Hello Everybody…
…and thanks for this forum. It really contains lots of info!
My name is Diana, I am a 40 transgender woman. I am Italian, but live stably in southern Austria since 10 years.
My beard removal journey started 4 years ago and is (sadly) still going on:
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Laser: I had 12 sessions (YAG) which cleared a good part of the face. After the 8th session, I saw no further improvement: there was still an unacceptable number of hair on the mustache, chin and neck, although definitely less than in the beginning. Even the laser technician was perplexed, to the point that I got two treatments for free… Long story short, I decided to start electrolysis (thermolysis).
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Electrolysis: started in June 2019 and went on average every 2 weeks for clearing the face. In the beginning 2 hours were needed for a full clear. Now I need roughly one hour every 2-3 weeks. I must say that during the pandemic I could not get treatment, so there were two windows of 2-3 months were I was shaving (although keeping it to the minimum).
This is what I look like before a session (my electrologist strongly discourages shaving between sessions). I drive 1.5 hours to Italy for electrolysis, so it is not something that I can do once a week, due to work reasons:
Summing up, I think I’ve collected overall something like 100-120 hours of electrolysis. I feel quite disappointed because in my opinion there is still a lot to do and, especially in the mustache, it seems that the same hair is regrowing (although, from what I’ve read this should not be the case, since the growth cycle is much longer than two weeks, which actually makes the situation even worse…).
My electrologist says it’s just genetic and that she cannot do anything about it, that she never had a case like this, etc.
About the session and how I perceive the competence of my electrologist I can say that:
- I use EMLA as numbing cream.
- I feel the burn and just a little the hair being pulled. It happens quite often, especially on the mustache, that she needs to burn more than once, because some hair still remains hard to pull after the first shot.
- I took a look at the machine and it’s name is Zenith something…Looks rather old. It is set to 3 pulses and I think intensity level 4. I asked if she could try increasing the power and she says it is not advisable because she does not want to damage my skin.
- She had experience with other trans clients, but her main customers are women, some with hirsutism/PCOS.
- From what she told me, she did not do any specific school. All training gotten on the job by one of the first ladies in Italy who started doing electrolysis in the country, I guess from the 50s onwards. She learned from her and is now 30+ years doing that.
- Since 6 months I am also doing genital electrolysis in the same place. It is more painful (even with the numbing cream) and for now it looks like all the hair is regrowing.
Sorry for the long preamble. At the end I would just like some feedback from the experts about my situation to understand if:
- I am in good hands or should I start looking for another electrologist. In the second case, some recommendations would be really of help.
- If avoiding shaving is really needed (the facial hair is my biggest trigger of dysphoria, it really impairs my life).
Thanks in advance and have a nice day.
Diana
