Removing facial hair - but still in male mode.

[Cassie]

If you are definitely planning to transition get as much IPL done as possible while in male mode. Going two or three days unshaven once living full-time as a woman is far far worse than anything you'll experience as a male!

[Jane_D_C]

Hi:

I rang the help line at Boots. Much to my surprise the woman knew the answer to my question: it is not recommended for male facial hair. If you only have a weak beard you may get way with it, but the bottom line is that away from the scalp, male hair is a lot stronger than female hair and needs stronger IPL to zap it. When my beard hairs first appeared at age 17, the hairs were as thick as they were before I started IPL, but of course there were a lot fewer of them. I didn't get a full beard for about another three years. But the point is that even my earliest hairs would have taken a lot of killing.

I statrted IPL and went full time at about the same time. After two IPL sessions I have gone from two shaves a day to one. I give it a quick once over with an electric razor, then hand shave.

I am still thinking that I may buy a Boots IPL machine for the hair on my limbs. Shaving them every day gets tiresome, and an epilator sounds tedious.

Love,

Jane

x.

[Helena Handcart]

I've been having face IPL since August and I always go in male mode. There are two reasons for this: I was using my male name when I started and they said it would cause confusion if they changed it on their records halfway through my treatment. The other reason is that, for obvious reasons, I don't wear make-up when I go for my treatment, and I can't present as female without make up. (Though even with make-up I sometimes feel it's futile - I still get called 'sir'.)

One thing I'd like to ask about IPL. I find it very painful, but the therapist says it shouldn't be. This may be partly because I'm physically very sensitive (probably because I'm dyspraxic as well as transgender). I'm sure the therapist knows what she's doing: do some people find it more painful than others?

This is my first contribution to the forum, so hello.

Helen

[Millie]

Hi Helena and welcome to the forum.

I think that you will find that IPL is always painful, for everyone, and your IPL woman is a big fibber! although, Ido think that some people react better with it than others.

[Cassie]

Hi Helena,

I'd like to say I just lie back and enjoy it but Millie is quite right, although some sessions can be less painful than others it is all relative... you have to be pretty determined to go through with it.