Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

Should I Wait To Start Electrolysis Until I Have Started Hrt?


Guest AlexandraHarper

Recommended Posts

Guest AlexandraHarper

By this I mean should I wait until after I have started HRT or could I start now. I'm trying to not spend as much money on a electrolysis, and from what I understand from what I have read HRT has the chance to slow down the growth, which can change the growth pattern, which could hinder my electrolysis. So I guess the two questions I have are 1) Is the way I understand HRT to effect growth correct, 2) If yes does it effect the growth pattern that it might hinder electrolysis? As a side note I should be starting HRT hopefully by August of this year *figures crossed*.

Alexandra

Link to comment
  • Admin
By this I mean should I wait until after I have started HRT or could I start now. I'm trying to not spend as much money on a electrolysis, and from what I understand from what I have read HRT has the chance to slow down the growth, which can change the growth pattern, which could hinder my electrolysis. So I guess the two questions I have are 1) Is the way I understand HRT to effect growth correct, 2) If yes does it effect the growth pattern that it might hinder electrolysis? As a side note I should be starting HRT hopefully by August of this year *figures crossed*.

Alexandra

Alexandra, if you are talking about facial hair, HRT will not affect it. It should slow down growth of body hair and make what does grow finer,

and if you're taking Finesteride as a T-blocker, it could help with male pattern baldness. But you will need either or both electrolysis or laser

hair reduction on your face.

Carolyn Marie

Link to comment
Guest Robin Winter

That's my intention. I read somewhere that changes in hormones can trigger follicles that had previously been dormant to start growing, so I'd like to wait until hormones kind of even out before I commit money to hair removal.

Link to comment
Guest Jewel

Start now. And pursue it as aggressively as your finances allow. You'll thank yourself later. Facial hair removal can take time. Typically a minimum of a year if you always keep on top of it. More if you don't.

HRT will not get rid of any of your facial hair. It may grow a bit finer and lighter in color, and it may grow a bit more slowly, but the follicles will all still be there. And finer, lighter colored hairs can actually be _harder_ to kill, either with laser or electrolysis.

With laser, effectiveness is largely a function of having sufficient pigment in the follicle. Laser isn't very effectively against blond or gray hair.

With electrolysis, finer, lighter hairs means slower going for your electrologist. They're harder to see clearly. Getting good probe insertions is slower and trickier.

And by the time you've been on HRT a while, you're going to be very eager to be out and about as your true self. If you're just starting electrolysis at that time, you'll be having longer, more frequent electrolysis sessions. Which means you'll be walking around a good portion of the time either with your facial hair grown out a bit (because you're about to go in for your next appointment) or with tons of red bumps covering your face. Either way, it'll make it much more likely people will misgender you. Not fun.

On the other hand if you've already gotten rid of the bulk of your facial hair and are at the stage of just the occasional "touch up", you'll likely find that you can go full-time sooner and more comfortably.

Just my two cents.

Link to comment
Guest Elizabeth K

Good advice! Start now on the face - my therapist also says it is slightly less painful as later the skin thickness diminishes.

Don't do body hair yet. The HRT does a great job of reducing that, and what remains is fine and silky like a natal woman's body hair.

Also - if you are waiting on HRT, you can still do electrolysis while you wait.

Opinions by:

Elizabeth

Link to comment
Guest Donna Jean

Start NOW!

All great advice above....

I wish that I had started in 1973 (But, that's a long story...)

Getting mine now, after 13 months HRT sux...I get my electro on Sat. mornings (3 hours worth!) and I can't shave from Thursday morning 'til after my electro! DANG!So, I have to walk around for two days with hairs on my face...BLEAH!

Start as soon as possible...get HRT when you can, but, get started NOW!

Donna Jean

Link to comment

Yeh ,,,Donna Jean "s on the money there Hun . Also Estrogen makes

you MUCH more sensitive to pain ,,,so get as much done (( imo))

prior to hormones ,,,,,luvv,viv :)

Link to comment
Guest Jewel

Oh right... like Elizabeth said... start on the _face_ - I should have been clear about that.

Don't worry about body hair pre-HRT, just facial hair. You may find that you won't need any body hair removal at all after a couple of years HRT (except for pre-SRS genital hair removal if your surgeon recommends it).

And for the record, yes, electrolysis starts to hurt a lot more after you've been on HRT a while. At least that was my experience.

Also I wanted to point out there's an excellent hair removal forum - hairtell.com - created by Andrea James and moderated by my friend and hair removal superhero James Walker. :) It's a great resource for information on both laser and electrolysis, for finding recommendations on local electrologists, and for clearing up the misinformation about hair removal that is oh so common.

Link to comment
Guest Donna Jean
Oh right... like Elizabeth said... start on the _face_ - I should have been clear about that.

And for the record, yes, electrolysis starts to hurt a lot more after you've been on HRT a while. At least that was my experience.

Absoutely true!

When I filled out my medical form for my electrologist and I put down HRT on it...She told me that my face would be getting a lot more sensitive (she's a RN) and she would turn down the juice if I wanted her to...

