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!

Facial hair removal 101: Where do I begin...


Guest Jamie61

Recommended Posts

Guest Jamie61

A little background. I've never had a heavy beard. Mostly brown/ blonde, now gray and blonde with some dark hairs mixed in mostly around my chin and my upper lip. Since starting HRT my facial hair has slowed down remarkable, here it is 5pm and as I access my skin from this mornings shave I can barely feel any stubble. Feeling mostly smooth on my cheeks. 5 weeks ago that would have been visible noticeable through foundation as well felling very stubbly to the touch, especial around my chin and lip.

So I ask those of you who have experience with treating facial hair:

So how should I proceed, laser first, then electrolysis?

Do you have to be able to grow your hair out to be treated? Is it the same amount of growth required for laser as for electrolysis?

I'm concerned about starting to present part time each weekends, then eventually FT, if I need to be able to produce some facial hair growth for treatment.

Thanks!

Jamie's

Link to comment
Guest LesleyAnne

Sorry Jamie61.....electrolysis is the only thing that will work on gray/blonde hairs. IPL (Intense Pulsed Light), and Laser work on dark hairs by super heating the shaft down into the follicle which destroys those hair regenerating cells. Unfortunately Laser, and IPL won't get the grey, or blonde or even red hairs hot enough down to the root to destroy those cells, since . They just won't absorb the heat well enough to zap em for good. I bought a home IPL system and it works great on dark hairs, but my good ole lady grey ones just laugh, and continue to grow till I shave em or pluck em.

The reason electrolysis works is a very thin needle is inserted parallel to the hair shaft down into the follicle, and is zapped for a few seconds getting it to boil which then kills the cells that produce the hair.

None of it is fun!

Link to comment
  • Admin

I agree with Lesley Anne. Unless your gray hairs are pretty dark, and it makes up most of what's there, you'll have to get electrolysis to see much effect. Mine was mostly dark grey with some white hair, and while I got good results from laser, I still have to shave every day to rid myself of the white or light gray hair. But I have no shadow, and even after 24 hours I can only tell by touch what's there.

Carolyn Marie

Link to comment
Guest AllisonRae

Hi Jamie61, First I think you are doing things smarter than I did. I started laser 2 months prior to me starting HRT. I have a mix of dark and gray hair in my beard. Beth, my laser technician explained to me that it's hit and miss with gray hair since often the color of the hair folical is darker. Also she said having a lighter complexion with darker beard is the best for laser hair removal. That is basically me so laser is working very well for me. I also was instructed to try to avoid getting my face tan since it reduces the effectiveness of laser. The treatments go pretty quick too. Stings a lot and you feel sunburned afterwards. Hope this helps you with some of your curiosities.

Hugs

Allison

Link to comment
Guest April63

My facial hair is a mix of brown and blonde hair. I've had five sessions of laser so far, and most of the brown hairs are gone. The blonde hairs seem to have thinned out a little bit as well. I'm going to need to switch to electrolysis if I want to completely remove my beard. I could probably live with shaving the blonde hairs, as they're not that noticeable, but I think I'm going to nuke them.

As far as the growing out goes, you need to have some hair growth for electrolysis. Sessions are generally once to twice a week, so you'll probably have some growth almost always. With laser, sessions are about every six weeks. Some clinics prefer you to be cleanly shaven, but others like a small amount of growth.

Also, you can always go in for a consultation at a laser clinic to hear a professional's opinion on your hair.

April

Link to comment
  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks everyone! I had my first consult for laser and I am going to start a course of the pulse laser treatment knowing that only my dark hair will be hopefully removed. This clinic said I need to be clean shaven. I have been reading about a few places that specialize in doing electrolysis for transwomen. I understand you Need to have the hair removed on parts below before you can have surgery. Oh my!

jamie

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Jamie61

Hello everyone,

I'm going to try laser first. I let my facial hair grow out, that took 3 days. What I saw was about 1/3 dark hairs. The rest are blonde or gray. My skin is light so the 'technician' think that most of the dark hair will respond. I think that may be worth it. Any thoughts? Would anyone else try laser under those conditions?

Thanks!

