#hairremoval — Public Fediverse posts

Showered yesterday night ✅
Strong numbing cream applied (<15% lidocaine, <15% prilocaine) ✅
Areas covered in food-grade PVC cling film (aka plastic wrap) ✅
Pre-emptive painkillers (including NSAID) taken ✅

All prepared for another 2-hour electrolysis (flash thermolysis) session. This'll be our 28th session overall, and the 6th one involving our down belows. We're currently using up the small number of hours (16) paid for by the NHS before we return to having to pay for our sessions.

We barely expect to feel anything, but wish us luck anyway :TransHeart: :NonBinaryHeart:

#electrolysis #FlashThermolysis #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransFem #TransWoman #TransGirl #enby #NonBinary #HairRemoval #transition #queer #LGBT+ #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

Hey folks :FediverseSymbol:

Per the details of this earlier post, we had our 4th appointment with the NHS East of England Gender Service (EOEGS) today.

The worst thing about that appointment was that it was at 13:30-14:30, which put us into a kind of neurodivergent purgatory / paralysis, where we felt like we really couldn't get on with the day until the appointment, as it was all we could think about pretty much.

We did manage to distract ourselves for a while by passing feedback to Union Medico over the syringe holders they provide for their 90° Super Grip auto-injector. We're planning to do a full review of that for everyone this week.

Anyway, the appointment went well. The doctor (cis guy, he/him) pretty much made it clear that he just needed to gather more info for the referral, and that he didn't expect there to be any issues. He asked whether it would be okay for a trainee colleague to sit in on the call, which we were fine with, especially as we're pretty sure she was trans herself. At the very least, she gave off good vibes.

Despite being anxious AF the whole time, and having to play the good-little-trans-patient to pass through the gatekeeping, it was just a serious of questions about medical history, what we were after, the risks, the reasons for wanting this, whether we had stored gametes etc.

Despite the many risks (e.g., fistula; granulation tissue; prolapse; etc), long recovery time, and the need for very regular dilation for ages, we agree that the benefits are worth it.

The doctor seemed suitably impressed by our knowledge and sources (e.g., Gender Construction Kit; TransActual), as well as the limited options on the figurative #NHS menu for trans gender-affirming surgeries.

If you're trans fem, your options via the NHS are:

• Penile inversion vaginoplasty (PIV).
  • Creates a neovagina using material from the penis turned inside out ("inverted").
• Penoscrotal flap vaginoplasty.
  • Creates the vagina using material from both the penis and scrotum.
  • Typically done if you've not got much material to work with 😅
• Cosmetic vaginoplasty.
  • Creates a vulva and labia (labiaplasty), and a clitoris (clitoroplasty) from the penis (and scrotum if needed), but without a neovagina.
  • Aka vulvoplasty or zero-depth.

Please note the lack of:

• Peritoneal pull-through (PPT) vaginoplasty.
  • A newer technique that involves several incisions into the abdomen and using internal peritoneal tissue to create the neovagina.
• Penile-preserving vaginoplasty.
  • Creates a neovagina using peritoneal tissue, without removing the penis.
  • Aka penile preservation vaginoplasty, phallus-preserving vulvovaginoplasty, etc.
• Standalone bilateral orchidectomy.
  • Removes the testes and scrotum.
  • Sometimes known as a bofa-ectomy.

The NHS, as standard, also does not offer:

• Facial feminisation surgery (FFS) of any kind.
• Voice feminisation surgery (VFS).
  • We're seeking an endoscopic modified Wendler glottoplasty by Chadwan Al Yaghchi at the London Voice & Swallowing Clinic in London.
• Breast augmentation (BA).
• Full facial hair removal.
  • It varies by nation, but England offers 8 laser sessions, 16 hours of electrolysis, or a combination thereof.
  • For context, we've had over 40 hours of electrolysis (thermolysis) thus far on our face and neck with a highly-experienced (and fast) electrologist, and there are still a few stragglers.

There is a mere sliver of a fraction of a chance that we might get the NHS to fund some of our additional needs, which they don't currently provide: Individual Funding Requests (IFRs).

We're not going to sugarcoat it: the IFR route is highly likely to fail for us :FaceExhaling: Your "clinical circumstances" must be "exceptional" and the benefit clear in order to "receive benefit from a treatment or service that isn’t routinely offered by the NHS".

Even getting the EOEGS to accept that it was their responsibility to fill in any IFRs required us to contact NHS England's dedicated team for IFRs. They were not particularly happy about this.

