Dr McGinn Hair Removal Requirements

7
u/my-name-is-emma
Mon Jan 16 18:34:34 2023 UTC
(14 comments)

I'm getting conflicting information about hair removal for GCS. For the record, I have several months under my belt of laser from two different providers and approaching two more months of electrolysis from a local electrologist. I am close to one clearing complete on everything but the periniem area.

I am getting conflicting information about hair removal. My electrologist says I shouldn't even think about getting a surgery until I can go a full year without needing any hair removal done.

Papillon Center (McGinn's Office) sees it differently. They think that all you need is 6 monthly full clearings and then you're normally good to go for surgery.

Truth be told, I don't know who to believe. McGinn is a really reputable surgeon that I feel lucky enough to have the option for. A part of me thinks "just trust her" and go for a surgery date in 2023?

all 14 comments


7
u/AutumnGlow33
Mon Jan 16 18:58:56 2023 UTC
(5 children)

I would trust the electrologist. She is actually more correct about the hair issue. It takes 12 to 18 months of completely clearing an area of all hair, completely, with each session to guarantee no more hair growth. Laser simply cannot be trusted when it comes to permanent hair removal. Over and over again in this forum we see people who listened to surgeons who promised them that hair removal wasn’t needed or that “scraping” would fix any problems who now have hair growth in their vagina. Six months absolutely is not enough electrolysis to guarantee no hair growth. At the very least, you need a minimum of one year of electrolysis, getting full clearings each session, followed by very careful scraping the follicles.

2
OP
Mon Jan 16 19:45:16 2023 UTC
(4 children)

I have yet to get a full clearing in a session. There's simply too much hair. In which case, that means many hours per month with my genitals front and center for these appointments. That's a LOT of dysphoria.

4
Mon Jan 16 19:52:26 2023 UTC
(3 children)

I understand, but think of the dysphoria of having a vagina full of hair growth 5 inches in. For possibly the rest of your life. This can lead to infections and discharge and terrible odors, not to mention sexual partners discovering. If you are that hairy, the risk is even higher. My best advice to you is to head to a center that specializes in pre-op hair removal. They can do full clearance in one session under anesthetic. I made use of their service myself and let me tell you, it doesn’t compare to the old “by the hour” place. They also have much higher kill rates. E-3000 in Texas does this, but I used Precision Hair Removal in Chicago. It was practically painless and they got every single hair. Was it cheap? No but worth it. Keep in mind I was using their services after the fact to tidy up some unresolved hair issues prior to a secondary salvage surgery, and it would have been way better had I gone to them before.

2
OP
Tue Jan 17 17:48:04 2023 UTC
(2 children)

I have a couple of electrolysis options outside of my current "by the hour" place myself. There's Papillon Center itself but there's also Spiegel Center. Spiegel is closer but more expensive and you only get 3 hours rather than 4. It stands to reason that Papillon would be more likely to specialize in pre-op hair removal for obvious reasons.

I dunno. The semester starts soon. I would much rather have a once a month place to go to though. Less disruption when it comes to the whole "college student work flow" thing.

2
Tue Jan 17 18:07:40 2023 UTC
(1 child)

That was my thinking. It was much easier to go once for an intense session then it is to go a whole bunch for less. The place I went to, Precision, did like 6-7 hours under IV sedation and local. They had an incredible kill rate and used high current, so the healing process was a lot. I had some significant swelling and bruising. However, I healed with zero issues and had much less hair growth. One of my biggest, biggest regrets was not going to them prior to surgery to begin with even though I had to travel. If you can go to the facility doing your surgery, definitely go there. They will know exactly what areas you need done. Just please, give it extra time and extra clearing.

1
Tue May 14 08:00:10 2024 UTC
(0 children)

Can you give more info about this place? I have a super low pain tolerance and electrolysis sounds like literally the worst thing that can happen to anybody ever (other than bottom dysphoria)

3
u/MischiefThePony
Tue Jan 17 18:49:10 2023 UTC
(2 children)

If you are getting monthly 'clearings', that means that you are still growing enough hair to be cleared. Though it takes the most time, what is ideal is to have a couple of months (or more) back-to-back where there is very little to no hair at all for the electrologist to remove. That, combined with the bit of 'scraping' that most surgeons do, is as close to a guarantee of no hair that you can get. Obviously the longer you go with no hair growth, the better, as it means those suckers are indeed dead.

2
OP
Wed Jan 18 15:21:17 2023 UTC
(1 child)

Truth be told, it took about two months worth of weekly work to get ONE clearing completed. It really was that bad. As of yesterday, I'm finally clear enough to get a week off before I go through my next 90 minute round.

I worry that just a few months back-to-back with little to no hair to remove might not be enough. I had previous laser. If hairs can be dormant "for years" after being knocked out by a laser, how would I really ever know that I'm safe for surgery?

1
Wed Jan 18 22:03:03 2023 UTC
(0 children)

Not to be discouraging, but it takes as long as it takes to get you to where you (and the surgeon) feel comfortable that the risk is low enough.

