Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Well, that's my problem. I've known, as a fact, that I've been a transgender person for almost two years now, but the one thing truly standing in my way is facial hair. Electrolysis is expensive and it takes a long time. Right now, I'm just a broke college student. I really want to be full-time by my 10th anniversary high school reunion (2012), but it's creeping up on me! I get school grants (about $1 to spend leftovers) each school quarter, and I figure that would get me somewhere... but I have a big love for video games and all things new. I bought a hi-def projector (got a nice 84" HD pic in my room with surround sound). It's great and I love it and it will last me forever... but I always feel like I should be spending money on transitioning. I'm not truly depressed that I've been aware and not doing anything about it, but sometimes it gets to me more than others. I just finished up my first year of college, and I have three or four years left (leaving like 4-5 years until HS reunion to surprise everybody), but I'll be older than 24 and my HGH (human growth hormone) levels would have dropped by the time I got any money working on films... I think.

Does anybody have any advice?

Otherwise, here're three links to know me better.
- http://users.ign.com/about/Kudou-Yusaku
- http://tenshin.infinitydev.net/myroom.php
- http://tenshin.infinitydev.net/

This is quite blunt but you put your money where your priorities are.

I know women who work two jobs and live almost on nothing just to bank a few xtra bucks every payday.

Cars, electronics, new furniture are just things, they can be replaced.  A human soul is almost impossible to replace once is has gone beyond the point of hope.

Leigh

I know it seems obvious, but prioritize.

Which is more important? A new toy or less facial hair?
I suggest both, just not all at once. A new toy one month, a few less hairs the next, and so on.
It's a way to start anyway, and one thing about transition is patience.

Well... I think I'm gonna go try and look for a job, though I'm completely limited. Being vegan, I refuse to work in a place where I have to smell or handle meat at all, and I can't do lots of box moving or I'll have sit-down problems...

I suppose Starbucks and Safeway are hiring, but those are about the only two places I could try to apply again at. Maybe I'll win one of these contest on this game I'm playing. *rolls eyes*

I've really been putting off any transition (heck, nobody at school even knows what I am), because of lack of funds for electrolysis. But today I found my old skirt from Halloween '03 and I put it on and I felt better; right, even. I also happen to live in a very small town, so transitioning around a bunch of religious and old people would be freaky.

Very sound advice.

Transitioning is a slow deliberate and planned process.  I have to prioritize my expences.  I allow myself $50.00 per month for electrolysis on my face.  It is no way near as fast as I would like but it's all that our budget will bear at the moment, and I can live with that.

Sit back and take stock of everything, and come up with a budget that you can live with.  It will give you a good idea of the type of income you will need.  Most of us have had to make sacrifices, and comprimises it's just the way it is...

Good luck... :)

$50? So like... an hour a month, eh?

How many hairs, on average, can get removed in an hour?

It depends on the skill of the operater and what type that  they are using.

Before you do anything ask for references.  A bad operater can scar your face beyond belief.

Also, rememer that if you zap 100 hairs a large percentage will come back, so you won't be done soon.  It takes hours and hours.  Sometimes as many as 200+ if you are unlucky.

In many cases it is the largest expense of transitioning.

Leigh

My tech has been using Blend on me up until my last session saturday.  I to am short of cash to spend on these things and only get zapped an hour every 2 weeks, or twice a month at $60 an hour since she had to raise her rates.

She told me the options in the beginning, telling pure electro had the greatest kill rate, due to the acid flowing into the folicle and eating it out even if the probe wasn't quite deep enough, but could take up to a minute per hairand Thermo transferred to much heat to surrounding skin tissue with denser hair areas.  the combination of electro and thermo (blend)was preferred for face hair as it had less chance of scaring, could address 4 to 5 hairs a minute, but thermo was faster, more like 8 hairs per minute and had a higher kill rate when working in less dense areas, such as body hair.  with this method, around 8 hairs per minute was possible.