Despite making them aware of their IFR responsibilities in March 2024, they have seemingly still not put any procedure in place for IFRs.

The doctor made notes about this during our appointment, along with our bespoke requests, and advised that he would follow this up with the first doctor involved, as well as the person in charge. (Can't remember the precise term. Service lead? Clinical lead?)

Anyway, once we've got them to fill out the bleeping IFRs, those will then be submitted to our local Integrated Care Board (ICB).

They used to be called Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), but suddenly changed the name and structure back in July 2022.

To make the structure even less clear, each ICB sits under a broader Integrated Care System (ICS).

We'll continue to share info on how it all goes, but realistically we expect all our requests to be denied, as they likely won't want to set a precedent or cough up the funding.

However, at least we'll then know that we've tried every official route we could before setting up any kind of crowdfunding campaign(s).

#NHS #NHSEngland #trans #transgender #TransFem #healthcare #TransHealthcare #EOEGS #UnionMedico #gatekeeping #vaginoplasty #PIV #PPT #orchidectomy #BofaEctomy #FFS #VFS #FacialFeminisationSurgery #VoiceFeminisationSurgery #glottoplasty #HairRemoval #ICB #ICS #IFR #IndividualFundingRequest #IntegratedCareSystem #IntegratedCareBoard #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LaserHairRemoval #LaserHairReduction #electrolysis #thermolysis #neurodivergent #neurodivergence

Hey folks :FediverseSymbol:

Per the details of this earlier post, we had our 4th appointment with the NHS East of England Gender Service (EOEGS) today.

The worst thing about that appointment was that it was at 13:30-14:30, which put us into a kind of neurodivergent purgatory / paralysis, where we felt like we really couldn't get on with the day until the appointment, as it was all we could think about pretty much.

We did manage to distract ourselves for a while by passing feedback to Union Medico over the syringe holders they provide for their 90° Super Grip auto-injector. We're planning to do a full review of that for everyone this week.

Anyway, the appointment went well. The doctor (cis guy, he/him) pretty much made it clear that he just needed to gather more info for the referral, and that he didn't expect there to be any issues. He asked whether it would be okay for a trainee colleague to sit in on the call, which we were fine with, especially as we're pretty sure she was trans herself. At the very least, she gave off good vibes.

Despite being anxious AF the whole time, and having to play the good-little-trans-patient to pass through the gatekeeping, it was just a serious of questions about medical history, what we were after, the risks, the reasons for wanting this, whether we had stored gametes etc.

Despite the many risks (e.g., fistula; granulation tissue; prolapse; etc), long recovery time, and the need for very regular dilation for ages, we agree that the benefits are worth it.

The doctor seemed suitably impressed by our knowledge and sources (e.g., Gender Construction Kit; TransActual), as well as the limited options on the figurative #NHS menu for trans gender-affirming surgeries.

If you're trans fem, your options via the NHS are:

• Penile inversion vaginoplasty (PIV).
  • Creates a neovagina using material from the penis turned inside out ("inverted").
• Penoscrotal flap vaginoplasty.
  • Creates the vagina using material from both the penis and scrotum.
  • Typically done if you've not got much material to work with 😅
• Cosmetic vaginoplasty.
  • Creates a vulva and labia (labiaplasty), and a clitoris (clitoroplasty) from the penis (and scrotum if needed), but without a neovagina.
  • Aka vulvoplasty or zero-depth.

Please note the lack of:

• Peritoneal pull-through (PPT) vaginoplasty.
  • A newer technique that involves several incisions into the abdomen and using internal peritoneal tissue to create the neovagina.
• Penile-preserving vaginoplasty.
  • Creates a neovagina using peritoneal tissue, without removing the penis.
  • Aka penile preservation vaginoplasty, phallus-preserving vulvovaginoplasty, etc.
• Standalone bilateral orchidectomy.
  • Removes the testes and scrotum.
  • Sometimes known as a bofa-ectomy.

The NHS, as standard, also does not offer:

• Facial feminisation surgery (FFS) of any kind.
• Voice feminisation surgery (VFS).
  • We're seeking an endoscopic modified Wendler glottoplasty by Chadwan Al Yaghchi at the London Voice & Swallowing Clinic in London.
• Breast augmentation (BA).
• Full facial hair removal.
  • It varies by nation, but England offers 8 laser sessions, 16 hours of electrolysis, or a combination thereof.
  • For context, we've had over 40 hours of electrolysis (thermolysis) thus far on our face and neck with a highly-experienced (and fast) electrologist, and there are still a few stragglers.

