Having just had the epiphany that I'm truly transgender, dysphoria over my body hair has just about exploded. I hate it and want it all gone. For now, I guess its best to leave the hair on my arm because I'm out only to a very few people.

Here's my question: before HRT what are the best options for hair removal - short of electrolysis at this point. For now I've struggled with a razor and a friend has suggested an epilator. But how do I get to the middle of my back where my less than flexible arms can't reach???

Thank goodness I have no back hair! All I can suggest is a willing helpful friend. Barring that waxing or other depilation at a spa?

Dee is right, a friend or the spa is the best way to go since your not flexible enough to reach them. I'm young enough that mine will get lasered away, but not before a few other areas are done. In the meantime, my flexibility really has come in handy allowing me access to virtually all of them.

Quote from: OlderTG on October 10, 2014, 09:11:21 AM
Having just had the epiphany that I'm truly transgender, dysphoria over my body hair has just about exploded. I hate it and want it all gone. For now, I guess its best to leave the hair on my arm because I'm out only to a very few people.

Here's my question: before HRT what are the best options for hair removal - short of electrolysis at this point. For now I've struggled with a razor and a friend has suggested an epilator. But how do I get to the middle of my back where my less than flexible arms can't reach???

im doing laser on some of my body, and its working good. Im not on HRT yet, but i feel doing some pre-emptive hair removal is wise, because i have very thick and course body hair!

Fortunately I don't have back or chest hair (the odd one or two) but legs and arms I get waxed by a professional. I found a lovely girl who does it from her home and it's nice and easy, I can also get my brows done at the same time. 3 months on HRT though I am noticing a change in my body hair, it's a lot lighter and finer so I'm hoping this progress continues. But definetly waxing is best I think, the hair grows back finer that with shaving.

Thank god I have no back hair. Little chest hair and thin leg hair, but for the arms, invest in a trimmer and trim a little at a time until you get to a length you can live with. Waxing and epilation don't agree with me and shaving is about the best option that I have ever come up with. Once the skin is used to it, no big deal. But until the skin gets used to it, it's a bitch.

If short of electrolysis includes laser too... then you are pretty limited to waxing, shaving or depilatory.  If it was me, I'd go for waxing cause the latter is basically the same thing but the pain lasts longer. 

If you have darker hair, you should consider laser for quicker turn around on hair reduction.  From personal experience, laser works pretty good.

Get yourself a decent epilator, when i first started i used to wax but its messy, i then bought a braun silk epil 7 epilator and havent waxed since, as for your back well i think i would laser it if i where you, if funds allow laser the lot but you may find some hairs disappear with hrt in which case your better saving your cash...

Thanks for your replies! My hair is light but all too plentiful! A friend also recommended the Braun 7 epilator. I think I'll go that way for now but I'll also start investigating the cost of electrolysis. I've seen lots about laser being good only on dark hair so that probably wouldn't be for me.
I'm also fairly low budget for right now until I get the legs back under me.

Great ideas and I'm absolutely jealous of those of you with little body hair!!!

Hope you get your unwanted hair gone... and as for shaving your hair on arms or even legs -- go for it!! I haven't even came out RL and I shaved all my hairs off and nobody even notices... next is going to be HRT, and I am wondering if that will get noticed... but a lot say if you see the same people daily they won't notice

I wonder... don't notice, or don't want to say anything... I've had clear nail polish on my fingernails for a while and no one says anything, except my wife who is very upset that it's there (not that I will bow to her wishes). Point is though, that she notices and reports my daughter notices as well.

I used to be very hairy and wear shorts and a t shirt a lot, i have been epilating my leg hair since december last year and my arm hair since the spring this year, no one has said a word to me (household aside but they know i am tg and what im doing anyway) and when you epilate or wax its more obvious (red dots), i know that people who know me will have noticed since i was so damn hairy before its just no one has said anything, im out to most that matter now except a handful or people, the best way imo as it means you can be yourself without worrying about trying to hide anything

I really need to get the laser done soon before more of my body hair looses color.  Laser first then electro to catch the grey ones.  I've shaved a few times, used Nair a few times.  tedious and tiresome, so I don't do it often.  There was a place recently offering 60% off laser so I might just check them out.

The Braun Epilator is effective on both legs and body hair.  Save the electrolysis for your face.  It is slow, expensive and painful.  I'm  over a hundred hours into the process (think about $5000.oo dollars) and only about half way there.  Another year at least.

Julie

Quote from: JulieBlair on October 22, 2014, 02:59:28 PM
The Braun Epilator is effective on both legs and body hair.  Save the electrolysis for your face.  It is slow, expensive and painful.  I'm  over a hundred hours into the process (think about $5000.oo dollars) and only about half way there.  Another year at least.

Julie

UGH. Epilating and waxing. I have a big problem with both. They irritate my skin when the hair starts growing back more than the shaving does. I did my legs one time and it was way worst than any razor burn, ingrown hairs or nicks and cuts occasionally form shaving. Ripping the hair out doesn't bother, hell it is just a little pain me but when it starts growing back is what does. Ugh. I can't even think about it. It was bad and my legs are not hairy at all. My lower legs just don't grow too much hair, especially the calves. As a matter of fact, it looks way more funny if I don't shave my legs than if I do. I've even had co workers from Dallas tell me I should be working on Henry Hines. That made me smile to no end and asked them if they wanted a "girlfriend". Of course that embarrassed them, guys can be so cute.

Back hair... eek! I have/had a ton of it. Even my daughters have it... I swear my genes are cursed.

Quote from: Alexis2107 on October 20, 2014, 05:04:33 PM
Hope you get your unwanted hair gone... and as for shaving your hair on arms or even legs -- go for it!! I haven't even came out RL and I shaved all my hairs off and nobody even notices... next is going to be HRT, and I am wondering if that will get noticed... but a lot say if you see the same people daily they won't notice

I've had the same experience I started shaving everything durring the winter cause i could easily cover up and I planned on stopping once warm weather came around but I couldn't deal with having hair again so I said F it! and kept shaving arms/legs and no one has ever said anything even while wearing shorts. Id say go for it and if anyone asks why your arms are shaved just say something like you burn a bunch of arm hair off while cooking and instead of having half of a hairy arm you just wanted to even it out. But I hardly think anyone would say anything. 

OK. For someone that is a little obsessive and tend to notice things, especially after they are brought to my attention, especially the digit ratio thing, there are a lot of guys that don't have hair on their legs. Whether they shave, wax or whatever I don't know. Same with arms but I have seen so many guys that either waxed or shaved their arms. I mean I'm sure that some people notice and just don't say anything, how or why would you even start a conversation with someone about that? Some people with hyperhidrosis have to rid themselves of body hair because of excessive sweating. I mean body hair is kind of like insulation not to mention preventing the sweat to be fsoaked up by the clothing. Not to mention cyclists, swimmers, wrestlers in the way of WWF or whatever it is nowdays, body builders and so on shave their bodies. Even if some people notice, they usually won't say anything. Family may ask but you can always use the hygiene aspect and it really seems to be more hygienic than having the hair.