Well,

I just had laser hair removal done on my face. I've had it done before and the results are always great. Needless to say I am older than compared to then, but this time around it was a little different. Before doing the laser I did full epilation of my facial hair and it was really painful. Before the laser hair removal was pretty expensive, but I found a place in Glendale California called New look skin center in Glendale and their prices are $30 for full face + Neck (Front and Back) laser hair removal using I think candela gentlemax pro (Don't recall that one exactly). Plus I bought 5 sessions and got 1 free making it something like $24. Anyway, I had the laser done and I'm pretty much hair free with out so much pain, but I found a white beard left over . So this made me realize that as I get older and my facial hair loses pigment it will turn into a white santaclaus beard! By then the laser won't be effective and well that's the end of the road . So it seems electroysys will always be necessary. Only hope is maybe the laser kills some roots of the current facial hair, but it won't kill all I think. Another hope is hopefully something better in 30+ years comes around that is faster and less expensive than Electrolysis. Either way... DOOMED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

wait...


DOOOMED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UHH... YEP !!!   

I am 80 hours in and may never finish.  I had a former cis-female roommate that seriously told me to try Nair.  What an idiot. 

Yup. But it's not so bad. Electrolysis is kind of fun lol...

Asakawa, that white growth is a real pain, right? Like you I find the Laser really helps, but as we all know it don't do nothing on those light hairs.

I console myself by saying "Well, at least those ones don't give me a 5 o'clock shadow."

But in the long term I haven't decided what do with them. I suppose one day electrolysis, but at least mine don't grow fast and a close wet blade shave in the morning is enough for most days.

~Dee.

I have a salt and pepper beard and will be doing 4 sessions of laser then move to electrolysis. Having completed 2 sessions of laser, I do notice a lot fewer dark hairs on my face, so laser has been worthwhile. However, my laser tech agreed that moving to electrolysis will be the right thing to do after 4 sessions.

I love the doom and gloom tone. I am six treatments into laser and have found a moderate amount of white hairs myself. But it doesn't give the shadow which was already written and isn't that the main point? Even cis women sometimes have to shave. Something I found interesting while watching a Kannar documentary was that after an orchiectomy the twomen stated that they no longer have facial hair (probably took a few years). Wondering if that might be one solution to the white hairs.

Thanks for the support at least the laser hair removal isn't that pricey here. I figured if I do it twice a month, or something like that, it'll cut the price in half and not make it too huge of an investment. There is always AIE School For Electrolysis And Electrology down south from where I am and is a very short drive. 1hr of electrolysis there is, I think, $20. I don't have a lot of these white beards, though I do have a few transparent hairs but these are less of a trouble. The white beard type was thick and really white like the little plastic tags on clothes O_O! Never seen that before, but I guess that is what happens as you age. Electrolysis is not fun. Leaves you all stiffed up on the bed like a corpse as you get electrocuted for an hour lol. And we need to do a crap load of hours! So that is a lot of corpse time Maybe I'll just ask the laser tech to bump up the power joules higher and see if that'll kill the hair roots... or make my face explode.... *splorg!* lol I do hope for HRT to make the beard hairs disappear, but what are the chances of that?

Oh and I watched NGE and it was fun. I liked it and watched it a few times. I liked Misato

Quote from: sarahc on December 05, 2018, 06:08:18 AM
I have a salt and pepper beard and will be doing 4 sessions of laser then move to electrolysis. Having completed 2 sessions of laser, I do notice a lot fewer dark hairs on my face, so laser has been worthwhile. However, my laser tech agreed that moving to electrolysis will be the right thing to do after 4 sessions.

I am like you, 4 laser treatments and after that I have to decide what to do, either shaving (I have a very slow beard growth and need to shave only every 3 to 4 days) or electro-torture.  I seems that my upper lip has the most dark hairs, and once they are gone, I can really go a few days without anybody seeing the rest of my facial hair.

Decisions, decisions!

Quote from: gracefulhat on December 05, 2018, 06:14:00 AM
I love the doom and gloom tone. I am six treatments into laser and have found a moderate amount of white hairs myself. But it doesn't give the shadow which was already written and isn't that the main point? Even cis women sometimes have to shave. Something I found interesting while watching a Kannar documentary was that after an orchiectomy the twomen stated that they no longer have facial hair (probably took a few years). Wondering if that might be one solution to the white hairs.

Don't put your hopes up to high.  I have only one, almost not functioning testicle (I never had two working ones), and I take the highest dose of Finasteride for 6 or so years now, and it has done nothing to reduce the little beard growth I always had!

