I’ve had my beard worked on for literally 10 years, starting as a teenager and finishing up most of it a couple of years ago (I still go every now and then for touch-ups, and get my brows done.) I’ve had most of my treatment with 3 electrologists over that time. Being a TG person, I had to have a full male beard removed. Everything went well, I thought…but over the past couple of years, it’s become clear that my skin was damaged. My upper lip is starting to take on an orange-peel texture, and has a lot of hyperpigmentation. I have a little bit of the orange peel texture on my chin, too, and I have now little wrinkles around my mouth where there was a lot of hair. I am not even 30 yet, take good care of my skin, and I am SURE this was caused by the electrolysis.
I didn’t go to just any old quack, either…all of the electrologists I saw were certified and had good credentials. I am wondering if maybe some skin damage isn’t inevitable with long term male beard treatment. I am wondering what my options are now. I still need a few touch-ups, but then I think I will be looking into skin resurfacing. I mean, I am not disfigured but you can definitely tell “something” is wrong with the skin around my mouth.
I’ll update when I talk to the dermatologist. I just wanted to get the heads-up out, as many trans people already know…you may THINK electrolysis isn’t doing any damage, but long term effects can show up even years later. I would do it again in a heartbeat, but I wish I had been prepared for this,.
How long has it been since your last treatment? I would first give it at least 6 months to judge any permanency.
Btw, I know plenty of people in their late 20s who are getting wrinkles and other noticeable things on their skin. Hell, people go bald by the time they’re 22 or 25 too.
can you provide pictures ?? what are some of the signs that one has to look for for these kinda things. I’ve been getting electrolysis for 3 years now, and so far no damage, just some redness and scabs… im wondering if the damage will show up later .
I will see if I can post some pics. As to the “orange peel” look, my skin has little pockmark looking things. The upper lip is the worst, since I also have permanent hyperpigmentation, but I also have some obvious ones on my chin. I am 100% sure this isn’t “normal” wrinkling, since the non-treated areas of my facial skin look perfect and I am always taken for being at least 10 years younger than I really am. It’s been at least a year since my last real treatment on this area, so clearly my problems are here to stay.
Again, I would do electrolysis all over again. I love having a hair-free face, and compared to some of the TG horror stories out there, I got really good treatment. Skin damage seems to be pretty common in the TG/TS community. I think it’s just too hard on some people to have these marathon zapping sessions, and I know in my case I would go for 2-3 hours at a time and have my upper lip cleared in one go which is a lot of heat.
I am not trying to scare people away from electrolysis; in fact, I highly recommend it and wouldn’t consider laser. I just wanted to let people know that even though you have good treatment, you can still have problems.
TG hair is tough hair. The stuctures are very, very coarse and to add to the mix, they are very close together, something I don’t need to remind you of, right? I’m glad your days of electrolysis are basically over and you are satisfied with the smooth skin. Many trans women have suffered skin damage and many have not. There are many variables that could have contributed to a fantastic outcome - smooth, unadulterated skin minus the hair verses some skin damage, minus the hair. With all the electrologists in this world using all varying types of epilators, probe types, magnification and lighting, not to mention SKILL levels and strategies and aftercare, there is going to be different outcomes ranging from poor to excellent. I don’t care if someone comes highly rated, they may not be the best person to work on trans women facial hair.
For the genetic women reading this, it is important to make a very important distinction between trans women electrolysis and genetic female facial hair. Genetic female facial hair is not as challenging to treat as trans women hair. We need to take special precautions with our trans clients so they don’t suffer permanent skin side effects. It is a whole new ball game with different care and strategies for getting the hair removed safely.
I write this in anticipation of a picture. People need not jump to the conclusion that pot marks are the norm for all those seeking electrolysis. Smooth, clear skin is the norm and anything other than that outcome denotes a failure somewhere along the way by the electrologist or the client. We don’t like to fail, but if we do, the smart electrologist will correct any shortcomings quickly and not repeat mistakes.
Thank you WERNotAfraid for your honest comments. You are one of our star posters here.
Thanks for all the support! I did go to very well trained people, I think maybe I just have very sensitive skin and I do tend to hypertrophic scar so maybe I am just unlucky. I am going to be seeing a dermatologist about facial resurfacing, at least on the upper lip and area around my mouth…