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Choosing the right electrologist is essential, since you'll probably be seeing her for months, if not years! The male beard averages 25,000 hairs and can take 200 - 400 hours to completely clear, though laser is faster (see Laser Hair Removal below). The electrologist will be physically close to you while she works—in your face is an accurate description!— and may work on your genitals. If you don't get along, or don't feel comfortable with her, it won't work. You may have to interview several electrologists, either in person or over the phone, before you find the right one for you. Most offer a free complimentary treatment. Electrolysis is an art, as well as a science, and electrologists have varying expertise and experience. If you don't know where to start, try looking in the yellow pages under electrolysis. Support groups, and other trans people, can guide you to good electrologists. If you're in the Portland, OR area I recommend Jaimee Bloom. I designed her website. Questions to ask prospective electrologists Do you work on transgender people? Obviously, if the answer is no there's no sense in going any further. Since a percentage of most electrologists' clientele is going to be TG, I don't see why one would refuse to work on them, but discrimination takes many forms (If you're very passable and not planning on genital with the electrologist this question might not be necessary. My electrologist didn't know I was TS until I talked about a transgender support group).
I don't recommend the blend method, though it's sometimes difficult to find an electrologist who uses thermolysis (particularly on the west coast), it's usually worth it. The blend method is a combination of galvanic (DC) current and heat (thermolysis). The probe (needle) is inserted into the hair follicle and electric current is applied. At the peak of the current's cycle a short burst of heat is applied. The theory being the combination does a better job of killing the hair root. The problem with the blend is most electrologists don't leave the probe in long enough for the current to work. At least 8 - 10 seconds is required (even longer is better). Most electrologists only use 3 - 5 seconds. So you end up just getting thermolysis, or worse just tweezing the hair. If there's a tug when your electrologist pulls out a hair it hasn't been properly depilated, it should slide out smoothly. Thermolysis is a short burst, or multiple bursts, of intense heat. It's not necessary to leave the probe in for DC current as with blend. With an experienced electrolgist, thermolysis is usually faster, more effective and less painful. Flash thermolysis. If the electrologist doesn't give you a grounding device to hold in your hand (completing the electronic circuit) you're getting flash thermolysis. I had flash once and it was very painful. Do you use the computerized or manual machine? Like any analog device that's been computerized, the latter is usually better and I'd advise against going to an electrologist that doesn't have a computerized model, as the current can be applied more accurately and usually with less pain. Though there are always exceptions. I went to an electrologist who used a manual machine, but she was very skilled and did good work. You can tell the difference between a manual and computerized model by the presence of a foot petal. If it has a foot petal it's the older manual type. Most electrologists now use computerized models. How much do you charge? Hourly fees can range from $25/hr. to $60/hr. or more. Generally, you get what you pay for. You may think you're getting a good deal with someone who only charges $25 - $40 an hour, but a more expensive electrologist usually has more experience and expertise and is usually faster, has a higher kill rate, less chance of scarring and will be cheaper in the long run. However, if you're on a tight budget most electrolysis schools have students who will work on you for $10 - $15 an hour. They will be slow and monitored by an instructor. Look in the yellow pages under electrolysis schools. You might luck out and find a student who'll work on you for free, since they're required to have a certain amount of hours before they can be licensed (I met a student electrologist at a support group and had some work done at no cost and she turned out to be very good). How many hairs can you depilate (remove) an hour? Typically, someone who uses the blend will only be able to depilate 200 - 400 hairs an hour, whereas an experienced electrologist who uses thermolysis can depilate 800 to 1000 hairs an hour. How many years of experience? An electrologist with 10 or more years of experience is usually going to be better than one with only 3 or 4. The bottom line is whether you choose the blend or thermolysis, the success of your hair removal depends on the skill of the electrologist. If you're planning on having electrolysis don't tweeze your face! Tweezing causes follicle distortion making it harder for your electrologist to make good insertions. Do you do genital? Some surgeons require genital electrolysis before SRS to remove the hair at the base of the penis and the part of the scrotum used for the vaginal graft. I recommend getting genital electrolysis even if your surgeon cauterizes the hair roots during surgery, since there's a chance of regrowth. Q: What would you recommend for me to use on my face after electrolysis? Last week I came home and the next day I had little packets of fluid coming out of each pore. I guess I should have realized that my skin was actually being burnt in a sense. So, would you recommend the use of Neosporin, etc? This is not a normal reaction and a sign that your electrologist is using too high settings! She's burning your skin that can lead to scarring! She may be trying to clear your beard quickly, but it's not worth potential permanent scarring. To use after electrolysis: I recommend Bacitracin, Neosporin, Water Gel Burn Gel or a soothing face cream. Aloe vera gel is good for the skin, but it can be drying -- you may want to follow with some lotion. Laser appears to have reached the point of permanence, which is three years with no substantial regrowth. However, I've heard of varying results from people who've had laser. There are several different kinds of laser. Since I'm not familiar with them, I can't say which is best. Previously, laser only worked on dark hair. However, there are now types that claim to work on light-pigmented hair. The advantage of laser is that larger areas can be treated instead of hair-by-hair electrolysis and is reportedly not as painful. If you want fast results laser may be the way to go. I've heard of people getting laser and then "cleaning up" the remaining with electrolysis. Don't ask an electrologist what they think about laser for obvious reasons! Laser hair removal info from the FDA Some of them work, but are painful and slow. They are strictly galvanic (DC) current devices. You'll need hours of patience and a steady hand. If you're going to buy a home unit be sure it's a "One-Touch" needle type. The ones that don't work are the IGEA and "Finally Free" devices that have a clip, or tweezers, at the end of a wire. These devices supposedly send an electric signal down the hair shaft to the root. The problem is hair isn't a good conductor, so basically all you're doing is tweezing the hair. Some of the tweezer units come with a conductive gel that's supposed to increase hair's conductivity. But since electricity follows the path of least resistance, any energy applied by the device is not going to travel selectively down a hair, it's going to dissipate across the gel on the skin's surface. Needle One-Touch units are available for about $30 at drugstores, some department stores, beauty supply stores (i.e. Sally's Beauty Supply) and on onIine. Do a search under "one touch electrolysis." The professional electrolysis devices costing $1000 or more are much faster and more effective and should only be used by a trained technician. Topical Anesthetics EMLA is the commonly prescribed topical anesthetic for electrolysis. There's a new version called EMLA Max. I've used EMLA, but not EMLA Max. I asked my electrologist about it and she said it wasn't much better than the regular EMLA. If you want something stronger there's a product called Eutectic Blast that's twice as strong and doesn't require occluding (covering with plastic wrap). It's specially compounded, not widely available and requires a prescription. If there's none locally you can mail-order from Flander's Pharmacy in Portland, OR at 503-228-4119. There are also OTC (Over the Counter) topical anesthetics. Ask your electrologist what he or she recommends. home
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Hair Removal
Do
you use the 'blend' or 'thermolysis,' or both?