There is a mere sliver of a fraction of a chance that we might get the NHS to fund some of our additional needs, which they don't currently provide: Individual Funding Requests (IFRs).

We're not going to sugarcoat it: the IFR route is highly likely to fail for us :FaceExhaling: Your "clinical circumstances" must be "exceptional" and the benefit clear in order to "receive benefit from a treatment or service that isn’t routinely offered by the NHS".

Even getting the EOEGS to accept that it was their responsibility to fill in any IFRs required us to contact NHS England's dedicated team for IFRs. They were not particularly happy about this.

Despite making them aware of their IFR responsibilities in March 2024, they have seemingly still not put any procedure in place for IFRs.

The doctor made notes about this during our appointment, along with our bespoke requests, and advised that he would follow this up with the first doctor involved, as well as the person in charge. (Can't remember the precise term. Service lead? Clinical lead?)

Anyway, once we've got them to fill out the bleeping IFRs, those will then be submitted to our local Integrated Care Board (ICB).

They used to be called Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), but suddenly changed the name and structure back in July 2022.

To make the structure even less clear, each ICB sits under a broader Integrated Care System (ICS).

We'll continue to share info on how it all goes, but realistically we expect all our requests to be denied, as they likely won't want to set a precedent or cough up the funding.

However, at least we'll then know that we've tried every official route we could before setting up any kind of crowdfunding campaign(s).

#NHS #NHSEngland #trans #transgender #TransFem #healthcare #TransHealthcare #EOEGS #UnionMedico #gatekeeping #vaginoplasty #PIV #PPT #orchidectomy #BofaEctomy #FFS #VFS #FacialFeminisationSurgery #VoiceFeminisationSurgery #glottoplasty #HairRemoval #ICB #ICS #IFR #IndividualFundingRequest #IntegratedCareSystem #IntegratedCareBoard #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LaserHairRemoval #LaserHairReduction #electrolysis #thermolysis #neurodivergent #neurodivergence

Hey folks :FediverseSymbol:

Per the details of this earlier post, we had our 4th appointment with the NHS East of England Gender Service (EOEGS) today.

The worst thing about that appointment was that it was at 13:30-14:30, which put us into a kind of neurodivergent purgatory / paralysis, where we felt like we really couldn't get on with the day until the appointment, as it was all we could think about pretty much.

We did manage to distract ourselves for a while by passing feedback to Union Medico over the syringe holders they provide for their 90° Super Grip auto-injector. We're planning to do a full review of that for everyone this week.

Anyway, the appointment went well. The doctor (cis guy, he/him) pretty much made it clear that he just needed to gather more info for the referral, and that he didn't expect there to be any issues. He asked whether it would be okay for a trainee colleague to sit in on the call, which we were fine with, especially as we're pretty sure she was trans herself. At the very least, she gave off good vibes.

Despite being anxious AF the whole time, and having to play the good-little-trans-patient to pass through the gatekeeping, it was just a serious of questions about medical history, what we were after, the risks, the reasons for wanting this, whether we had stored gametes etc.

Despite the many risks (e.g., fistula; granulation tissue; prolapse; etc), long recovery time, and the need for very regular dilation for ages, we agree that the benefits are worth it.

The doctor seemed suitably impressed by our knowledge and sources (e.g., Gender Construction Kit; TransActual), as well as the limited options on the figurative #NHS menu for trans gender-affirming surgeries.

If you're trans fem, your options via the NHS are:

• Penile inversion vaginoplasty (PIV).
  • Creates a neovagina using material from the penis turned inside out ("inverted").
• Penoscrotal flap vaginoplasty.
  • Creates the vagina using material from both the penis and scrotum.
  • Typically done if you've not got much material to work with 😅
• Cosmetic vaginoplasty.
  • Creates a vulva and labia (labiaplasty), and a clitoris (clitoroplasty) from the penis (and scrotum if needed), but without a neovagina.
  • Aka vulvoplasty or zero-depth.

Please note the lack of:

• Peritoneal pull-through (PPT) vaginoplasty.
  • A newer technique that involves several incisions into the abdomen and using internal peritoneal tissue to create the neovagina.
• Penile-preserving vaginoplasty.
  • Creates a neovagina using peritoneal tissue, without removing the penis.
  • Aka penile preservation vaginoplasty, phallus-preserving vulvovaginoplasty, etc.
• Standalone bilateral orchidectomy.
  • Removes the testes and scrotum.
  • Sometimes known as a bofa-ectomy.

