🚻Electrolysis for Transgender SurgeRY

At this time, I’m unable do to bottom surgery electrolysis :(

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ

DISCLAIMER: Please consult with your medical provider &/or surgeon before trying any of my suggestions.

CLIENTS SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST 12 MONTHS TIME TO CLEAR THEIR HAIRS BEFORE THE SURGERY DATE.  I HAVE PERSONALLY WITNESSED TIMES IN WHICH CLIENTS DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH ELECTROLYSIS BEFORE THEIR SURGERY & LATER ENDED UP HAVING UNWANTED HAIRS GROWING INSIDE OF THEM. 

THIS IS PREVENTABLE!

THE PROS AND CONS OF RUSHING INTO SURGERY WITHOUT ENOUGH HAIR REMOVAL TREATMENT SHOULD BE DISCUSSED WITH YOUR MEDICAL PROVIDER & YOUR SURGEON.

TABLE OF CONTENT

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1) PRESURGERY

2) YOUR ELECTROLYSIS SCHEDULE

3) CRITERIA FOR HAIR CLEARANCE

4) POSTSURGERY

5) WHEN HAIRS CAN BE TREATED VIA ELECTROLYSIS POST SURGERY

6) WHEN HAIRS POST SURGERY CANNOT BE TREATED VIA ELECTROLYSIS

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1. PRESURGERY

ELECTROLYSIS PREPARATION FOR BOTH:

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🚺TRANSWOMEN/FEMININE SPECTRUM🚺

&

🚹TRANSMEN/MASCULINE SPECTRUM🚹

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DISCLAIMER: Consult with your medical provider for use of "Emla.”

1. Try to get "Emla" topical cream (or a generic equivalent) prescribed by your medical provider before your first electrolysis session.  Unfortunately, it's not over-the-counter and requires a prescription. 

"Emla" is a topical anesthetic that will help numb the genital area, thigh, or arm, to be treated.  It's a 2.5% lidocaine/2.5% prilocaine combo.  Use as directed. 

If you don't have negative skin reactions or side effects, you may try applying a generous layer of "Emla" to the area & then covering it with a plastic wrap 1 hour before your electrolysis session.  This helps the cream to absorb better into the skin, resulting in a more comfortable treatment.

Lidocaine Toxicity: Tingling/numbing of the tongue, fingers/toes is a common sign that your body has absorbed too much lidocaine. Wash off any residue of lidocaine and seek medical attention immediately if this occurs.

If you’re unable to get “Emla,” you can purchase "Numb Master" online.  It's an over-the-counter 5% lidocaine mixture. There are other 5% lidocaines. This one doesn’t leave a slippery residue.

Or you can go to your local drugstore and look for a 4% lidocaine gel.

Topical lidocaine usually numbs an area within 15-30 minutes of application.  The longer it’s left on, the more numbing will occur. It’s temporary and will wear off in time.

2. Every surgeon has their own specifications on which areas of hair need to be treated pre-surgery. 

Please ask your Surgeon's office for pics/diagrams/description of the area to be cleared. 

If you don't have this material on your first electrolysis session, it's okay.  We can work on clearing areas that are definitely necessary to be cleared for surgery, that don't require a description.  

I know it's a pain, but the more info you're able to tell me, the better I can be at helping you set your goals for hair clearance before your surgery.

2. YOUR ELECTROLYSIS SCHEDULE

Most surgeons performing bottom surgery require that specific areas be cleared (no more hair growth) at least 14-21 days before the surgery day.

It's SUPER IMPORTANT that you have enough time to permanently clear your hairs before the surgery.  It's a general rule that about 30% of pubic hair is active (anagen stage) and treatable & 70% remains inactive (telogen stage).  Individual hairs go through 3 cycles of growth & shedding which takes about 3 months from the beginning stage to the last.  We are treating the hairs while they're in the active/growth stage.

If possible, make sure you have at least 9-12 months, give & take, to have time to do as much as a thorough clearance as possible.  Some individuals don’t have much body hair to begin with which will require less than a year of treatment and time to prepare for surgery.

If you have more than a year, even better!  The more time you have to clear the hairs, the less stress & more confident you’ll be as far as hairs not growing back permanently.

Most people can tolerate up to 1 hr - 1.5hr sessions, but it depends on the individual's pain threshold. It’s highly recommended to do consistent weekly to bi-weekly sessions for the fastest & most effective results.

It's less stressful to have a more thorough hair clearance before surgery than to have to remove hairs afterward (which may require an additional surgery if it can’t be reached & removed via Electrolysis). 

