Woo Woo! Next stop...smooth face junction!

[Guest ashleynikole]

Wow, I have never been so excited as I am today.

Just got off the table after 4 hours and my upper lip and sides of my mouth are clear!! Yay me!!!

Definitely red and ugly, but not nearly as ugly as all that hair that was there when I woke up this morning. Feels so great to see progress. My electrologist is one that likes to do things evenly across the face so there is no big clean spaces on her clients' faces. However, once I told her I didn't care, I wanted to see progress to keep up the momentum, she started clearing whole spaces. I've only got about 11 hours on the table and have upper lip, sides of mouth and two big clean spots on my chin. I just may get out of this hair in under 100 hours.

EEEEEEE!!!!!!!

[Charlize]

I haven't gone that route yet but it is in the cards. Your story is inspirational. I am a sissy though and hate the idea of pain. A clean face without shaving might get me through the unpleasantness and cost. Mmmmm. Thanks for bringing up an old subject i've been putting to the side for the stated reasons.

Hugs,

Charlize

[Guest kristy1961]

Good for you Ashley!!! Keep on rolling ...

It is funny, I just logged in to post a message for encouragement on the same subject. I am right around that 100 hour mark myself, and just got off the table this morning after another 1.5 hour session. Thinking ... Geez, I don't know how much more I can take :- P

But your post just reminded me of that excitement and jubilation of beginning to see major progress !!! Thank you!!

Kristy

[Guest ashleynikole]

I am a sissy though and hate the idea of pain. A clean face without shaving might get me through the unpleasantness and cost.

I have been using a multi-tiered approach to pain myself. My lady has some special formula mixture she gets that is Benzocaine, Tetracaine and Lidocaine. She uses that on the surface while I used Orajel on the inside of my mouth and then take some pain reliever before my appointment (tylenol, motrin, etc). I got "lucky" one day and was taking Vicodin I had from a knee injury I was suffering from and that really curbed the pain, but I don't recommend that as an ongoing solution...hahaha. It wasn't too bad with the above mentioned plan of attack, though I could still feel the probe when she reached the outer edges of the numbing agent. It's been 4 hours since my appt and my lips are still numb...lol.

I am right around that 100 hour mark myself, and just got off the table this morning after another 1.5 hour session. Thinking ... Geez, I don't know how much more I can take :- P

Right?!?!! I find myself thinking that after 15 minutes of every appointment. After a while I settle down and it works out great. My electrologist is a Christian woman who does many TG people and so we just chat it up for a couple of hours so the time really flies by. She's awesome so that helps too.

[Guest Brenda Hailey]

Ah yes this junction is going to be one of my first stops for sure....I might even pull the emergency stop cord just to make sure we dont pass it.

[VickySGV]

Mama Nature "cleared" some strange shaped areas on my face years ago. Look up Joshua Tree on Wikipedia and you can get a loose idea of what my facial hair has always been like. I have had a couple of short sessions, but have not done the whole job. The little bit of shaving I have to do, I can do in the shower I need after my dilation sessions so I am not really in a hurry for more ouchies. I do consider myself lucky.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_tree

[Guest TGTrish]

The hair on my face is as dense as Mirkwood. I'll be very glad when it's all been up rooted but I don't cherish thinking about all I'll have to go thru before hand.

Trish

[Guest Lizzie McTrucker]

I thought I was done with the lip area and then my electrolysis lady found more hairs that needed to go. Ugh! Hopefully those are the last ones in the area, or they'll tell their friends not to come back!

[Bulldog1948]

Have any of you ever tried the No No thing for getting rid of hair? Just wondered if it reall did work.

[Guest Mickey]

Mike I've seen the NoNo discussed many times and it has always been that the NoNo is a big no no. At least not in this application.

[Guest kristy1961]

I have hated my facial hair from the month after it showed up on my face at the age of 16. Oh yah sure, there was an initial coming of age feeling, but it wasn't a few months before I was trying to get rid of it. For good.

I've never been really hairy ( anywhere ) and really prefer it that way.

That being said, I as I am sure most of the people have tried just about any and OTC and retail offered device for facial hair removal for the obvious reasons of cost and anonymity.

