I think some cynical part of me never expected it would happen, but after close to a year after I started electrolysis - with, on average 1.5 hours every week over that time - I'm starting to notice the results. That's a lot of time, a lot of pain and a lot of $$$ but I can definitely see there's an end game now.

Being on hormones has no no doubt played a part too... lighter, finer and slower growth.

Shaving my face only takes a couple of minutes and is so, so smooth. Even 24 hours later you'd hardly know anything was there without running a hand over the skin.

Not finished yet, not by a long shot but I figure I'm at least past the half way mark.

Woo!

Congrats Ms. Grace! It feels awesome doesn't it?! no more spending tons of time trying to make sure your face is perfectly smooth woooohooo! 

I'm personally avoiding electrolysis cause of the pain involved. So far laser has done exactly what you described in your post for me. I have one more session and I think I'm done finally. 

Do we ever seem to finish?

Does get better in time for sure.

I cheated and went laser first and just maintenance electrolysis.

Still gave away a lot of piggy banks.

Hugs   

That's great news Grace!

Your timing for this post is incredible, I just got back from my 23rd hour of electro about a half an hour ago.  Yesterday I was looking in the mirror since I had to refrain from shaving and thought "Jeez I can still pretty much grow a full beard!"  I know I really can't but I see my reflection every day and it's such a gradual process that it feels that way.  Other than it grows a bit slower from HRT now and the hair on my chin is thinner I was pretty discouraged. 

I know it works and it's a marathon rather than a sprint but it's nice (and encouraging!) to hear good things from people like you who are further along than me.  So thank you, really! 

Congratulations, I'm so glad you're seeing positive results! 

Quote from: Ms Grace on August 22, 2014, 08:33:49 PM
I think some cynical part of me never expected it would happen, but after close to a year after I started electrolysis - with, on average 1.5 hours every week over that time - I'm starting to notice the results. That's a lot of time, a lot of pain and a lot of $$$ but I can definitely see there's an end game now.

Being on hormones has no no doubt played a part too... lighter, finer and slower growth.

Shaving my face only takes a couple of minutes and is so, so smooth. Even 24 hours later you'd hardly know anything was there without running a hand over the skin.

Not finished yet, not by a long shot but I figure I'm at least past the half way mark.

Woo!

Im so excited for you! I haven't even started anything yet, you said that it was easy to shave after you were on estrogen for a while?
how is it controlling shadow before electro? and within how many months on average could I expect to have finer facial hair where it will be easy to conceal my shadow? thanks

Congratulations Grace. it feels ever so good. I had laser and elecrolysis, laser 12 months and electrolysis for 14 months (2 times per week for an hour per session. have not shaved in 3 months and am on the clearing stage but still  two 45 min sessions per week. Its been an interesting journey, Hair has dormant stge and I used to get frustrated at times, but I too am well down that road and I cant wait for the finish,,,,maybe in 6 months

Quote from: Cristyjade30 on August 22, 2014, 08:49:57 PM
Im so excited for you! I haven't even started anything yet, you said that it was easy to shave after you were on estrogen for a while?
how is it controlling shadow before electro? and within how many months on average could I expect to have finer facial hair where it will be easy to conceal my shadow? thanks

There's a few things that are probably applicable to me that may not be to many people...

I tried to transition over twenty years ago and was on HRT for about 26 months. During that time I was having some electro but also having my beard and mo waxed (!... yes, it did hurt). As a result, even after I came off HRT and the T factory had kicked back up to mostly average production my beard was sparcer and slower growing than most men. I could get away with not shaving for a few days before I started looking shaggy. On top of that, I had a gingery beard which, combined with a few grey hairs now, never really had a shadow anyway. Meant, of course, that I couldn't do laser but has at least made the day of not shaving before and after electro bearable.

Prior to restarting HRT I did try a couple of laser sessions - I really don't think they did anything. I also had several more beard waxes. All of that has probably had some effect on the coarseness of facial hair, etc. How much I couldn't say - except that had I not done what I had done all those years ago it probably would have been a different story at this point. Sorry, don't want to pour water on anyone's hopes. I'm not sure what is needed to cover shadow growth...??

I would love to be naturally ginger... but wouldn't trade it for having to have electrolysis... so I will remain part jealous of you Marvellous Ms. Grace.

Dermablend apparently isn't too bad for covering. I'll be honest and say that I've never ever had much of a beard shadow, but it is what I've heard.  My "beard" was that pathetic that it was pretty much gone after 26 hours on a 16 probe galvanic machine.

Grace,

Congrats on the progress to date!  It is definitely monotonous going through the process, but getting to the stage where you hardly feel 24 hour stubble is so nice.

The thing with electro is, are we ever really done!  12 years and counting... Although I'll be honest and say I only have a 30-60 min touch up once or twice a year.  Usually only a dozen or so thicker hairs, and the rest are wispy things.  (Zap em before they thicken!).  One thing for those despairing - I only started HRT in 2012 - I'm sure being on HRT stops maturation of further hairs.

