On regulations...

[Terra]

To all the former military personell...

One of the regs in the UCMJ (laws of the military), it states I can't do any bizarre or extreme body modifications. This rules out hormones, for now, but what about hair removal?

My plan is to tell them that since I can never seem to get a clean shave, which is true, i'm doing it to look more proffesional. Or would I even have to tell them at all? Being part german and part italian, I always seem to have a 5 o'clock shadow.

Also on that note, anything else I can do to get started? I'm considering voice lessons, but unless i'm using the voice full time, will it be worth the trouble at this point?

Thanks for any feedback.

[stephanie_craxford]

I'm ex Canadian military, does that count 

I'm pretty sure that you would be ok with beard removal, as that's what you do everyday with a razor.  Having laser, or electrolysis is the same thing except more expensive.  Just bear in mind that generally for electrolysis to be effective, you need to have at least a days growth, so that may not be ok with the top for those early morning inspections    Also before you go ahead with this, make sure you won't get a reaction that would require you to get treatment at your post medical facility.  I know that in the Canadian military this could be classed as a self inflicted injury, requiring disciplinary action 

As for getting started, it greatly depends on time and money, because it will cost both.  I would recommend that you sit down do some research into what transition encompasses, and try to work out a time table you could live with, given your present situation.  Although surgery is off in the future there are milestones that you have to meet in order to be accepted and approved for GRS by any reputable medical professional, along with many others, if this is the route you want to go.  Also you need to be under a physicians care, so this has to be part of the plan as well.

These are just a couple of steps that involve you, you also have to consider how all this will or could affect those around you from family to friends and acquaintances.  And believe me there is a lot to consider, and one of the first steps would be to get your support system in place.  Susan's can be part of that, but you will need immediate support you can turn too should you need it.  This is  a hard one to do, many don't have it and try the journey on their own which can be difficult at best.

There are many views on transition as laid out in the "Harry Benjamin Standards of Care", but it is a good place to get information on transition as seen through his eyes, and many in the medical profession demand that it be followed.  (Don't let it scare you)  You can read it in the Wiki if you haven't already.

Whew - so is that enough to get you started...

Chat later,

Steph

[Terra]

Thanks for the feedback Stephanie...

Fortunetly, though it is a pet peve of mine, i could basically show up to work in my swimtrunks, sandles, and hair past my collar if i wanted to. Things are WAY to relaxed here when it comes to regs. Kind of scary since we are a hospital. But then again, it can work to my favor.

As for hair removal, does it often cause a reaction, and what kind? If it requires a day's growth, I can use the weekend, or in the future my weekdays off. I'm not joking when I say my face grows fast, I shaved at about 10 o'clock in the morning and my face is quite rough right now.

Which would be cheaper or easier to find? Laser or shock? Cheaper?

[Leigh]

Which would be cheaper or easier to find? Laser or shock? Cheaper?

Laser is NOT permanent.  There will be a reduction in hair but it will not get all of them.  Electro is permanent, expensive and takes longer.

Some peeps I know have done laser and then finished up with electro.  Before you do either ask for recommendations and referrals from former clients.  A bad one of either can scar you for life.

[Cassandra]

Luana,

I don't know how it is now but when I was in the military if you pulled guard duty or CQ you got the
next day off. Of course doing so requires a fresh shave in the afternoon when getting ready for inspection.

If you can get a Saturday appointment. Get someone who has guard duty or CQ on a Thursday to let you take it. You'll have all the night of the duty, all day Friday and with an afternoon appointment a good part of Saturday to get the necessary growth for an electrolysis session.

Taking two days of leave here and there could also be helpful. If you're having electrolysis on a regular basis you're not going to have money to go anywhere on leave anyway. I do recall that if you got a sunburn on the weekend and required medical attention and could not perform your duties it was considered damaging government property. This would be the charge on an Article 15.

If you had a bad reaction to the electrolysis I don't think it would be something they would consider an offense and considering the laxness of your unit I doubt they would even care. Just some suggestions.


Good Journey,

Cassie

[Shelley]

It seems the military is the same the world over. I actually got charged over sunburn and spent the next week confined to barracks.

Shelley

[AmyNYC]

This topic is a little old, but as I can't sleep, I'm doing a little catch-up...

It seems as though nobody else has had this reaction to electrolysis, or they just didn't mention it.   The early stages of treatment were the worst.  Fot the rest of the day after treatment, the area of my face they had treated was splotchy red & white, swollen, and full of little holes, some of which oozed some unknown fluid.  Then from the day after treatment until it all healed (which WASN'T before I went back for my next treatment) it was easier to cover with make-up, but you could definitely tell something was wrong with my complexion.  But since I was living full-time as a guy still, none of this really bothered me.  Now, a year & a half & 58 & 1/2 treatment hours later (and close to the end), there's very little affect from the treatments, at least compared to before.

To anybody out there that knows they will most definitely transition: GET STARTED ON YOUR ELECTROLYSIS NOW!!!  You WILL underestimate the length of time it will take!  You WILL underestimate the cost!  And you WILL underestimate the toll it takes on your mental state!!!  Having it done before you go full-time would help you out immeasurably!

To my friends who don't understand what I've had to go through with electrolysis, I try to explain to them that it's not the single act of an electrolysis session which hurts so much.  It's the constant barrage of redness, swelling, pain, loss of money, time spent, and last but certainly not least, hair on your face while you're trying to pass as a girl.  And all of that continuous over the course of a couple years.  It beats you down enough times, you just learn to not get up anymore.  The only concilation is that it WILL end at some point in the future, so you just keep plodding along.

I may seem a bit negative, but I wish someone had forced this on me when starting electrolysis.  If I had known exactly what it was going to take, I could have been better prepared to deal with how long it was going to take.

Amy