If you have dark hair and pale skin, do laser first. You can get the stubborn hairs, grays, etc with electrolysis later. Laser is much quicker, less painful, and more cost effective. Some lasers claim to work on the tougher situations of dark skin, pale hair, or both, but I can't vouch for those. Can't hurt to go in for a consult.
this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2023
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Thanks, It is something I keep putting off for fear of talking to the local professionals about consultation. Literally ghosted one shop because I was scared to call back, actually tried to get a consult at one of the electrolysis places because they explicitly listed trans services on the website... but they are the ones not accepting new clients right now.
Hair removal is hair removal, there's no need for "trans services". You're not obligated to out yourself to the professionals.
One bit of laser advice: do ask the person doing it to use more power!
less painful,
I actually found laser way, waaaay more painful -- and that was with more than half my hairs turned white already. Electro was just a bunch of tiny pokes, while laser felt like someone repeatedly punching me in the face.
That said, I'd still choose laser over electro if I could have, since it's just easier/less hassle. (Quicker results, fewer treatments, my skin seemed to heal from it faster, etc).
For me, the only area that ever really sucked for laser was my upper lip. I guess it all sucked in the beginning but most of the beard went away on lower power settings pretty early on. Electrolysis is 30-60 minutes of drawn out torture every week or as often as you can go, AND you have to let your hair grow out so they have something to grab when they rip the follicle out of your face... Maybe each individual stab isn't as bad as each laser pulse, but at least that's just once a month and over in 10 minutes.
If I was made of money I would have taken a few weeks off work and gone to Electrolysis 5000 in Texas. 4 people working the entire day while you're on drugs or at least numbed. One and done, except it's actually two or three times to get all the hair cycles.
If you're suitable for laser (have dark hair) then do laser first, then electrolysis for cleanup. This will be cheaper and faster. Make sure you're actually getting laser and at an appropriate fluence (energy per unit area), and watch out for IPL which is not laser and unlikely to do much on testosterone-influenced beard hair.
Otherwise, you'll have to rely on electrolysis alone.
Assuming you have dark hair, I would commute out of town for the laser. Even allowing for the commute time, you'll get more hairs done "per hour" than you will with electrolysis.
It really depends on your hair color. I have red and blonde facial hair, so laser didn't do much. I wasted a lot on laser so I suggest if you have light colored hair do electro. I'm currently doing electro and really wish I woulda just started with that.
As for the sketchy house, a lotta people do it from home. If they have good reviews that should work, but if it looks super sketchy I'd say just wait. Hopefully that helps!
Electrolysis gets the job done, but it's painful and you have to do a lot of sessions.
If you have pale skin and dark hair, laser works really well. If you get good results, you will still have some hair leftover and some may grow back with time. However, it's significantly less painful than electrolysis, and you won't have to go as often (I went once a month), plus it's over in about five minutes.
Assuming laser is a good option for you: If you have the money or your insurance covers it, then laser into electrolysis can be a very good option, or you could just go with electrolysis right out the bat. If you have financial problems and can handle having to deal with leftover hair, laser will probably work out better for you.
If you don't have the right skin tone and hair color, then laser is not a great option in the first place.
Also, when it comes to anything medical, if it seems sketchy, it's probably best to avoid it. At the very least, check their licenses to make sure they are up to date and don't have any reports made against them.
The ND:YaG lasers at 1064nm can work on dark skin.
Electrolysis doesn't need a ton of space, so it doesn't surprise me that someone might have a place for it in their house. Can always try and talk with them online first to try and vet if you'd be comfortable there
IDK, if I am doing electrolysis the hour commute might make more sense, just based off the vibe and the one an hour away is a member of the state electrolysis association and not the house one. They might be perfectly fine but given the area I am in (some of the worst anit-trans laws in the country, aside from Florida) I want the most professional and safe feeling environment possible.
oh, yeah, not being part of the professional association does raise some flags about how good they are
I drive a hour and a half for my laser place. Do your research to determine if the closer place is worth it.
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