I plan to get SRS next year with Dr. Brassard.  I know that he does not require bottom electrolysis prior to surgery and its my understanding that he even discourages it. 

My questions are for anyone who is post op or pre op and has any knowledge or opinions on this matter.  Is there an advantage to getting the area fuller cleared by electrolysis prior to surgery?  Is there any disadvantage?  My electrolygist can clear my genital area in 9-12 months.  I was planning on having surgery before then, so would it be any advantage or disadvantage to having it cleared a couple of times but maybe not completely, as the surgeon says he will remove all the hairs anyway?

Thanks for your answers and input.  I have gotten conflicting reports on this but as of now my inclination is to go through with complete clearing even if it delays my surgery by a few months...

This is really a per surgeon thing.

Electro once worked over a couple times is a pretty sure thing but it's costly depending on if you are scammed charged more for genital electro. Getting the hair during surgery depends on the method (cauterizing vs scraping the root) and has a certain risk to recovery from thermal damage or injury to the tissue blood supply.

If you do electro there the minimum recovery from last session to surgery is 2 weeks. And of course have to be sure there is no regrowth which depends on the quality of electro.

edit: the 2 week rule was from the person who did electro on me and isn't a hard and fast rule.

I think any of the surgeons want 6 monts left from last electrolysis till surgery (if anyone knows different?) because of healing. As a Montreal girl i had none done. Dr. B i know feels the donor skin is better if not had damage due to bad electrolysis. If you choose to do i would contact the office and ask them how long to stop.
Guess its more your call

Izzy

Brassard says to wait a minimum of one year after the last electrolysis session because otherwise the hair follicles will be weakened and he will be much *less* likely to be able to remove them during the surgery.

From his information pamphlet : "Hair removal on external genitals before male to female reassignment surgery is debatable. 

Hair bearing skin on the penis shaft base with the one step technique stays outside on the neo vulva.  The skin

that will become the internal living of the new female genital is the rest of the penis skin, scrotal skin and a

small « perineal flap » (a one square inch of skin that is located one side above the anal margin on the midline)

If you want a perfect hairfree vagina you need to be sure that no regrowth of hair has occured on the area for at

least one year after you have finished electrolysis on laser.  Even then this does not garant that no hair will ever

grow. 

The hair roots are either killed or weakened by electrolysis or laser.  Those only weakered regrow.  During

surgery hair roots are killed with the cauthery on the scrotal skin that is used as a graft ( not on the « perineal

flap  » )  During surgery the hair roots that were weakered are less visible because they are much smaller than

those found untreated areas and could be missed  by the surgeon and regrow later.  For this reason, in our

experience expeditive laser or electrolysis treatments are worse than not having hair removal at all.  In fact, we

can get most hair roots during surgery if they were not weakened.  Regrowth after our surgery is possible but

very sparse. 

If you want no regrowth at all you will have to face hours of painstaking hair removal and a one year

nonegrowth period. At this time we do not feel that hair removal is indicated."

I had a combo of genital electro and laser, which was all completed 5-6 months prior to my SRS. No hair regrowth issues.

I had one, and only one electro session on my genital region 5 months prior to my srs. There was a lot of hair regrowth.

I personally spoke with brassard about what he thinks about it. He said not to do it, calling it unnecessary. I have also personally spoken with girls who have had significant hair regrowth post op. When I brought this up in the consultation he said it was possible, and that even on his best day, he literally could not get every hair. He said "4 or 6 hairs" would probably make their way up in my lifetime. If even.

Personally, I would get the electrolysis just to be safe.

A girl who has had regrowth claims that Dr. Brassard can get it out again with another operation. I lost contact with her however so I cannot update you.

Only thing i would watch is first laser is not a permanent solution for long term vs electrolysis is. Also i have know a few girls who did the total bare cleaned and after there GCS they where upset that they had nothing to cover up there scars.

Before all write that laser is permanent do not waste your time. It is good to clear a large area that will for a short moment in time keep hair at bay but in time it slowly will grow back. But for anyones face i would say yes do the laser then fallow up with electrolysis as it grows back. Thats what i did.

If you do go the route of down under electrolysis i think Marci has on her site a layout of what she asked to be cleared and should work for Dr. B.

Lots of luck and i at the moment live in the Montreal area and if and when you come up and would like some company let me know before.
Izzy

Thanks for the replies so far.  I have a very good electrolygist and I trust him.  He told me there was a medical procedure that can remove internal hairs but that he cannot do it.  He also explained that it was very difficult to remove hairs from the labia post SRS.  There is a good chance it could delay my SRS, which concerns me greatly, but right now I am leaning toward getting at least 3 clearings done prior to surgery, the first in mid October.  I don't think my technician will damage the skin like some can during electrolysis but I would wait 6 months, I think, not necessarily 12 months before SRS.

The part of Dr. Brassard's statement that concerns me is "In fact, we can get most hair roots during surgery if they were not
weakened. Regrowth after our surgery is possible but very sparse."

I don't want most hair removed, I want them all, and sparse regrowth is not what I want either.  Because I have an electrolygist I trust and am in a financial position to do the procedure I am leaning towards having the electro done pre op.  I also agree that laser is insufficient for permanent hair removal, anywhere on the body...