This saturday she commented that all along we have been going after darker hairs first, leaving the lighter white hairs, which by now were not close together and thought we would switch over to thermo to start getting actual clearing.  With a good operater, thermo has an 80% kill rate. So, we did my chin with it that session and I guess we will be using the thermo for the rest of it.  I want it all done by the end of this year.  So far I've accumulated only 30 hours with less then that estimated to go.  I'm just going to have to dig up enough to go every week when we get it down to the point where I can live without using a razor ever so I have enough every week to work with efficiently.  Right now, it's a week of sunshine and then a week of dreading each day as I need at least 4 to 5 days growth to get long enough to work with.  By friday night, i'm a wreck during WhereWolf week.  Totally humiliated.

Expensive?  Kinda, My tech says I'm pretty easy to work on, I don't care what she cranks her settings up to which makes for the highest kill rates and I don't keep stopping her or asking her to work somewhere else for a while which make it possible for her to address the max number of hairs per hour, and it will total about 6K by the time I'm done.  Others with denser hair and perhaps wanting much lower settings for comfort, can spend 2 or 3 times that amount.  From what I gather, you could get a decent SRS job for what some will spend just on electro, and Lazer will generally be only slightly less expensive and will still take about all a year as it takes about a half dozen appointments, 1 ever couple of months or more for the total number of sessions needed for complete clearing, and the debate goes on about it growing back in after a couple of years with Laser.

Terri

Electrolysis is a pain  :) well it's not so bad.  I tried the laser route for my face and went in for a consult, the tech examined my facial hair and like yours it's light redish in colour.  She advised that she could try laser but she would not guarantee it's effectiveness.  So I went the electrolysis route for my face.  So far it hasn't been so bad, some spots hurt a little others not at all.  My electrologist (?) said that the worsed part is the top lip, and sugested that I go to my dentist to get him to freeze it, then she would do the whole lip, pain free, in one shot, or most of it.  Something to think about.  I know that my results have been excellent so far, and I'm very pleased.

Pain and electro?  It can be and it can be less so.  The settings can be turned up for higher kill rate and yes, it can be a wonder to behold, or they can be turned down to make it more tolerable and there is a point where while it may still hurt some, the kill rate is so low as to make it worthless unless you got enough pocket cash to come back forever.

I'm one of the odd ones, I relax on the table and just radiate it all out.  My tech uses comparitively extream settings for me and constantly asks if I'm asleep.  We have talked about her doing my genital area after the face and upper neck are done and lately she told me about a new cream she ran into at an Electro convention she recently attended.  She used it on herself and said it worked pretty well and didn't have the application and greasy working conditions of the other popular creams on the market.  Sorry can't remember the names of those as I've never used any pain killers at all, it just adds to the expense and for some of em, I'll be damned if I'm gonna drive downtown with plastic wrap all over my face.

Anyway, this stuff apparently is simply rubbed into the face and only takes about 10 min to be effective, and is not greasy or gooey, so it doesn't slow down the tech.

Still not looking forward to that genital zap, but it seems to be a common requirement here in the US.  There are some clinics that do it under anathesia in several sessions of a few or more hours each, but again, lots of money.  I'm gonna half to just pretend to be asleep and grit my teeth, that or go to thailand where things are more reasonable in price and they use a scrape technique on the skin after it is removed, so prior removal is unnessessary.  Can't figure out for the life of me why U.S. doctors don't use this technique, as it seems to be proven effective.

Terri

Quote from: Stephanie Craxford on July 04, 2005, 11:51:44 AMMy electrologist (?) said that the worsed part is the top lip, and sugested that I go to my dentist to get him to freeze it, then she would do the whole lip, pain free, in one shot, or most of it.

In my experience, the upper lip is by far the worst.  My tech usually just knows to hand me a tissue when she goes up there for any length of time, because I will most likely shed some tears.

