First Electrolysis Appointment

A quick unrelated note - I have clearly not kept this blog up to date so a few of these posts will be out of order and unfortunately lacking some details where my memory has faulted. I'm going to try to write about the steps that are clearest in my mind and backtrack to fill in as many gaps as I can. 

I was given a package regarding electrolysis after meeting my surgeons during my consultation with the Gender Surgery Program BC which basically outlines what electrolysis is, FAQs, a list of electrologists approved by Trans Care BC, instructions for before and after treatments, and most importantly, a letter of recommendation from the surgeon that qualifies me for funding. I was instructed to contact my electrologist directly to book an initial appointment and since there was only one option in my area it was an easy choice. It took about 10 days to get an appointment in Victoria but this wait time is obviously going to vary for everyone.

We started with the underside of my forearm which will be the chunk of skin that will eventually become my urethra, roughly 16cm long and 7cm wide (this is going to vary slightly based on the person). She had originally scheduled me for an hour but was able to do the entire section in one shot so we ran just under two hours meaning that my future appointments for that area won't be as long because she'll just be tackling the regrowth. The hair on that part of my arms is quite fine so she mentioned that that helps speed up the process as well. 

I went into this appointment without really any knowledge of electrolysis; there are many aspects of the phalloplasty process that are intriguing to me but this particular part struck me as very boring, an unfortunate but necessary nuisance. I've had conflicted feelings about it because I like being hairy, it's an obvious association of masculinity. Hair was one of the first things that came with starting testosterone, something that made me feel more comfortable in my strange body and now I was going to submit myself to hours of discomfort to get rid of it. The pros outweigh the cons, I'm reminding myself of that more frequently these days.

Lying on a table in silence for a couple hours while someone fries the hair off your body gives you the opportunity to ask some questions, so assuming you (like me) were completely ignorant about electrolysis, here are a couple important basics:

• How long does electrolysis take to complete? It's going to vary based on the person but my electrologist said it takes roughly 1.5-2 years to complete. I have been asked by every doctor along the way, "have you started electrolysis yet?" and I was never really advised to start. I don't know if this was an important piece of information I missed along the way but it takes a LONG time so if you have the means try to get started as soon as you decide on your graft site. 
• How frequently are electrolysis appointments? Every week/every other week. My electrologist said she usually sees her clients every week and switches off between the inner and outer arm every appointment.
  

I have a pretty high pain tolerance so I didn't find it bad at all, on my personal pain scale I'd rank it just below getting a stick and poke tattoo from someone with a very delicate hand but obviously that isn't a universal form of measurement. Some people opt for numbing creams but it is an extra personal expense. I did pick up some soothing gel (Solarcaine) which I'm going to try to apply twice a day as recommended by the package I was given but my pain levels are totally manageable. The site does look quite angry and it's giving off a little bit of heat so if anything I'd relate it to a minor sunburn. My electrologist did give me some warnings about it stinging in the shower for the first couple days and that some small scabbing/crusting is totally normal. 

 

AN IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING FUNDING:

The biggest takeaway from my appointment is something that is going to be different wherever you're located but was a great reminder of why I started this blog - documenting my particular experience in my particular area which is British Columbia, Canada through Trans Care BC, a fairly new program at the time of this post. I mentioned before that my package included a letter from my surgeon stating that I am eligible for "medically-necessary hair removal" but for whatever reason the outer portion of my arm (the skin that will make up the shaft of my penis) is not approved for funding. Only the urethra site is covered by public funding and I have no idea why. What this means is that I would end up with hair running down the length of my future dick if I were to decline this portion of electrolysis.

I wasn't quite sure how to respond to my electrologist when she told me this because it seemed like I was being punk'd. She said that only one person in her 20+ years of practicing has declined the "optional" portion of the process (because their hair was so fine to begin with). At this point in time urethroplasty has a 100% complication rate and one of my surgeons has stressed that any hair growth poses an extra risk as it requires an extra surgery to go in and remove if it grows internally after the fact. I'm still left bewildered as to why this part of a gender-reaffirming surgery would be skipped over? Like a cisgender penis does not have hair running along the length of it so why would they decide to exclude that portion of it? 

I am privileged enough to be in a position where I can afford this portion of electrolysis so I'm obviously going ahead with it. The rates for my particular electrologist are $60/hr meaning that if it takes two years for this process to be complete is ultimately going to cost roughly $3000 which can be a crippling amount to certain folks in certain situations and being blindsided by that information can be pretty brutal. When you're trying to save up for an estimated 3-6 months of recovery time being hit with an extra financial burden makes things tight. I'm definitely going to dig deeper into why exactly they've categorized things this way and hopefully provide you with some answers.