I feel for you, girl.  My remaining facial hair is white.  I am doing electro and I do 3-4 hour blocks at a a time.  I grow it out for 3-4 days prior.  I literally stay home for that period.  Any sort of foundation I put on only highlights the white hairs sticking out.  I shave fri at 4am, then grow it until my appointment on monday.  I have had all the laser that will work, and am stuck with this.  It is a drastic difference in the areas that have been cleared, through.  Nothing I can do about it but go thru the motions.  I have most of my face cleared and am down to the under chin an neck...

I am overcome with puns here:

Keep your chin up
Keep plugging along
...lol

I've had 10 face laser sessions and about 150 hours of electrolysis over the past 6 months and still have plenty of hairs to kill. The laser probably made the electrologist's job harder so I would skip it if I could go back in time. I'm not full time yet, fortunately, so growing out hairs isn't a problem.

I essentially starting going full time Dec 30th due to needing to start the clock on the 1 year RLE required by my insurance to pay for SRS but most importantly due to mentally how much stress/negative emotions I had forcing myself to lie and present as male. Just couldn't due it anymore at 7.5 months HRT, couldn't keep living a lie and needing to express myself physically as I feel emotionally. Just had my 5th laser session 1.5 weeks ago and while a majority of my face has very little growth, I still have a bit of shadow above my lips and on my chin and even though I use foundation I can't perfectly cover it up. Just have to manage and so far either I look a heck of a lot more feminine then what I see when I look at a mirror or truly no one in public that I've been seen cares at all so far but that shadow does certainly affect my confidence...

A good friend of mine has been an electrologist for about 20 years. She tells her clients that the average is about 500 hours of electro to remove a full beard once and for all.

Quote from: vicki_sixx on January 12, 2017, 12:48:43 PM
Thanks but this isn't a solution. It's great to neutralises the colour of shadow but is useless for hair that's visibly growing out of and away from the face - hair which needs to be long enough for an easy and firm grip with tweezers. I'll still look like a bearded lady. Or a werewolf.

This could be viable if it really does matt the hair down and makes it smooth and invisible. The fact it doesn't apply a thick finish makes me wary. Is it hard to get to grips with?

Not too difficult. It took me about 4 attempts to get good enough to try during the day. Took another two weeks of daily use to get the natural look. (I got comments that all anyone could see was lipstick and a bit of blush- and that's with me having stubble.)

The biggest learning curve is dealing with air pressure. You have to set the max air pressure on the compresser and get used to how far back to push the trigger on actual airbrush. Too slow and you don't get full coverage, too fast and you only get part of the face.

After about a month of daily use I was down to 10 minutes or less for the full face. Primer, color correction, foundation , blush and eyebrows (nothing on eyes du to eye condition). That's with one hand too.

The first few times I applied it like normal foundation, trying to get enough coverage in one area all at once. The trick is to get the airflow for very light coats, and repeat passes in areas where I need it after that area has dried (about 10 seconds). I work with an outward in approach. I first cover the entire face lightly, making sure to get everything from the neck up, then on each additional pass get less and less, so the triangle area in the middle of the face (eyes, nose, center of forehead and chin) get the most coverage. I save about 1/4 of the makeup until very end after everything is dried to then see if any hairs are poking out, or if I need to blend anywhere. If hairs are showing I increase air pressure to make sure the hairs are covered and dry flat. Any hair growth during the day is against the skin, rather than poking through the makeup.

Just make sure you don't try and blend after your done with a sponge etc. makeup is so thin it will just get removed.


Hugs,
~Brooke~

Its been quite some time since I addressed these same issues. However, I started hair removal with lasers for many years and also electrolysis before I transitioned. Sadly, this facial hair removal for around 30 plus white hairs and some recurring dark ones still randomly appear. So around 30 days before electrolysis I stop plucking my hairs and shave. Then the last 6 to 7 days I have to let it grow to a length that the technician can see and use tweasers. The last few days some hairs are visible. During this time I use a darker foundation. Each of us will use a foundation color that works. If you have a few longer hairs then use a sissor, not to shave, so that it remains short and not so visible but yet can be grasped by tweaser.