The surgeon can catch & permanently remove remaining hairs during the time of surgery, called cauterization. Cauterization is a process of burning & cutting off blood supply to a surrounding area. It's unclear to me how thorough cauterization is.  Please ask your surgeon regarding cauterization. 

BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY!

3. CRITERIA FOR HAIR CLEARANCE

After your second & third electrolysis session, I’ll have a better understanding & estimate on when the hairs will be cleared for surgery.  There are multiple factors to determine this, which includes:

1. The amount of hairs:  The more hairs you have, the longer the sessions will be to cover & treat the individual hairs.

2. The surface area:  We all come in different shapes & sizes.  If you have more areas of hair per square inch of skin, the more electrolysis you’ll need.

3. How easily/difficult it is to "release" each hair: "Releasing" means how easily the individual hairs come out from the hair follicle with a tweezer after a current is sent to the root.  Does the hair slide out? Is there a slight tugging feeling? Does it feel like the hair is being ripped out? Hair resistance to electrolysis is different for everyone.

4. Length of the hairs: From experience, the longer the hairs are, the more likely they are to grow back finer but still longish (even in a weakened state after treatment).

5. How much regrowth remains: At your third & fourth session, I’ll be able to examine the progress of hair removal & regrowth, resulting in a more precise estimate of when your hairs will be mostly cleared for surgery.

6. Intersectional factors: These include your genetics, general health, healing factor, pain threshold, your hair growth cycle, etc.

4. POSTSURGERY

ELECTROLYSIS FOR BOTH:

🏳️‍🌈

🚺TRANSWOMEN/FEMININE SPECTRUM🚺

&

🚹TRANSMEN/MASCULINE SPECTRUM🚹

🏳️‍🌈

Unfortunately, after hair pre-clearance (from the Electrologist or the Laser Hair Technician & Electrologist) & the cauterization process (during surgery from the surgeons), hairs may still regrow even if the hairs appeared completely clear in the necessary areas before surgery.

The factors leading to this regrowth may include: hormonal reasons, weakened hairs growing at a slower rate, hairs coming out after months of being dormant under the skin, etc.

5. WHEN HAIRS CAN BE TREATED VIA ELECTROLYSIS POST SURGERY

The good news is that hairs post surgery can still be treated following the guidelines of your surgeon for both F2M & M2F individuals.

For Men/Masculine Spectrum, clearance of remaining hairs of the penis is straightforward & can be completely removed as per the surgeon after healing.

For Women/Feminine Spectrum, clearance of remaining hairs is dependent on whether the base of the hair is reachable to be treated with the electrolysis current & removed via tweezers, from within the vagina.

6. WHEN HAIRS POST SURGERY CANNOT BE TREATED VIA ELECTROLYSIS

Hairs that are growing from the urethra that cannot be reached via an electric current from electrolysis must be removed through surgery.  This is why it's important to have enough time to remove the hairs sooner than later. See "YOUR ELECTROLYSIS SCHEDULE" for more info.

ELECTROLYSIS VS. LASER HAIR REMOVAL FOR (PRE/POST) SURGERY

Clients have asked me if Laser Hair Removal would be a good option instead of Electrolysis for (pre/post) surgery. 

Everyone responds differently to Electrolysis & Laser Hair Removal. It’s important to note that individuals with light-colored hair do not respond well to Laser Hair Removal. Individuals with darker skin tones will need additional Laser sessions.

Electrolysis is more thorough at permanently removing hairs. It's slooooooow and tedious. Again, it requires many hours of treatment, every week or every other week over a period of many months to be as clear as possible.

Laser Hair Removal has shorter session times & is done every 4-6 weeks.  Laser Hair Removal is allowed to claim hair reduction and is not FDA approved to claim permanent hair removal.  Sometimes clients who have had at least 8 sessions of Laser, have had hairs growing back months & years later. Is this reliable & enough time to clear the necessary hairs before surgery? Maybe/Maybe not.

If you’re a good candidate for Laser Hair Removal & decide to go with this method, I would recommend you have enough time to start with this & then finish clearing the remaining hairs with Electrolysis.

Please do your research on choosing which method will be the most effective for you.

I wish you the greatest success on your surgery journey! This is a MAJOR surgery that requires so much mental, emotional, & physical healing. Unless someone is going through what you are, they will not completely fathom how drawn out & difficult this lifelong process is (understatement).

You’ve made it this far which takes enormous strength, courage, & perseverance! 

 Much 💗, Kalani Lee