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!

Laser hair removal range?


Kestrel McLoughlin

Recommended Posts

Hi all, I'm hoping to get a sense of scope, because I don't know what's normal: I'm consulting about laser hair removal.

 

Someone who does laser and electolysis on trans women has very loosely ballparked that she could do laser on the front of my torso and my neck for $800 per treatment. Can I get some perspective on whether this sounds normal or whether it's extremely expensive? It sounded weird since I heard it only takes about a minute to do.

Link to comment

Hi Kestrel, I did a little comparison shopping between laser and electrolysis before I started hair removal. I ultimately decided on electrolysis for my facial hair, which has a lot of greys and whites in it. In my research, I found that few providers of either laser or electrolysis will post their rates on their websites. Instead, they request you make an appointment for a consultation where you'll get a quote. Laser tends to be priced based on the size of the area being treated, which for toros and neck as you describe would be a "large" area. I asked for an estimate for my whole face (also a large area), and was quoted USD $2,000 for six treatments to remove hair and cover several cycles of hair growth. By contrast, electrolysis tends to be priced by length of time rather than the size of the area. Also that's an NYC price, which are always high for everything.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

 

Love,

~Audrey.

Link to comment

I started laser last month on my face, and neck. I'm paying 185 per session. Not sure if that's super expensive or not, but I live in the middle of know where. Because of that. I'm sure the three or four places that do it. Are probably pretty close in to cost. I only chose this place because they listed their prices, and its up the road from my job. I can go in after work. 

Link to comment

I had thought about buying a high end electrolysis machine and doing what I can by myself and have my wife help with the rest. Any advice about this?

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator
1 hour ago, Jamie68 said:

I had thought about buying a high end electrolysis machine and doing what I can by myself

 

The electric acid needle experience? My advice would be to get lessons on how to use the thing. Because ELECTRIC ACID NEEDLES.

 

Your local beauty school should have a hair-removal course. Average time appears to be about two weeks. Be safe.

 

Hugs!

Link to comment

Sounds like a good idea. I will look into that. There is a college town about 40 min. away from me. They should have something there.

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

If you can afford it now I would consider starting early.  Once you start HRT and the changes happen you will want it gone ASAP.  As long as you have the work done by licensed practitioner I think safety will not be an issue.  You are right that electrolysis is the only permanent solution.  Some are lucky with laser and have good long term results but its not a guarantee.

 

  

Link to comment

I had red hair when I was young. Now it's gray and thin. I don't think laser would work for me anyway. I'm early on in my transitioning, so I want to get things done. Since I'm retired I only have so much to spend. I have to be as frugal as possible while still getting the results I desire. It's a juggling act. I own a 121 yr old house that needs more work than it's worth and my wife is not well. Never will be. I have my son, his wife, and 3 kids living with us with very little financial support. With my pension and social security, I do ok, but have to be careful. I want a full body transplant LOL. Should have been born a hundred years later. I'm sure it would be possible then.

Link to comment

I can hardly wait for my breasts to grow more and out me to the rest of my family. Out of the 6 other people living with me, my wife is the only one who isn't homophobic and against anyone different. My granddaughter, youngest in the house,17 may be ok with it seeing that she has a transgender friend. I want to look and dress like the REAL me so bad. One real concern is how family will treat my wife. I can only do little things right now, like wearing women's boy shorts and painting my toenails a beautiful candy apple burgundy. That helps some.

 

I used to listen to Coast to Coast radio with George Noory. A guest said he was in the military in a deep space division that fought aliens. When your body got killed, they just transplanted your soul into a clone and kept on fighting. True? maybe. You know there's a lot of technology that we're never told about. Like invisibility suits they've had for over 20 yrs. 

Link to comment

I’d like to add that Kaiser Permanente, at least in Colorado, covers the cost of hair removal after you’ve been on HRT for 6 months. I’m paying out of pocket for Thermolysis but keeping my receipts in the hope I’ll be reimbursed in 6 months. $90 per hour here. It’s a commitment since you have to stay with it for some time. On the bright side I no longer have a needle phobia!

Link to comment

That's not cheap. I hope you get reimbursed.

 

On a similar subject, has anyone had any success at reversing a bald head? i really don't want to have to wear a wig the rest of my life. I'm trying to let my hair grow out, but the top is pretty sparse.

Link to comment

I have redish brown hair, and I can tell laser has at least worked for me after one treatment. I last shaved some time in the past week, maybe last weekend. Its definitely not as dense, there is a few balder spots, and when I do shave. I'm smoother longer. It probably helps. That I couldn't grow a beard to save my life.