Link to comment

no the price is to much and u keep paying I think and do is pluck them out this after time removes them forever look at a lady eyes brows it works with time and save your money

Link to comment
  • 1 month later...
Guest Jamie61

Tomorrow is my 2nd laser treatment! The first one had a definite impact, but as expected only on the dark hair. Still very much worth it in my opinion. I found a very reputable group practice of plastic surgeons. The person doing the treatments is actually an RN who trained on the use of the laser technology. I got a series of 6 treatments for $850, face and neck only. It was pretty intense as it was my first experience. I noticed that the need to conceal a shadow has already greatly diminished. Time will tell. I intent on starting electrolysis in January for the light hair on my chin and upper lip and perhaps full face. A lot of the light hair growth has slowed for hormones. Anyway just wanted to share that update.

Thanks,

Jamie

Link to comment

Hi Jamie,

I have my third session on Saturday and the last one I asked for all the area beneath my jawline to be done and like you said it was a little intense with the increased area treated. I am noticing a shadow fade more so in the back and I am liking it.

She wants to see how my shadow responds to it before moving to the more noticeable areas. Somehow I don't think I will be escaping the discomfort of electrolysis .

Hugs Cerise

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Jamie61

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I had my first taste of electrolysis. I grew my 'beard' out, minus dark hairs ( thank you laser!) and had a first meeting, evaluation and treatment from an electrologist. It all went very well and she gave a treatment, clearing hair along a sideburn. Then she gave me a little tour of a few areas on my face (lip, neck and jaw line). Oh boy!

Low point, growing your facial hair out for treatment. High point, very exciting to feel the result on the treated area!!

Hugs!

Jamie

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

I am going to an electrologist/laser hair removal specialist tomorrow! I hope my hairs are dark enough for laser. That seems to be the fastest way to get rid of the hairs. Most of them seem dark, but how dark they need to be is the question I have. Guess I'll find out tomorrow!

Link to comment
  • 4 weeks later...
Guest Jamie61

My laser treatments are going well. 3 of 6 treatments complete. The dark hair is really waning now. I'm guessing it may not hurt as much going forward, however the nurse who is giving me the treatment says that usually it is reported that the treatment continues to feel about the same. I have a second appt. with an electrologist to really get the ball rolling on the light hair. This takes a few years from what I understand. I hope it doesn't take quite that long. A year would be allot better... Just sayin.

Good luck on your own hair removal, kinda wish I had started this sooner...

Jamie

Link to comment

Jamie,

Thanks for that update. I was just reading this thread yesterday and wondered how things are going. Trying to wrap my head around hair removal, hormones, all the coming steps is very difficult and very overwhelming. It is nice to see your experiences and to read your input on it all. It really helps. Thanks!

Did you hear why they said it could take a couple years for electrolysis? I am worried because my facial hair is very salt and pepper, and one trans-woman I met at a social in Austin (who had very light hair herself) said that I was in for the electrolysis route.

Also, and if I am getting too personal please just ignore this question, are your 6 total laser sessions just for the facial hair? Or does that include sessions for other hair as well?

Sorry for all the questions. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and knowledge here!

Alyssa

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator
Did you hear why they said it could take a couple years for electrolysis?

Multiple growth cycles occur, it's like working through layers and layers of hair follicles as they grow at different times. Years are sometimes required to clear them all out. Even the E 3000 method (extreme electrolysis) takes several months to provide complete clearing.

Last night I went to another session of electrolysis. I am just about done with this at 4 years ! My situation was probably close to worse case, very dense growth, large areas of growth (across front of neck), many white hairs. The road to smoothness is a long one, very expensive and painful.

Best of luck to you all.

C -

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Jamie61

Greetings!

Congratulations Cyndi!!! I can't imagine what it must feel like to complete this process.

My update is that I have now have had four of six laser treatments and two treatments of electrolysis.

Laser treatment of dark hair: Most of my face seems very clear of dark hair except my upper lip and two spots, one left and one right, under the jaw line. I did feel a response to the laser pulses across my face, however the only intense area is the upper lip. That pattern is a reduction with each treatment. If any dark hairs remain on my upper lip after the 6th treatment, I will pay to have a few additional laser 'spot' treatments on my upper lip. Having now had a few electrolysis treatments under my belt, I can say with certainty that you want as little hair on your upper lip as possible.