Based on my personal experience, if this is something you need or really want - find a professional. I wasn't able to find anything that worked and wasted a lot of time and money. Including the one you are inquiring about. There are threads already that cover these devices.

I personally started with laser. Which significantly reduced the dark follicles, but left a lot of grey. Joys of being older. The only remedy for those were electrolysis. During the electrolysis treatments, many of the hairs started coming back from the laser, but that was Ok as they were finer and came out easier during electrolysis.

Long story short, if you want it gone the old adage still hold true. No Pain, No gain

[Guest ashleynikole]

I personally started with laser. Which significantly reduced the dark follicles, but left a lot of grey. Joys of being older. The only remedy for those were electrolysis. During the electrolysis treatments, many of the hairs started coming back from the laser, but that was Ok as they were finer and came out easier during electrolysis.

I did this route too and prolly killed off 50-60% of my hairs, but the rest is going with electrolysis. However, my electrologist said it's not uncommon for white hairs to come back black after the first round of electrolysis. She said it has something to do with strong hairs being white and weak hairs being dark. If that's the case, then maybe everything she does will come back black and my free laser for 2 yrs will take them out for good. A girl can dream.

[KathrynJulia]

I've done about a 100 hours of electrolysis, but I'm so blond that laser won't work for me. I'm going to do a couple full clearings after I return from Thailand to finish the job. I will be thrilled when it is all over and that last hair is gone. I've had a really deep seated dysphoria over body and facial hair my whole life. This is without a doubt the worst part of transitioning. Kathy

[Guest LizMarie]

Hair grows in cycles, Ashley. You remove one "wave" of hair and in two months your face will be just as dense as before. You usually need to remove anywhere from 4-7 full cycles of hair to begin seeing significant reduction and after that there is usually a lot of cleanup.

So enjoy the smooth face for a bit. Unless you are very unusual, it won't last as the next "wave" of hair grows in. But getting large blocks done is often better than just an hour at a time. You remove more of a single wave at a time that way.

[Guest otter-girl]

Hi Ashley,

Was wondering what mode of electrolysis you are using. I'm getting the blend method at the moment, a combo of the galvanic and thermo. Less hairs per session but higher kill percentage I am told. Having a lot of white hairs in my mix, laser is out for me pretty much. White hairs do seem tougher than the dark ones.

Hugs

Rachel

[Guest kristy1961]

Liz said ... ""So enjoy the smooth face for a bit. Unless you are very unusual, it won't last as the next "wave" of hair grows in.""

^^^ true - true ^^^^

For you golfers out there, I kind of am equating this with the "perfect golf shot" syndrome for us amateurs. You can play a full 18 and have one decent stroke during the game. But this is enough to make you believe, have hope ... Keeping you coming around for the next round

Giggles - said earlier I needed encouragement to keep going! Nothing wrong with sharing a little self talk, right ?

[Guest LizMarie]

Oh, it is progress, Kristy. Don't get me wrong on that. I personally enjoy 10-14 days of smooth face usually after a full facial clear at E3000. I've had 3 full clearings and the next is due this Friday. But as this is 8 weeks since the last clearing, I definitely am showing beard shadow even after shaving and there is a lot of hair especially on the lower chin, jawline, and neck still. My lip area, while still clearly bearded, is starting to look thinner now. I figure that by the 5th or 6th session I will be seeing serious reductions show up on more than a 2 week basis after each session.

My electrologist told me she expects me to be 7-9 total sessions, maybe 10. We'll see. I'll just keep going until I am satisfied!

Anyway, not meaning to rain on Ashley's parade, just infuse a bit of reality. Getting started is great! But that road is a lot longer than many may realize.

[Guest ashleynikole]

Hair grows in cycles, Ashley. You remove one "wave" of hair and in two months your face will be just as dense as before. You usually need to remove anywhere from 4-7 full cycles of hair to begin seeing significant reduction and after that there is usually a lot of cleanup.

So enjoy the smooth face for a bit. Unless you are very unusual, it won't last as the next "wave" of hair grows in. But getting large blocks done is often better than just an hour at a time. You remove more of a single wave at a time that way.

