Gender Change Laser Hair Removal

What is Gender Change Laser Hair Removal?

Although every journey will be unique, transgender women invariably see the face as a primary focus for initial surgery and enhancement. Breasts, genitals, hips, and everything else can be concealed for now, but the face is ‘skin exposed’ and the face is where you will be judged male or female.

Transgender surgery of any kind can easily take a year to book and prepare for. In the meantime, you can be doing something substantial toward your transition and one of the significant tasks you can undertake is the removal of male-pattern hair growth. As well as facial hair, this can include: chest hair, back hair, genital hair and even arm and leg hair yet most of this hair, apart from the face, can be concealed or temporarily removed for now. Hormone treatment to feminize the body will slightly slow and soften beard growth, but it might not ever stop it.

Our Laser Hair Removal treatments uses the power of a concentrated laser beam that passes through the skin, targeting hair follicles. The pigment within the hair follicle absorbs the light, which causes damage to those follicles. This process slows hair growth, and often prevents hair from growing back in the treated areas. At LSG we offer superior laser hair removal for gender change clients struggling with unwanted hair. Our years of experience along with our top-notch, leading laser technology means patients receive the absolute best when it comes to laser hair removal.

The removal of unwanted hair is one of our most popular aesthetic procedures. Additionally, thanks to today’s advanced technology all skin types can now successfully be treated. We are proud to use the LightSheer Duet Laser by Lumenis for all laser hair removal procedures. The Duet has the largest spot size in the industry with the highest power, meaning it can effectively treat large areas in a shorter amount of time.

Before & After Photos

Frequently asked questions

At LSG we work with our transwomen clients in two main areas: permanent removal of facial hair in preparation for Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS) and selective removal of genital hair in preparation for Gender Confirmation Surgery (GCS).

If you are just beginning your transition, we encourage you to commence your permanent hair removal as soon as possible. Unlike medical procedures and hormone therapy, no approvals by a medical practitioner are required for permanent hair removal and you can start whenever you wish

Aside from the physical gains from permanently removing facial hair, the self-confidence gained is enormous. Transwomen live in constant fear of a 5 o’clock shadow becoming visible. There is only so much thick make-up you can wear in an effort to conceal hair growth. Unfortunately, beard hair is the fastest growing hair on your body! Depending on how fast your beard grows, this can be a simple annoyance, or something you live in constant fear of people seeing.

Removing facial hair also assists with optimal facial surgery outcomes. The densely packed follicles of the male beard can add 8mm to 10mm of thickness to the soft tissue of the jaw and distort the results achieved from facial surgery. Prior to facial surgery, there is no guesswork in attempting to reconcile your jawline outcome after surgery with your hoped for outcome after hair removal.

At LSG, we regularly see distressed clients needing permanent hair removal following Gender Confirmation Surgery (GCS). If only they had contacted us before their surgery!

Surgeons require various areas of skin to be free of hair if they are to be utilised in GCS surgery, especially those areas of skin which will be inside the vagina. This is to get the best results, operatively, aesthetically and practically. Some surgeons may not perform surgery if there is hair remaining on the skin used for the neo-vagina.

If skin used to make the vagina has any hair follicles remaining, they will continue to grow hair in the neo-vagina

These hairs are very difficult to remove as they are often facing inwards and they can cause pain and irritation during penetration and dilation. Postoperative hairs remaining in the vagina can hold patients back from becoming intimate with a partner and can lead to increased dysphoria.

A few surgeons still say they will “scrape” away hair follicles during surgery, but It might be as effective in the long term leaving the skin thin and fragile while leading to ingrown hairs and infection. Surgeons require the skin used for surgery to be in the best possible condition when they operate and, for practical reasons, may reject the idea of pre-operative genital hair removal because they see too many patients arriving for surgery with skin still recovering from recent hair removal.

Pre-operative genital hair removal should be planned well in advance of surgery. Planning around surgical dates is essential as too often we see clients who have left their hair removal until the last minute. When genital hair removal is sought just a few months before surgery, there is little that can be done to ensure permanently hair free areas at this late stage.

