I felt that if my body was still under the influence of T, it would be a bit of a waste of money to start, and have progress erased. After 1 month of HRT, I got a laser (not IPL) treatment every 5-6 weeks, for a total of 5 treatments. After the laser, I didn't really have the time to get any more hair removal done. Also, I felt that since I'm young, a fair bit of my facial hair is still blonde, so electrolysis is really the only option then. I've now had 2 electrolysis sessions. Nowadays, it's harder to see my facial hair, even when I don't shave between electrolysis sessions; I still feel it though. Hopefully with about 2 - 1hr sessions per week, I can get to a point where I don't need to shave at all by the time the summer rolls around.
My electrologist has been in the business for a long time, and works on many trans people as well as cis-folk, so I trust what she says. She's told me that her other trans patients are all much older and have coarser hair, while apparently my facial hair is weak and will be much easier to vanquish.

My face hasn't gotten scabby or anything, just red for about half a day to a day, and I apply polysporin for burns (the one in the red box) to my face afterward to encourage healing. No matter what, it's always a bit awkward to ride the subway afterward on the way home. Last thing, and a small tit-bit of advice: EMLA cream is your friend during electrolysis!