Regarding my experience with electrolysis. I decided to try a 2nd electrolysis method with a different person. This method was called manual thermo-something and seemed to be a little more intense. But also possibly more effective. I noticed that the treatment of each hair seem to feel about the same intensity. ( versus the other treatment type, not sure of the name, in which some hairs felt almost nothing, while others felt a hot needle)

Each individual treatment seem to take me to the same 'edge' of what I wanted to endure over and over again. Also each hair seem to pull out with the tweezer without resistance. The 'electrolystician' ( is that a word?) would treat the same hair a 2nd time if it showed resistance. I asked her if these hair would then be growing back as finer hairs, which is the process she explained initially. She told me that when a hair comes out easily, there is a chance that we've "damaged" the hair enough that it may be history! She told me that my hair was coming out very easily! This meant that the hairs were moist and transferred the heat well, doing the most damage.

She seemed to work very steadily and quickly, which increased the cumulative affect of the discomfort in an area. So a few times I asked her to try a new spot which she wanted to do anyway to give me an idea of how the different areas would feel. She told me that my ability to handle the discomfort should get better with practice.

I decided to go this route and I booked a second appointment for only 15 minutes to start.... baby steps. My understanding is probably two years to complete, and noticeable results after a year. I think that depends on how much hair you have, your thereshold etc... My beard was not intense so two years is probably a moderate average I think. I am lucky in this regard.

An hour cost $75, once/if I can tolerate that long, which may take months. So I estimate going for 45 minutes, 4 times a month, $250/mo. 24 months would be approx $6000.00. Which from what I understand is not bad from a cost perspective.

Growing hair out 104 times is going to bother me, but my friend Nichole gave me makeup tips ( I'll share after I try these).

Hugs to my sisters!

Jamie

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

Jamie, it does get better. I've got about 20 hours in with electrolysis and I am seeing good progress. I didn't bother with laser. To reduce the "long" time it takes, it does help to extend the treatment times. I started with 1 hour sessions and just started to do an hour and half. I grow out my beard over two days in which I stay inside. I resolved to get the most benefit from having to grow my facial hair, which I hate. It's dead time but worth the effort for me. I had a salt & pepper mix with more white than dark. My upper lip, lower lip and chin is 90% done now with some progress on my cheeks. The upper lip is definitely the most painful area.

There are three different life cycles of hair growth. It comes out easier when it's in its Anlagen cycle (active phase) and hardest when it's in it's Telogen cycle (resting phase). For me, pulling out the Telogen hairs seems as painful as the actual electrical pulse to kill it.

Jani

Link to comment
Guest Jamie61

Thanks Jani!

I'm think I need to get tougher. It just seems to have a cumulative effect after awhile to where I can't stand it.

Thanks for the encouragement!

Jamie

Link to comment

I closed my eyes and imagined being nipped by a horde of puppies. It still hurt, but puppies.... :)

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

Yeah I am looking into electrolysis treatment for my face ASAP, from everything ive read it's one of the most important step for transitioning. My beard comes in dark brown, would laser be chaper/easier for me in the long run?

Link to comment

Laser is much quicker than electrolysis (from what I understand it goes after multiple hairs where electrolysis is one hair at a time. The problem is any light hairs might be missed. I am going through the laser first and then hitting the left overs with electrolysis.

--

Link to comment
Guest Alicia Rose

I've touched this topic a little before. Just the other day I had my fourth Laser Hair Removal session. The place I'm going to is charging me $100 for my cheeks/chin/lips/neck, which is half their regular price. Being a new member there and making me wait during my first visit months ago is the reason why they're giving me 50% off (Paid $400 and saved $400 thus far). I personally plan on sticking with Laser while I'm able to save money.

I have an appointment (a 30 min consultation) with an Electrolysis place on Thursday, but can't shave until then which will bother me. Although, my hairs aren't that bad anymore I become extremely depressed if I stop shaving... so I feel I may end up skipping them for my own sanity... I'd prefer to start HRT and mess with Electrolysis later.

