Hello fellow community!

I have my Gender Corrective Surgery coming up soon - woohoo!

I need some help/advice. I have a low pain threshold, like many people in the region of my genitals. Friends of mine who are now post-op have said that hair removal treatment by electrolysis in that area was the most painful part of their transition, despite the 5% EMLA cream that is used. Yikes, that doesn't sound good to me. In fact, I don't know how I'm going to bear it.

I did a bit of research online as to whether electrolysis can be performed under anaesthetic and I have found out that similar options exist. I am from London which is in the UK, and over here I haven't come across yet, an electrolysis practitioner who is able to administer an injection such as Lidocaine to de-sensitise that area. However, in the USA there are several I have now come across through my internet research:

- ABOUTYOU hair removal (Chicago, IL)
- The Papillon Centre (PA)
- Dana Elise (CA)
- Electrology 3000 (Dallas, TX)

Some are reasonably priced and I am intending to book with one of them for a clearing session. In 4-6 hours I can have the genital area required for surgery, hair free. Due to hair being cyclic in its growth, additional sessions are required over the course of a year until it is ensured that the area is hair free. However, that initial clearing sounds like a godsend.

As my research is currently early, I am interested to know people's experiences and knowledge. I have planned a trip to the USA starting out in California and ending in New York in late March / early April and so I'm trying to book in with an affordable practitioner as soon as possible. If you know of other places, reknown for offering this service and you think they can do a good job - PLEASE comment here.

If they're in the UK - EVEN BETTER!

I would love to hear from you.

Bye, Jenna

Hi Jenna,

As a matter of fact, I have been a client of both Aboutyou hair removal, and the Papillon Center.  I specifically did a genital clearing with Aboutyou.  My experience with Papillon was for facial electrolysis with lidocaine.

As far as the Papillon Center, I had a rather negative experience.  I thought they would administer a dental block, like the dentist gives you.  Oh no.  It was sub-dermal injections. The lidocaine injections were very painful. The one in the center of my upper lip hurt so bad I nearly came off the table. The electrolysis itself was fairly painless, but the swelling was awful.  I looked like I had been beaten up.  My upper lip was so swollen I could barely close my mouth.

I used Aboutyou because had FFS with Dr. Zukowski, and figured as long as I was there, I should get a clearing done.  They say they give you "twilight sedation", but really it's just a fairly hefty IV dose of a narcotic pain med.  I was definitely buzzed, but hardly in twilight sleep.  Dr. Zukowski did the injections.  I got six injections, and a couple of them were really teeth-gritting, but that was over in a couple of minutes, and then the narcotic haze was quite welcome.  Bear in mind they charge you $500 for the IV narcotics and lidocaine injections, but to me, it was worth it. I got a full initial clearing done and felt no pain.  A full clearing took a little over four hours.

The only downside, apart from the cost, is that my electrologist apparently really cranked up the current, because I had a fair amount of scabbing and some bleeding.  I was a little sore down there for a couple of days, but not anything major.  Would I go back? Maybe. Probably. The cost is prohibitive, since I live in Alexandria, VA and have to fly to Chicago on top of paying for the treatment.

For my next clearing I am going to try gutting it out with lidocaine cream with my local electrologist and see how it goes.  She already did a laser session on me, and that was tough.  I hate pain, so if I can scrape together another $1000 and find the time, I just may go back to Chicago.

Hope that helps,

Terri

I had my facial hair, eyebrows, etc. cleared by electrolysis over a decade ago but only recently started genital work prior to my SRS next year. I have not found the genital work to be the "most painful" part; in fact, a lot of it is considerably less painful than some of the facial work I've had done. I use plain old over-the-counter LMX 5% (marketed as an "anorectal cream") occluded with Saran Wrap (the "self cling" kind works best) along with some Tylenol before treatment. While treatment isn't exactly my idea of a good time, I usually sit there and browse the Internet on my phone or chat with my electrologist to pass the time. I've never felt I needed injections, narcotics, etc. I started off with 2 hour blocks, but now I am down to about 1.5 hours once a month. I will say this: after that first intense session there was a fair amount of swelling, but the treatments since then have had much less reaction.

Honestly, I think there is almost a "hazing" aspect to some of the "advice" people give out. People talk about electrolysis, particularly genital electrolysis, as though it was some kind of medieval torture and pass that along to new transitioners as though it was a fact and not a subjective belief. Those people then go into treatment fully expecting it to be something awful, and then pass that along to the new transitioners after them. Worse, I've seen cases where newly transitioning women were too afraid to have facial or genital electrolysis at ALL because they "heard how excruciating it was." Obviously this does a huge disservice to everybody.

If I were you I'd try to find some topical anesthetic and see if you can tolerate a short sample treatment with somebody local FIRST before you go flying overseas. It very well might be much less painful than you've been told online. It helps to relax before your treatment and not to go into there expecting the worst. If you find you can tolerate it, you will save many thousands of pounds on airfare, etc.