If you want to have anesthesia done fine.  The office I go to does it in-house, right before they treat you.  But be warned, I don't think she can get most of it "in one shot".  I've had my upper lip cleared 3 or 4 times.  That was when there was plenty of hair there.  After those times, there's been another dozen sessions where there were another 6 hairs minumum to be cleared.  I'm due to go tomorrow, and again there's 14 dark hairs (I just counted) to definitely be cleared, plus a lot of small, light ones.  And I started all this at a fairly young age, when my facial hair hadn't really filled in at all.

I approach electrolysis like Terri does.  Spending money on anesthesia would just take money away from what could be more time on the table.  I just grin & bear it.

Amy

  "In my experience, the upper lip is by far the worst"

No argument.  Especially the fine hairs at the very edge of the lower lip.  I gotta say, a few of those got my attention, but I guess anywhere under the nose, especially up nearest the nostrils just naturally has to have a ton of alarms.  I thought so, but the lower lip was about the worst of it. and the upper lip seems to be remaining clear.

be a little happier when we clear the chin and jaw.  We can play forever on whats left and I won't be dreading wherwolfe weeks any more.  Its just getting harder and harder to stand allowing any at all to grow, and having to leave it alone all week.  such a thing.

Terri

Werewolf weeks?  How much growth does your tech need to work with?  For mine all she asks is that i don't shave that morning and the amount of growth that I have by my 6:00 PM appointment is enough for her.  She uses a microscope, so I guess it makes a difference...

You have no idea of pain until you have the genital area done.

Now I will admit freely to anyone that I am a masochist and I have never cried ever!  BUT that was more than I could stand without novocain.

Sticking a fork in your eye would be way more fun.

OUCH...  didn't think of that one..  Hmmmmmmmmmm but I guess it's required for GRS?  Couldn't they do it while you are getting GRS, but I guess that would add to the cost and the time of the proceedure.  So generally speaking how much electro is required down there.

Oh the pain of it all, and so much fun to look forward to... :) :)

Dr Marci Bowers has a diagram on her site showing where to remove hair and where to leave it alone. some of it has to be done before surgery. This would give a general idea but asking your own particular surgeon is the only way to know for sure.








beth

hahahahhahahah, yeah, not looking forward to genital electro at all, thats how we were discussing some new product cream she came across (my tech) at a convention and she says it makes all the difference for herself and has no problems working with it.  so I'll order a case, she going to start carrying it, To resale.  I'm going to try it while finishing the face with thermo, and I hope it works good enough for what comes later.  I can deal with pain, but it doesn't excite me much.  I can live without it.

As to WherWolf week.  No, I don't just grow out over day/niaght, and yes, my tech uses glasses like surgeons do while working.  I have a slow growth cycle and it takes a min of 3 days to be workable and things go much quicker, (more hairs per hour) if I give her 4 days growth, Its only about the 3rd day I begin to get a noticable "fuzz" around my chin that I start getting real down about it, and with 4 days, thats two days of going out and doing normal business while not wanting to walk out the front door for any reason, and you can't shave it off  for any reason or it won't get done.  Just one of lifes little pleasures, and believe you me, at the cost of this, I want the fastest results with least possible damage, so I give her what works fastest with the highest kill rate in the limits I can tolerate.  I think they call it "bang for the buck"

A question of time?  There is at least one postie here that did it, so draw conclusions from what hers took as a point on a scale, from what I gathered, about 10 to 20 hours.  depending always of course on density.  And kill rate percentages.  Take a look at yourself, judge the density and figure a good tech working at max efficient speed achieving 6 to 8 hairs per minute or toward 500 hairs per hour, but more likely somewhat over 300 per hour will be more like it.  Take a best guess judgment on your own density and filter in that 20 to 30% will grow back and need to be zapped again along with any new onces from the recycle effect.  Yes, looking at a nice chunk of money there, but nothing to have to show everybody before sessions

Terri

Terri--NMLA? I think is what many use.

Some Dr. do not want any done and some ask you to make sure that you do none for a certain time span prior to surgery.