After mamy years I still go for electrolysis every 4 months

It gets finer and finer until unless you use a magnifying morror ot cannot be noticed

I started electrolysis in mid 2005 - one hour a week.  Sometime in 2006, after a 1 hour session on my upper lip, I woke up the next morning with a lip so swollen I looked like a duck.  But I had to go to work.  To those who asked I said it was an allergic reaction.  Everyone else just stared.  I was not out yet.

But worse than the swelling was the pitting.  My skin had always been smooth but my upper lip (most of the 30 hours of electro I had were on the upper lip) was beginning to look like a mortar field.  So I stopped.

I went full time in 2007.  I never returned to the electrologist's chair.  I shave every day but most hairs are white and with a touch of makeup I can hide any sign of facial hair.  After a close shave with a blade, I have presented in public without any makeup. 

Yes, it's a pain.  And if a neighbor stops by and I haven't shaved, I won't answer the door, and I hate that fact.  But I resist the temptation to return to the electrologist because of the pitting issue.  (FWIW, it was determined, after much research, that my skin is more prone to pitting than average.)

There have been times when I considered starting electro again but the concept of growing out my face time and again has stopped that thought dead in its track.  The only way I'd ever do it now is if I did Electrology 3000.  Fly to Dallas, stay for a week, 50 hours in the chair, recover and fly back home.  Then repeat as needed.  But if that caused pitting, I'd be really upset with myself.  So I just live with it.       

Quote from: Randi on January 12, 2017, 03:40:57 PM
I've never been there. I know people who have it completed after four visits.  The first visit could be pretty intense, lasting all day even with two operators.

I just finished my second session there, and they cleared my in a day with two operators.  On my first clearing it took two operators almost 2 whole days.  Estimates are just estimates, in my estimation.  I have read from one of our faithful here that they were able to swing a deal between a dentist and electrologist to duplicate the anesthetic process, can't remember off the top of my head who it was. 

Hope you can find a solution to either the clearing or the covering.  Meanwhile you do look amazing. 

Erin

Quote from: Julie Marie on January 13, 2017, 08:49:08 AM
But worse than the swelling was the pitting.  My skin had always been smooth but my upper lip (most of the 30 hours of electro I had were on the upper lip) was beginning to look like a mortar field.  So I stopped.

From what I understand if you have thermolysis or if the thermolysis component of the blend is set to high, pitting will occur. Galvanic is slower but less likely to cause damage. If you decide to resume treatment you will need to be sure the person treating you is experienced as it sounds like your operator had insufficient training to understand the problem and correct it.

I only did electrolysis but I had about 120 hours of electrolysis when I went full time. Toss in losing the ability to shave for a few months due to recovery from FFS and well I was concerned too. So I hammered away at the electrolysis before the FFS. Still though, it took a good 200-300 hours of electrolysis to say my face was clear. I also had a problem with coarse white hairs as well. I still remember a few being twisted and even with blend it took 2 zaps to get it to release. I think around the time I went full time I was down to shaving maybe once a week. After I healed enough from FFS, and maybe from the electrolysis downtime allowing hairs to grow back in, things went very quickly. I was down to maybe once a month shaving a little while after that, and then never shaving ever again. The only thing that sucked was ingrown facial hairs. They required gently digging out of the skin to get to the follicle to treat. Fun days those were. Not.

Thanks for all the replies (and compliment if that was meant for me, Erin) My despair is subsiding now and I am beginning to 'deal' with the situation. The bulk of the white is on my neck* and I can live with that because it can be hidden quite easily on the days I have to let it grow and a large portion is under the chin which no one but oompa loompas can see.


Has anyone else been told what my electrologist tod me - that it can take several attempts to excise a single hair follicle as the first couple of direct hits only weaken the growth, not stop it completely?



*I hope this is reality and not denial!

Quote from: vicki_sixx on January 17, 2017, 07:03:34 PM
Has anyone else been told what my electrologist tod me - that it can take several attempts to excise a single hair follicle as the first couple of direct hits only weaken the growth, not stop it completely?

Yes. It's one of my electrologist's pet peeves- that many places (like on Groupon) will tell a customer it'll take X amount of time. What they don't tell you is that you'll need several clearings to make an impact.

