How many electrolysis sessions does it take to get rid of hair?

The hair removal information on this page is written for a transgender audience. For a general market discussion of electrolysis, please visit hairfacts.com or the professional electrolysis forum at hairtell.com

Summary for feminizing hair removal

1. Most adults in our community report facial electrolysis taking from 1 to 4 years, with an anecdotal average around 2 years.
2. The amount of time it will take to complete electrolysis is the biggest variable in most transitions.
3. Conventional wisdom and widely accepted anecdotal evidence puts the average time to completion between 200 and 300 hours. Some people have been done in less than 40 hours, some in over 700.
4. Electrologist skill plays the biggest part in treatment time needed. It’s vital to get recommendations from local clients who are done and happy.
5. Most people require 1 to 5 hours a week in the early stages of clearing. Most then reach a stage where they have one weekly session of 30 minutes to two hours or more. In the final stages, most will only need an hour or two each month to get stragglers.
6. Your costs will obviously be affected by the time you need. See the section on costs for more ways to reduce the time to completion.
7. Your physiology is the other major factor:amount and coarseness of your facial hair, your hormone levels, your pain threshold, and your skin’s tolerance of treatment.
8. Your frequency and regularity of treatment will affect your treatment time. Do as much as you can afford, and stick with your electrologist’s recommended schedule.
9. For ideal candidates, laser may be a good starting point, followed by electrolysis. Plucking and waxing can make electrolysis more difficult, expensive, and time-consuming, as well as increase the risk of skin damage.
10. Many believe that the use of anti-androgens such as spironolactone can reduce treatment time, although they have little (if any) effect on existing facial hair.
11. Many believe that one modality is better than others at reducing total treatment time, although there is no definitive proof. Electrologist skill is more important than modality used.
12. Some hairs will regrow and require multiple treatments.
13. See the section on when to start electrolysis for a discussion on planning for how long it will take.

An enormously wide time range

Treatment is measured in hours; completion is measured in years. Plan on the whole thing taking at least 12 months and up to four years or more.Treatments will take the most time at the onset when you are doing your initial clearing. After that, keeping it clear will usually begin at one to five hours a week, and will taper off over time.

Most people report electrolysis taking from 1 to 4 years, with an anecdotal average around 2 years to complete the face. Since there has been no large-scale scientific data on time to completion for transgender women, this may not be quite accurate. The lowest reported to me was 9 months, and the highest was 5 years.

Over the course of treatment, clients will need many hours of electrolysis, usually in several sessions a month. Conventional wisdom and widely accepted anecdotal evidence puts the average time to completion between 200 and 300 hours. One “executive summary” on the facts of transition states that “most people need around 200-300 hours.” Another writes, “Up to five years may be required in some cases. Four hours per week is not unusual, of which maybe half could be spent on regrowth in the early stages.” In her book on transsexuals, “In Search of Eve” (1988), Anne Bolin estimates that an average of 200 hours of electrolysis are needed to completely clear the average male face.

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/DarkSpaniel/home.htm

http://www.crystaleyes.demon.co.uk/

Although these numbers are not based on documented fact or rigorous research, I believe they are accurate, given the range reported to me so far. One person said she completed her face in less than 40 hours; another said it took her over 700 hours. Obviously, that’s an incredibly wide range. That’s why most electrologists are reluctant to give a specific number about what to expect. Christa writes, “As with hormones, there’s more magic than science to it when you get right down to it.” No two people will have similar results, even if their facial hair seems the same at the onset.

Most people require 1 to 5 hours a week in the early stages of clearing. While some are able to do even more than that, most are limited by how much they can spend or by how much treatment their skin can take. Most then reach a stage where they have one weekly session of thirty minutes to two hours or more. In the final stages, most will only need an hour or two each month to get stragglers and long, fine hairs (the kind genetic women have treated).

As I get results from my survey back, I will try to give a more accurate picture of time and costs, but at this time I can only report the generally accepted number and give the highest and lowest reported to me to give an idea of the range. I do not have a large enough sample size to make a credible estimate.

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