Thanks a bunch everyone.  I went over to her web site, and theres a good amount of information there.  I can see where laser would be a good way to go if it works for your hair type.  I've had piecings in my genitals before and athough they hurt, I think that electro there would hurt just as bad.   :)

Thanks again.  This is such a great place to be.

Yeah, I'm pretty much in "werewolf" mode all the time.  Anything less than five days growth and she complains there's not enough to grab.  When I'm on a regular appointment schedule of Tuesday and Thursday, I shave after she's done with me on Thursday, and then not again until after my appointment the next Thursday.  From talking to others who go to the same office, I have to let it grow out an abnormally long time.

I'm with Terri... The longer you let it grow out for each session, the more hairs they can treat, and the faster you can be done with it all.

 "Terri--NMLA? I think is what many use."

No, not NMLA, she told me the name of this product, but I don't recall it.  Apparently it's a new product.  She was given samples of it at an electrologist convention.  Sometimes we have to schedule my appointments around her frequent trips around the country attending these things.  She says it's the only way to keep up with the best, most efficent, methods being used with sucess in the industry.  They are fighting against the image of them portrayed by Lazer offices of being 19th centry technology, the pain and the time, etc. and meet frequently to share the latest skills and techniques , discussing techniques with other highly skilled operators who pass on experience. 

The cream was passed out to participants of the last convention she attended as a trial of the product.  I forget what she called it, but as soon as she gets her stocks in, I'll get some to try out on my face and neck and see if it will keep me on the table when she goes for the lower portions.  I certaintly hope so. But whatever, I can always opt for 30 min sessions I guess, but thats just more pleasure trips,  I want it off and ready as quickly as possible after we finish the face & neck.  If I have to, I'll learn to like it.

You got it Amy, while it is true they can work with stub hardly above skin surface if they have to, it is slow working and the hairs per hour takes a dive, when the hair is out 1/8 or more, they can quickly grab hold and insert the probe, just faster to work with and a better kill ratio.  Thats the whole ballgame, kill ratio and hairs per hour.  If it means having to humiliate yourself for a few days while it's showing, or it happens to hurt a little more then you would like, then fine if thats the last you will see of most of it. hairs per hour = $ and many of those trying to make it comfy and less exposed end up spending enough to have bought a new car.  I just haven't got that kind of disposable income right now.  I spend a dollar, I better see it somewhere.

Terri

Here is a question, do most people get their entire body done?

Quote from: Sailorgurl on August 13, 2005, 06:25:17 PM
Here is a question, do most people get their entire body done?

Hello again,

Generally most start with the face, removing the beard as that's what is the most noticable, that's what I'm doing at the moment.  Since Laser treatments won't work on my hair colour I have to suffer through electro  :(  Then it's matter of personal preferences, how hairy you are and how far you plan to go, and of course there is the finacial side to consider as well.  The cost for my sessions is $50.00 per hour but this can vary as well.  Most of the other areas can be shaved, waxed, creamed until you decide on the route they would want to go.

Also the effectiveness of either electro or laser depends on the skill of the technician, the desitiy of the hair, and a couple of other things, but those are the most important.  It can be a long drawn out affair, but unfortunately for most of us it's a part of the journey we have to endure.

Take care

Steph

hello saiilorgurl.  You ask about entire body electro.  tricky question as that would depend on type and density of hair on the body.  Many are likely to simply have arm and leg hair with some hair on the chest region, but others may be quite woolly.  for those of us with little if any body hair, it is not necessary at all in many cases as the HRT process does tend to make body hair somewhat finer and less dense, and of course, arm and leg hair if of the finer variety exists in naturally born females also.

Some like myself are of race or mixed race so as to be basically hairless in this respect, but those with little hair to begin with sometimes tend to "shed" it as the HRT process does it's work.

In some cases, where there is abundant chest and back hair, electro as a perm measure may be necessary, be be comforted by the fact that such hair is quicker to remove then stubborn face hair, which is less effected if any by HRT.