The NHS, as standard, also does not offer:

• Facial feminisation surgery (FFS) of any kind.
• Voice feminisation surgery (VFS).
  • We're seeking an endoscopic modified Wendler glottoplasty by Chadwan Al Yaghchi at the London Voice & Swallowing Clinic in London.
• Breast augmentation (BA).
• Full facial hair removal.
  • It varies by nation, but England offers 8 laser sessions, 16 hours of electrolysis, or a combination thereof.
  • For context, we've had over 40 hours of electrolysis (thermolysis) thus far on our face and neck with a highly-experienced (and fast) electrologist, and there are still a few stragglers.

There is a mere sliver of a fraction of a chance that we might get the NHS to fund some of our additional needs, which they don't currently provide: Individual Funding Requests (IFRs).

We're not going to sugarcoat it: the IFR route is highly likely to fail for us :FaceExhaling: Your "clinical circumstances" must be "exceptional" and the benefit clear in order to "receive benefit from a treatment or service that isn’t routinely offered by the NHS".

Even getting the EOEGS to accept that it was their responsibility to fill in any IFRs required us to contact NHS England's dedicated team for IFRs. They were not particularly happy about this.

Despite making them aware of their IFR responsibilities in March 2024, they have seemingly still not put any procedure in place for IFRs.

The doctor made notes about this during our appointment, along with our bespoke requests, and advised that he would follow this up with the first doctor involved, as well as the person in charge. (Can't remember the precise term. Service lead? Clinical lead?)

Anyway, once we've got them to fill out the bleeping IFRs, those will then be submitted to our local Integrated Care Board (ICB).

They used to be called Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), but suddenly changed the name and structure back in July 2022.

To make the structure even less clear, each ICB sits under a broader Integrated Care System (ICS).

We'll continue to share info on how it all goes, but realistically we expect all our requests to be denied, as they likely won't want to set a precedent or cough up the funding.

However, at least we'll then know that we've tried every official route we could before setting up any kind of crowdfunding campaign(s).

#NHS #NHSEngland #trans #transgender #TransFem #healthcare #TransHealthcare #EOEGS #UnionMedico #gatekeeping #vaginoplasty #PIV #PPT #orchidectomy #BofaEctomy #FFS #VFS #FacialFeminisationSurgery #VoiceFeminisationSurgery #glottoplasty #HairRemoval #ICB #ICS #IFR #IndividualFundingRequest #IntegratedCareSystem #IntegratedCareBoard #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LaserHairRemoval #LaserHairReduction #electrolysis #thermolysis #neurodivergent #neurodivergence

Hey folks :FediverseSymbol:

Per the details of this earlier post, we had our 4th appointment with the NHS East of England Gender Service (EOEGS) today.

The worst thing about that appointment was that it was at 13:30-14:30, which put us into a kind of neurodivergent purgatory / paralysis, where we felt like we really couldn't get on with the day until the appointment, as it was all we could think about pretty much.

We did manage to distract ourselves for a while by passing feedback to Union Medico over the syringe holders they provide for their 90° Super Grip auto-injector. We're planning to do a full review of that for everyone this week.

Anyway, the appointment went well. The doctor (cis guy, he/him) pretty much made it clear that he just needed to gather more info for the referral, and that he didn't expect there to be any issues. He asked whether it would be okay for a trainee colleague to sit in on the call, which we were fine with, especially as we're pretty sure she was trans herself. At the very least, she gave off good vibes.

Despite being anxious AF the whole time, and having to play the good-little-trans-patient to pass through the gatekeeping, it was just a serious of questions about medical history, what we were after, the risks, the reasons for wanting this, whether we had stored gametes etc.

Despite the many risks (e.g., fistula; granulation tissue; prolapse; etc), long recovery time, and the need for very regular dilation for ages, we agree that the benefits are worth it.

The doctor seemed suitably impressed by our knowledge and sources (e.g., Gender Construction Kit; TransActual), as well as the limited options on the figurative #NHS menu for trans gender-affirming surgeries.

If you're trans fem, your options via the NHS are:

• Penile inversion vaginoplasty (PIV).
  • Creates a neovagina using material from the penis turned inside out ("inverted").
• Penoscrotal flap vaginoplasty.
  • Creates the vagina using material from both the penis and scrotum.
  • Typically done if you've not got much material to work with 😅
• Cosmetic vaginoplasty.
  • Creates a vulva and labia (labiaplasty), and a clitoris (clitoroplasty) from the penis (and scrotum if needed), but without a neovagina.
  • Aka vulvoplasty or zero-depth.

