Hi everyone. I am a transgirl who would like nothing more than to have the stubborn beard removed. I have the light skin/dark hair combination which theoretically makes me a good candidate for laser hair removal, so that is what I am doing.
Three days ago I survived my first session under the laser*. It was a painful experience even after an application of topical numbing cream, but nowhere near as bad as electrolysis. Only 45 minutes to treat the beard area… not bad!
Currently, my face looks like it is suffering from a faint skin rash… nothing major. The skin feels slightly “dull” and “bruised” but it doesn’t hurt. I am applying aloe vera gel and staying out of the sun to prevent any complications with healing. So far, so good.
The only issue is with shaving. I have to do it because we couldn’t zap the entire beard area in one session. I shave very very very gently making light passes over the skin with an electric razor. The problem is only the non-lasered areas shave “clean”. The rest of the hair in the treated area looks dark and patchy with bumpy skin around the follicles (ingrowns? dead skin?). I can’t shave close enough over those areas, and I probably shouldn’t be attempting to in the first place.
Oh well, a bit more patience is in order. I want those hairs to fall out NOW! sigh
Sincerely,
Ms. Weirdbeard
*For the beautygeeks: Alexandrite GentleLASE Candela system, 16 joules, spot size 18mm. My skin type is II - pale, no tan.
it is normal to experience some swelling and redness on an area like the male face with very dense dark and coarse growth. I wouldn’t shave for a few days after the treatment and let the skin heal. raised follicles are a good sign. shedding should start at week 1.5 or so and will probably last through week 3.5. Apply aloe vera gel as you have been doing and stay away from sweating and being in the sun. Keep the area dry and clean and don’t use any moisturizers that have chemicals etc. Applying ice a few times a day should help with the swelling.
My technician stopped halfway through when she spotted a pimple/inflamed hair follicle near my lower lip. I am certain it was not a cold sore, but she requested that I take an antiviral before the next treatment “just in case”. Then she sent me home with some free goodies for the trouble. Oh well. As a practitioner of a well-regarded beauty center I can’t blame her for being extra careful.
The original test patch on my arm is worrying me. After two weeks the skin is still slightly darker/more pink than the surrounding skin, although the hair regrowth is nil (hooray!). Am I being a nervous nellie? Sometimes having too much information at your fingertips can be a drawback. It is all too easy to get worked up about issues like hyperpigmentation with Google only a keystroke away.
Just as a point of reference, I started with laser (9 sessions lightsheer) and then switched to electrolysis after that.
You need to avoid any sun when getting laser, and sometimes the discoloration will take a while to go away. Also the hair that has been treated by laser, but not shed yet can be quite ugly looking if it appears as a black smudge beneath the skin.
I am not sure if you are full time or not, but my personal recommendation is to get as much facial hair removal as possible prior to going full time. Once you are full time, a very red lasered face or growing hair out for electrolysis is more traumatic to deal with.
You shouldn’t have had any reaction from your test patch on your arm 2 weeks later. You should show it to your clinic. Is that area exposed to the sun? Do you use sunscreen there regularly? What settings were used?
Thanks Alicia. This is exactly what I am doing. Since it will take me at least a year to get the facial hair removed, I can use that time to practice my voice lessons. I hate waiting but we must do what we must. First things first!
It is slight, but visible. No sun exposure. Settings were the same as above: 16 on a spot size of 18mm. Photo of affected area
The photo isn’t the best quality, sorry. In real life the area is slightly pink compared to the surrounding skin (like a very faint sunburn). Given enough time I think it will go away. If not I will definitely bring it up at the next session.
Thanks to everyone for your help! I will let you know how things progress.
Also, my facial hair is starting to fall out. Huzzah! This is great!
The test patch on my arm is still a different shade than the surrounding skin. It is getting better. More “tan” than pink now. Hopefully this isn’t a harbinger of how my face is going to react.
I will keep the updates coming. Can’t tell you how happy I am to finally see some shedding!
