A bottomless pitt.

Start here! Share your feelings
#1

I’ve hit rock bottom. After like six sessions, I really don’t know where I am going. I could not take the pain this time it was like serious pain, worse than any of my other sessions. I am pretty much down low with my self esteem. For once in my life, I felt liked by some guy, but I couldn’t pursue it because I’m soo uncomfortable with my body. I don’t know what to do, and I just feeel like crying. I have no hope at all. If it didn’t hurt, that’s half the pain. THe other pain is knowing you have an electrolysis appointmnet everyday. I’m not even going everyday, maybe 3 times a week, but it needs to be increased everyday. And to think that other people don’t even have to worrry about this, it just sickens me. Like they can go to the store and buy this bikini and this dress, but I have to worrry about every damn detail. It’s no ones fault here for the people who are not hairy, but it just sucks that its a constant worry for me.
I’ve done my underarms, and I don’t even worry about them either. Worrry-free, how great would that be to feel that about your whole body.

I really don’t know what to do. I really need some help.

#2

u had lhr on ur armpits or electrolysis??? u dont have any hairs left???

#3

I have done laser and electrolysis on my underarms. I have no hair there left. I think I’ve had my electrologist remove 5-6 hairs in the last 4 months there. There is a picture of my underarm under images on this forum, that I posted about a year ago.

sunkissed, not sure what you’re talking about here. is it pain from electrolysis or emotional or both? what kind of help are you looking for? are you seeing a therapist?

btw, i know exactly how you feel about the bikini. I’ve felt that for years before I took care of it with laser and electrolysis in the last 2.5 years. it’s very liberating not to have to worry about these things anymore, and you will get there. just stay on track and stick with the program. if you have coarse hair on your bikini, you can start with laser treaments there now. That would give you huge relief already as it did for me. It helped so much already not having to worry about bikini and underarms as I was still going for electrolysis on my stomach. And these areas are small, so the treatments were only about $100 each. For my stomach, it took a while with electrolysis, but I’m finally almost done and don’t really have to worry about it anymore. So there is light at the end of the tunnel!

#4

Hey, xosunkissedxo.
What you wrote describes exactly how I feel. I used to hang out in depression forums and was always struck by how often a number of people would have the same types of thoughts, but I somehow didn’t expect it to be the same with this issue. Because I am going through the same thing, though, I’m afraid I don’t have any good advice. I think lagirl has it right that it’s just a matter of sticking to it. It’s not easy and it’ll take longer than you’ll probably like, but it’ll be worth it in the end.

Take care.

#5

I hope this serial post is ok since it comes so long after the first one. My last electrolysis treatment was particularly painful and it took a lot of effort not to push away the electrologist and run out of the room before my time was up. I know the end results are worth it, but sometimes it just seems really perverse to be paying for someone to put you through so much discomfort.

#6

Oh, how right you are, kranky. thanks for popping in on this thread.

I have personally gone through hundreds of hours of electrolysis a long time ago in the Fred Flintstone days. It was before computerization was available for electrolysis epilators. It was the age of the Smith-Corrona type-writers that all college students used. It hurt, indeed. The end came and it did pay off and I have enjoyed hair-free legs,arms and underarms for decades now. I learned the true definition of perserverance from that experience. I just had some facial electrolysis today and I can attest that it goes much faster and was more tolerable than what I had to endure many years ago. The epilator and vision equipment used on me today was top quality compared to the '70’s variety type knob jobs contraptions that were the best for that time period.

Would you care to share what area(s) you are concentrating on? Have you discussed pain medication and topicals for releif with your electrologist? Or if he or she isn’t approachable or knowledgible about pain relief, there is plenty of information here and on www.hairfacts.com . Many posters have shared what they do for taking the edge off. Our dear TG friends are especially well-versed about pain issues and they have shared a wealth of information that can be found on this site as well as other sites that are totally transgender specific.

We’ll all help you through this if you want some specific information, or you can just talk about your feelings and we’ll learn from you.

Dee

#7

The problem, my dear dfahey, is that what ever electrolysis equipment you were being worked on with, as you say, back in Fred Flintstone days, is still out there, and some one is still using that very machine, or something like it today. Electrolysis machines are very hardy and don’t tend to break down like automobiles. (No planned obsolescence there) and so there are still many people who are enduring the pain you described, when it is not necessary to feel all that anymore.

#8

Yes, that is a big problem, but right next to that is the problem of not having professional electrologists available, with or without the best equipment, in certain communities of the US or in certain foreign countries. It’s useless to recommend electrolysis to people if they don’t have the ability to buy the product. The product is only helpful if there is someone there to deliver.

