Long term member here. I am trying to find a good place offering “marathon” sessions with at least topical anesthesia located on the West Coast. I had my face cleared well over a decade ago, and I take anti-androgens despite being years post-op as they help to reduce my body hair still, but I continue to have too much hair on my torso, bikini area, and legs and I want it all gone permanently. I’ve had some treatment with local operators, and though we made a pretty good dent in a few areas I found some of them (the lower abdomen/bikini line especially) to be VERY painful (much more so than the face) and 2 hour sessions every few weeks is going to take forever. Also, trying not to touch the hair between treatments is rough. It would be much easier for me if I could find a place that could do a whole day with two electrologists or similar and get as much done at once as possible. I have reached out to both Electrology 3000 and Precision Hair Removal, but they are both very far away from me and as I don’t fly that kind of travel would be both costly and very time consuming. I did see a few West Coast places online, but I’ve not heard much feedback about them so I don’t know if they are good or not. Money is definitely tight so I need to be sure I make the best choices for the best results as I cannot afford mistakes. Any recommendations or tips would be great, and thanks!
There was a clinic in chicago that did twilight sleep treatments called About You Electrolysis , unfortunately the proprietor ( Belle Brine) recently passed away a few days ago. Other than E3000 I’m not aware of anyone else in north america. I’m not sure whether Jennifer Lynn in Salt Lake Utah might have the ability to use anesthetic as she’s working with a transformation surgeon:Se pops into hairtell sometimes so I’ll ask her to comment.
I spoke with Jennifer, unfortunately all she offers is topical.
I’m currently experimenting with cannibis for hair removal purposes because here in Canada its lawful to consume it recreationally . I’m finding it can do a quite a bit to reduce stress and discomfort as a result. Just a FYI.
There is still a place in Chicago that has large volume electrolysis with anesthesia: Precision Hair Removal. I’ve been looking into them, but I want to avoid the long trip instructor somewhere in the Washington/Oregon/California area. I am sorry to hear that electrologist passsd away. She used to work with what is now Precision but used to be “About You” before she went back into private practice, if I understand correctly.
Belle was an absolute sweetheart. I had the opportunity to chat with her briefly on facebook a few months before she died. She was full of life, helpful, and the absolute passion she had for electrolysis and what it can do showed with every word she spoke.I had been quizzing her on the anesthesia protocol and legalities and what issues she experienced. Everything she told me, was helpful. Belles commitment to the Transgender community also showed in everything she did.
As I understand it, she entered into hospice care shortly after giving the AEA keynote speach she had prepared for months for.She knew, she would never have another opportunity to give such a presentation and she put her all into it. She passed away a few days ago I think I first heard last monday.
Belle’s story is amazing and I feel priveleged to have known her even briefly.
I have a clinic in Vancouver, WA and I am looking into possible relationships with doctors or providers that might be able to offer my clients injections prior to treatment. You are more than welcome to email me and I can keep you in the loop.
-Audrey
Audrey you need to consider a lot of factors if you plan to do electrolysis under anesthetic ( especially injectible lidocaine).
The first thing to consider is the medical expertise required to administer such injections. In the US ( just like canada) such injections have to be medically supervised. Sometimes you can find a nearby dentist to administer injections, but it takes an MD, DDS or nurse practitioner to administer and supervise injections. What makes it a little more difficult, is the procedure needs to be monitored and the injections topped up periodically through the process. This necessarily means its very time consuming for the doctor or other medical professional. This alone, makes such an endeavour very expensive , as you have to compensate the MD , DDS or nurse practitioner for their time. If you plan to do this for multiple hour ( or even all day) electrolysis sessions this can add up very quickly.
Here in Canada, we have a public health care system. But electrology is not considered a medical procedure. It is not possible for us to bill the provincial health care system for the doctors care and effort, as it’s a cosmetic uncontrolled procedure and doesnt qualify. And, it’s unlawful for those doctors to bill the client directly as it is in done in the US. While this may not be a concern for you in Washington state, you do want to check the legalities of doing so.