It will be an individual thing depending on your specific hair genetics, but don't worry about it untill the face and neck are complete, there are always the hair removal products.  I wouldn't recommend shaving chest and arms as it will leave a noticable "bristle" and scratchy feeling a day or so later.  I've felt this on the arms of others and heard complaints about chest shaving from their wives.  Being one of the lucky ones, all I had in the beginning was some sparce chest hairs which seem to have just gone away other then a few around my nipples which are easy enough to take care of every week or so.

I have tied shaving around the panty line a couple of times, but find that "scratchy" effect to be uncomfortable and am not willing to include that in my daily morning shower routine, so for what exceeds the panty line, I just ignore, nobody sees it anyway these days.  My wife hadn't slept with me, or in the same room, for a few years now and it's not like I'm seen in my underwear in any other context.

Terri

 :icon_hug: Hey guys, electrolysis is a long drawn out process, but doesn't have to be expensive, I have an electrolysis pen, it cost me about £30. stirling, what that is where you are I don't know, the gels you need can be bought seperately, and it all adds up to a whole lot less than using a salon.

It takes me an hour each time, and can be done every two days, the pen I use is by the elysee company.

Try www.folica.com/Verseo_ePEN_Eled364.html

Quote from: cjbutterfly on August 14, 2005, 04:10:03 AM
:icon_hug: Hey guys, electrolysis is a long drawn out process, but doesn't have to be expensive, I have an electrolysis pen, it cost me about £30. stirling, what that is where you are I don't know, the gels you need can be bought seperately, and it all adds up to a whole lot less than using a salon.

It takes me an hour each time, and can be done every two days, the pen I use is by the elysee company.

Try www.folica.com/Verseo_ePEN_Eled364.html

I have the same thing, though I haven't used it yet. I think DIY electrolysis can be a much cheaper alternative if you are brave enough to risk really screwing your face up :)

I have been on hormones for nearly a month and haven't yet had a single zap. Maybe I never will. I'm not sure yet. I'm not really in a rush to get electrolysis done because I have no idea when I will be ready to go full time, if ever. Supposedly my castration will make it easier, so I think I'll be ok when I do get started.

I'm also in the position of being a broke college student who loves toys. I've had a hard time with keeping my priorities straight. It's especially bad when my top priority is FFS (which to me is more important than electro), and that's perhaps the most costly of them all. Right now I really want a new TV, I mean a good TV, so I have to try hard to resist that temptation.

Quote from: Plix on August 15, 2005, 03:03:23 PM
I have the same thing, though I haven't used it yet. I think DIY electrolysis can be a much cheaper alternative if you are brave enough to risk really screwing your face up :)

I have been on hormones for nearly a month and haven't yet had a single zap. Maybe I never will. I'm not sure yet. I'm not really in a rush to get electrolysis done because I have no idea when I will be ready to go full time, if ever. Supposedly my castration will make it easier, so I think I'll be ok when I do get started.

I'm also in the position of being a broke college student who loves toys. I've had a hard time with keeping my priorities straight. It's especially bad when my top priority is FFS (which to me is more important than electro), and that's perhaps the most costly of them all. Right now I really want a new TV, I mean a good TV, so I have to try hard to resist that temptation.

WARNING, WARNING, going off topic for a few lines  :), so forgive me for a sencond. 

Plix,

I don't want to seen mean but I think that you must get your priorities straight before you comit, make plans  or spend any more money on something that you are not sure you want to go through with.  You have already spent money on an ochi, hormones, a DIY electro pen, and you say that FFS is your top priority, and in the same post in the previous sentece you state that

QuoteMaybe I never will. I'm not sure yet. I'm not really in a rush to get electrolysis done because I have no idea when I will be ready to go full time, if ever.

I know it's your money and your life to live as you see fit, but don't you think you should have a plan, before you do something that you would really regret in the future, and are unable to reverse.  And I think your last statement sums it up...

