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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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.
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.
I drive a hour and a half for my laser place. Do your research to determine if the closer place is worth it.
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
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.
I'm a hairy NB Queer, assigned male at birth, and if anyone knows a transmasc, I'd totally donate my facial hair. I hate shaving so much, and some days, don't feel like it fits me.
I know, totally not in line with the OP post, but please.. take my facial hair. I feel like a gd Viking half the time.
Maybe I need to look into laser myself :)
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.
An epilator will also help, but wont be perfect
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!