From my research, there are 2 main methods used to conduct electrolysis under anesthesia. One is to use lidocaine injections , the other is to use something called twilight sleep ( this is the procedure used at About you and I believe the 2 pass clinic in belgium) . Whats important to remember however is that lidocaine injections change the amount of moisture in the skin area, and thus adjustments to energy levels must be considered, otherwise it is very easy to overtreat, Also consider that the patient will feel no discomfort, and so extra caution must be used to not overtreat the area. I’m in posession of a photo I unfortunately cannot share, of a patient of a certain well known european transgender electrolysis clinic where this wasnt taken into account, and what is thought to be an inexperienced electrologist caused SEVERE damage to a trasnwomans face. Everyone who has seen this photo, is in agreement that significant scarring and vertical lines will be the end result. That patient has been referred to their family doctor.
Which brings up the next uncomfortable subject , and that is, who is responsible when something DOES go wrong? The answer is, the electrologist is ( or their insurance) . Since it’s essentially an unproven medical procedure, I would think that insurance companies would be very hesitant to provide coverage under your policy for it. Getting the details on this and assuring you are covered liability wise is a MUST before you even consider such a case.
I’m in no way trying to talk you out of it, but if you dont take these factors into account then there is real potential for problems.Perhaps this is why it’s so difficult finding an electrologist who can provide this service and they are so few.
In this example you see a physician working with an electrologist to provide pain management.
I don’t remember if this is in LA, but I’m sure there are more of these places especially in California.
Doctors will do anything for money in cosmetic business. You think all the socialites and movie stars sit there suffering through electrolysis?
I will take what you said into consideration. I current have one client that uses lidocaine injections (her preference) before treatment and all has been fine. Obviously there is a lot of variables to consider no matter what form of sensation management our clients choose.
I appreciate your input.
-Audrey
I’ve actually been to see you! You did some removal on my hands for me. I would definitely be interested, so keep me posted. I am still looking for long, intensive sessions.
Hi! I was just thinking about you the other day and hoping you were doing alright!
I have found some pretty great settings for body work and currently have a few clients who have been doing 2+ hr sessions comfortably without anesthetic. I believe one of them is just using Aleve otc.
I haven’t found any doctors to partner with yet but I am still looking.
I would love to see you again though if you are interested in continuing treatments! My phone is 503-734-7764 or online booking is available.
Cheers!
Audrey
I have seen the above-posted video before. It is frightening, to say the least. I question whether or not the client has the ability to act in her own best interests. I would never attempt to take on a case like this. I believe she would be better served by short frequent treatments, even if it extends the time-frame to completion.
Many people with busy lifestyles just cannot commit to endless treatment appointments especially if people need to travel for hours to their electrologist. I can see the need for marathon sessions like this. It does not look good but most cosmetic treatments look awful during healing process including Botox and fillers. 
I agree with the need for marathon sessions, but is it worth the anguish in cases where the client goes into a state of hysteria over the procedure? In my opinion, the client in the video is not emotionally stable enough to undergo these marathon sessions. She is a very busy woman with too many “irons in the fire.” I see multiple “red flags” for the client, the electrologist and the anesthesiologist.
Wow, so much going on. Okay, just so we’re all clear, the woman in the video is NOT me. She’s a YouTube “star” who’s made her name by talking about fashions, makeup, and her numerous medical and cosmetic procedures. All of which are fine, but we have to remember that “drama sells” and gets clicks, and I suspect a lot of the “hysteria” being referenced in regards to her facial hair removal is probably put on at least partially for show.