That's so great to hear Grace It gives me a lot of hope too. I'm about 12 hours in and she cleared the upper lip for the first time yesterday... I've been fine up until this point, mostly no painkillers or numbing cream on most visits so far (some paracetamol and ibuprofen for the longer sessions), but OMG, I have never had this much pain for so long ever that I can remember; and this was with a generous dose of paracetamol and ibuprofen! I was so out of my mind that sometime in the last 15 or 20 mins I let go of the electrode sponge without noticing which I'm a little worried about..
Well you must be looking amazing, I've always loved your avatar pic, so serene and lovely!

Hugs, Claire

You have to love the pain monster.

Just remember Grace to be nice to Nerida for me.
I still have a more than a few sessions to go.

You've been doing electrolysis for a year and you're still only at the halfway point? Wow, I had no idea electrolysis could take so long. I'm glad I'm such a good candidate for laser with my dark brown hair and pigment free skin. I've really been going overboard on laser to get my face cleared too. In my last session I had my technician use almost the highest setting on the machine. Even with numbing cream, it still hurt more than electrolysis in even the most painful areas (I've been doing electro on my eyebrows and lower lip, which are both extremely sensitive areas). But I have been getting very good results. After my fourth session my total facial hair was already down by about 75%. I'm still waiting to see how effective the fifth session was, but if the amount of pain I felt is any indication...

Electro is hair by hair- so it takes ages!

I am lucky I have laser-able hair and DES didn't seem to give me much hair anyway.  Blessings counted.

Congrats Grace.  Isn't it great to be able to see the finish line (although it does keep moving).  It is such an important part of not only looking great but feeling great too.  Upon reflection, much of my emotional stress prior to this year has been around the weekly sessions, the pain and looking like crap for 4 or 5 days, feeling what was left and facing more and more.

I started electro weekly (with 2 operators doing 8 probes each) in February 2012 and have done about 90 sessions.  Some were longer and single operator (top lip first clearance took 5 hours!).  This year I have only gone every 3 weeks and haven't shaved at all in 2014!  Very rare now to get a dark hair but I still have longer really light ones.  Thing is I see them and feel them but you can't see them from a few feet away.  The challenge I had was a lot of very mature (read big, fat and thick) hairs that were grey, white, brown and red! Laser didn't do much.  Lost that genetic lottery.

As others have said, it really is a marathon and an expensive one.  The number of times I have thought how much I must want this.  God it has hurt!  I am full time from 19 November ("the DATE") when I finish work for the year so the timing has ended up ok. 

Congrats, Grace!

For others, typical male facial hair can take 100-200 total hours of electrolysis to remove. There are rare cases where it is less but if you have any beard at all, best to plan for that 100-200 hours. If it comes out less, great! But better to be realistic planning then overly hopeful then disappointed.

That's awesome! I'm hanging in there, myself, but only just started weekly in like May. The hard part imo is mine come out so slowly now that it really takes 3 days for hairs to be out to where my people can access them readily without having to poke surrounding skin away. Good luck, I agreeeeeee with you about the results!

Quote from: LizMarie on August 23, 2014, 03:57:34 PM
Congrats, Grace!

For others, typical male facial hair can take 100-200 total hours of electrolysis to remove. There are rare cases where it is less but if you have any beard at all, best to plan for that 100-200 hours. If it comes out less, great! But better to be realistic planning then overly hopeful then disappointed.

LizMarie

Looks like I had a raw deal.  No more shaving but 2 hour 'maintenance' sessions every 2 to 3 weeks.  This is after 7 laser treatments and touch ups, 66 hrs of blend and 140 hrs of galvanic on my face.  My electrologist says that some faces have taken more than 250 hrs!

Does it ever really finish, the vellus hairs now seem to be growing larger than I would like.  Did you end up removing every vellus hair, or did you find a place where you could stop?

Safe travels

Aisla

I will be starting electrolysis soon as my laser sessions are about done (did a great job clearing my dark hairs, I have left over white hairs).

I have some questions for those far along or done with electro...

How has your skin quality been affected by electro? Does it damage the skin, or does it make the skin better in the long run because you arent shaving it? Any insight would be appreciated!

It can damage the skin if done incompetently or if the person having the treatment isn't careful with their skin in the days following treatment. There will be tiny scabs for a couple of days but you mustn't scratch or shave them off. Keeping the skin clean to avoid infections is also important. For me it hadn't been a plus or minus either way (I don't think) - I'm having galvanic, my electrologist claims the other variety can cause scarring (but I guess she would say that!) apart from the rare mega-zit I haven't had a problem so there is that.

My skin doesn't seem to have suffered from all the abuse it has had to endure.  I looked for "magic" solutions to post electro care.  I have ended up with keeping it very very clean as my favoured approach.  My skin reacts badly to electro so I have to put up with lots of red spots.  They use a product called Sterex immediately after treatment that I keep on for about 4 hours.  Then I clean it off with a diluted meths solution and continue using that for a few days.  I moisturise all the time too but never before a session.

My treatment has been purely galvanic too.  Not sure if it is a risk but I really didn't want heat applied to my face.  I am not sure what you blame my current skin condition on to be honest.  HRT, basic skin care, no more thick hair follicles, keeping out of the sun.  Doesn't appear to be any electro damage.  It is helping that I am only going every 3 weeks so I get a full recovery after each session. I had stopped blade shaving about 10 years ago (and stopped altogether 8 months ago).  That may have also saved my skin.