Link to comment
1 hour ago, Erica Gabriel said:

I’d like to add that Kaiser Permanente, at least in Colorado, covers the cost of hair removal after you’ve been on HRT for 6 months. I’m paying out of pocket for Thermolysis but keeping my receipts in the hope I’ll be reimbursed in 6 months. $90 per hour here. It’s a commitment since you have to stay with it for some time. On the bright side I no longer have a needle phobia!

This is wonderful to hear, and I hope you'll successfully get reimbursed. Kaiser seems to be one of the most progressive insurance companies when it comes to transgender healthcare. What I have through my employer is more than happy to deem as many things as possible "cosmetic" so as not to pay for anything. I would also gladly pay that price out of pocket. In NYC, electrolysis averages about double that amount. But then, *everything* is expensive here.

 

I also agree with @Jani, starting hair removal early on in transition is very important, and if you vet your providers carefully, it's quite safe. Electrology is generally a licensed profession so as long as you work with a provider who's licensed to practice in your state, you should be fine. As for laser hair removal, I believe that varies considerably from state to state, so you'll want to check what the requirements are in your state. Also, a good hair removal technician in either modality will be happy to answer any questions you have about the process before getting started, as well as during or after your treatments.

 

Love,

~Audrey.

Link to comment

That's good news about the redish brown hair. Mine actually turned auburn in my late teens, that is only on my head. Everything else stayed orange until it all turned gray. 

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   10 Members, 0 Anonymous, 117 Guests (See full list)

    • Davie
    • Mmindy
    • Jet McCartney
    • Abigail Genevieve
    • MaeBe
    • EasyE
    • Carolyn Marie
    • VickySGV
    • Asher the Enby Goddex
    • April Marie
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.6k
    • Total Posts
      768.2k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      12,022
    • Most Online
      8,356

    Asher the Enby Goddex
    Newest Member
    Asher the Enby Goddex
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. Bebhar
      Bebhar
      (41 years old)
    2. caelensmom
      caelensmom
      (40 years old)
    3. Jani
      Jani
      (70 years old)
    4. Jessicapitts
      Jessicapitts
      (37 years old)
    5. klb046
      klb046
      (30 years old)
  • Posts