Back to me, I’m an old vet of electrolysis and have had sessions up to six hours long on both my face (clear now for over a decade) and body. I don’t have a ton of body hair left, but it’s still too much and being a woman in several relationships it’s hard to grow out the hair week after week only to go in for a 2 hour session and get maybe 1/6th of it cleared. It’s going to be way easier to go get a 10 hour day with two electrologists working at once (so 20 hours of treatment,) clear EVERYTHING, then go through one healing process and not have to do much until next session. The place I have selected also has a doctor that can give you an IV so you’re sleepy but still awake, and they have prescription topical and injectible lidocaine (you are on medical monitoring devices the whole time.) Some of my treatment zones are in “sensitive” areas and are just too painful without at least powerful topical stuff. Also, high volume hair is all this place does, so they are pretty good at it. I know the healing won’t be pretty, but I’ve been through lots of electrolysis, laser resurfacing, etc. already so I’m pretty used to taking care of traumatized skin.
I don’t think this kind of marathon session is good for most or even many people, but if you’re looking for full legs, full torso, full bikini or something and can handle the expense and aftercare, it make sense to me to get several full clearances all at once instead of going for multiple shorter sessions month after month. I am trying to book my first session now, and will let everybody know how it goes. Audrey, I will certainly be back to see you as I am sure I will eventually need touch-ups that will be too minor to travel back to Chicago for. Thanks for getting back to me!
I agree with hairadicator. This video is frightening.
The difference between this video and other cosmetic procedures is electrolysis this reaction could be reduced or avoided if it is done over a period of time. Other procedures, such reaction could be unavoidable depending on how invasive it is . I don’t think it is worth risking the integrity of the skin to have it done in one shot. I think it says something positive about hairadicator that they are being upfront about what could happen when approaching treatment this way. An electrologists informing a client of that fact is truely putting the clients best interest in mind. I think this video sends the wrong message to people who want to undergo electrolysis. Not only does that skin reaction look much worse than it should but it’s also giving the impression that this form of pain management is necessary when I have actually been to electrologists where I had minimum discomfort.
Not sure if this will be allowed but I’m too exited not to share. I just finished my genital large volume Electrolysis with pain management at Electrolysis 100% Permanent Hair Removal & Skin Care in Chicago and I want to say that I am so happy I did it! One of the best experiences of my life! I’m MTF and finally I am hair free.
I was getting electrolysis at a different clinic in NC but because it was so painful and it was taking so long for me I started to look for alternatives. Thankfully I found this clinic in Chicago and I saw on their website that they offer a set of pain relief options including Intravenous Hydration, Oral Sedation, Lidocaine Injections, Intravenous Sedation administrated by their board certified nurse practitioner and anesthesiologist. This was something I didn’t see in NC.
I’ve decided to take the leap and book my first online out of state free consultation. I live in NC and so I had to plan all my trips in advance. After I submitted the consultation form they got back to me quickly. They confirmed my booking and the lady was kind enough to ask me if they could help with anything to make my trip as smooth as possible.
My first session on a Monday morning started at 8 AM and lasted for about 6 hours. When I got there they quickly let me into the room where I changed into a gown. The nurse administered topical Lidocaine, which I sat with for like 10 minutes before the doctor came in and administered the anesthetic injections. All the procedure lasted 6 hours straight and we wrapped up just after 2 PM. There was no pain or discomfort from the electrolysis. I just couldn’t believe it.
Just wanted to put it out there in case it would help somebody else. Having to deal with my genital hair was such a problem for me and I’m grateful that it’s all gone now!
I don’t think we heard of this Chicago provider on Hairtell before but it’s great that you mentioned it so people can know the options out there. How much did you have to spend on lidocaine injections on top of your electrolysis rates?
So for Lidocaine injection it was $60/hour additional. They have two types of Electrolysis services: Traditional Electrolysis and Large Volume Electrolysis. For large volume electrolysis you choose your pain management option. They have several options that you can choose from:
- Topical Lidocaine
- Lidocaine Injections
- Oral Sedation, IV Hydration & Lidocaine Injections
- Intravenous IV Deep Sedation & Lidocaine Injections
They are a bit pricey but worth it. I hope it helps.