I am officially getting ready for my transition! I have my first laser session next Monday and then the next day I go in to see my endocrinologist! I ultimately decided laser over electrolysis because the office is closer to home and will much easier than heading all the way out the city. Unfortunately, I still have to drive out to the city for my endocrinology appointments, but hopefully, I won't have too many of those. I'm hoping that the laser will help clear most everything and by then I'm actually thinking about moving out to California to start a tech company, so I will have quite a few more resources on my hands then. The laser will at least get me passable as I start HRT. At least that's what I'm hoping.
Is there anything I should expect or have the aesthetician know?
I did 4 laser sessions so far and I would say 95% of my non-gray facial hair is gone. I have 2 sessions left until I'll switch to electrolysis. For me those 4 sessions combined with HRT made a hell of a difference and while I still feel a bit of a stubble in the morning I feel 1000 times better. I think it's a good decision to start with laser and cleanup with electro later.
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Oh, that was the good news... But I guess you already know what the bad news is going to be: Pain!
The first session hurt the most for me but it got better with every session, just make sure to shave as close as possible. If you think you're done, do another round of shaving... You will thank me later.
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I am lucky/unlucky that all my facial hair is dark. It has only been 3 IPL and one laser treatment thus far and all that I have is a small 1/2cm patch near the bottom edge of my lower lip and the horrible upper lip remaining. But yes the downside with the IPL was the pain. On the other hand the laser was pretty much painless as it has a ice cold part in contact with your face at all times.
Quote from: Sarah leah on October 12, 2016, 05:42:43 AM
I am lucky/unlucky that all my facial hair is dark. It has only been 3 IPL and one laser treatment thus far and all that I have is a small 1/2cm patch near the bottom edge of my lower lip and the horrible upper lip remaining. But yes the downside with the IPL was the pain. On the other hand the laser was pretty much painless as it has a ice cold part in contact with your face at all times.
Hi Sarah Leah
Generally with Laser treatments you start on a low setting and work you way up. I am on about session 14 now and I have almost nothing in the way of dark hair on my cheeks or my neck. I have had two recent treatments concentrating on my jawline and upper lip. They have the laser fairly well cranked up and I have got great shedding on each occasion. At the rate we are going then I should be almost clear by about my 20th laser treatment which has cost me about $700. I know I will get some growth again however for that amount of money I have killed off permanently a fair few, which is a fair few that will not need zapped by electrolysis... works for me. I would easily have permanently killed off 7 hours worth of Electrolysis work with the laser but it has only taken about an hour of physical time...still works for me.
Liz
Quote from: JessicaSondelli on October 11, 2016, 05:10:03 PM
Oh, that was the good news... But I guess you already know what the bad news is going to be: Pain!
The first session hurt the most for me but it got better with every session, just make sure to shave as close as possible. If you think you're done, do another round of shaving... You will thank me later.
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FML I had my first downstairs laser appointment tomorrow as preparation for SRS and OUCH. Some of the areas are just asudghuishghushg and I stopped her a few times without thinking cus I couldnt stay still
I've been doing electro for about 10 months now, my advice would definitely be to use laser for neck and sideburns first, then move to electro to finish lighter colored hair. Expect to undergo some electrolysis for stubborn hairs, though.
Lessons I've learned? 1). Take Tylenol before you go for treatment; 2). Stress will create a horrible shadow that is very difficult to hide, regardless of how smooth you may feel; 3). Related to number 2, surgery counts as "stress" and creates a shadow - for me it's always my upper lip that shows a shadow, no matter how much I shave.
My electrologist is very picky about the treatment that "her" girls get, and one of her biggest concerns is scarring related to laser. She's way WAY overbooked so I am convinced that her concern is honest and not related to her financial interests.
Mia
Congrats! I'm feeling a little jelly...I'm still a couple months away from both. Savor the excitement!
There is nothing exciting about facial hair removal (that I can think of) besides the results..
I have done 31 sessions of laser and about 4 hours of electrolysis. I'm pretty much done besides maybe another 6 hours of electro.
Part of the issue is that as you get further into the laser treatment, they tend to increase the power setting (joules per sq cm). The pain is manageable because there is less hair being hit, however the higher power can tend to turn some existing dark hairs white instead of killing them.
Most people I know had to do around ten hours of electro to finish off after the laser.
My electrolygst specialises in transgender care. In terms of pain management, she has nitrous oxide (laughing gas), dental anaesthetics, and lignocaine 30% topical anaesthetic (normal EMLA cream is 5%). She seems very competent and with such good pain management options, she has a lot of clients book 4-8 hour sessions.
Good luck with your hair removal. Just think of the result!