    • Davie
      Lama Rod describes himself as a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. He wants to free you from suffering. Lama Rod Owens is seen as an influential voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers. He blends his training in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism with experiences from his life as a Black, queer man, raised as a Christian in the South.   https://apnews.com/article/buddhist-lama-black-lgbtq-wellness-506b1e85687d956eff81f7f4261f5e98  
    • MaeBe
      I would have balked years ago, echoing the parenting of generations before me, exclaiming "Parents know best!" at what I just wrote. It hasn't been that long, but I came to a realization that some of that need for control is unwarranted. Is my child really harming anything by identifying a certain way? Are they being harmed by having others in and around their lives that do? I have been more conversational with my kids when it comes to things and when we run into issues. Like when friends that were toxic, start coming back into the fold, I wanted to make sure that bad behaviors aren't (re)occurring. Or when we notice behaviors that concern us that we have a dialogue. Those chats aren't always nice, clean, or resolved perfectly, but we're communicating. We're learning from each other in those moments, which lead to things being shared that I am sure other parents aren't hearing from their kids and we grow as people because of it.   I will say, it's been easier over the past few years (even before hormones) as this more feminine me finds its way out. I'm a lighter touch, I don't get as entrenched as I once did, and I feel connected a little more emotionally. But, of course, I still make mistakes. As long as we learn from them, right?
    • missyjo
      1. attended Keystone conference a celebration of genders with 700 other lgbt friends. it was wonderful, other lgbt folks, hotel staff n town all welcoming n that felt great.   2. part time job in ladies clothing store, bring missy n helping women dress n relating to them as one    3. folks here   4. creepy guys trying to hit on me..laughs..wrong audience but something must be right   your turn friends
    • missyjo
      orange cotton top n sashed jeans..wedges off now..torrid undies in light blue bra n lace panties   I'm trying minimum makeup..shrugs..well see hugs if you want them
    • Abigail Genevieve
      It was hot that August day, even in Hall J.  Hall J was a freshman dormitory, and Odie had just unpacked his stuff.  He sat on the edge of his bed.  He had made it. He was here, five hundred miles away from home.  His two roommates had not arrived, and he knew no one. His whole life lay ahead of him, and he thought of the coming semester with excitement and dread.   No one knew him.  No one. Suddenly he was seized with a desire to live out the rest of his life as a woman.  With that, he realized that he had felt that way for a long time.  He had never laughed when guys made jokes about women, and often he felt shut out of certain conversations.  He was neither effeminate nor athletic, and he had graduated just fine, neither too high in his class to be considered a nerd or low enough to not get into this college, which was more selective than many. He was a regular guy.  He had dated some, he liked girls and they liked him.  He had friends, neither fewer than most nor more than most.   Drama club in high school: he had so wanted to try out for female parts but something held him back.  He remembered things from earlier in his life: this had been there, although he had suppressed it. Mom had caught him carrying his sister's clothes to his room when he was eight, shortly before the divorce, and he got thoroughly scolded.  They also made sure it never, ever happened again. He had always felt like that had contributed somehow to the divorce, but it was not discussed, either.  He was a boy and that was the end of it.   Dad was part of that.  He got Odie every other weekend from the time of the divorce and they went hunting, fishing, boating, doing manly things because Dad thought he should be a man's man. The first thing that always happened was the buzz cut.  Dad was always somewhat disappointed in Odie, it seemed, but never said why.  He was a hard man and he had contempt for sissies, although that was never directed at Odie. Mom always said she loved him no matter what, but never explained what that meant.   Odie looked through the Freshman Orientation Packed.  Campus map.  Letter from the Chancellor welcoming him.  Same from the Dean.  List of resources: health center, suicide prevention, and his heart skipped a beat: transgender support.  There was something like that here?   He tore off a small piece of paper.  With sweating hands he wrote on it "I need to be a girl." He looked at it, tore it up and put the different pieces in different trash cans, even one in a men's room toilet the men on this floor shared. He flushed it and made sure it went down.  No one had seen him; he was about the first to arrive.   He returned to his room.   He looked in the mirror.  He was five-ten, square jawed, crew cut.  Dad had seen to it that he exercised and he had muscles.  No, he said to himself, not possible. Not likely.  He had to study and he had succeeded so far by pushing this sort of thing into the back of his mind or wherever it came from.   A man was looking back at him, the hard, tough man Dad had formed him to be, and there was absolutely nothing feminine about any of it.  With that, Odie rejected all this stuff about being trans.  There had been a few of those in high school, and he had always steered clear of them.  A few minutes later he met his roommates.
    • EasyE
      yes, i agree with this ... i guess my biggest frustrations with all this are: 1) our country's insistence to legislate everything with regards to morals ... 2) the inability to have a good, thorough, honest conversation which wrestles with the nuances of these very complex issues without it denigrating to name-calling or identity politics.  agreed again... i still have a lot to learn myself ... 
    • Abigail Genevieve
      It's been bugging me that the sneakers I have been wearing are 1) men's and 2) I need canvas, because summer is coming.  WM has a blue tax on shoes, don't you know? My protocol is to go when there is no one in the ladies' area because I get looks that I don't like, and have been approached with a 'can I help you sir' in a tone than means I need to explain myself, at which point i become inarticulate.   But I found these canvas shoes.  Looking at them, to see if they would pass as male, I realized they might not, and furthermore, I don't really care.
    • Abigail Genevieve
      My wife's nurse was just here.  It is a whole lot easier to relate to her as another woman than to negotiate m/f dynamics and feel like I have to watch myself as a male around her.  It dropped a lot of the tension off, tension that I thought entirely internal to myself, but it made interactions a whole lot better.     I read your post, so I thought I would go look.   In the mirror I did not see a woman; instead I saw all these male features.  In the past that has been enough for me to flip and say 'this is all stupid ridiculous why do I do this I am never going to do this again I am going to the basement RIGHT NOW to get men's stuff and I feel like purging'.  Instead I smiled, shrugged my shoulders and came back here.  Panties fit, women's jeans fit.  My T shirt says DAD on it, something I do not want to give up, but a woman might crazily steal hubby's t-shirt and wear it.  I steal my own clothes all the time.    But she is here, this woman I liked it when I saw her yesterday. and her day will come.  I hope to see her again.
