Bowers SRS Internal Hair Growth

23
u/ghosthousebabe
Fri Jan 20 19:25:18 2023 UTC
(6 comments)

Hi all,

I feel like I should post here because this is something I wish I had fully understood before I got surgery with Dr. Bowers. I ended up in a situation where I was about to lapse off of my parents insurance and their office (very kindly) offered to get me in for surgery before that happened, since I wouldn't be able to afford it afterwords.

I was really worried about hair removal, but I had done 5 laser sessions plus about 8-10 hours of electrolysis and wasn't seeing too much regrowth, so they told me that I should be fine, that hair growth is unlikely after the follicular scrape and intraoperative electrolysis. They were always kinda hedging when they said this, so I never got a clear "you're definitely fine" but they didn't seem concerned about it at all. Unfortunately, I just hit 4 months out and it seems that I have a LOT of hair growth. It's really upsetting and the options for dealing with it seem really limited, so I'm not sure what to do now.

Ultimately I don't regret having the surgery or anything, I'm generally happy with my results apart from this, but I really wish I had just waited longer and gotten the full clear done. I feel like it's kinda irresponsible for Bowers office to still allow you to go through with surgery without being fully clear, but at the same time I guess I should have just trusted my gut and not gone through with it.

TL:DR If you're going to Bowers (or any other surgeon who doesn't require a full electrolysis clear) please just do the full clear, I promise you will regret it if you don't. Hope I can save someone else from suffering the same hairy fate.

all 6 comments


9
u/Harmonia_PASB
Sat Jan 21 03:10:30 2023 UTC
(1 child)

How far into the canal is the hair? I’m an electrologist who works with the trans community, I can get about 1” in.

I strongly recommend doing the full 1.5 years worth of electrolysis, some hairs only pop up about once a year and it’s better to be safe rather than sorry. I’m so sorry this happened with your surgery, hopefully you can get some of it removed.

4
OP
Sat Jan 21 14:58:28 2023 UTC
(0 children)

Yeah I wish I had done the full amount of electrolysis, but I couldn't really afford it and the combination of pain and dysphoria was really rough. Would have been worth it though. I would guess probably 2+inches, it's pretty deep, so IDK if there's really going to be anything I can do about it. I've heard anecdotally about people preventing regrowth with PH balancing but idk if that really works

5
u/bitten_sara
Sat Jan 21 21:14:38 2023 UTC
(1 child)

I get this I actually did laser for 2 years almost 2 years later no treatments cause covid no growth and opportunity to pursue surgery showed up and I knew I had to take it. Right as my consult came about suddenly got growth everywhere. I ended up scrambling and doing 6 months every other Saturday for 3-4 hours(had to go someone that didn't have trans experience and they weren't fastest - my original intended clinic couldn't get me in). It looked pretty solid going into surgery. Shortly before surgery i got updated hormone levels turns out my T spiked from being in <20 to 800s.

After surgery almost immediately had hair growth in surgical site but haven't noticed anything in canal but honestly I can't see in there and I dilate 3x day for last 8 months.. had some granulation issues and struggling sizing up. I don't do much touching so kinda clueless it there anything in there best I can tell think okay.

2
Sat Jan 21 21:16:39 2023 UTC
(0 children)

Point is those follicles can show up way later than expect and hormone alterations can cause sudden changes.

3
u/bootieAndFrutie
Sat Jan 21 23:16:53 2023 UTC
(1 child)

I did electrolysis but I like pain so I used no numbing or pain killing. Laser hair allows hair the chance to grow back anytime in the future due to hormonal or other chances.

2
Thu Jan 26 22:57:59 2023 UTC
(0 children)

Same.. I did Saturday's so my clinic wasn't able to arrange the lidocaine shot with nearby clinic that did that for them. So, I just watched caffeine intake and took ibuprofen after. Honestly after about hour of it I was able to just drift off almost sleeping. I listened to alot music shutting our their country music most time. The hard part well was try to mentally shutdown the arousal vie pain that I hate not the pain part. It's also just kinda difficult cause your laying there all vulnerable.. with my foot on his thigh as it did 1 hair at time.. I was going insane.