 1 month into HRT and my doctor suggested that I first allow the HRT to help curve my hair growth. So, I am waiting a few more months to do so. In the interim, I am also trying to look into what I should do regarding hair removal. There are sooooo many suggestions and opinions that it can be quite overwhelming.
My main idea was to first get Laser. I have heard there are newer laser hair removal methods that do work very well. I have also heard that going with Electrolysis is also good to go with after you do Laser so that it gets the white hairs (as some of you posted on here and other areas). 
My skin is very very soft already (even before HRT), and very sensitive. I can get rashes/allergies very easily on my skin. My skin outside of that fact is very healthy and clean. I'm just afraid it's going to go nuts with electrolysis. But then again, I've seen some pretty ugly pics of Laser situations.
My hair is dark brown, but since hitting my mid 30's I've been growing more than a few white hairs in there.
So keep the comments flowing on here. 
What to do...What to do? Hmmmm

[rejennyrated]

Stephanie - with the greatest respect to your doctor he is WRONG! I guarrantee it

You need to start now or you will regret not doing so. Electro or laser takes far longer than HRT to work. If you do what he suggests you will only end up making you electro more painful - and more embarrassing as you will almost certainly end up having to transition before it is sufficiently done.

Please please please even if you ignore everything else I say trust me on this one. Start your electolysis IMMEDIATELY! or you will almost certainly regret it.

And for the record - electrolysis should always be started at the earliest opportunity. In my experience the best timing is between 2 and 3 months BEFORE starting HRT!

[Stephanie.Izann]

Stephanie - with the greatest respect to your doctor he is WRONG! I guarrantee it

You need to start now or you will regret not doing so. Electro or laser takes far longer than HRT to work. If you do what he suggests you will only end up making you electro more painful - and more embarrassing as you will almost certainly end up having to transition before it is sufficiently done.

Please please please even if you ignore everything else I say trust me on this one. Start your electolysis IMMEDIATELY! or you will almost certainly regret it.

And for the record - electrolysis should always be started at the earliest opportunity. In my experience the best timing is between 2 and 3 months BEFORE starting HRT!

Thanks for that.  I'm a little confused since my doctor is Trans too.  I've scheduled an appointment with the Laser center nearby. I was thinking doing the laser and then the electro on the white hairs. I'll have to look into this more carefully. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I have had several people tell me one thing and then others another.  They are all obviously trying to help out as you are too, and I deeply appreciate you addressing these issues with me. 
My doctor had told me that Electro can be more painful but that the HRT helps curb the growth even more. She went on to tell me that Electro places love trans woman that haven't started HRT because they have to get more off ...or something like that. Anyway, I'm open to anyones comments, hence me posting on here (and other areas).
Again, THANKS!

[K8]

From what I can find in the medical literature (I'm not a doctor), HRT has little or no effect on facial hair once it is established.  I didn't have to shave regularly until I was 25, so before that HRT may have had some effect on my facial hair.  But once the facial hair is well established, HRT will have only a marginal effect on the growth and texture of the hair.  HRT affects the skin, so there may be some appearance of change in facial hair but I don't think that the hair itself is changed.  A few people may experience slower growth of the hair, but not everyone does.

From what I can see, the bottom line is that you might as well start electro as soon as possible.  Use laser to get the hairs that can be killed that way, but if you have blonde or white hairs you will need electrolysis.

- Kate

[pebbles]

I didn't start Electrolysis until 4 months on hormones, My reasons were linked to time constraints not money it's just that I really made up for it in the following 4 months. Getting 6 hours a week, Although I did have 4 appointments of Laser and 6 of IPL prior.

The HRT worked quite well on my facial hair about 1/3rd was removed.
My electrologist pointed out how incredibly strong and deep some of the hairs were even with HRT and that it might not have been possible to kill them properly even with her modern machine if I hadn't started HRT.