QuoteRight now I really want a new TV, I mean a good TV, so I have to try hard to resist that temptation.

So it comes down to this, transition and become a woman or buy a great TV and spend your youth looking at them.   :)  Don't be silly.  Personally I think you should get on with your colledge education, get through that, get yourself a job, and then look at the issues that are causing you all this confusion.

GETTING BACK ON TOPIC...

I'm really not sure how effective those electro pens are, they can't be that good otherwise we would all be using them rather than turning over tons of cash to someone else to do it (just my thinking here).  What would really be of help Plix would be if you could try the pen out and give us a first hand report on what you thought of it, how it worked sort of the good the bad and the ugly, on it.

I know for a fact that there are many of us who seek effective, economical hair removal, but so far the most effective is electro, followed by laser.

Chat later

Steph

Quote from: Stephanie Craxford on August 15, 2005, 08:27:59 PM
WARNING, WARNING, going off topic for a few lines  :), so forgive me for a sencond. 

Plix,

I don't want to seen mean but I think that you must get your priorities straight before you comit, make plans  or spend any more money on something that you are not sure you want to go through with.  You have already spent money on an ochi, hormones, a DIY electro pen, and you say that FFS is your top priority, and in the same post in the previous sentece you state that

I know it's your money and your life to live as you see fit, but don't you think you should have a plan, before you do something that you would really regret in the future, and are unable to reverse.  And I think your last statement sums it up...

So it comes down to this, transition and become a woman or buy a great TV and spend your youth looking at them.   :)  Don't be silly.  Personally I think you should get on with your colledge education, get through that, get yourself a job, and then look at the issues that are causing you all this confusion.

GETTING BACK ON TOPIC...

I'm really not sure how effective those electro pens are, they can't be that good otherwise we would all be using them rather than turning over tons of cash to someone else to do it (just my thinking here).  What would really be of help Plix would be if you could try the pen out and give us a first hand report on what you thought of it, how it worked sort of the good the bad and the ugly, on it.

I know for a fact that there are many of us who seek effective, economical hair removal, but so far the most effective is electro, followed by laser.

Chat later

Steph

I'm comfortable with where I am now. This means having been castrated and taking estrogen. Will I go any further? I can't say that right now. But I can say I will continue to enjoy being castrated and taking estrogen.

I need to get a mirror before I can use the pen. I've been looking for one but can't find a good one yet. They don't seem to make the magnification big enough.

QuoteFFS (which to me is more important than electro

Hmmmmm, gonna spend all that money on FFS and cover it up with a bunch of hair or razor burn.  This gets better and better.

I don't understand waiting to do Electro until transition has begun.  Not at all, but then I'm still doing both and having to walk around in full presentation every day of my life, sometimes with hair on my face, meeting people for the first time, talking with strangers, etc... because an electro session is coming up and I can't shave, or staying at home rather then going out on a friday night because electro is in the morning and I don't want to go out looking like that.  My ideas of WHEN to do it may be a little confused.

No, if one is holding off on the more serious things for awhile for any reason, this is the PERFECT time to do the electro.  You can go almost unnoticed while the hair grows out and there is little embarrassement to it.  Anyone wonders about the electro and you don't want them to know, so what?  you are just tired of shaving and not into growing beards anyway, it's almost a non explainantion senario and if you get it done before you have to present full time, you will be more comfortable at that time.

As to the home kits, I'd just save my money.  If anyones had good results, and has not had hair grow back for 6 months or so, post em, but for most, all they are going to really get as far as perm results, is a plucked out beard that will continue to grow back.  There is more involved then just poking a probe into your face and pulling out the hair with tweezers.  Not saying the average person can't master the technique, just saying most never will, and as for the machines, ever wonder why a professional machine costs so much as compaired to the rediculously low prices of the home units?

