Transgender Hair Removal

• Laser and IPL cannot treat all colours of hair. Laser works best on light skin dark hair.
• In Laser we are targeting the brown pigment in the hair shaft and then there’s the secondary minor mechanism which is the blood mechanism.
• The chromophore (target) for Laser or IPL hair removal is Melanin. Lighter coloured hair has too little melanin to provide an effective target for laser.
• There is currently no Laser or IPL technology available that treats light coloured hairs.
• Electrolysis remains the gold standard method for treating white, blonde, grey, red hairs.
• In Electrolysis you are destroying the dermal papilla and blood supply. Therefore the hair follicle does not need melanin for electrolysis to work.

How does Electrolysis work?

• A tiny probe (about the same diameter as the hair) is inserted down into a follicle opening already present in the skin.
• The probe is charged with a tiny amount of electrical current and you will feel either a build up of warmth concentrated in the locality or a sensation similar to a slight sting. Sensation depends on the area and the method of epilation used.
• The hair is gently released from the follicle with tweezers leaving the client hair free. The hair slides out easily without traction.
• The procedure is repeated on each individual unwanted hair to clear the area as much as possible within a given time frame whilst taking skin reaction into consideration.

Downsides to Electrolysis

• Electrolysis is good for small areas of treatment. It is treating each individual follicle unlike Laser which treats up to 24 mm in each shot. Large areas such as full face or body treatments are not suitable for electrolysis.
• Electrolysis can be painful and a tedious procedure.
• You have to have some growth for electrolysis, this can be particularly difficult if you are trying to conceal your beard.
• If you have a mixture of dark and white hairs our advice would be to treat the dark hairs first with laser and treat the rest of the areas with Electrolysis.
• If you are considering Electrolysis for light hairs we recommend that you find an experienced Electrologist. The needle needs to be inserted carefully into the opening of the hair follicle, if it’s not irreversible damage can occur on the skin such as deep pitted scarring.