Starting the hair removal journey early will allow sufficient time to ensure all the hair is permanently removed and for the skin to heal as you want to ensure that the surgical area is completely clear of hair and in the best of health. Ideally, genital hair removal should start about a year before surgery.

The gap between final hair clearance and surgery must be no less than 6-8 weeks. Any shorter period can lead to less than desirable surgical outcomes.  With genital hair removal, there are only two things you need to remember: start early and make sure it’s permanent!

 

The main difference between the two is that Lightsheer Laser hair removal emits a single, precise wavelength. It’s optimized for maximum follicle absorption, meaning that fewer treatments are needed for effective results as opposed to the number of treatments required when using IPL.

IPL uses a broad spectrum of high-intensity light, sending out multiple wavelengths. When receiving IPL, only some of these wavelengths actually reach the hair follicle. This means that more treatments are required to get the same results as Lightsheer Laser hair removal.

You should expect to need about 6-8 treatments per area to maximize laser hair removal, and we encourage you to take advantage of our free consultations, so that we can create a custom plan for you. People come in different shapes and sizes and have different types of hair, and we will discount your services accordingly. If you require more than 6 treatments, we can do any additional treatments at a discounted ‘maintenance’ or ‘touch-up’ price. Also, if you’ve had laser hair removal done elsewhere and were dissatisfied with the results, we may be able to give you an additional discount.

Please remember that the experience of the technician also plays a big part in how many treatments are needed. If your technician misses hair follicles during a treatment, you will have to pay again to have those hairs removed. We have been in the hair removal field for over 20 years which is an advantage over other clinics in the area. We also feel that the LightSheer Diode Laser to be the most effective and efficient. The LightSheer Laser is the gold standard in laser technology from a company that is a leader in their field. Many lasers used by other companies are much less expensive to purchase or utilize old technology which ends up costing the consumer more because it can take twice as many treatments per area for complete results.

The most common side effects include discomfort, swelling, and redness that might last one to three days. Most often with our Duet, there is only slight redness lasting a few hours.

Other possible side effects include blistering, herpes simplex outbreaks, bacterial infections and temporary skin lightening or darkening (especially in patients with skin of color or those with tans) if treated too soon after sun exposure

  • The percentage of hairs removed per session varies by location on the body, with thinner-skinned areas (e.g., armpits and bikini area) generally responding better than thick-skinned areas (e.g., back and chin).
  • About 10 percent to 25 percent reduction in hair growth can be expected with each treatment.
  • Treatments are repeated every four to eight weeks, depending on body area. 4 for the face and 8 for the body. There is NO benefit to earlier treatment.
  • The hair that regrows following treatment tends to be lighter and finer in texture.
  • Patients are instructed to avoid sun exposure and to use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 or higher following the procedure.

Methods we use to treat

Laser Hair Removal uses the power of a concentrated laser beam that passes through the skin, targeting hair follicles. The pigment within the hair follicle absorbs the light, which causes damage to those follicles. This process slows hair growth, and often prevents hair from growing back in the treated areas. The laser will only target the hair follicles, and does not cause damage to your skin. To protect your skin and minimize any discomfort of the procedure, we use instruments that feature a cooling device at the tip. The device can also treat numerous hair follicles at once, which can significantly reduce your total treatment time.
The Forever Bare BBL by Sciton is the latest innovation in hair removal providing a state-of-the-art light treatment, which provides the most comfortable hair removal treatment available. Forever Bare BBL is a safe, fast, and effective treatment, with lasting results for a broad range of light to dark skin types.   Forever Bare BBL works by sending multiple pulses of light at high repetition rates, which delivers even heating to hair follicles. By evenly heating hair follicles, Forever Bare BBL minimizes the risk of missed areas that are so frequent with traditional hair removal devices.  Forever Bare BBL’s multi-burst and cooling methods have been proven to work safely and effectively on more skin types than ever before, including darker skin (up to type V).

Products & Treatments we offer

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