facial hair

[Lily Rose]

 i have always hated my facial hair and also shaving. i have read something about people who pluck have problem with future electrolysis.
  i have fine hair and in my teens i had afros under my arms. i shaved it once and it has still not fully come back 30 something years later. i am sure i could wax my body and either not need to do it again or need it along time from now.
  painful i am sure, but is there any other reason i should not try to wax my face?

[Dena]

Some people pluck or wax their face but I wouldn't recommend it as it can distort the roots of the hair. My face was cleared entirely with electrolysis (laser hadn't been developed yet) and believe me, I knew when my electrologist ran into a hair that didn't go were it was expected to go. That needle hurts. Body hair is often affected by HRT but facial hair is more resistant to HRT and other forms of hair removal. I would recommend you consider either laser or electrolysis for the face because you don't want to damage the hair roots or your skin.

[Lily Rose]

would Epilator do the same damage to the roots as waxing?

[Dena]

An Epilator would do the same thing as waxing. Devlyn has had some experience with one but you need one that is designed for the face. If you use one that's not, it may cause skin damage. Shaving is the best way to remove hair before electrolysis or laser.

[Artesia]

Is there any way to get insurance to pay for laser/electrolysis?  It is expensive, but also the bulk of the dislike of my face.

[Deborah]

It depends on the insurance but for the majority the answer is no as it is considered cosmetic.


It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.
André Gide, Autumn Leaves

[Michelle_P]

It gets tagged as cosmetic, unless you are lucky enough to have a therapist note it as a cause of your dysphoria and give you a referral for electrolysis as a medically necessary treatment.  Yes, I'm working on it...

[Lily Rose]

Yes, I'm working on it...

  please let us know if it works out. i really do hate my beard  and all ways have so...

do insurance companies take therapists referrals serious? or do they want psychiatrist?

[Michelle_P]

  please let us know if it works out. i really do hate my beard  and all ways have so...

do insurance companies take therapists referrals serious? or do they want psychiatrist?

Oh, I sure hope so!  In my particular case, the arrangement is a little unusual.  I'm with a HMO, Kaiser Permanente Northern California.  My therapist is a gender therapist with Kaiser's transgender care unit, Multi-Specialty Transitions, out of Oakland, California.  She calls MST, and a coordinator there will set up an evaluation, probably with a dermatologist.  The usual path is that they'll call me first, make sure I'm in the program and have been on HRT for 6 months, part of the insurance side's criteria for electrolysis.  Then they will either schedule a video appointment or ask me to photograph my hairy mug (on Electrolysis Day, harshly lit for max impact...) and send in the image files.  The dermatologist evaluates them, and does the go/no go determination.

I'm doing electrolysis either way.  If medically approved, electrolysis becomes a valid medical expense for IRS purposes and I pay for it with my medical budget, from my Health Savings Account (pre-tax money) or with post-tax money to be deducted as a medical expense.  Eventually next year I reach the Max Out Of Pocket amount for my high deductible medical plan, and Kaiser pays my electrologist.

[Annushka]

Hi, girls!!

One question on the matter.
It is about these IPL devices suitable for home use (such as Philips Lumea).
I know that they are not recommended for male beard.
Buuut I really would like to know what could be the possible consequences if someone decides to use it with male beard. I couldn't find any information online. So I really would love to hear your comments.

Thank you all!!

[Dena]

Possibly a waste of money or skin damage. I am very nervous about doing anything that might scar my face as the scar will be visible. I took a risk when I had a bunch of moles removed because the scar they would leave would be far less that the moles but beyond that, I have not taken any other risks with my face.

[Deborah]

I got an IPL last month.  Since the price was only equal to less than 3 hours of electrolysis I felt there was little to lose.  It has not damaged my skin.  If anything, it might look a little better.  I'm not yet sure though if it's really affecting the facial hair as I haven't been using it long enough.  According to the instructions it is suitable for male faces but it may take a while before the effects are noticeable. 


It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.
André Gide, Autumn Leaves

[Lily Rose]

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,214840.0.html

  have this above book marked hoping to see someone say, yes it is great!

[Wanda Jane]

I had my first laser treatment at a medspa today. Totally worth it! First off she did ear to ear, nose to adams apple in about 30 minutes. Second if had one of the home ones there is no way I would push that button more than once or twice a day. That sh** hurts. If not then the home is not as powerful. This place uses the newer 2 frequency laser and freeze spray. Still hurts but survivable. I left her do the whole thing strait thru. I just thought about shaving the whole time and it seemed well worth it. I'll let you know how it goes but it looks amazingly better already. 6 treatments is just under $1k and she thinks that should just about do it.