Electrolysis Soon

[LaurenA]

Thanks @Audrey.  The place I talked about is a 2 hour drive so a consultation isn't out of line.  My family always joked I was part native american because of my lack of facial hair.  It's only in the last 10 years or so that I started growing chest hair.  I know a CIS woman with more than I have.

[Dana Michelle]

On 12/18/2020 at 12:45 PM, Bri2020 said:

 It sometimes sucks being a redhead.  Our hair shafts are the thickest of all the hair colors and we process pain differently (and resistant to pain numbing/anesthesia ). Combined it can be tough on hair removal some days.  

Also, laser doesn't work well enough on red hair, which means it is unlikely laser can reduce the hours of electrolysis needed, making red hair a quadruple whammy.

[JoniSteph]

I had an conversation with my electrologist during my recent appointment on Monday that told me I need a new one.

 

She was telling me that with my facial hair / beard being so dense and the hair is so thick

1 -  that I was not a good candidate for Electrolysis since hair is white

2 - that since I am not dark skinned as in African American by her meaning and I take to mean complexion.

3 - that I would be a good candidate to get laser done first to get rid of all the dark hair.

My facial hair is snow white but I can only see the odd dark hair follicle (I am 71 after all). 

 

She went on to explain as well that electrolysis is not permanent hair removal, she has not had success in the 3 years she has been practicing. Hmmm

 

I had prepared for my appointment by using an EMLA cream (over the counter) on the area to be treated and had it covered with with saran wrap when I went in. She removed the wrap and proceeded to start her work. When done she showed me her accomplishment. She did outside the treated area. I told her such. All she said was "Oh".

 

Too many red flags here for my liking so time to find a new Electrolysis.

A word of advice - Do your homework. - Get recommendations from others if you can. - Ask questions of the Operator.

 

Seasons Greetings to All 

Big Canadian Hug all around

 

JoniSteph

[Audrey]

@JoniSteph Just, wow. I'm so sorry to hear this. I'm really puzzled by the comments your electrologist was making. Especially the ones about white hair and that it's not permanent. Those seem more true of laser and not electrolysis. I'm getting a sense that she didn't want to work with you but couldn't outright say it that way, because it's like she was talking herself out of a job. Transphobic, perhaps? Not sure.

 

I hope you find another electrologist soon. I'll be cheering for you! I feel blessed to have discovered mine. As soon as I found out that they have many trans women clients, and the affirming atmosphere during my initial appointment - I knew it was the right place. Just a little worried that the area she treated a week and a half ago still looks a little more red than I'd like. Not sure if that's normal or if i should be concerned?

 

Love,

~Audrey.

[JoniSteph]

@Audrey  I had been to her before - she does my eyebrows and did electrolysis once before Covid had landed. She had a much different attitude then, than she did on Monday. I was truly shocked from the things that she was saying for sure.

I don't know what has happened if she does not want to work with me or not. She eve recommended another shop that does laser and electrolysis as well. Haha. I even asked if she was trying to lose a customer.

 

She definitely has lost one for sure.

 

Big Canadian Hug

JoniSteph

 

[KathyLauren]

Yikes, @JoniSteph, that is definitely weird.  Time to find another one for sure.  I guess Moncton is big enough to have more than one?  I hope so.

 

I am lucky that the one-and-only electrologist here is good.

[JoniSteph]

Don't mean to hijack your thread @Robin.C as the point I was trying to make, was for anyone looking to do any form of hair removal is to do your research on the shop and the operator themselves.

 

And, @KathyLaurenyes I am lucky to have many shops claiming to do electrolysis, however, some will not work on men let alone TG people as I have found out. The search goes on.

 

Seasons Greetings to All

 

Big Canadian Hug

JoniSteph

[Robin.C]

@JoniSteph
you don't need to worry. I'm hlad people are sharing experiences and tips. I'm wondering what has happened to mine. No contact for a couple of months. Not sure what to think.

I've been looking at options interstate (Sydney) and going for a whole day appointment, means saving up a heap of monies but might be a better option once COVID is better controlled.

Merry Christmas and/or Holidays depending on your flavour. Happy Festivus for the Rest of Us !?