Oh yeah, I'm still very aware of the length of time it will take. I don't expect to be off the table until Oct 2015 (about the time Marty McFly makes an appearance). Just keep chugging along, but getting momentum to keep going is nice.

Hi Ashley,

Was wondering what mode of electrolysis you are using. I'm getting the blend method at the moment, a combo of the galvanic and thermo. Less hairs per session but higher kill percentage I am told. Having a lot of white hairs in my mix, laser is out for me pretty much. White hairs do seem tougher than the dark ones.

Hugs

Rachel

Honestly I'd have to ask her to find out exactly which one she is using I think it's galvanic because she can clear out more faster. She does about 300-500 hairs an hour. I've done all 3 at some point, but only 1 of them works best with me so we go with it.

[Guest Markietoo]

I started electrolysis in November, 2013 and have been living full time since December. I wore a full beard for decades as a way to hide behind and hated every minute of it. Weekly one hour sessions work best for our budget, $70 per hr., and for my head too. Some days are easier than others but all of them just plain hurt. I was lucky to find that my health care plan covered EMLA cream so I do use that before I go to cover the area I want her to work on that session. I find that it does help, at least for the first 30 minutes or so then just fades quickly away like I used nothing at all. It appears that as she works on that area the body reacts to the "injury" happening there and increases the blood flow, carrying away the medication and it's benefits. Leaving the cream on longer before going in hasn't seemed to have the pain reduction change much. Put in on 1 1/2 hrs. before and cover it with plastic taped down on the edges as directed. She takes the plastic off and wipes the area down with alcohol before she begins. Better than not using it so I'll continue. Removing the dark hairs makes my facial hairs much less visible and we've been focusing on those first and working on all the grey ones, the majority by far, around them. Her best estimate is at least another 100+ hours. Sometimes I feel like it will never end and it can get somewhat depressing if you focus too much on the time and pain it will take to get that dang hair off my face. However, like many others have written, it's the price we have to pay to get our faces the soft touch we all long to have. Kristi, my electrolysis lady is a charming, wonderful woman and we've developed a good friendship together. She's even helping me with styling my hair! On her own time without any money from me. I do look forward to visiting with her and just try to think about how it will all turn out if I just keep going in every week, pain or no pain. I've always thought that women were tougher than man anyways so I need to pull up my big girl panties and go forward! The reward at the end will be worth it.

Markie

[Guest ashleynikole]

I just looked into the E3000 in Dallas and I have to say it is very tempting. Being that I work for myself and as long as I have internet can work anywhere, makes it that much easier to be convinced. I like the idea of not having to be scruffy all week. Right now I'm doing Tue and Fri for 2 hrs each and it's hard to let the hair grow out that long each week, especially since it doesn't grow fast.

I've seen others discuss it here so I'll have to do a little more research.

[Guest LizMarie]

I just completed my fourth full facial clearing at E3000 on Friday, May 29th. I'll be updating my E3000 thread in the hair removal forum eventually. I really love the folks at E3000 but they did just move from Carrollton to Lewisville, about 15 minutes or so from the old location.

[Cyndee]

Hair grows in cycles, Ashley. You remove one "wave" of hair and in two months your face will be just as dense as before. You usually need to remove anywhere from 4-7 full cycles of hair to begin seeing significant reduction and after that there is usually a lot of cleanup.

So enjoy the smooth face for a bit. Unless you are very unusual, it won't last as the next "wave" of hair grows in. But getting large blocks done is often better than just an hour at a time. You remove more of a single wave at a time that way.

I just went through another upper lip clearing yesterday afternoon, she has worked that area several times over for me, what grew back in the most recent growth cycle, was very fine, almost like peach fuzz yet still visable, so it had to go, very different type of hairs from when I first started. I have about 200 hours total now in the chair and about 2 and half years of this, it's a long long road for me to total eradication. Waves and waves of growth cycles have been attacked. It continues 2 hours per week, that's about all the fun I can stand. My "grow out" days are barely visable now, a small dab of foundation takes care of hiding what's left on those days.

Enjoy the smoothness Ashley.

Cyndi -