Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I heard that it takes longer to finish electrolysis as u get older. Im 19 now. how long do yall think that it will take me to finish electrolysis since im only 19? I havnt started it but im going to once I can  get a job.

There are a lot of different factors, Angelique.  People have varying amounts of facial hair, and some do laser first.

Happy holidays to you!  :)

how would doing laser first make a difference?

It you're not on HRT it won't matter, you'll keep developing new hair as you age.

isnt just laser enough??

and how bad electrolysis hurts anyways?

im 19 too
hope i can get it done soon

Quote from: FalsePrincess on December 10, 2013, 05:07:56 PMisnt just laser enough??
and how bad electrolysis hurts anyways?
im 19 too
hope i can get it done soon

I know electrolysis isn't for me, you have to get a needle stuck into your face. If that's an issue for you, or you have darker facial hair, then laser is probably preferable.

you have no idea how much i hate needles...

when im not looking its ok though , i dont know , im sure id rather laser , but what is important here are the results...

Quote from: FalsePrincess on December 10, 2013, 05:16:57 PMyou have no idea how much i hate needles...
when im not looking its ok though , i dont know , im sure id rather laser , but what is important here are the results...

YRMV for both. If you have darker facial hair, laser will tend to be better. If you don't, go for electrolysis.

I got my own professional machine last july. Starting out it was two hours a day. Today its about 20 min a day and I am getting close to being done. That said I had to do my neck and the area where a gotee would be only. Years ago I got laser and that took care of the hair for the most part everywhere else on my face.

So Yes it took a LOT of time but I saved a ton of money doing it myself. Simple as that.

Quote from: Isabelle on December 10, 2013, 05:03:03 PM
It you're not on HRT it won't matter, you'll keep developing new hair as you age.

Agreed.

an absurdly LONG time... In my case I had extremely thick facial hair which came in age 13 I hated it immediately. I've never seen anyone with facial hair as thick and aggressive as mine was. My electrologist had been working for nearly 20years and in that time she said I was 1st(As in the worse she'd ever seen) for sheer density of follicles and 2nd for thickness and depth of the hair follicles.

I had 6 Sessions of IPL (6months) age 18 prior to HRT, It thinned it briefly about 30% but it came back after 6 months or so nearly as thick as ever.
I then had YD:YAG laser Sessions about 4, They weren't very effective at all. maybe a 5% reduction. I gave up for awhile after this as I was making so little progress
After that I started HRT I began my attacks anew.

I had electrolysis 4-5months after starting HRT. During Holidays I would go 3-4times a week and would have 2 hour long sessions. 4months over summer aswell as 2 weeks during Christmas ect.

During term time I had other similar sessions with a different electrologist but obviously less frequent as I was working on my degree and at my part time job to make ends meet.

I did this for 2 Years. there were several times it would be wiped out completely and I'd be hair free for a couple of months however it always regenerated. Usually weaker each time but still strong.

After I finished my Degree I went back home I continued working on it, however I had a falling out with my electrologist. She was concerned about scarring and collagen damage I have to my face now due to the severe endless years of pounding it was getting, I said I didn't care I'd gladly have my face covered in scarring than endure my facial hair for a second longer than I had to.

I again did nothing for 4 months and it again regenerated, I've since had 9 Sessions of IPL over the past year and it's currently nearly completely gone however I'm sure it will regenerate again as it has attempted to in between sessions.

That said At it's worse it's not even a ghost of how bad it was... barely 3-5% of what I started with.
So how long in total?

8+ years

sorry im not really that informed about this matter...

so Isabelle , isnt a permanent solution out there?
I mean , will they always grow back at some point?


Mine arent that much I mean I cant grow a long beard like others but they are veeery dark,whats the permanent solution?
I ve heard that with laser you have to do like 8-10 sessions to permantly remove them...and its not that expensive either...
i dunno...

oh and something else...whats the best time to go for it?
how many months on hrt are ok?

???

QuoteI mean , will they always grow back at some point

No, its permanent, I'm just meaning if you're a teen, and you're going to start hair removal but you're not on HRT, its a waste of money and time. HRT will stop further hairs from becoming terminal (thick) while elctro will remove the ones that already have matured but, unless you're stopping them from changing at the hormonal level, your facial hair will grow in the same as any other cis male

I see , thank you.

it took me 8 months. it sucked. i only had a few spots to do so it was 8 minutes a session but yeah it sucked. i was so glad when it was over.
now arm pits took 11 months for some reason?

Quote from: Jamie D on December 10, 2013, 04:55:13 PM

Chuckle........snort.........  If you're under 25, I'll eat my hat!  <running away>

I was born on Leap Year. I am 9 and 1/4.

While not under 25 I can tell you that everyone patient is different and every electrolysist and laser tech is different. I have red/blonde beard and I got a quote for 60 hours of electrolysis to clear my face and neck.

My friend Adrean is still doing laser and plans to start electrolysis soon after seeing the results of my face after just one hour of work though. It worked really well for me so far.

As for pain it's no worse than the dentists office for a regular checkup having your gums poked and prodded except this lasts for 1-7 hours instead of 5-30 minutes. Honestly it just gets annoying and then torturous after a awhile instead of really painful. If you can just relax it is much easier though and I highly recommend asking if you can bring your own pillow. Just supporting my head and neck with the tiny pillow that they gave me was the worst thing about my appointment.