I didn't...hurts, but it goes quicker if the juice is higher!

More bang for the buck!

Donna Jean

Link to comment
Guest Anna_SF

start now.

As previously stated, waiting until you are full time means growing out the facial hair for 2+ days so the electrologist has something to work with and then the swollen redness for a few days afterward. I really wish i had started it earlier, as I read on almost every TS website, but I wanted that elusive quick, inexpensive, painless procedure that doesn't exist. And then start on the voice!!!! I had electro yesterday so my chin is swollen and the dark hairs are growing in on my upper lip - I have laser next week. It hurts like blazes but I'm sure I'll look back and be glad.

don't wait,

Anna

Link to comment
Guest Donna Jean

Gee......

I sure hear a lot of the same things being said in here, over and over....

I wonder if there's any good advice in there?

Donna Jean

Link to comment
start now.

As previously stated, waiting until you are full time means growing out the facial hair for 2+ days so the electrologist has something to work with and then the swollen redness for a few days afterward. I really wish i had started it earlier, as I read on almost every TS website, but I wanted that elusive quick, inexpensive, painless procedure that doesn't exist. And then start on the voice!!!! I had electro yesterday so my chin is swollen and the dark hairs are growing in on my upper lip - I have laser next week. It hurts like blazes but I'm sure I'll look back and be glad.

don't wait,

Anna

Anna ,,,,I had electro yesterday ,,,,,,spots , swollen , redness :( . I am using

Clean n Clear deep cleanser to keep clean and then Aloe Vera . viv :)

Link to comment
Guest AlexandraHarper

Thanks for the information. I'm going to start the electrolysis sometime next month then. Oh and would one say that the pain from electrolysis is similar to the pain one gets from getting a tattoo on say your lower back? Because that didn't hurt at all for me at least, and the tattoo is a mural on the whole lower back.

Link to comment
Guest Elizabeth K
Thanks for the information. I'm going to start the electrolysis sometime next month then. Oh and would one say that the pain from electrolysis is similar to the pain one gets from getting a tattoo on say your lower back? Because that didn't hurt at all for me at least, and the tattoo is a mural on the whole lower back.

I don't have a tattoo so I can't say for sure, but if you tolerated that - then electrolysis won't be much. Some get puffiness and redness. I did for about an hour, then it subsided. It's only really painful near the nose , in the mustache area.

Lizzy

Link to comment
Guest AlexandraHarper
I don't have a tattoo so I can't say for sure, but if you tolerated that - then electrolysis won't be much. Some get puffiness and redness. I did for about an hour, then it subsided. It's only really painful near the nose , in the mustache area.

Lizzy

For me the tattoo experience hurts the most for the outline of the tattoo. So I'm assuming that is how its going to be for electrolysis, hopefully! And thought I would add a pic of my tattoo.

Link to comment
Guest micralla

for me electro hurts more than my tattoo ever did to get the worst over first I am starting on my upper lip and i have red facial hair which I was told in general hurts even more

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Emily_MI
for me electro hurts more than my tattoo ever did to get the worst over first I am starting on my upper lip and i have red facial hair which I was told in general hurts even more

The upper lip was the absolute worst for me, also on the bottom chin also hurts quite a bit as well. :(

Link to comment
Guest Donna Jean

Well, the difference with the TAT is that each needle insertion is quick.

With electrolysis each insertion is from 6-10 seconds and the power is applied...(that stings a bit!~)

Huggs

Donna Jean

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

I've had literally thousands of injections in my life. I approached electrolysis the same way. Relax and keep breathing, let the job get done. Focus on how good it will feel when you're done. Try Liz's chant while it's going on:

I am a woman

I look like a woman

I think like a woman

I act like a woman

I talk like a woman

I am a woman

Just do it - don't let anything stand in your way!

Love, Kat

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Alyssa Leigh
Oh right... like Elizabeth said... start on the _face_ - I should have been clear about that.

Don't worry about body hair pre-HRT, just facial hair. You may find that you won't need any body hair removal at all after a couple of years HRT (except for pre-SRS genital hair removal if your surgeon recommends it).

And for the record, yes, electrolysis starts to hurt a lot more after you've been on HRT a while. At least that was my experience.

Also I wanted to point out there's an excellent hair removal forum - hairtell.com - created by Andrea James and moderated by my friend and hair removal superhero James Walker. :) It's a great resource for information on both laser and electrolysis, for finding recommendations on local electrologists, and for clearing up the misinformation about hair removal that is oh so common.

