Susan's Place Transgender Resources

OK, it's time for me to start clearing hair from the area that will be my vagina.  My laser gal said to shave the area so that 1) the laser doesn't hurt as much, and 2) she doesn't cut me if she shaved me.  Fine.  How difficult can it be? ::)

I don't like having that stuff.  I don't like seeing it.  I don't like handling it.  We have a long history of being at cross-purposes.  Within 10 seconds of starting to shave the hair, I cut open a flap on my scrotum almost ½ inch in diameter.  It immediately started getting blood everywhere.

Resolved to be more careful and press on, I managed to shave quite a bit, making only one more small nick, before I got too queasy to continue.  I managed to clean the bad area and cram everything into panties with a panty-liner.  (I don't know whether a bandage would stick there and, if it did, whether I would ever be willing to pull it off. :P)

So now I have a half-finished job.  Any advice?

- Kate

Hold up a sec guys.

Before you go drawing anymore blood, check with the surgeon first as many do not require hair removal from that area.  If you find genital hair offensive simply trim it.

-={LR}=-

I'm getting surgery with Marci Bowers.  She recommends removal of the hair and even includes a diagram of what hair to remove on her website.

I started with a beard trimmer - big mistake.  I finished for the day with scissors and manual razor.  I think I also wasn't pulling everything tight enough.  Presuming I'm healed physically and emotionally by then, tomorrow I will start with a wet/dry razor.

I hate being a wimp, but even though that skin is unresponsive it is very tender.

:P Kate

That's too bad Kate.  Most surgeons use cauterization to remove the hair folicles during surgery.  End of.

-={LR}=-

You could always use a blow torch and a pair of pliers...  ;D :D >:-)

Seriously, though, Kate, there really isn't anything to do but grin and bear it, then bare it all.

Use plenty of moisturizer before and after.  Razor burn will be *ahem* difficult.  And stubble will be very itchy.  Use a new razor as well if you are going the manual route.  I never used a wet/dry razor.

Just keep in mind this is temporary and soon your prolapsed vagina will be put back in place.

Be strong, my sister, you can do this!

-Sandy

I bought a panasonic face and eyebrow trimmer for down under laser treatment
super quick, 0 "self inflicted injuries" and results good enough for laser (shave wise)

Take a cold shower so everything down there draws up nice and tight.  It is then that shaving is the easiest.  Use plenty of cream so the razor can glide across the surfaces.  Do not bear down very hard, multiple strokes across the landscape are best.  Take your time.  Put on some soft music but save the wine until after you are thru.

Good luck.

Quote from: Sandy on November 17, 2009, 10:33:40 AM
You could always use a blow torch and a pair of pliers...  ;D :D >:-)
-Sandy

There were times in my life when I was very tempted to take a pair of bolt cutters to the whole mess but always figured I'd bleed to death before I came to.  And now I would be really p***ed if I inadvertently killed myself this close to getting things resolved.

Thanks for all the suggestions.  Keep them coming.  I need all the help I can get. ::)

- Kate

I shave mine regularly (I have a bit of an issue with hair...)

It's simply a matter of practice and getting a feel for it. I don't use any special cream or technique or anything and I'll nick myself maybe once every 20 sessions.

My main suggestions are thes:

1. take it slow. It's possible your distaste for the geography is miking you rush a bit to get done

2. be dilligant in pulling things around until you get a relatively flat surface. There are some places that this can't be done (and I'd guess that those places often occur right in the place you are assigned to shave) but take the time to look for ways to manipulate the skin so as to minimize "high points" like ridges or whatever where the blade will be hitting the skin at the wrong angle

3. repeated light strokes are better. go at it tentatively and if yu have to go back again to get something you missed it's better than having a wound.

I can't help but repeat the same thing everyone else have.  Slow and easy.  Have a very light touch and a sharp razor.  Sharper is better than a used one, believe it or not.



Janet

1) do it in the shower and lather up the whole area with soap

2) get a quality razor like a venus or similar -- don't use any kind of disposable as those will cause cuts

3) hold the razor from right near where the neck meats the blade, NOT from the end of the handle.  You want precise control over the angle of the blade against your skin.  You might even place some fingers on the back of the blade head so that you can apply pressure to keep it at the right angle as it moves over your skin.

4) shave against the direction the hair grows.  if the hair is still relatively long, don't even bother pressing it against the skin, just sort of swipe at the area until the hair gets to a shorter length

5) don't use anything electric

6) I find it easiest to start from the sides/bottom and work upwards and inwards

7) if the soap lather starts to rinse away or gets wiped away by the razor, lather up again.  shaving without some kind of lather will quickly cause irritation in that area.

8) try to hold the razor so the the blades are angled away from the direction you are moving the razor.  bad ascii drawing:

---/    <--razor
_____ <--skin

<===  <--direction you move the razor.

Obviously the razor wont be angled quite so far away from the skin, but you don't want it pointed the opposite way as with that angle the razors are pointed right at your flesh which is how you get cuts.