Hugs

Robin

[Ann W]

That's a bummer @Robin.C.  The most promising electrolygist around here seems to have disappeared.  She was the only one doing galvanic.  The other two are ok, but they're shut down by the state for now.  I hope you can continue soon without too much hassle.

 

I wonder if they're going to get hit when they reopen with a flood of trans ladies who discovered themselves during the shut downs.  ?

[Audrey]

5 hours ago, Ann W said:

I wonder if they're going to get hit when they reopen with a flood of trans ladies who discovered themselves during the shut downs.  ?

This made me smile! I know I fully embraced myself during the pandemic even though I knew for years before that.

 

Sorry to hear about the continued frustrations getting started Ann. Galvanic is quite hard to find. Almost everyone seems to favor thermolysis or blend here in NYC. At my next appointment, I'm going to pick my electrologist's brain a bit more about the differences and her experience working with other trans women on their facial hair. Will share what I learn!

 

Love,

~Audrey.

[Audrey]

So I had an electrolysis (thermolysis) session about a week and a half ago now. For some reason, this time the healing has been much much slower. The redness and scabbing are still quite apparent, and I'm quite worried about long-term scarring actually and have resisted scratching and picking as much as I can. But it is worrisome. My electrologist did mention she made an adjustment to her technique and perhaps my skin and hair reacting to that. I have another session next Monday but I'm tempted to push it back a wee or two if I haven't healed from the last one.

 

Also - when i asked about the differences in approaches, my electrologist said that galvanic more rarely practiced in her experience, and when she was training, thermolysis was favored over galvanic. She also shared terms of the results for what I'm seeking with removing my facial hair, she feels that thermolysis works just as well.

 

Love,

~Audrey.

[Jackie C.]

2 hours ago, Audrey said:

Also - when i asked about the differences in approaches, my electrologist said that galvanic more rarely practiced in her experience, and when she was training, thermolysis was favored over galvanic. She also shared terms of the results for what I'm seeking with removing my facial hair, she feels that thermolysis works just as well.

 

Definitely talk to her about it. The two techniques might be equivalent in general, but you clearly aren't tolerating the new treatment very well. We're all different after all. Different skin types need to be romanced differently for best results.

 

Or at least a supplemental cream or something. Yikes!

 

Hugs!

[Robin.C]

From the little reading and watching Thermolysis is easier for less experienced operators to get right and faster, which is why it probably favoured during training.

The level of current does affect the reddness and scabbing, although everyone is different, lots of scabbing is a worry (cuurent too high, too much done in one area at at time ?).

 

My news my electrolygist has surfaced and made contact. Yippee.

Sadly my car broke down after New Years, so until that's fixed i can't get down to her part of the city.

Hopefully i will be mobile next week and we can start scheduling again.

 

It's been quite freaky to see hairs growing in the area she treated. Completely normal but still freaky ?

 

Stay safe everyone.

 

Oh nearly forgot I've got some Numbit cream to help with the ouchies, so I'm looking forward to that. And will report its effectiveness.  On the lack of ouchies not the ouchies ?

 

Sorry I've been quiet on here, I'm back at work and it's ramping up after the Christmas break.

 

Hugs

Robin

[Bri2020]

My person uses a "blend". The newer/more expensive machines can do that apparently.  I've never had a scab form.  I can feel the area is "bumpy" and a bit inflamed but never a "burn" or scab.  This was the worst it ever got and this was 90 minutes of work just on the upper lip. pic 1 is right after session, pic 2 is next day.  usually in a couple days I can't notice it unless there is a really cold wind blowing and it is a bit more sensitive to the wind chill.

[Audrey]

Thanks everyone for commenting - @Bri2020 seeing your pictures is leading me to believe that my electrologist is doing it completely wrong. Nine days after the session on Jan. 18, your skin looks dramatically different from mine if that's the "worst" it ever was. Mine is so red and has several scabs that are slow to heal, and I have no underlying reason that I should be slow to heal especially since the first sessions didn't go like this. I'm including a pic of the affected area. Above was treated about 3-4 weeks ago, below is untreated and about 24 hours from my last shave. I try to soothe areas the electrologist treats afterwards with witch hazel, aloe vera, and calamine per the electrologist's suggestion. I will be calling them tomorrow and possibly reconsidering my entire hair removal approach before it's too late.

