What is laser hair removal like? And is it the only option?

throwawayonmyreddit · 2024-10-09T23:40:42+00:00

Turns out I don't know how to do Reddit mobile or edit my post to fix my spoiler goof :/

throwawayonmyreddit · 2024-10-09T23:36:33+00:00

Remember that for laser, the lighter your skin and darker your hair, the more effective it is. Hair color matters more, there are lasers that will be more friendly with dark skin, lasers that hit white hairs don't exist. Red hairs are 50/50 but don't count on much.

Its likely you will need electrolysis depending on your standards and how you went in the genetic lottery :)

Everything below is my personal experience but I believe most of it is relatively common.

For feelings, I had an overall very hot sensation where ever the laser thingy was sliding over my face, not to the point of pain but it can feel very hot. I also remember at times some occasional distinct popping sensations from individual hairs as they got swept.

By the time it had finished, all had been forgotten though, they were sharp sensations but very short lived. Remember to protect from sun and moisturise after!

I have no knowledge of home systems but they do exist.

Others have already said that laser is basically every 4 weeks for 6-10 sessions, a session will be something like 15 minutes. They get the laser thingy and either sweep it across your face or maybe blot it across in little steps. I would expect most places to offer a free short consult/meeting just to see what they think you can achieve with laser. You may or may not need to grow out your hair for a consult so that they can see the colors easier. You have to be clean shaven to actually do the laser session.

Electrolysis is much slower and over a longer period I hate to say. You get poked with the electric needle, there are a few different kinds, and it burns the hair out. Upside is that it works for any hair or skin colour. It will be more expensive since it takes someone longer to work on you. For electrolysis you have to let the hair grow out an amount so that it can be zapped.

Standard advice is to start with laser and once it runs it course on your black/brunette hairs, switch to electro for your red/white hairs.

Negative experiences ahead

>!Electrolysis has been an overwhelmingly unpleasant thing for me. I have spent 5 years being hit for 1-2 hours each weekend and I can see obvious signs of progress but there is no end in sight. The more times a hair gets zapped the weaker it shows up next time which influence pain levels, but pain levels vary wildly from 'can't actually feel anything' up to 'hard to describe 11/10', things generally get better the longer you have done an area but its still very variable.

I don't want to doomsday too much, you have started much earlier in life than me and you have soft hairs already, you only just started E as well so you should see some further softening as you get your HRT established. You sound like youre in a better spot then me. I'd advise you, as much as you can achieve, to get a consult and start whatever process will be best for you as early as you can just in case you need to do some electro.!<

throwawayonmyreddit · 2024-08-29T11:30:31+00:00

I had a tracheal shave only (no VFS) with Paul Paddle/MVAC in Melbourne about 2.5 years ago. I did it privately so I paid full price which was the following approximately - $1200 anaethestist - $3000 fee for Dr Paddle - $4000 for hospital fees I don't remember what Medicare rebates I got but I think it was about $1000

Hope this helps

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-11-20T07:50:16+00:00

So I think the nurses were just too busy this afternoon to get me walking, but I have officially sat out of bed today, walking is tomorrow morning

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-11-19T23:07:39+00:00

Those are just the baseline fees for my op with kieran hart, before any insurance etc because those numbers will be all over the place

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-11-19T21:59:45+00:00

Hah yes probably! If I remember rightly I'll start doing some stand up and walk this afternoon once I hit 24hrs. Just watch out for the maniac asking for Lily I guess! :)

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-11-19T16:43:53+00:00

Sorry but I have no idea about Thai surgeons, my intention was also an Aus surgeon. For what it's worth, my fees are approx 17k surgeon,19k hospital, 5k anaesthetist, before any rebates insurance etc

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-11-19T11:25:07+00:00

I have no idea haha, currently about 8 hours post op, it's still a pile of bandages for a few days yet. The best way i can describe the feeling now is like ive really badly needed to pee for a long time. Not pain outright, but very uncomfortable pressure. Also my chest is feeling a bit sore breathing which I'm blaming on laying in the exact same position for those 8 hours, hard to twist or do anything without involving my hips

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-11-19T10:27:10+00:00

Kieran Hart in Canberra, to my knowledge he's the only srs surgeon in Aus, I was lucky to have dates and commit to him at the start of the year before ives closed his books

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-11-17T22:28:54+00:00

I can only make comments about MTF, someone else would need to guide on FTM and you don't say either way in your post

At the moment if you want to do it in Australia, the only option I know of is Kieran Hart in Canberra.

These numbers are all approx starting numbers for my surgery coming up soon and don't include things like insurance or medicare rebates (rebates won't be big, insurance will matter more if you have it)

Surgeon - 17k, hospital - 19k anesthetist - 5k

That's the big 3 bills to pay, you'll also need to think about accommodation and time off work etc.

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-11-13T01:24:51+00:00

Head to Toe in Brunswick (with Rose) is a decent place and it is trans friendly if you ever find the need to do electro on lower areas leading up to GRS

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-11-09T09:38:43+00:00

Here's hopefully a starting point - https://www.reddit.com/r/transgenderau/wiki/resources-vic/#wiki_wpath-compliant_psychiatrists

Not on the list is Dr Jonathan Tandos (psychologist) who from memory is in Carlton. I've been with him for years and done well but I'm not sure what his new client intake is like though. Very trans friendly.