One more thing: my electrologist has has clients from all the major surgeons, including those who promise you don't need genital electrolysis because they "scrape" the follicles during surgery. She told me that she has seen cases of intravaginal hair, sometimes quite severe, from all of the surgeons who promised "scraping" would be enough. In some cases the hair is too deep and heavy to ever be removed post-op. In my personal opinion, I would have the genital hair removal, no matter what you are told. I'd rather spend an extra year getting cleared than end up with permanent vaginal hair that can cause problems.

Good luck, and hope this helped!

AutumnLeaves,

Good points.  Electrolysis pain is individual and subjective. I had a much harder time than you did.  The most I could ever do was 1.5 hours of facial electrolysis, and I could barely get off the table from the exhaustion of controlling my tolerance  to the pain.  I would be shaking. My skin would feel like it's on fire.  It did get better as things progressed, but it was still a painful and physically taxing procedure and I usually limited my sessions to one hour. That was all I - and my skin - could take.

I did do a round of genital electrolysis recently, and I used plenty of EMLA cream.  Laser was very tolerable, and the electrolysis was no worse than facial electrolysis. There still was some bleeding and scabbing, but that seems to be par for the course. My electrologist said she can have this clearing done is two or three more sessions, which would be a total cost of a little over $400.  At this point I think I would prefer sticking with this regimen than spending $1000 to get it done in one session.

~Terri

My current Electrologist uses a method of up to 32 probs at the same time which has been far less painful and much quicker then the single probe method then I had prior to my choosing my new electrologist.

On my last session, I had run out of Lidocaine, but was able to tolerate a 1 1/2 hour treatment with just a topical spray that she applied after the first round.

Basically she inserts all the probes and then waits about 5 minutes for the system to process as she puts it.  There is a kind of dull burning sensation that moves from one probe to another.  And then the probes are removed and starts all over again.  By the 3 round, the pain is very slight and manageable.

Katie

Quote from: katie Brennan on January 28, 2017, 09:27:59 AM
My current Electrologist uses a method of up to 32 probs at the same time which has been far less painful and much quicker then the single probe method then I had prior to my choosing my new electrologist.

On my last session, I had run out of Lidocaine, but was able to tolerate a 1 1/2 hour treatment with just a topical spray that she applied after the first round.

Basically she inserts all the probes and then waits about 5 minutes for the system to process as she puts it.  There is a kind of dull burning sensation that moves from one probe to another.  And then the probes are removed and starts all over again.  By the 3 round, the pain is very slight and manageable.

Katie

I'm very curious about this 32 hair probe you speak of. I've had laser and been to one electrolysis session for an hour for my chin and top lip. I actually can handle the pain very well (I hated laser more) but it is so painfully slow (and she is sort of slow to begin with).

What questions should I be asking when looking for a new electrolysis tech? I hate hate hate growing out any facial hair, even for a few days, so I would love if someone could actually clear what's left (not too much) in an afternoon session. Also with our new president I'm worried this may be the first and only year GCS will be caverns (I'm a federal employee) so I also need to get to work on my gential hair as I'm wait for my initial consult with Dr. Oates. I was going to simply have an orchiectomy and wait on GCS (just such a longer recovery) but now I'm thinking of getting it all done while insurance will pay (and getting more and more excited that I could have my gender confirmation in 2017). 


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I did 6 clearings at Papillion 1 month apart with the last 6 months before GCS.

I had the lidocaine injections. It is 5 minutes of severe pain when the needle is being moved about the groin area. They use a spinal needle and insert the length of the groin area a bunch of times.  Then you are numb. My first session was booked for 4 hours and was over in 1 hour 45 minutes. I did not have much hair in the area. They asked if I had electrolysis there before which I did not.

I was so glad when the numbing was done after the last session.

The needle was worse than GCS. The needle was a pain of 9 and the worst GCS was a 3. I can not imagine not having the numbing for the electrolysis.

Hi Jenna, this may have been suggested to you before, but there is 5% lidocaine cream available without a prescription. In fact, after my electrologist suggested it, I use it before every appointment. Really takes the edge off the pain. Additionally, after applying the lidocaine, it was suggested that I cover the areas which are not being worked on with plastic (i.e a cut-up sandwich bag) to keep the lidocaine in contact with the skin longer.

-Taylor

I have been going to e3000 in Lewisville Texas for both facial and genital electrolysis, my last session was last Monday. They use lidocaine injections and I get both my face and groin cleared in one session. They tell me to expect ten sessions to virtually clear my face; there may still be some stragglers that come up but for the most part it will be done. I have just had my sixth session and am waiting to see the results. Last Monday was my second genital clearing session and it is still a wait and see for results. I have heard of different surgeons requiring different numbers of session ranging from zero clearings to as many as five. The lidocaine injections do hurt quite a bit but then they are over and the electrolysis is then painless. I tried facial electrolysis and could not take the pain for my one and a half to two hour sessions. Hope this helps. I would recommend e3000 to anyone that is having problems handling the pain from conventional electrolysis. - Anne

Edited as I discovered Transhealth doesn't do genital areas after all!

You can also get the lidocaine cream online in the UK through a reputable pharmacy (no scrip required) - search for 'LMX4'.   

Quote from: Rachel on January 29, 2017, 01:13:24 PM


The needle was worse than GCS. The needle was a pain of 9 and the worst GCS was a 3. I can not imagine not having the numbing for the electrolysis.

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