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!

Hair Removal Advice Required


Guest Amber90

Recommended Posts

Guest Amber90

Hi everyone,

So I'm in a bit of a bad place at the moment. The one area where my gender dysphoria hits me the most is when it comes to facial and body hair growth. The presence of such hair is causing some serious discomfort to my day to day life at the moment. It's very difficult to talk to friends and family about this problem; because they really can't get their head around why I am so distressed by it all. It's distracting me in my job and even my free time is becoming an absolute nightmare. I actually try to spend as much time as possible sleeping or dunk, just to try and forget about it's presence.

Naturally, I'm not content with continuing with these "solutions" to the issue at hand, so I'm really trying to sort it out as soon as I can. Basically, my body hair grows at an incredible rate, is terribly thick and is also extremely dark. Shaving really does not do the trick for me. After shaving, black stubble is still completely visible all over my body. When I go out dressed, I have to cover up my entire body from head to toe and wear silly amounts of foundation to cover up my facial hair. But even that temporary solution doesn't work, as in several hours, the hair has grown enough to become visible through my makeup once again.

The other problem is, I can't keep up shaving at the rate my hair grows. Seeing as I'm unsure as to whether I want to go full time or not, I'm attempting to live as a girl for prolonged periods of time, just to see how comfortable the whole experience feels to me. However, if I continued to shave whilst giving the whole full time thing a trial, then I would have to do so around three times a day. It takes over an hour to shave my entire body, meaning I would have to find an hours spare time in the morning, mid afternoon and evening in order to try and at least keep it under some form of control.

Seeing as I'm in full time work and have many other responsibilities outside of my worklife, this sort of time is not available to me. So I decided to purchase a Braun Silk epilator several weeks back. I heard that such a device would slow down the regrowth process, and would not leave stubble visible after the procedure. Well that sounded like something which I could have benefited from.

Anyhow, after spending £100 on a device, I was a bit sad to discover that it will not work on my body. I moisturized, exfoliated and prepared myself in every way that I was informed, yet to my disappointment, it was a complete disaster. The epilator simply breaks my hairs, even on the lowest setting; the hairs it even does manage to pull out keep coming back ingrown, despite exfoliating multiple times a day; and I'm finding it next to impossible to get all of the hairs out with the damn device. For the past few weeks, I've epilated every single day, but the problems are just getting worse. I feel as though I've completely lost this battle with my body, and that is an absolutely traumatic feeling for me.

I currently have ingrown hairs everywhere. They are not infected, but seeing as they grow under the skin, the device simply cannot get to them. The exfoliating products will not get them out from under the surface and the attempt to tweeze them all free is monstrously time consuming (I spent eight hours the other weekend trying to pry them all out individually, but there were so many that I didn't even manage to get a quarter of the way in that extremely lengthy period of time).

It's now gotten to the point where I am epilating, exfoliating and plucking until one o'clock in the morning. I'm even doing these procedures when I wake up first thing, however this is constantly making me late for work. My gender dysphoria in regards to this hair is so intense that my attempts to try and slow it down is completely taking over my entire life, and it's really ruining everything.

These days, I seem to be spending my life either epilating, crying myself to sleep because of its failure to give me a smooth body and constantly thinking about it during my work hours. I can't even look at my own body anymore without feeling sick from the sight of its ghastly presence. It's just too intense and becomes even more unpleasant with every failed attempt.

I have managed to sort therapy out at a gender clinic, however that appointment is not until 2nd September (they are fully booked up until that period and I cannot seem to find any other clinics in my area). I plan on discussing this hair issue in detail at the appointment, however I don't feel as though I can wait that long to sort out the problem. I seriously want to be able to at least temporarily get rid of it as soon as possible, so I can start being Amber again.

I'm also saving up for laser removal treatment, but seeing as that is going to take me until at least mid 2014 to get the insane funds for this procedure, that is also a solution which is not just over the horizon.

So I was wondering if anyone could help to point me in the direction of another form of hair removal treatment which might help me out in the mean time. I mean I've looked into hair removal cream, however past consumers of this product have had very mixed reviews on this procedure, plus I don't know which products to purchase.

I also looked into electrolysis, however it seems a little too costly for something which is potentially temporary (plus that also requires some hefty saving which will take a considerable amount of time for me to obtain).

All the trans people I've asked in real life have simply shrugged their shoulders and declared that their body hair growth simply is not as intense as mine and that shaving once a week works just fine for them; so they can't really give me any advice on how to get a smooth body with such rapidly growing hair.

So if any of you lovely people could help to point me toward some solutions which may temporarily help remove thick, black and rapid growing body hair, then I would be forever grateful :)

Much love,

Amber

xxx

Link to comment
Guest Xeriis

I also really hate my body and facial hair. I've tried waxing, many different razors, a couple epilators, and a couple creams. In the end these were the two things I found that helped.

I know for me HRT has greatly reduced how fast my hair grows and made it much finer, although I'm not sure if HRT is something you even want to do.

I did recently start laser hair removal. I used to think it cost a ton and was slowly saving up for it, but decided to do a consult anyway. I found out for one session for all my facial hair it's only about $100 Canadian (very close to $100 American). Generally I'm told it takes several sessions to get rid of most hair (about 6-10), but you have to wait about a month between each session (at the place I go, it may be different there). So I thought to myself, yeah I can afford that much a month and so it's slow going.

The epilator I had would work okay, but often also just broke the hair off and to do my entire body it just took a lot of time. A few trans friends of mine have recommended doing a few sessions of laser to greatly thin out the hair then get electrolysis done to clean up the last little bit.

