As I am prepping for my surgery with Dr. Dugi, I started having genital electrolysis done. I had cleared my face and a lot of other areas years ago, so it had been a while since I'd had treatment, but I was lucky enough to find somebody really good locally who didn't charge an arm and a leg (in fact she charges the same fees for genital work as she does for any other work) and who had a good reputation. Normally Dr. Dugi requires you to have pretty much the entire scrotum, base, and perineum done but since I am having a modified procedure I need only clear the base of the penis. In theory I might be able to do it post-op, but it would be more difficult and painful and I want to prevent that if at all possible.
Since it had been so long since I had any treatment I was happy to see they now offer an "LMX 5%" and not just the 4% anymore. I bought some pretty cheap off of Amazon and applied a heavy later to the area before wrapping it in cling film. I had booked my therapist close to my electrolysis time, so I had to do this in the bathroom at the office, go eat lunch, and then go to my appointment and yet I had no problem with the cream escaping or anything. For my appointment I changed into a long skirt and removed my panties. The electrologist provides copious "drapes" and only exposes the necessary area, so there was very little embarrassment or discomfort on my part. In fact I was surprised how not at all "weird" the whole situation felt.
After reading so many horror stories online I was expecting serious pain, but to my relief I had but little discomfort overall. To be sure there were a few isolated areas where it stung pretty bad, but even this was totally bearable and did not even come near to how bad doing my upper lip was back in the day. I spent the time chatting and looking at my phone, so it was really not a bad experience at all. I had two hours that first session, then an hour and a half last session, and we got it almost all cleared. I am going in for two more hours next week to pick up any strays and expand the section of cleared area a bit more (we aren't really sure where "the base" ends so I am erring on the side of caution.) Apparently she has done a lot of pre-SRS clearings and was able to comment on what her clients have told her about surgery, various surgeons, etc.
I will say this: genital work seems to require a lot more recovery than facial work did. Despite how little pain there was I did get swelling and some light scabbing, and for several days I showered twice a day with gentle soap and then applied a bland ointment. I felt like keeping the area moist cut back on scabbing and soothed the skin a bit. I would say it took about a week after each session before I felt like it was mostly healed up, but I definitely wouldn't do it within a month or so of surgery because the skin is still a bit irritated. In theory my insurance should be paying for this, but it's hard to find out how we proceed with that so I am just paying out of pocket for the moment as I don't want my surgery delayed. Once I get the surgical area cleared I am going to start on my bikini line, and after surgery we will work on shaping the hair in a way that looks good with my new parts.
Hope this helps out people considering hair removal prior to SRS. The process hasn't been nearly as bad (for me anyway) as it might sound like if you've not done it.
I could email you the diagnosis and procedure codes required by my insurance (bcbs) as well as the form have to use tho you'll need the form.for your insurer.
Pm me if needed
Quote from: SadieBlake on November 30, 2016, 08:57:16 PM
I could email you the diagnosis and procedure codes required by my insurance (bcbs) as well as the form have to use tho you'll need the form.for your insurer.
Pm me if needed
I really appreciate it, but alas, I cannot send PMs yet since I don't have enough posts. Could you link me to it or something? I'm not made of money and it would be really helpful to get insurance to cover it.
Thanks!