To electrolysis or not to electrolysis?

14
u/Balgruuf_Oh_Balgruuf
Sun Jan 12 13:19:45 2020 UTC
(24 comments)

I'm really rather torn on whether to have electrolysis done prior to bottom surgery. Some surgeons recommend/require it, others advise against it due to potential scarring and saying that folical scraping is sufficient.

Can anyone shed light on this from experience? I really don't want to risk having internal hair, but I don't have a lot of 'material' to work with and so can't really afford to sacrifice depth due to scarring.

I'll probably go for electrolysis on the perineum at least, I'm more so asking about having it done on the other areas.

Thanks 😊.

all 24 comments


19
u/Maybebaby57
Sun Jan 12 13:53:34 2020 UTC
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(12 children)

The bottom line is to follow the advice of your surgeon. My personal experience was to do a thorough removal of genital hair, as my surgeon required. A competent electrologist will not scar your skin. Once I got a good numbing protocol down (slathering my crotch with EMLA cream at least one hour before each session) , it was considerably less painful than facial electrolysis. I did six laser/electrolysis clearings total.

To me it seems unreasonable to expect a surgeon to remove every single hair follicle in the donor tissue in the operating room in one go. Some are bound to be missed, especially dormant follicles. Think of all the hours of facial electrolysis one goes through, and how those stray hairs still pop up years later.

Yes, it's more expense and pain, but SRS is a one-shot deal for the most part, and you want to get the best results you can, including no hair in your vagina. Think about dealing with that the rest of your life.

3
Sun Jan 12 15:06:29 2020 UTC
(8 children)

Once I got a good numbing protocol down (slathering my crotch with EMLA cream at least one hour before each session) , it was considerably less painful than facial electrolysis. I did six laser/electrolysis clearings total.

I thought EMLA was to be applied only to a small area of skin at a time?

Also less painful?! I know sensitivity can vary person to person (hence ymmv advice) but damn, I hope this is true for me too because am getting facial rn and if it weren't for EMLA I'd be s t r u g g l i n g.

Also also: six sessions?! How long were those sessions, did you laser first, how effective was it..? I fear having to get electro for many hours for genital hair (even though I'm fine not getting all of it removed, just enough so I don't end up with any internally post-surgery).

7
Sun Jan 12 15:32:35 2020 UTC
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(3 children)

Topical absorption of lidocaine can be cardiotoxic, but you have to cover a very large amount of skin, more than your genital area. Yes, it was less painful because the absorption of the anesthetic seems to be better down there. I tried EMLA cream on my face and it wasn't nearly as effective.

My first session was a total clearing (4 hrs) with IV sedation and lidocaine injections. It was very expensive (about $1000) and not financially sustainable for me. Subsequently I did one-hour sessions at my local salon using only EMLA cream. My electrologist would give me the once-over with the laser, then go after light hairs with electrolysis. I would do the sessions two to three weeks apart, so she could spot hairs that had regrown. The last two or three sessions were more like 30 minutes, because she was only going after stray hairs.

1
OP
Sun Jan 12 18:18:49 2020 UTC
(2 children)

So it's not unreasonable to expect to be mostly hair free after around 10-20 hours of electrolysis? How many of these follow up appointments did you have? :)

1
Sun Jan 12 18:23:05 2020 UTC
(0 children)

Not unreasonable at all. I had about five appointments after the initial full clearing, so less than 10 hours total.

1
Tue Jan 14 01:14:50 2020 UTC
(0 children)

If you're going to do that little you should probably do laser too. Personally I've had at least 60 hours plus 8 or so sessions of laser over the last couple of years and I still get little tiny light, hard to see hairs popping up. Any of them could suddenly turn fully terminal randomly and the idea of that freaks me out. i'm crossing my fingers my surgeon will be able to scrape that remainder away.

2
OP
Sun Jan 12 18:16:09 2020 UTC
(3 children)

Do you know if this cream is available over the counter in the UK? I'm expecting to be a massive pansy when it comes to dealing with the pain eep .

2
Sun Jan 12 18:42:33 2020 UTC
(0 children)

I walked into a Boots shop and bought some EMLA cream on the spot no problem (no prescription) on the day of my initial consultation, so at least from my experience yes you should be able to. (I didn't ask if there was a limit as to how much they can let you buy in one go or not)

EMLA cream is 2.5% lidocaine and 2.5% prilocaine, if this is not strong enough of an anaesthetic you might need to ask your GP for a prescription for a stronger % one.