My understanding is that each removal of the hair damages the follicle. The hair grows back again and again and again until the follicle is damaged beyond repair and/or the cells are no longer able to get nutrients.


I was also told that each time the follicle is removed it comes back thinner and less course. That's why you're left with white hairs and eventually just give up and stop growing.

I would guess that over time some follicles are able to repair themselves hence the need for occasional electrolysis throughput our life, even years after we got rid of all the facial hair.

I'm pretty sure I've "cleared" my face around 25x now. Still have lots of blonde hairs and a few stubborn black ones on the sides of my upper lip.

I think many trans women don't quite get the right info. I know for me, permanent hair removal is going to be the second greatest expense right under GCS


Hugs,
~Brooke~

Quote from: vicki_sixx on January 11, 2017, 09:05:43 PM
Hi,

Please bear with me as I detail my situation, express my concerns, ask for your help and voice my suggestions.


Background
I started full-body laser hair removal last July. I thought I was so clever - getting a great deal and starting 6-12 months before I planned on going full-time. I knew I had white hair around my chin and knew I'd need elctrolysis. The shock I've had though is that as the laser is eating away at the dark hair I am now acutely aware of just how much white hair I actually have (either that or I've had a huge increase in white hair over the same time period).


Result
Only my moustache is white-free. My chin, underside of chin and neck are all white and it also stretches up my cheeks to my ear - though thankfully it's not in as great a number as my chin and neck. I've been having electrolysis twice a month for 3 months and was shocked to be told it will take circa 80 hours to do a once-over on my face (though I know I will need about three passes before the hair is no more). Not only was I aghast at the length of time it will take (I can only afford 2x a month) but also at the cost (70ph for (80x3)= £16800!).

This means being full-time whilst still shaving, something I thought I'd be avoiding. I can put off going full-time for a few months but not the years it will take for electrolysis to complete. My beard was never a fast grower anyway and, perversely, one of the benefits of laser - slowing hair growth - has now screwed me because it takes me twice as long to grow my beard. Which means it takes me 4 days to grow hair long enough for my elecrologist to do a decent job. 3 days and it's just a bit too short which she said slowed her down by at least 30% and thus is a false economy. So I'm now gonna have to have at least one part of my face growing hair for the majority of the week! The only good news is that for 2 of the 4 days, it's light stubble with no perceptible length so maybe there's some ultra-thick foundation that can help mask it?


Ideas
The best I can do is shave all hair except for a section for my electrologist and then apply some foundation to try and blend it in (it won't look convincing but its better than nothing) and should limit the risk of being identified as the Bearded Lady. Then:

Sideburns - wear a long wig to cover the unshaved section. As said, the foundation won't stand up to scrutiny but should help to disguise the stubble on the few occasions they get flashed from behind my wig.

Neck - I'm not too fussed about this area. I can wear turtle necks where possible or chokers to cover the unshav ed section of hair.

Underside of chin - Not much I can do here. I'll just have to not look up. At 5' 8" there's not going to be too many people who are so small as to see the underside of my chin.

Cheeks & chin - nothing I can do to hide these areas - no wig, necklace or clothing can be utilised - and as I said earlier, foundation may hide the hair for the first 2 days but not the final 2 days as it will be too long. All I can do is foundation the unshaved section and try my best to cover with my hand or turn away when people pass by. What else can I do other than time it to coincide with my days off and just hide at home?'

Any other suggestions are most welcome. Eg: when the hair starts to get length can I somehow flatten it out and stick it down to my face and then foundation over this newly-smoothed area?


Despairing Vicki

Uh, hm you know what i'm not mtf but! i got a idea i don't know if it's a good idea so please ask around first or look into it and see if you're comfortable with this.
But white lies don't hurt you could say you have PCOS iv'e heard of people going of T and saying this
now i don't know if it works but you can look into it. maybe it could work for a MTF? 
It basically means you have higher T levels but doesn't mean you're not female a lot of females have this
although it is lieing and i don't suggest doing that a lot. but it means other things too so you may not be okay with that or you may depends on the person i'd look it up.

I'm a guy but i actually have that and i had facial hair (slightly) before T noticeable if looking carefully.