Welcome! The hair removal and electrolysis information on this page is written for a transgender audience. For a general market discussion of body and genital hair removal methods after reading this page, please visit: hairfacts.com
Body electrolysis:
Wait to start body work until your face is being cleared with one session a week.
Many people find that testosterone blockers reduce body hair significantly over time.
Some people with light colored skin and dark colored hair found laser to be helpful for reducing the darkness and thickness of large amounts of body hair.
Many people only do permanent hair removal on their faces and possibly genitals in preparation for bottom surgery, doing the rest with temporary methods.
Permanent hair removal is usually prioritized in this order:
- Face first and foremost
- Genitals or donor area prior to bottom surgery
- Highly visible areas, such as back of neck, outer ears and hands.
- Hair considered “masculine,” such as eyebrows, chest, shoulder, back, buttock, and bikini line hair.
- Less common areas like abdomen, arms, legs, feet, and armpits are sometimes felt to be necessary.
Non-facial electrolysis
Wait to start body work until your face is being cleared with an hour a week. Spend your money and energy on your face at first. You’ll be glad you did later.
Luckily, many find that hormones, especially testosterone blockers, greatly reduce body hair after six months to a year of continuous use. Most people who do have body hair at that point choose to do their chest and shoulders or back first. Another popular area is hands, especially if yours are quite hairy. Although there are a few brave souls who do their arms and legs, most prefer to save a great deal of time, pain, money, and potential scarring and use a non-permanent method for legs and arms.
Electrolysis inside nose and ears
Most electrologists won’t do these areas for those unlucky enough to have hair in these areas. If they do, you will probably find it extraordinarily painful and prone to infection (that’s why they don’t do it). Look into pain management techniques above if you happen to find someone willing to do this.
Body work
Rosalind wrote, “I had an extremely hairless chest. I just wanted what was there to be eliminated. It took about 3 hours total to remove what at first appeared to be 10 hairs. But to get all of them and the ones that weren’t above the skin at the time and the follicles that weren’t killed the first or second or third time is what took so long.” So, just as it takes a while to do the face, it can take a while on the body.”
On May 5, 1998, I did my first bit of chest electrolysis. I found it quite bearable in the center of the chest, but it got more and more uncomfortable as we moved toward my throat and outward from the center. I used no pain relievers of any sort, although when I do the ones around my nipples, I will certainly slather on some EMLA. I found accupressure quite helpful near the treated site. I’m glad I never plucked or waxed my chest, and I’m glad I waited until the hormones had a chance to thin it. There’s not much there, although like Rosalind, I found it deceptive once I started treatment.
I’d recommend once you start chest work not to shave any more. The hairs take longer to grow that facial hairs, and even though I could feel them, they were very hard for my electrologist to find, since they were so short from shaving. I would feel around for one, and when I felt one, I’d tilt my head up in order to see it. They were hard to see unless the light hit them just right, and oftentimes I’d see one my electrologist couldn’t, and vice versa.
If you have a lot, I’d also recommend thinning versus clearing. The skin on your chest takes much longer to heal and is thinner, so it’s more important to be conservative to avoid scarring. I know someone who has tiny white marks on her chest from overzealous treatment. To avoid that fate, start your chest before you’re in a big rush to get it done.
Most of the information in this overview about facial electrolysis also applies to body work. The only area worth noting might make your eyes water just reading about it…