Hope that helps.

1
Sun Jan 12 18:24:01 2020 UTC
(0 children)

It is prescription-only in the US. In Europe it may be different.

2
OP
Sun Jan 12 18:14:48 2020 UTC
(2 children)

At the moment I'm considering going to Bank or Chett for SRS, which as far as I'm aware recommend against it anywhere but the perineum.

However I agree with your thinking. How much depth can it actually cost me? Surely that would outweigh having bloody hair INSIDE ME 😬

2
Sun Jan 12 20:03:30 2020 UTC
(0 children)

I'm likely going to see Chett and I'm still getting some hair removal. I dont want to risk it and I dont think electrolysis is going to damage the skin so much that it's not usable.

2
Mon Jan 13 03:34:25 2020 UTC
(0 children)

I’ve never heard of hair deep inside with a Suporn, but I have with Chettawut. There’s a number of cases of hair near the entrance with Suporn, but it’s easy to get to.

10
u/Lady_pretty_kitty
Sun Jan 12 13:39:38 2020 UTC
(3 children)

There was a post a while back from someone who had electrolysis and follicle scraping and still ended up with hair inside the vaginal cavity, I would think it's best to do anything you can to avoid that issue, because it will be much more of a hassle to fix later on.

Sun Jan 12 14:11:59 2020 UTC
(1 child)

[deleted]

2
Sun Jan 12 15:11:46 2020 UTC
(0 children)

Worst case you can get recurring infections.

2
OP
Sun Jan 12 18:20:25 2020 UTC
(0 children)

It is one of my bigger fears about SRS tbh. Do you know how much electrolysis can potentially damage the skin and reduce overall depth/size?

6
u/Fluphieuphia
Sun Jan 12 14:19:09 2020 UTC
(0 children)

My doctor told me, that the only hair that would be a problem would be hair on the shaft, so he inspected the area and said it wasn't required, that was back in 2018 and no problems with hair. I think there are a variety of techniques that are in use and what your doctor uses for what probably is a pretty big factor in how much variation there is.

5
u/winterberryx
Sun Jan 12 15:29:11 2020 UTC
(0 children)

Surgeons will tell you what's best for them. So what's really being communicated is that scraping is sufficient. It might not be ideal, though.

I'd go with your gut ... trust your own preferences.

u/[deleted]
Sun Jan 12 16:14:07 2020 UTC
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(1 child)

[deleted]

3
Sun Jan 12 17:00:04 2020 UTC
(0 children)

Laser should be a lot cheaper

https://www.reddit.com/r/TransWiki/wiki/hair-removal#wiki_genital_hair_removal

3
u/RosyGlow
Sun Jan 12 17:49:03 2020 UTC
(0 children)

I read reports from people who saw surgeons who recommended against electrolysis and ended up with internal hair. But it's impossible to know actually how prevalent it is. The good old YMMV.

This is the case with the surgeon I'm considering, so I'm pursuing a few clearings beforehand. Also, even if I end up with a bit of internal hair - Id rather have that than a dick. Many reports state that the hair does not last forever.

3
u/nilenc22
Thu Jan 16 20:04:15 2020 UTC
(3 children)

This post came right when I went to the gynecologist and found out that kamol left hair inside me I literally don’t know what to do and don’t have money for colon vaginoplasty

1
Thu Jan 16 20:17:31 2020 UTC
(2 children)

How deep is the hair?

Hair near the entrance can removed with electrolysis. If it’s deep it may be possible with cauterisation, but that’s difficult to find and probably expensive.

Colon vaginoplasty would be an extreme solution to this problem. There are women who have lived with this problem for years without serious problems. Look in the wiki.

2
Thu Jan 16 23:32:41 2020 UTC
(1 child)

The gynecologist said it’s deep inside I even have the reports now, I can’t live with this even if it doesn’t get me infections it’s disgusting, no man will want me like this

3
Wed Jan 29 13:13:58 2020 UTC
(0 children)

Men don’t care what your vulva looks like up close with the lights turned on. Really. Think about it.

They just want a nice smile, two arms, a brain and a good woman who smells nice and is easy to talk to.

Your life isn’t over.

1
u/JessSRS
Mon Jan 13 23:49:35 2020 UTC
(0 children)

I was told i didn't need it. However in hindsight i wish i had done it. Lube when dilating gets everywhere and gets really sticky