    • April Marie
      So many things become easier when you finally turn that corner and see "you" in the mirror. Shedding the guilt, the fear, the questioning becomes possible - as does self-love - when that person looking back at you, irrespective of what you're wearing, is the real you.   I am so happy for you!! Enjoy the journey and where it leads you.
    • MaeBe
      I'm sure even the most transphobic parents would, too. What does it hurt if a child socializes outside of their family in a way that allows them to understand themselves better? I have encountered a handful of kids do the binary, non-binary, back to binary route and they got to learn about themselves. In the end, there may have been some social self-harm but kids are so darned accepting these days. And really, schools aren't policing pronouns, but the laws that are coming out are making them do so--and in turn requiring a report to a parent that may cause some form of harm to the child.   If the kid wants to lie to, or keep secrets from, their parents about their gender expressions, what does it say about the parents? Perhaps a little socialization of their thoughts will give them the personal information to have those conversations with them? So when they do want to have that conversation they can do so with some self-awareness. This isn't a parent's rights issue, it's about forcing a "moral code" onto schools that they must now enforce--in a way that doesn't appreciably assist parents or provide benefit to children.   So, a child that transitioned at 5 and now in middle/high school that is by all rights female must now go into a bathroom full of dudes? What about trans men, how will the be treated in the girl's restroom? I see a lot of fantasy predator fearmongering in this kind of comment. All a trans kid wants to do in a bathroom is to handle their bodily functions in peace. Ideally there would be no gendered restrooms or, at least, a valid option for people to choose a non-gendered restroom. However, where is the actual harm happening? A trans girl in a boy's room is going experience more harm than a girl being uncomfortable about a trans girl going into and out of a stall.   How about we teach our children that trans people aren't predators who are trying to game the system to eek out some sexual deviancy via loophole? How about we treat gender in a way that doesn't enforce the idea that girls are prey and boys are  predators? How about we teach them trans kids are just kids who want to get on with their day like everyone else?
    • Adrianna Danielle
      I hope so and glad he loves and accepts me for who I am
    • EasyE
      It is sad that we can't have more open and honest dialogue on these types of topics because there is worthy debate for sure. But instead we have become a country where the only goal is to seize political power and then legislate our particular agenda and views of morality.   Remember as you read my thoughts below, that I am transgender. OK? I am pro-trans. I am trans.   But my middle school aged daughter would be extremely uncomfortable using a school bathroom also used by a biological male, as would nearly all of her friends. That side has to be considered. It's not invalidating to a trans youth's experience to take that into account and hash out what is for the common good of as many people as possible. This is reality - one person's gender expression makes others uncomfortable, in all directions. And there is disagreement on the best way to handle these types of things.   Why can't we talk about these things openly, without the inevitable name-calling that follows, and let all sides have their input and work up suitable solutions? (I bet the kids, if left alone, would work up the best solutions)... Instead, we go straight to trying to pass laws, as if we need more of those!   And why wouldn't we want parents to know if their child has decided to change their pronouns? That's a big deal and parents are right to raise that as a concern. I certainly would want to know. Not that we need to legislate this, but I would have a hard time with school administrators who try to hide this from me. They are out of line. This is my child. Whether you like my viewpoints or not, I am the parent. Not the school.    Again, I am pro-trans. I am trans. At the same point, I recognize that validating a transgender individual's gender identity doesn't trump everything else in society. And sometimes I see that creeping into these discussions. Plus, we fight a losing battle if we have to have others' validation. We are never going to get it from everybody. Ever. Not even Jesus got it and He is God himself!   This country can be very beautiful as we each exercise our freedom to be who we are and let others do the same. But my freedom ends where yours begins and vice-versa. That requires self-sacrifice. Sometimes we have to fall back out of respect for others. Sometimes we have to let the parent be the parent even if we disagree with their politics.   My cry in the wilderness is just can we please have more open, honest dialogue where both sides try take the other's views into consideration and quit automatically going the legislative route to criminalize the other side's viewpoints.   Sorry for the rant but sometimes all of this wears me out... deep sigh... 
    • RaineOnYourParade
      Bite by bite, acrobatics in abdomen
    • Abigail Genevieve
      Yesterday when I put that shirt on I saw a woman looking back out of the mirror at me.  Usually I have looked and been very frustrated because I see a man where there should be a woman.  I was expecting to see a man wearing a woman's shirt, but it was a woman wearing a woman's shirt.   On the spectrum between intersex and trans, I am more thinking I am a lot more intersex than trans, and it is only a matter of time before my wife says "you need a bra" and then "you look like a woman!" She told me whatever I want to do is fine with her, she loves me no matter what, and I am thinking that there may be a lot more for her in this than she could possibly expect. I'm not pushing it with her.
    • Petra Jane
      We have been asked to post this study.   I'm an undergraduate university student in my third year completing a BSc in Anthropology. I'm working on my dissertation, looking at languages with grammatical gender (e.g. languages like Italian and Spanish, nouns are either masculine or feminine). I'm curious if this affects/bothers people with gender identities outside the typical binary of male and female, like non-binary or transgender identities. Using this forum, I would be very grateful if anyone could answer the 5 questions I have put together in a Google form, they are open-ended questions, and you can be as brief or detailed as you want/comfortable with! All responses will also be kept anonymous. As you can probably guess, I came to online forums because finding participants in person is difficult. Talking about gender identities, I understand, can be very personal, so this online anonymised format can be safer. :) If anyone is also particularly interested in this topic, it would be awesome to message one-on-one and do the Google form survey. Having one and one interviews would also be good research! But NONE of this is compulsory, and only if anyone is interested and doesn't mind helping me out and can do so. Institution Supervising Research Study University of Kent Web Address for Study Participation https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdS9zU_dt3RR1V8-3s_0EnDl6w-jsS6-WOZO41uWeqUP0q_YQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
  • 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...