Yeah I can also say that James Walker is really good at what he does. The best thing that I like about going to him for electrolysis is you can watch movies and tv while he works so you can relax and not feel as much pain. The only area that I find hurts the most is right under the nose.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   8 Members, 0 Anonymous, 130 Guests (See full list)

    • Ashley0616
    • Lorelei
    • missyjo
    • Ivy
    • awkward-yet-sweet
    • April Marie
    • MaeBe
    • KathyLauren
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.5k
    • Total Posts
      767.2k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      11,940
    • Most Online
      8,356

    Raelyn
    Newest Member
    Raelyn
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. **Angela Charlotte **
      **Angela Charlotte **
    2. Carlie
      Carlie
      (63 years old)
    3. Cbxshawn
      Cbxshawn
      (49 years old)
    4. HannahO
      HannahO
      (31 years old)
    5. JustKatie
      JustKatie
      (40 years old)
  • Posts

    • missyjo
      I hope this is not stupid question..I have yet to start n not sure if doc will approve..but once you start growing buds n such, can you still wear forms to get to the size you were?   I'm a dad, so when I start blossoms they will be smaller for a long time n probably need surgical augmented..that's fine. I don't want to go ddd to aa to ddd..   any ideas?   thank you
    • missyjo
      April sounds fun..I keep some boy jeans to visit mom in..fir now   hugs
    • Ivy
      I like them too.  We had them growing up.  But my father's family were Swedes.
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Oh my!  I guess it just goes to show how different tastes can be. Since we don't live near the ocean, Seafood is a rare luxury. We absolutely love pickled herring! Especially my husband and my GF, I guess it's a Ferman/Russian cultural thing.  But most of the kids like it too, and a jar wouldn't last in the pantry for long 😆
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      I think the key to that is just not minding eating the same thing repeatedly. Since we produce a lot of our own food here, we end up eating what is in season at the moment. So, when the yellow squash is ripening, we end up fixing squash 20 different ways. When the strawberries are ready, we eat lots of strawberries. It's kind of a different mindset to eat in season when it has become such a part of American culture but the grocery store has everything we want all the time. Like grapes in December.  My family does even things out a little bit by having a greenhouse so we have some fresh things in the winter, but it's not a 100% fix.
    • KathyLauren
      My brothers and I had to eat what was on the plate.  All of it, and nothing else.  Pickiness was not tolerated.  Some of our least favourite were liver and onions, sauerkraut, and especially rollmops (pickled herring).  We finally protested enough to persuade our mother not to serve rollmops, though she kept a jar in the pantry for years afterwards, as a threat if we didn't behave.
    • Carolyn Marie
      I'll go first.  My favorite team is the Yankees.  Loved them since I was a kid.  I was born in NYC so, yeah.  I know everyone loves to hate them, and that's OK.  I just love baseball in general.  It's a game of traditions, strategy, power, grace and skill.   Play Ball!!  ⚾   Carolyn Marie
    • Ashley0616
      I guess you do have a good point. It's just hard to try and not have the same meals over and over again. 
    • Willow
      Hi   I’ll weigh in on being picky about food.  Yes, and I was brought up that way.  We didn’t have to eat everything our parents ate.  They had a number of things they ate that they figured we wouldn’t eat, an acquired taste things or one or the other didn’t like them too.   even as an adult there are many things I won’t eat.  In my defense, there are different things my wife won’t eat.   the weird thing is that after being in E, my tastes have changed.  Sweet, sour, salty or bland, if I eat or drink too much of any one thing and I have to counter act it.   Willow
    • Ashley0616
      I have shared my doses and levels a lot and no one has said anything. Yeah I put alarms on my phone to make sure I don't miss a dose. I tend to forget a lot of stuff on what needs to be done. I have been also using the calendar on my phone a lot. I missed an appointment because I didn't put it in my calendar. 
    • Ashley0616
      Feeling better than I did yesterday
    • MaeBe
      It's official. My doctor wants me retested after the last results (too high). The test, that she scheduled, was likely too close to the dose. She did tell me to keep the increased dose instead of reverting to my old one, probably because my "too high" wasn't that high. I don't know what the forum's stance is on results, knowing full well the rules against sharing dosage, so I'll keep those under wraps until I know if it's OK to share those. Less to say, it was over the range she feels comfortable with by about 50%, but taken a day earlier than the midpoint value she was expecting. Grains of salt everywhere!   Of course I messed everything up too, missing my dose for the first time, yesterday. I had to re-reschedule the lab I setup yesterday to Monday from Saturday after taking my shot this morning to avoid the same issue with the testing. I woke up and thought, "Thursday, what do I have to do for work today? OH -crap-, IT'S THURSDAY! I missed my shot yesterday!"   Anyhoo. Question for the ladies: does anyone else get a mild zen-like high after their shots/doses? My brain feels lighter and I'm happier and I feel a lot more girlie this morning. 💃
    • MaeBe
      I'm into my fourth month of HRT and just titrated up in dosage after my last checkup. This is my life. 🤭   I have yet to grow out of my B cup bras, but I have noticed more fullness, having started with gynecomastia. I am seeing less gapping in bras with my right breast, which has always been smaller than my left. My areolae are slightly pronounced/projected now, that are larger but not vastly greater in circumference, and I have noticed little to no nipple changes beyond their painful sensitivity.
    • Ashley0616
      @Ivy that is a great point! Great post!
    • Ashley0616
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...