I take dutasteride thanks to my doctor. It has been a few months now and I am hoping it helps with my hair line and growth. It helps me block out the sleepy effects of progesterone too. Dutasteride blocks all 3 types of DHT while finasteride blocks I think 2. My doctor first gave me finasteride, but I told him to switch me to dutasteride. I was experiencing some libido and it was making things difficult. After the dutasteride switch I came back to normal. I was on dutasteride before I visited my doctor and he said to first try finasteride with him, so I stopped the dutasteride I was getting online. Then the side effects, so back to dutasteride I went. Dutasteride is 0.5mg while finasteride is 5mg so its a big difference, but dutas lasts in the blood for like a month while finas is only a few hours. I guess that is why it is more effective from my perspective.

Quote from: Harley Quinn on December 05, 2018, 04:31:48 AM
Yup. But it's not so bad. Electrolysis is kind of fun lol...

I agree! It hurts a bit and it's not cheap, but I love my electrolysis sessions. My electrocutioner is great and it's nice to have a couple of hours of just lying there doing nothing but listen to the radio and chat (albeit while trying not to move or slow down progress).

Quote from: Asakawa on December 05, 2018, 08:11:01 AM
I take dutasteride thanks to my doctor. It has been a few months now and I am hoping it helps with my hair line and growth. It helps me block out the sleepy effects of progesterone too. Dutasteride blocks all 3 types of DHT while finasteride blocks I think 2. My doctor first gave me finasteride, but I told him to switch me to dutasteride. I was experiencing some libido and it was making things difficult. After the dutasteride switch I came back to normal. I was on dutasteride before I visited my doctor and he said to first try finasteride with him, so I stopped the dutasteride I was getting online. Then the side effects, so back to dutasteride I went. Dutasteride is 0.5mg while finasteride is 5mg so its a big difference, but dutas lasts in the blood for like a month while finas is only a few hours. I guess that is why it is more effective from my perspective.

I don't even remember what libido is!  Mine must be hidden somewhere in the lower basement!
Because of my XXY Syndrome, I never had any receding hairline or bald spots.  I take Finasteride for other reasons than HRT, it just happened that it would work with this, too!

My body is pretty feminin already, and I just went on HRT because I wanted to increase and speed up my natural breast growth (by nature I have a small B cup size, but I want a C cup), and get a little better fat distribution.  To speed everything up even more, I will ask to be put on spironolactone.

Quote from: Dietlind on December 05, 2018, 07:44:56 AM
I am like you, 4 laser treatments and after that I have to decide what to do, either shaving (I have a very slow beard growth and need to shave only every 3 to 4 days) or electro-torture.  I seems that my upper lip has the most dark hairs, and once they are gone, I can really go a few days without anybody seeing the rest of my facial hair.

Decisions, decisions!

Me too on the dark hairs on the upper lip...more dark hairs there than other places on my face. I'm going to tell my laser tech to zap that upper lip hard at my next treatment. Better to deal with the pain associated with laser than the pain associated with elecctrolysis.

Quote from: Dietlind on December 05, 2018, 09:13:25 AM
I don't even remember what libido is!  Mine must be hidden somewhere in the lower basement!
Because of my XXY Syndrome, I never had any receding hairline or bald spots.  I take Finasteride for other reasons than HRT, it just happened that it would work with this, too!

My body is pretty feminin already, and I just went on HRT because I wanted to increase and speed up my natural breast growth (by nature I have a small B cup size, but I want a C cup), and get a little better fat distribution.  To speed everything up even more, I will ask to be put on spironolactone.

When I started HRT I tried Spiro for almost 2 years I think. I wish I had never taken it. It's a water pill mainly and will tax your kidneys and from what I read it is a weak blocker. When you take estradiol it naturally supresses LH and FSH which is what makes the Testis create T. The best way would be to go under injectable Estradiol Valerate or even transdermal estrogen patches (avoids double pass on the liver). I don't take testosterone blockers for the past 6 years or 7 years. My T is in the castration levels just from Estradiol alone. With your genetics I'd say even progesterone would benefit you quite a bit. Though you would have to discuss all of that with your doctor. If you do use spiro becareful with sodium and potassium. It will also dry you out due to it's water pill effect . Once you hit castration level testosterone it's very likely testicular testosterone has been well shut down. What is left is called weak adrenal androgens. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4437668/  They are less potent than testosterone but can still interact with the Adrenal Receptor and some can be turned to Testosterone, but it is little. Mainly for people with cancer it's an issue because even small amounts like this can still stimulate cancer.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23769268

Quote from: Harley Quinn on December 05, 2018, 04:31:48 AM
Electrolysis is kind of fun lol...

OK, that is just weird!