If anyone knows.. does HRT affect hair growth as in.. will hairs grow back quicker or anything because of the hormone change? I haven't started HRT yet and too scared to ask. Or does it still help to get Laser done before HRT?

Link to comment

I just started HRT, getting up to my one month anniversary! I've noticed my facial hair being lighter than before but it may be a by product of the laser instead or in partner with the HRT. Sometimes the laser damages rather than destroys the hair follicle depending on the hair's growth cycle. Keep in mind, 1/3 of you're hair follicles are inactive or at such a late stage that neither electrolysis or laser will work.

PS: I did shave yesterday and noticed my leg hairs were definitely seemed lighter and not as thick.

Link to comment

So after some checking around I found a place called 'Ideal Image' in CT where I could go for laser treatment, went for a consultation...I did not realize how much money this can cost! They are having a 50% off sale for valantines day, it came out to around $4,500 for my face and neck, I do not have the means to afford that right now :unsure: and that's at half off! and from what I've seen after looking into it more that is a good price...

Now I feel like I'm stuck, my plan was originally to get this horrible beard gotten rid of before moving on to HRT, I don't know if I have the fortitude to go through transition with my facial hair still being a constant issue :(

Anyone know of a better way? I have the dark, thick hair that's good for laser, but extremely hard to hide with shaving and foundation...

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   7 Members, 0 Anonymous, 90 Guests (See full list)

    • VickySGV
    • MaeBe
    • Betty K
    • Ivy
    • Ali_Genderlfuid
    • April Marie
    • Birdie
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.8k
    • Total Posts
      769.5k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      12,071
    • Most Online
      8,356

    Ran91
    Newest Member
    Ran91
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. Caridad
      Caridad
    2. Certbunnie
      Certbunnie
      (25 years old)
    3. EstherElle
      EstherElle
      (43 years old)
    4. Juliet
      Juliet
      (43 years old)
    5. MelissaAndProudOfIt
      MelissaAndProudOfIt
      (59 years old)
  • Posts