Personally I wouldn't waste my money, I'd rather purchase a new garbage can, at least i'd have somewhere to put such items after I figured it out.

Terri

Quote from: Terri-Gene on August 17, 2005, 09:46:47 AM
Hmmmmm, gonna spend all that money on FFS and cover it up with a bunch of hair or razor burn.  This gets better and better.

I don't understand waiting to do Electro until transition has begun.  Not at all, but then I'm still doing both and having to walk around in full presentation every day of my life, sometimes with hair on my face, meeting people for the first time, talking with strangers, etc... because an electro session is coming up and I can't shave, or staying at home rather then going out on a friday night because electro is in the morning and I don't want to go out looking like that.  My ideas of WHEN to do it may be a little confused.

No, if one is holding off on the more serious things for awhile for any reason, this is the PERFECT time to do the electro.  You can go almost unnoticed while the hair grows out and there is little embarrassement to it.  Anyone wonders about the electro and you don't want them to know, so what?  you are just tired of shaving and not into growing beards anyway, it's almost a non explainantion senario and if you get it done before you have to present full time, you will be more comfortable at that time.

As to the home kits, I'd just save my money.  If anyones had good results, and has not had hair grow back for 6 months or so, post em, but for most, all they are going to really get as far as perm results, is a plucked out beard that will continue to grow back.  There is more involved then just poking a probe into your face and pulling out the hair with tweezers.  Not saying the average person can't master the technique, just saying most never will, and as for the machines, ever wonder why a professional machine costs so much as compaired to the rediculously low prices of the home units?

Personally I wouldn't waste my money, I'd rather purchase a new garbage can, at least i'd have somewhere to put such items after I figured it out.

Terri

We all have different priorities. I'm not even sure how far I want to transition yet. In the past I thought I did, but now I wonder if I could be happy somewhere in between.

But no matter how far I go I plan on electro eventually because I love the feel of my face after a close shave.

QuoteBut no matter how far I go I plan on electro eventually because I love the feel of my face after a close shave.

Well, since that is the one thing you seem positive about, why not make it the top priority, then FFS if you want it.  That would appear to me to be the proper order for those things as without the electro, FFS will not have the same impact and by the same token, would totally detract from it's entire purpose to you if you had to be seen with beard stubble on your face.

While it's true about different priorities, there is such a thing as using some reason and thought to organize those priorities and get the most mental and emotional benifit out of them rather then doing them in a way which cancels out most of the benifit during the process.

And if you are going in with no idea where you want to end up, how can there even be priorities? which seems more and more to be the case here.

Talking to that therapyst for a length of time should be somewhere toward the top of that priority list so as to be able to sort the list out to begin with, but yes, I remember, to much time and bother wasn't it?

Terri

[edit]
Kimberly hit the wrong button and now the nice post is gone. :\  :-[
I'm sorry Plix.
To be clear there was noting wrong with the post I just hit the wrong button.
Please feel free to edit and fix...
[/edit]

ACK! I kilt the post :\
I'm very sorry Plix!  :-[


*sigh*
I was *trying* to reply thus:

---

It seems prudent to find another therapist.
Have you considered the phone/online route?

I'm quite happy with Dr. Bushong (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,289.0.html) for what that is worth.

A TS friend called me today because she had just researched the various electrolysis methods, & she was freaking out because "we were doing the wrong method!!!" (I met her at the electrolysis office).  The office we go to provides Thermolysis, and she said we should be doing Blend.  I must admit, I never researched the different methods either.  I just took the recommendation of my therapist (who's transsexual), and trusted this office because I've met many clients of theirs who 1)have hair-free faces, 2)aren't scarred, & 3)have only had good things to say about the office.

After reading some information on the net about electrolysis, I must admit, it sounds like blend would be a better intial method for male facial hair.  Any opinions?

It's kind of moot for me now, since I'm virtually done with electrolysis on my face.  Only a couple weeks left, according to my tech.  Yay!!!  But I'm still curious about the different methods.

Amy