For those in Australia and India that are frustrated that they cannot locate an electrologist, maybe they could become electrologists themselves. If they have the will and means to be professionally trained somewhere and have enough business savvy to invest in 21st century tools, they would be in popular demand unlike no other business people in their community.

Electrolysis can be delivered in a speedy way, it can be very tolerable, it can leave the skin looking as if nothing happened as far as healing goes and it can be more economical in the long run, by a winning leap. Trouble is, many electrologists that are practicing now don’t even know that this better world exists! Some of the ones who do know have argued against bringing it up because, “I have been doing this for 30 years and it works and my business is good!”. Trouble is, they are the only electrologist within 50 miles and people have no other choice but to do business with that particular monopoly.

The world is hanging up on analog and going digital. Analog driven cell phones, home alarm systems, OnStar systems for cars will loose their service in February when carriers make the switch from analog to digital. Verizon, AT&T and Alltel Corp. will close their analog networks a little later on. The point is, change takes place in all businesses, so why not electrolysis? Never mind, I know the reasons for this and it relates to freedom of choice and preference issues. We aren’t regulated and forced to do what the big people at the top tell us to do, so we keep doing the familiar and most comfortable thing.

#9

Hi, dhafey.
Thanks for your reply. Ouch, I don’t know if I would’ve been able to go through what you did. I was concentrating on my upper lip in my last session, hence the clenched teeth and watery eyes. I used Lidocaine, but didn’t apply it properly or put on enough to make it last through the entire treatment (too embarrassed to drive around like that and didn’t get there early enough to apply it in the office). I always forget to check what type of machine is being used. I’ll have to keep my eye out next time. I guess I really just wanted to vent. Thanks for listening.

#10

That’s the problem with topicals when they are used for facial areas. You have to drive to get to the electrolgist and walk into a place of business with the “got milk” look and plastic to boot. How private is that? Ideally, the cream should be applied over clean skin and left to marinate for about an hour. It should be applied like cake frosting (1/4") and then occulded with plastic wrap (if you are using EMLA).

The newer type epilator’s can deliver nice bursts of microflash and/or nice levels of blend to make the treatment very tolerable without anesthesia IFFF the person using the epilator is trained properly. Comfort can be obtained with hardly any skin reaction if a computerized, digital epilator with these newer epilators. Most of my upper lip clients have two side reactions when I work on their upper lips, tearing and sneezing, with tearing being a given. Surprisingly, they say it’s very tolerable and that the tearing is NOT because of pain.

Extremely competent electrolgosists can make an older epilator work comfortably in your favor as well, just depends.

Venting is healthy, so come here anytime you desire.

Dee

There are a few people that just can’t take it without some EMLA applied correctly.

#11

That’s the problem with topicals when they are used for facial areas. You have to drive to get to the electrolgist and walk into a place of business with the “got milk” look and plastic to boot. How private is that? Ideally, the cream should be applied over clean skin and left to marinate for about an hour. It should be applied like cake frosting (1/4") and then covered amd taped with plastic wrap (if you are using EMLA).

The newer type epilator’s can deliver nice bursts of microflash and/or nice levels of blend to make the treatment very tolerable without anesthesia IFFF the person using the epilator is trained properly. Comfort can be obtained with hardly any skin reaction with these computerized, digital epilators.

Most of my upper lip clients have two side reactions when I work on their upper lips, teary eyes and sneezing, with tearing being a given. So a tissue is always placed in their hand before treatment begins. Surprisingly, they say it’s very tolerable and that the tearing is NOT because of pain.

There are a few people that just can’t take it without some EMLA applied correctly.

Extremely competent electrolgosists can make an older epilator work comfortably in your favor as well, just depends.

Venting is healthy, so come here anytime you desire.

Dee

#12

My dear friends the Giors have special rooms at their offices for clients to arrive early, apply their emla, and watch TV in private while waiting for it to set in. They are about the size of a tanning room.

#13

I’ve tried pretending I was blowing my nose during the whole drive, but it got a bit awkward when I had to make sharp turns. And holding a tissue in front of my face for so long made me feel self-conscious too. I considered putting a few drops of red food coloring on it to make it look like my nose had been bleeding, but managed to stop myself before heading too far down the road to nuttiness. The special rooms that you describe seem like a good way to get around the whole problem.

#14

:grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: Red food coloring! Oh, kranky, you’re too funny!

#15

Maybe consider wearing a hat with a large brim?

#16

Heh, I think I’ll try to go with the arriving early option. Or just telling myself I’ll never see any of these people again, so why should I care what they think, though that approach doesn’t work for me too well. Thank you for trying to help.

#17

Sounds good. Btw, not sure if you’re doing this now, but putting the clear plastic over it helps it stay still