I am another with a salt-and-pepper beard who did 4 sessions of laser then switched to electrolysis.  The laser got the dark hairs, so the shadow was invisible.  Now the electro is methodically zapping light and dark.

My electrocutioner is very good, which is lucky for me because she is the only one in the region.  I am approaching 100 hours, and we are in the home stretch.  I have patches of skin where there is no regrowth happening.  I can't help rubbing them, because they feel so smooth, even when I stop shaving for 4 days to prepare for the next electro session.

Quote from: gracefulhat on December 05, 2018, 06:14:00 AM
I love the doom and gloom tone. I am six treatments into laser and have found a moderate amount of white hairs myself. But it doesn't give the shadow which was already written and isn't that the main point? Even cis women sometimes have to shave. Something I found interesting while watching a Kannar documentary was that after an orchiectomy the twomen stated that they no longer have facial hair (probably took a few years). Wondering if that might be one solution to the white hairs.

I had an orchiectomy a year and a half ago and have been on estrogen since.  I was on spiro and fin for a year before that.  Pre-transition I had a light to moderate beard.  Definitely not heavy.  I have had 80 hours of electro.

I still have some beard and must shave daily.
ORCHIECTOMY DOES NOT STOP A BEARD. 

So if there are any new visitors reading this if you think that an orchie or GRS or hormones get rid of a beard........
Sorry, ain't happening.

Quote from: Asakawa on December 05, 2018, 12:03:30 PM
When I started HRT I tried Spiro for almost 2 years I think. I wish I had never taken it. It's a water pill mainly and will tax your kidneys and from what I read it is a weak blocker. When you take estradiol it naturally supresses LH and FSH which is what makes the Testis create T. The best way would be to go under injectable Estradiol Valerate or even transdermal estrogen patches (avoids double pass on the liver). I don't take testosterone blockers for the past 6 years or 7 years. My T is in the castration levels just from Estradiol alone. With your genetics I'd say even progesterone would benefit you quite a bit. Though you would have to discuss all of that with your doctor. If you do use spiro becareful with sodium and potassium. It will also dry you out due to it's water pill effect . Once you hit castration level testosterone it's very likely testicular testosterone has been well shut down. What is left is called weak adrenal androgens. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4437668/  They are less potent than testosterone but can still interact with the Adrenal Receptor and some can be turned to Testosterone, but it is little. Mainly for people with cancer it's an issue because even small amounts like this can still stimulate cancer.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23769268

I am with patches now, but I get negativ skin reactions from them.  My health insurance does not cover injections, and that is the reason why I have to go with the oral route.  I will see a new to e endocrinologist on Monday, but I don't know how well informed he is with all that trans stuff.  In March, I have an appointment with an endo who is specialized for trans issues, and I am just happy, if I can get tied over until March to not interrupt the duration cycle required for bottom surgery.
I have to talk with the doc on Monday, and see what he can and will do.

Quote from: KimOct on December 05, 2018, 08:47:35 PM
I had an orchiectomy a year and a half ago and have been on estrogen since.  I was on spiro and fin for a year before that.  Pre-transition I had a light to moderate beard.  Definitely not heavy.  I have had 80 hours of electro.

I still have some beard and must shave daily.
ORCHIECTOMY DOES NOT STOP A BEARD. 

So if there are any new visitors reading this if you think that an orchie or GRS or hormones get rid of a beard........
Sorry, ain't happening.

You clearly confirm everything, I could find researching on this subject.  Even tough I do not have any body hair (none under the armpits either, and some really light genital hair), my  body is still growing a beard, not much though, I can have a few days between shaving, but I need to shave every 2 to 4 days (electric every two days, wet every 4 days).

6 years of taking the strongest dose of Finasteride did not change this, and about a month of additional estrogen did not change anything either!
Facial hair seems to be stimulated different, and follow a different dynamic than the rest of the body hair.

Quote from: Asakawa on December 05, 2018, 06:26:02 AM
Oh and I watched NGE and it was fun. I liked it and watched it a few times. I liked Misato

Asakawa, yeah NGE is an awesome anime. That TV show literally blew my mind. Seen it too many times, don't like the movie length remakes.

Where I live Laser Hair Removal is pretty affordable too. I bought a package of 12 visits for what seemed like a reasonable price. Only had 4 so far, but I have high expectation for the remaining 8.

Going to avoid electrolysis for as long as possible.

~Dee.

Quote from: Dietlind on December 05, 2018, 09:57:04 PM
Facial hair seems to be stimulated different, and follow a different dynamic than the rest of the body hair.

Yes that is it in a nutshell.  Cruel irony isn't it?  I would rather have it the other way around.