Quote from: Katie on December 10, 2013, 05:24:01 PM
I got my own professional machine last july. Starting out it was two hours a day. Today its about 20 min a day and I am getting close to being done. That said I had to do my neck and the area where a gotee would be only. Years ago I got laser and that took care of the hair for the most part everywhere else on my face.

So Yes it took a LOT of time but I saved a ton of money doing it myself. Simple as that.

How did you know what you were doing?? Where you afraid of scarring yourself with the machine??

I used to be a tweezer monster growing up. I'd still for 1-2 hrs and clear my entire face and neck. If I knew what I was doing with one I'm sure I could do it myself as well. I plan on going to one of those rapid clearance places once things are in order. I'm not sure what hair range I fall into as far as the numbers but I know there are a lot and they have a decent amount of space between follicles so I'm hopeful it won't take long to do.

How did I know what to do?

Well like anything else I did research. There is all the information someone could need rite here on the internet.

Was I worried about scarring myself? Not really because the way I looked at it I would rather have a scar than hair....

So like any pro machine there is a ton of adjustments and I learned with trial and error how to do it. I mean don't get me wrong I was burning the crap out of my face at the beginning because I had the power to high. The thing is everything healed and I learned how to be more accurate with my probe as well and turn down the power to about 55% instead of 73%.

For me it just boiled down to the fact I was not willing to spend a ton of money for a pro when I could teach myself to do it and save a ton of money. The side benefit was I can do the sessions when I want for as long as I want. I also can zap hairs on my legs and bikini area.

Katie

Quote from: Katie on December 11, 2013, 08:32:52 AM
How did I know what to do?

Well like anything else I did research. There is all the information someone could need rite here on the internet.

Was I worried about scarring myself? Not really because the way I looked at it I would rather have a scar than hair....

So like any pro machine there is a ton of adjustments and I learned with trial and error how to do it. I mean don't get me wrong I was burning the crap out of my face at the beginning because I had the power to high. The thing is everything healed and I learned how to be more accurate with my probe as well and turn down the power to about 55% instead of 73%.

For me it just boiled down to the fact I was not willing to spend a ton of money for a pro when I could teach myself to do it and save a ton of money. The side benefit was I can do the sessions when I want for as long as I want. I also can zap hairs on my legs and bikini area.

Katie

May I ask the brand name of the machine you use and the price??

At this point I plan on going to either Executive Clearance or E3000 for full face clearings every time. I don't have the patience to wait 2-4 yrs to be done. I'd rather spend the money and get done fast. If I could do it myself that would save a ton of money.

How long have you been working on your face and how close are you to being completely done? 

Quote from: pebbles on December 10, 2013, 05:25:46 PM
Agreed.

an absurdly LONG time... In my case I had extremely thick facial hair which came in age 13 I hated it immediately. I've never seen anyone with facial hair as thick and aggressive as mine was. My electrologist had been working for nearly 20years and in that time she said I was 1st(As in the worse she'd ever seen) for sheer density of follicles and 2nd for thickness and depth of the hair follicles.

I had 6 Sessions of IPL (6months) age 18 prior to HRT, It thinned it briefly about 30% but it came back after 6 months or so nearly as thick as ever.
I then had YD:YAG laser Sessions about 4, They weren't very effective at all. maybe a 5% reduction. I gave up for awhile after this as I was making so little progress
After that I started HRT I began my attacks anew.

I had electrolysis 4-5months after starting HRT. During Holidays I would go 3-4times a week and would have 2 hour long sessions. 4months over summer aswell as 2 weeks during Christmas ect.

During term time I had other similar sessions with a different electrologist but obviously less frequent as I was working on my degree and at my part time job to make ends meet.

I did this for 2 Years. there were several times it would be wiped out completely and I'd be hair free for a couple of months however it always regenerated. Usually weaker each time but still strong.

After I finished my Degree I went back home I continued working on it, however I had a falling out with my electrologist. She was concerned about scarring and collagen damage I have to my face now due to the severe endless years of pounding it was getting, I said I didn't care I'd gladly have my face covered in scarring than endure my facial hair for a second longer than I had to.

I again did nothing for 4 months and it again regenerated, I've since had 9 Sessions of IPL over the past year and it's currently nearly completely gone however I'm sure it will regenerate again as it has attempted to in between sessions.

That said At it's worse it's not even a ghost of how bad it was... barely 3-5% of what I started with.
So how long in total?

8+ years

Any idea's why your facial hair re-grows? Something to do with T levels?

Time depends on frequency of treatments. My schedule permits about 12 hours a month. It's been two years and 225 hours. Plus 12 laser sessions for the black hair. 

I figure I have another 100 hours to go.

This time next year I should be 99% done.  Then there will be touch up for another year or even longer.

This is why they say hair removal is the first thing you should start.  I'm not even sure I will transition to full time but now I can go a full day without any beard showing through.  Before if I was doing a full day of Vicky (morning to late night) I would have to shave again around 5pm. 

Quote from: Bardoux on December 13, 2013, 04:15:45 PM
Any idea's why your facial hair re-grows? Something to do with T levels?

It shouldn't As my T levels are low although I do suspect slight increases and fluctuation might trigger dormant hairs to reappear. Although I did have alot of hair so it might just be that, Personally part of me thinks that it's my worst enemy because it's built out of the same material I am built of... As such it's damn near impossible to kill.

I have very little facial hair but have had 4 laser sessions and its about half of what it was

I picked up my own DIYS  blue light laser.  takes about 12 mins, once every two weeks, did it for 9 months and was done.