    • MaeBe
      Three treatments down and my skin is no worse for wear.
    • Vidanjali
      @FelixThePickleMan your post reveals a lot of insight, but also mixed with denial. Your desire to strengthen your relationship with your mother is admirable, but it cannot be the sole motivating factor to your giving up an addictive behavior. However, your love for your mother and desire for her love will help strengthen your resolve. But that resolve needs to come from your own will. You say you smoke because you have nothing else to do and you believe you are a better person when you're high. You must come to understand that the creative and charismatic energy that drugs seem to unleash is potentially in you at all times. Make it your project to figure out how to tap into that and channel it without using drugs. Make that your thing to do. It's a challenging and exciting thing to do.    I started smoking cigarettes at age 15. In my late teens, a good friend observed that smoking was the only time she ever saw me calm. That was profound for me. It took a few more years, but eventually I had the epiphany in which I saw my life as nothing but a string of tedium in between each cigarette. It seemed so pathetic to me and that motivated me to give up smoking and learn to live life differently. My story of addiction is much longer and more entailed, but I will focus only on smoking here as it is relevant.    And as I reflect on it, I also should comment on your belief that you have to stop liking the habit before you can quit. That is not a necessary condition for one to quit. In fact, if that were so, hardly anyone would ever quit any bad habit. More accurately, you come to dislike the person you have become while in the grip of the bad, addictive habit. Not in a self-loathing kind of way, as that will not motivate you, but rather depress you. In other words, you come to a place where you are able to take a subjective view of yourself and your life and decide that you want something else, something better. And sometimes that only happens when you hit the lowest point in your life and there's nowhere to go but up. Don't let yourself get even close to that state, if you can help it - and you can help it.   Weed seems to imbue all your activity with a kind of a magical quality. This makes the world, your activities, and yourself much better with weed. But all that is an illusion. Your proof is that it's artificially invoked, only temporary, and destructive to your relationship with your mother. If I may be so bold, frankly, it is a cop out. You have the potential in you to see your life, the world, and yourself as beautiful, captivating, and wonderous without altering your mind. In fact, it is in clearing your mind that you are able to glimpse this. You want something productive to do? Develop a workout routine. Take up meditating. Learn mindfulness techniques which you can practice throughout the day. The magic is in quieting the mind and being present. There is no instant intensity like you get with weed. But you gain power within yourself, and you are the very source. Become addicted to that - that is a good addiction and you will progressively see your life and relationships in a new and brighter light.    
    • EasyE
      I had a pretty serious porn addiction for awhile (thankfully broken about 12 years ago), and so my wife sees my "trans-ness" tied into that ... to her, it is all one ugly thread of sexual sin and dysfunction... sometimes, I do struggle with it, too. Is this just another branch of a sexual addiction thing? Am I looking for a substitute for the porn?   When I sift through everything it seems much deeper than that. And if anything, the HRT has lowered/changed my libido and it hasn't lowered my desire to move in a more feminine direction with dress, etc. It can be confusing, especially when you are in a very religious/moralistic environment...   To get back to the main topic, the fear of change and the unknown is huge. And like others have said, folks on the fringe of just about any cause tend to be what gets played up in the media and what folks see the most. Not many people see good ol' regular transgender people who are just trying to live their lives, hold down jobs, take care of their families, etc.  
    • Mmindy
      Welcome to Transgender Pulse Forums @Kait   Best wishes, stay positive and motivated.   Mindy🌈🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋
    • Mmindy
      Good morning everyone,    Coffee and Birds all in one meme.   Hugs,   Mindy🌈🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋
    • Kait
      Isn't it illegal to be examining people's genitals without their consent?    Could've sworn that was some sort of law already.
    • Ladypcnj
      Hi Vidanjali, both of my parents had pasted on in their lifetimes.
    • Charlize
      Oddly i often feel i pass but then bump into someone who reads my past attempts at maleness.    Last week at the market a man spoke me as i went back to my car.  I heard "You are beautiful"!  Odd!!!!!  Then he said something about marriage and i started to get worried.  Turned out he is married to a trans woman.  He was sweet and probably is tuned to trans folks but it was a bit disquieting.     Hugs,   Charlize
    • April Marie
      I decided to power wash our back porch and the porch furniture so the uniform of the day is a skort, t-shirt over a sports bra and flip flops with my hair pulled back into a ponytail.
    • Mirrabooka
      It's been touched on in another thread, the perception that the folks who scream loudest in favor of free speech are also the loudest in wanting to stifle the freedom of people not like themselves.
    • Mirrabooka
      I wonder if the LGBTQI+ umbrella should be split? Create separate entities for LGB and TQI+ folk?    I have no doubt that some cis het people probably think that sexuality and gender identity are the same thing, for whatever the reason, not necessarily willful ignorance. It would be natural for such people to observe that both LGB and T folk are under the same umbrella, so they must be the same, right?   Just as (and I know I'm making some pretty big assumptions in this post) some cis gay folk would think that the LBGTQI+ umbrella is pie - give trans people a slice, and somehow, they will miss out. Just like cis het folk might also think that their lives are somehow being diminished by allowing trans people to have basic human rights.
    • Heather Shay
    • Heather Shay
      Some anxiety is building up inside.
    • Heather Shay
      Suppressing your emotions because you’re afraid of them can be bad for your physical and mental health. Here’s what to do instead. When a toddler feels a “big” emotion, like anger or sadness, they tend to have a big tantrum on the floor. And these tantrums can be a lot to observe, full of thrashing, screaming, and tears. But a child reacts like this because the emotion they’re feeling is uncomfortable, maybe even painful.   Of course, as adults, we feel emotions too, and those feelings can be just as overwhelming, uncomfortable, or even painful as they were when we were children, even if we don’t let ourselves react in such a big way. But, sometimes, in our attempts to not give in to our emotions, we go too far: we run from them or suppress them — even if that harms us in the long run. Although there are many reasons we might suppress our emotions, one of them is that we are afraid of our emotions. Fear of emotions is called “animotophobia. It is not an official term in the DSM-5-TR. Still, fearing your emotions can have a significant impact on your well-being.      
    • Heather Shay
  • 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...