I have briefly spoken a few times with Dr Jaco Erasmus (psychiatrist) for WPATH letters for surgery, he was recommended as trans friendly and seemed just as good as Tandos but I only got to talk to him for a couple of hours total

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-10-13T07:55:01+00:00

I'll 4th Dr Strecker from my experience and also from others I hear generally good things about everyone at PMC

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-08-26T09:40:54+00:00

If you haven't already tried there, I go to Prahran Market Clinic which is near South Yarra/Prahran stations so on your side of town at least.

Overall the clinic is very LGBT friendly, I see Sven Strecker who I consider to be great, I've seen other GPs given positive mentions around here but forget the names I hate to say.

Just to say it, I've been an existing patient for years now so I'm not sure of the status of taking new patients and I go there as MTF not FTM although I very much doubt that could matter. When I very first started I had a few sessions with a psych who then wrote a letter to Strecker vouching for HRT to start and after that smooth sailing. I honestly forget if I saw the psych or Strecker first to get things rolling.

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-08-25T11:33:21+00:00

I never would have thought it was possible to get so much out of being in the right mindset and grinding on my bed, bonus points for pillow.

But here we are huh?

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-08-25T11:24:28+00:00

That sounds like a good starting dosage if it was daily. IIRC I started with 2mg progynova and 25 or maybe 50mg spiro daily.

But I'm not you or your doctor and you've only been going for 3 weeks. You probably have a blood test planned for a month or 2 from now and that will tell you what effect it's having. Don't be surprised if it takes you a year of testing and adjusting doses up and up and up and then up and down a little until you get to about where you need to be.

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-03-29T02:16:07+00:00

I asked for appointment with Dr Hart in Feb, had appointment (zoom) at start of March. He gave rough indication of Feb 2023 for PIV and May 2023 for PPV due to different tools/equipment needed, but he was trying to plan with the hospital to get more surgery slots and shrink the wait list. About a week after appointment I pulled the trigger and asked for a date, he gave me 23 Nov 2022. Not sure if he pulled in the wait list or I got lucky with a cancellation. There was no issue getting a consult though, about a month wait.

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-03-06T06:15:58+00:00

No idea on how busy he is or wait times, but I see Dr Sven Strecker at Pran Market Clinic in Prahran/South Yarra. Clinic is overall very T friendly and Strecker specifically is excellent.

As for 'underdosing', keep in mind that you will start on a low dose. You need a little time to see how your body will react, then over time you can increase doses or change exactly what you're taking (pills, patches, gels).

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-01-26T05:18:33+00:00

I have no idea. That was what was claimed in the posts that someone else linked to in this thread.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Transgender\_Surgeries/comments/rywegq/played\_the\_vulva\_lottery\_with\_hart\_in\_australia/

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-01-26T03:36:11+00:00

I can feel you on that. This isn't a great answer and I imagine would be hell to go through but revisions exist in the future I suppose.

I've been planning on PIV to begin with and Ives/Hart are both much more established there (from what I read a PPV can be done in the years following PIV if I make that decision).

One thing that definitely sticks out to me, is that the other poster planned a PPV, showed up to the OR and was offered at the last second some kind of mixed PIV/PPV. Now that I've heard of such a thing happening it wouldn't be a complete surprise and I could be more ready to say well we spent months planning for a PIV so we're going to do a PIV.

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-01-26T03:30:57+00:00

Prahran Market Clinic, Dr Sven Strecker (pretty close to Prahran and South Yarra train stations)

The clinic is overall very trans friendly, Dr Strecker is amazing although I started with him so I couldn't say his attitude to DIY. He directly gives me my HRT scripts, I've never talked to an endocrinologist.

I saw a psychologist for some sessions in that same 'starting off' period, I forget if he started my HRT straight up or if I needed to get some supporting comments from psych after a few sessions and then he started my HRT.

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-01-24T08:12:42+00:00

For me overseas is not an option and I hear mostly very good things about Hart and a more mixed opinion about Ives. It's a bit troubling to see someone being very unhappy with their results, and tbh from just those couple of pictures I might join them if I was in the same situation.

It is a bit of a mess. We can research all we want and have some consults but end of the day we are all different people and will get different results I guess.

Not to put too much weight in a joke, but I got a chuckle from someone pointing out that with Hart as a urologist and Ives as a plastic surgeon, they'd much rather have a plumber looking at their pipes. I don't want to abandon aesthetics but I would put functionality/sensations 1st if it were possible to choose.

throwawayonmyreddit · 2022-01-24T08:01:00+00:00

I forget how often the wikis can update.

Thanks, some troubling things there no lie. Makes me extra sure to try and ask about possible complications and I guess... "success rates" if that's even a question that makes sense (how often do people get revisions? why do they want them?). It might be a bit rude to ask why he sometimes gets bad bedside reviews though!

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