I hope this helps a little.

hugs,

~Scheris

Link to comment
  • Admin

Have you talked with your doctor about the heavier than normal hair growth? If not do so!! You could have a problem with your endocrine system that could lead to being prescribed less than HRT strength testosterone reduction medications. What is the condition of your father and your mother's side uncles and grandfathers?? In that case it could be heredity too which is another kettle of fish. The big deal is that it is causing pretty heavy stress on you. That stress alone needs attention which can be handled on its own, but if handled with someone also qualified for GT, so much the better.

If I understand you, your thoughts about electrolysis being temporary is related to your frame of mind, because electrolysis done by a skilled technician is permanent!! No going back on it. Laser is slightly less "permanent" hair removal, but is permanent hair reduction depending on how it is administered.

Link to comment
Guest CassieX

Hi Amber,

I've heard from my electrologist that some of her other clients have reported good results from using the Tria laser in conjunction with electrolysis on body hair.

http://www.triabeauty.com/home-laser-hair-removal

I'm hoping to get one to try out later in the month.

For body, I use a combination of shaving with Aveeno totally smooth shave gel and an IPL laser treatment from my dermatologist I get every couple of months on my arms and chest. I noticed that the IPL pretty much eliminated my underarm hair after a couple of sessions and HRT really helps thinning out the hair too in conjunction with the other treatments.

I've never been a big fan of epilators as it felt akin to using a weed whacker on my face and body. It might be alright for people with very little or fine hair but it is just torture for those of us with thick or wiry hair.

One product I can really recommend for preventing ingrown hairs and bumps is PFB Vanish.

http://www.pfbvanish.com/

I use it after my electrology sessions and shaving. It has cut down my ingrowns to almost zero and from reading the bottle can be used in conjunction with waxing, tweezing and laser too.

Hope this info helps!

Hugs,

Cassie

Link to comment
Guest DianeATL

I too hate body hair and was hairy all over. Mine may not be as dark or as coarse as yours but it was abundant. For me, waxing is a good solution for now until HRT for non facial hair.

I started years ago with back and shoulders. At first you could have braided my hair there (ewww gross). I started with once a month waxing. Some debate whether that kills the hair, I can confirm for me it did. Now my back and shoulders are smooth, I get a few random fine hairs waxed off 2-3 times a year now.

So earlier this year I started having the rest of my body waxed. Since I just started, I have to go every month and the down side is that you have to let it grow out to a quarter inch or so before the waxing works well. But my hair is light enough in color now (gray) that I don't look too bad when I am at my hairiest.

I went to several women's salons for waxing at first and had OK to bad results. I finally found a gay man who does waxing for men and he really knows what he is doing. He prepares the skin by cleaning with a witch hazel or something, then powdering it all over, after waxing he rubs in a wax clean up/ skin care product to help it.

It takes a couple of 3 hour sessions to get everything but my back.

Hope this helps.

Diane

Link to comment
Guest CassieX

Waxing didn't work for me at all. My skin is too sensitive and last time I tried it at a popular highly rated salon, I ended up with red and blotchy instead of clean smooth skin. :blink:

I was talking to my dermatologist friend after a laser session yesterday evening and she told me to beware of waxing on the face, particularly around the eyebrows as it can cause hyper-pigmentation from the process or burns if the person doing it is inexperienced.

That being said, I'm not poo-pooing waxing on the body, it works on millions of women, just not me due to my sensitive nature. :P

Cassie

Link to comment
Guest DianeATL

Cassie,

No doubt everyone is different; My wax guy says I have a lot of hair but it is very fine in nature so maybe that is why I have had such a good reaction to it. But anyone should start small with something like this and see how it works for them.

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, 76 Guests (See full list)

    • April Marie
    • Ashley0616
    • Ivy
    • awkward-yet-sweet
    • MaeBe
    • Petra Jane
    • Lorelei
  • 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

    • Ivy
      I don't understand why this would make a difference being a "dad" I mean, as far as how they would grow.
    • Ashley0616
      I don't see why not. I have worn forms since I came out. 
    • MaeBe
      I have never worn breastforms, but I assume as long as they don't aggravate your nipples you could.
    • MaeBe
      Every week I've been excited to take my shot, so it's never been an issue. Yesterday, however, I woke up and started my usual "slow roll" and then suddenly realized I had breakfast plans that I had to rush out the door for. After, it was straight into work calls, and then I got the notification from the doctor about things being too high and all the while my mind had completely slipped that I needed take my shot.   Given that I am not asking for medical advice, but sharing my journey, I will note my results: Estradiol at 447 pg/mL and Testosterone was 23 ng/dL, up and down from 26 pg/mL and 526 ng/dL respectively before treatment. Almost flipped the bit! The doc would like my Estradiol closer to 300 pg/mL, so we'll see what Monday's tests state.   Oh, and I teased the dinner with old soccer teammates and never updated the thread! It went well. There were a couple funny moments. One guy, who I was worried about their response, greeted me with "Hey, you've lost some weight!" 😎 And a friend who lives near me picked me up on the way to dinner exclaimed, after we learned one of the invitees might show up with a date, "Wait! We could have brought women?!" To which I instantly responded, "You kind of did, bringing me!" Everyone got a good laugh out of that. 😁
    • Ashley0616
      To me there isn't that much difference other the measurement, which side the zipper is on and men's pants have bigger pockets. 
    • 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. 
  • 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...