For reference, I started my pre-surgical electrolysis in June 2021. At first, I was going mostly weekly - except for holidays and times where the electrologist was off - and doing two hour sessions. This was a bit of work as I live 6 hours from the electrologist office (I stay with partners daughter, so I can drive up the night before). I didn't have my first full clearing until November 2021, after 31 hours of sessions. As of right now, I have had a total of just under 50 hours of electrolysis, and after a couple of months gap when the clinic was without an electrologist, I have resumed sessions of 90 minutes every other week. I will continue this - and possibly add a couple of extra sessions if the schedule allows - up until my pre-op appointment in April. While I am mostly good already, we are doing a bit of 'coloring outside the lines' from the requirements just to be sure, along with catching any latent stragglers. [Personally, I would be quite happy to have every single hair below my lip completely eradicated - I am not worried about scar covering, and have always hated body hair on myself.]

I can't offer much advice on the effects of laser changing the dormancy period of hairs, as I have never done anything but electrolysis - but I would encourage having as many sessions as you can to reduce the risk as far as possible. If you have a good electrologist, they will be honest with you about where they feel you stand - one way or the other.

You are getting close to the end of this particular leg of our crazy marathon journeys - don't lose sight of how far you have already come.

Best wishes! 💜💜

1
u/Illgobananas2
Mon Jan 16 18:48:39 2023 UTC
(0 children)

I may be going to McGinn. No way I'm waiting a year after hair removal. That's too long. Idk if I can do that

1
u/Corswald
Sat Feb 25 20:08:58 2023 UTC
(3 children)

Hi! I’m currently getting pre-op electrolysis at the Papillon Center, and I am very happy with the team. It’s true that they suggest setting up 6 sessions to start with, but the electrologist can tell you if you need more or fewer from there. I ended up scheduling a 7th and will be adding an 8th just in case.

Though I have no other electrolysis experiences to compare it to, the electrologist seems to really know her stuff and is such a wonderful person. I have pretty severe but controlled social anxiety, but I somehow found my first session affirming and therapeutic 😂.

They have an on-site nurse (she is friendly and professional, too) and offer lidocaine injections. They do 3 or 4 hour sessions. I’ve had 3 sessions—2 with lidocaine and 1 without—and my skin is on the more reactive side, but the electrologist guides you through the recovery process, too.

Like I said, I have no other experiences to compare it to, but I feel very safe and happy with my decision to go the Papillon Center route.

2
Wed Sep 20 21:35:11 2023 UTC
(2 children)

Thanks for sharing. Any updates on your experience since this post?

1
Wed Oct 4 14:56:40 2023 UTC
*
(1 child)

Hi! So sorry I missed this. Yes! I’m actually getting electrolysis right this moment 😅. This will be my last session, and I’m still extremely pleased with team at Papillon. My surgery is 27 days away, and I feel like I’ve never been more prepared for something in my life!

Timeline:

-September 2022: Called and scheduled consultation with Dr McGinn for Aug 14, 2023

-December 2022: Started electrolysis at Papillon

-July 2023: Had my consultation early and scheduled my surgery date

-Oct 4, 2023: Last electrolysis session

-Oct 31, 2023: Taco Tuesday! 🥳🎉 (Surgery day)

To recap, I ended up adding more sessions, as needed, and this is my 12th session (I fall into the excessively hairy category and don’t want to take chances). I will have had 44.5 hours of electrolysis at Papillon Center, 41.5 of those with lidocaine. The lead electrologist, Ramona, is a gem of a human being and I honestly could not imagine going a different route for hair removal. I’ll genuinely miss our talks 😂

Each session, I’d ask what I could do differently in terms of preparation (e.g., things like shaving X number of days ahead of time, hydration, aftercare) and if it looked like I’d need to add any sessions based on progress to date. I’ve followed Ramona’s instructions and healed well between sessions.

The whole team there is great. They’ve gotten to know me a little over my time here and vice versa. They have a team member who works with your insurance to get the surgery approved ahead of time (but it goes take time; just get them what they need to help the process along). My surgery and hospital stay has been approved already, which is a weight off my mind.

The other thing I’ve been really happy with is the info the team provides. Upon scheduling my surgery, they sent me about 15 attachments covering everything: pre-op supplements and things to avoid, timeline of the surgery and post-surgical hospital stay, info on lodging nearby the office so you can be close by for 6- and 9-day post-op follow-ups, a shopping list for supplies to aid in recovery, lube recommendations for dilation, info on post-op sexual health, etc. It’s pretty comprehensive, and if you have any questions, they will answer them, too.

Feel free to DM with questions. I feel like McGinn is pretty well known for her surgical prowess, but I personally appreciate the comprehensive care and wraparound services the Papillon Center provides. I have no doubt that regardless of how smooth or rocky my recovery goes, Papillon is just a phone call or email away.

1
Wed Oct 4 15:00:49 2023 UTC
(0 children)

I’m really glad I started removal when I scheduled the consultation. Basically, I scheduled the consultation and the first electrolysis appointment at the same time, so by the time I had my consultation 10 months later, I was well on my way to being ready.