 

Love,

~Audrey.

 

[Jani]

@Audrey You might ask if they have changed the setting on the machine.  Too strong and it can cause excessive redness and scaring.  Also do they used (IFRC) "shielded" needles?  They are coated except at the end where the current comes out, hence not damaging outer layers of skin.  

[Audrey]

Hi everyone, an update... I spoke with my electrologist a bit ago, she called me on her day off (!) after I expressed concern about the healing from my last session. She mentioned that she has to use gold instruments on my face, because I have a contact allergy to nickel. Gold is a better conductor of heat, and so the impact on my skin is greater as a result. She also said she had to increase the settings during the last session to get better release on the hair follicles she worked on, since she wasn't getting a good release. I postponed my next appointment for two weeks to allow for more healing. I'm happy they were so responsive to my worries and hopeful that the next treatment won't be as bad.

 

Love,

~Audrey.

[Jackie C.]

I like that she's so responsive and aware of the problem for your future visits. May they bring you less (preferably no) dermal distress.

 

Hugs!

[Jani]

Excellent news.  I sensed it had to do with the type of needle and heat level.  My electrologist and I have talked about this over the years as she worked to find the best product and settings for my skin and hair.

 

I hope your next treatment goes well.  

Jani

[Guest]

I’ve had redness and swelling on my upper lip and chin lasting for a few days from my thermolysis treatments. My lady turned up the machine to 6 last time and I could hear and feel the “zap”. Ouch. 
 

I hope your future treatments are more bearable. I know that after 5 hours of treatment the results are noticeable.

 

Good luck ?

[Heather Shay]

@Audrey sounds like a very caring Electrologist - I'm happy for you. My Electrologist is about the only one in a town of - don't like the term but you get the idea - rednecks - and she has been so supportive of me and luckily my face has reacted well to treatments. 

[Bri2020]

Yea, that level of skin damage doesn't look right.  I'm glad she is going to try something new.  Also, I like to use a hydrocortisone cream for a few days to reduce inflammation but you have more than just that, those look more like skin damage from the heat.  Keep us posted.  I'm about to reduce the frequency of my treatments to let insurance catch up. If I'm patient then I just have to pay $15 copay but they only authorize 5 hours at a time then I have to wait weeks for another re-authorization. I've been paying out of pocket for those visits and the DC area is very expensive.  I'm up to about 50 hours of treatments and pleased with the progress. Shaving is SO much easier now.

[Audrey]

Thank you everyone for your comments and support! I'm blessed that my electrologist is so involved. It's so important to have providers supportive of us and affirming of our goals. Today, the redness is a little better than yesterday, and my skin absolutely loves the calamine lotion, which is helping reduce the itchiness too. I did expose the irritated area to the cold wind more than I should have this morning so I should be more mindful. Next electrolysis session will be on Feb. 15 if my healing progresses better from here. I would hate to abandon electrolysis for laser, as I feel laser won't do the job with too many greys and whites in my facial hair.

 

Love,

~Audrey.

[KatieP]

I have been to the large volume folks near Chicago 5 times now. The first time, which was 33 hours of work on my face in 2 days, my face had some spots like your picture, Audrey. I sent them pictures and emails about it. The second time, and for all the others, there was no blistering or oozing at all. Still lots of swelling the second time, since it was after all something like 27 hours of work on my face. But no oozing. I went to work, in front of customers, the day after my 3rd session, and it was no issue at all. I am going back for my 6 session in Feb.

 

The reason I chose large volume was that being full time already I was unable to let the hairs grow for enough days for the technician to be happy with the length. Almost, I would have to let it grow for 3 days before seeing the electrologist, which mean essentially, every week I was "down" for 3 days. (Yes, I did everything backwards and should have done the electrolysis 30 years ago!) With large volume, I let it grow 1 week before, and it is long enough for them to work. The only issue is traveling TO Chicago the day before with lots of hair. Oh well. One bad day...

 

How do the rest of you deal with having to grow out the hair? Or were you just smarter than me, and you are working this out before going full time?

 

Katie

[Jani]

@KatieP If I could have come up with a good reason 20-30 years ago I would have done it.  

 

I just carefully planned my week so my down days (I called them In-Days) didn't interfere too much with life.   Ha! Yeah right.