Ketsy's pointers are good. I also want to repeat her statement of never using an electric razor. The scrotal/penile skin is much too thin to use anything electric, you'll just cut yourself a bunch.

As she said, get a quality razor, it makes a world of difference. For instance, I use the Schick® Quattro® for women and it works great. Go slow and don't press to hard, using plenty of lather or shaving cream. I find it helpful to go with the grain (the direction of hair growth) if the hair is longer, then once the hair is shorter (since it'll probably not get the hair completely) I go against the grain to get a closer shave.

I like to start from the base of the penis and work outward, like you're shaving a banana or something, lol. For the scrotal area, for me at least I find it sometimes easier and safer to not pull it taught. When I do I seem to cut myself more. When I keep it loose (not totally loose, but lightly taught) the razor just tends to follow the contours as I go along, as long as I don't press hard and go slowly, with multiple small passes.

Be careful, it's easy to cut yourself in that area since the skin is thinner than normal. Good luck on your next try!

~Sarah

I'm sure a high end razor would be better but I do what I do (out of necessity) with the very cheap generic razors...

The biggest thing I found is keep it flat and tight where you are shaving. Otherwise, OUCH!

Why not try Veet or something. Its a lot easier and quicker. I just leave it on for a couple of minutes and wash it off to leave the whole area hairless.

Quote from: Krissy_Australia on November 17, 2009, 06:56:22 PM
Why not try Veet or something. Its a lot easier and quicker. I just leave it on for a couple of minutes and wash it off to leave the whole area hairless.

I used Veet and burned the heck out of the sack  :'( But than I found Nair for sensitive skin no burning at all and I can leave it on for as long as 10 minutes.
but not so good on the hair under the pantie line,still have to shave, use lots of lather and I also use a Quatto razor.

Jamie

well, besides what everyone said -- slow, easy, etc... after try Monistat Soothing Care Chafing Relief Powder-Gel. I find it much easier to shave post-op, but I also shave everything completely gone to avoid the sand-paper feel (I go with the hair for that, against the hair you'll be smooth for a bit, then sandpaper and itchy and possible ingrowns). Anyway, if you go down bare, use a product like the Monistat Chafing stuff -- it works great! Also, when you shower, get one of those puff thingies or a gentle exfoliating glove, as that will help prevent ingrowns as well moisturizing after.

Also, an interesting tid-bit, the Monistat stuff is the same as the scar gel, just not sticky -- yeah, it works for scars! You can even put a moisturizer first, let that soak in for a bit, and then put this stuff on and it really helps (works on acne scars, too). 

It also works on the face as a pre-foundation/makeup primer  (makes your skin/foundation appear smoother, texture wise, esp if you have a bit of hair stubble that grows in still -- same stuff as the smashbox and mac, just 1/4th of the price... really, read the main ingredients!). I swear, it's a magical product! And not very expensive. I usually find it on sale, and there's a lot in the tube -- the tube lasts forever!

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Post Merge: November 17, 2009, 09:33:04 PM

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Oh, and Dimethicone is the main ingredient, if you were wondering. Same ingredient in scar stuff and pre-foundation stuff, and is also put into a lot of higher-end moisturizers now and it's also the stuff in hair-gloss (makes hair shiny, and non-frizzy.)

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Post Merge: November 17, 2009, 11:41:50 PM

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oh, and don't confuse the Monistat Chafing Gel with the Monistat yeast infection stuff -- both are different! The gel is non-medicated and can't be used to treat an infection and shouldn't be used internally. The monistat yeast infection stuff, on the other hand, is for yeast infections and is a different product all together.

I shave it about once a week. I'm not sure if this works for you but I use a manual razor (Gilette Mach3) with a triple blade. I soak the area with water and then I start to very lightly rub the blade in the downward direction. If I don't shave lightly then of course bleeding will result. To avoid the blade getting clogged with hair of course I will have to constantly rinse it after every few strokes. Basically I just repeat the process and as more hair is gone I can start pressing down harder until I've gotten the bulk of it. Then I will switch directions and lightly shave in the upward direction and repeat the above process. It takes about 7-10 minutes and this does cover the entire "general area" down there.

I think the keys are a quality razor and a lot of patience. Good luck.

hi Kate
I agree with all the above. What worked for me was shaving dry. For somme reason I found it better.
Sarah

Day two went better.  I kept my glasses on and sat on the edge of the tub.  I did a few calming exercises and then proceeded with a fine-mesh shaver rather than the big-toothed shaver of yesterday.  (What was I thinking? :P)  I used scissors to cut some of the longer hairs.  I went slowly and carefully, inspecting this artifact as I went, and stopped a couple of times to calm myself.

Yesterday I kept pulling the scab off every time I had to pee and finally put on a bandage.  When I ripped it off this morning, it started bleeding again like crazy.  I pressed a sterile pad against it for about ten minutes hoping I wouldn't have to get the thing sewed up.  After my shower it had pretty well stopped, so I just put another bandage on it.

Thanks for all your help.  All of this would be a lot harder without this forum and all of you. :icon_flower:

- Kate