One of the most important pre-surgery treatments that a transgender woman or man must undergo prior to their gender affirmation surgery is to complete their electrolysis treatment. Our experience has shown us that this takes approximately one and a half years. This may sound like a long time, but I will explain why this is. 

The area to be epilated—being the genital area in case of a transgender woman, or the arm or the thigh in case of a transgender man—needs to be completed by sections. The amount of hair present in the entire area cannot be removed in one single session, unless this session is extremely long. We do not recommend having a really long appointment on the genital area due to inflammation. It must be  remembered that Electrolysis is a technique that removes each individual hair one at a time. 

We encourage our clients to do the first “pass” as soon as possible.  

What is a first “pass?” Take this example:

We can divide the genital area into the left side of the scrotum, right side of the scrotum, penile area from top to bottom, and perineum area. (Some surgeons have mappings that include a triangle that goes from the base of the penis to the hip area)

Depending on the particular mapping that each doctor provides, we start to perform the treatment and remove the hair from the specific mapping provided by our client.  

The first appointment might be dedicated to the left side of the scrotum.  

The second appointment might be dedicated to the right side of the scrotum.

The third appointment might be dedicated to the penile area.

The fourth appointment might be dedicated to the perineum area.

These appointments can be performed on a weekly basis, even two appointments in the same week, since we are working on different areas. Once all these areas are completely epilated we call that the first “pass.”

Depending on the density of the hair (how much hair the client has on a specific area) this might be achieved in four to six sessions.

If the client presents low hair density, we could potentially do the following:

Dedicate the first appointment to the left side of the scrotum and left length of the penile area, the second appointment to the right side of the scrotum and the right side of the penile area, and finally, the third appointment to the perineum area.

As we can see, this first “pass” can be achieved in three sessions, which can be completed in three weeks, or in some cases, two weeks.

But if the client presents high hair density, we might do the following:

Dedicate the first appointment to the upper left side of the scrotum, the second appointment to the lower left side of the scrotum, the third to the upper right side of the scrotum, the fourth to the lower right side of the scrotum, the fifth might be dedicated to the penile area, and the final appointment dedicated to the perineum area.

In this example, the first “pass” can be achieved in six sessions, done once a week, or twice a week. It can take up to six weeks to complete the first “pass.”

In addition, all of this can vary according to your availability and our availability.

After the first pass is completed, then we wait approximately six to seven weeks to go back and do a second pass. This is why we recommend doing the first pass as soon as possible.

The second pass will take less time, since electrolysis is permanent hair removal.  So, if the first pass took six sessions, the second pass might take five sessions. The third pass will take three to four sessions, and so on.

Once a full pass is completed, we have to wait approximately six to seven weeks to set the following appointments to complete the next pass. There is a time, after the fourth or fifth pass—depending on how much regrowth the client experiences—in which we schedule each subsequent pass, eight to ten weeks apart. This is to allow all the remaining hair to grow, so it can then all be epilated at the next pass.

This is why we HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO GIVE YOURSELF THE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR YOUR HAIR REMOVAL. Mainly, it is because of the time required in between appointments, not the sessions themselves. We must remember that the process of electrolysis involves several sessions, targeting all hair follicles in a specific area, as hair grows in cycles and density determines the number of sessions needed for effective permanent hair removal. We do not know how many. 

Several factors influence each individual’s outcome: 

Was the area previously shaved? How often and for how long? Was the area previously waxed? How often and for how long? Was the area previously shaved and waxed? How often and for how long? Is the client on spironolactone? For how long? Has the client undergone an orchiectomy? When was that surgery performed? Is the client just starting with their T-blockers? Etc.

All methods of temporary hair removal affect the thickness of the hair and/or the base of the hair follicle. We cannot tell how many sessions it will take, but we can say that you will see significant improvement with each session.

We know and understand that some transgender women and transgender men might be presenting dysphoria and thus might want to have their surgeries as soon as possible. But having unfinished electrolysis treatments might have devastating effects after their surgeries that will profoundly affect the quality of life in the long term.

WE ALSO RECOMMEND TO NEVER HAVE ANY LASER TREATMENTS

ON THE GENITAL AREA OR THE ARM OR THIGH.

NOT EVEN ONCE.

AS A LAST THOUGHT… 

Electrolysis hair removal is a vital service for transgender individuals, particularly those preparing for gender affirmation surgery. It offers a permanent solution to unwanted hair, preventing complications and ensuring a smoother transition. At International Beauty Center we are proud to support the transgender community with compassionate, expert care, helping our clients achieve their desired look and feel confident in their bodies.