Please note the lack of:

• Peritoneal pull-through (PPT) vaginoplasty.
  • A newer technique that involves several incisions into the abdomen and using internal peritoneal tissue to create the neovagina.
• Penile-preserving vaginoplasty.
  • Creates a neovagina using peritoneal tissue, without removing the penis.
  • Aka penile preservation vaginoplasty, phallus-preserving vulvovaginoplasty, etc.
• Standalone bilateral orchidectomy.
  • Removes the testes and scrotum.
  • Sometimes known as a bofa-ectomy.

The NHS, as standard, also does not offer:

• Facial feminisation surgery (FFS) of any kind.
• Voice feminisation surgery (VFS).
  • We're seeking an endoscopic modified Wendler glottoplasty by Chadwan Al Yaghchi at the London Voice & Swallowing Clinic in London.
• Breast augmentation (BA).
• Full facial hair removal.
  • It varies by nation, but England offers 8 laser sessions, 16 hours of electrolysis, or a combination thereof.
  • For context, we've had over 40 hours of electrolysis (thermolysis) thus far on our face and neck with a highly-experienced (and fast) electrologist, and there are still a few stragglers.

There is a mere sliver of a fraction of a chance that we might get the NHS to fund some of our additional needs, which they don't currently provide: Individual Funding Requests (IFRs).

We're not going to sugarcoat it: the IFR route is highly likely to fail for us :FaceExhaling: Your "clinical circumstances" must be "exceptional" and the benefit clear in order to "receive benefit from a treatment or service that isn’t routinely offered by the NHS".

Even getting the EOEGS to accept that it was their responsibility to fill in any IFRs required us to contact NHS England's dedicated team for IFRs. They were not particularly happy about this.

Despite making them aware of their IFR responsibilities in March 2024, they have seemingly still not put any procedure in place for IFRs.

The doctor made notes about this during our appointment, along with our bespoke requests, and advised that he would follow this up with the first doctor involved, as well as the person in charge. (Can't remember the precise term. Service lead? Clinical lead?)

Anyway, once we've got them to fill out the bleeping IFRs, those will then be submitted to our local Integrated Care Board (ICB).

They used to be called Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), but suddenly changed the name and structure back in July 2022.

To make the structure even less clear, each ICB sits under a broader Integrated Care System (ICS).

We'll continue to share info on how it all goes, but realistically we expect all our requests to be denied, as they likely won't want to set a precedent or cough up the funding.

However, at least we'll then know that we've tried every official route we could before setting up any kind of crowdfunding campaign(s).

#NHS #NHSEngland #trans #transgender #TransFem #healthcare #TransHealthcare #EOEGS #UnionMedico #gatekeeping #vaginoplasty #PIV #PPT #orchidectomy #BofaEctomy #FFS #VFS #FacialFeminisationSurgery #VoiceFeminisationSurgery #glottoplasty #HairRemoval #ICB #ICS #IFR #IndividualFundingRequest #IntegratedCareSystem #IntegratedCareBoard #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LaserHairRemoval #LaserHairReduction #electrolysis #thermolysis #neurodivergent #neurodivergence

Hey folks :FediverseSymbol:

Per the details of this earlier post, we had our 4th appointment with the NHS East of England Gender Service (EOEGS) today.

The worst thing about that appointment was that it was at 13:30-14:30, which put us into a kind of neurodivergent purgatory / paralysis, where we felt like we really couldn't get on with the day until the appointment, as it was all we could think about pretty much.

We did manage to distract ourselves for a while by passing feedback to Union Medico over the syringe holders they provide for their 90° Super Grip auto-injector. We're planning to do a full review of that for everyone this week.

Anyway, the appointment went well. The doctor (cis guy, he/him) pretty much made it clear that he just needed to gather more info for the referral, and that he didn't expect there to be any issues. He asked whether it would be okay for a trainee colleague to sit in on the call, which we were fine with, especially as we're pretty sure she was trans herself. At the very least, she gave off good vibes.

Despite being anxious AF the whole time, and having to play the good-little-trans-patient to pass through the gatekeeping, it was just a serious of questions about medical history, what we were after, the risks, the reasons for wanting this, whether we had stored gametes etc.

Despite the many risks (e.g., fistula; granulation tissue; prolapse; etc), long recovery time, and the need for very regular dilation for ages, we agree that the benefits are worth it.

The doctor seemed suitably impressed by our knowledge and sources (e.g., Gender Construction Kit; TransActual), as well as the limited options on the figurative #NHS menu for trans gender-affirming surgeries.

If you're trans fem, your options via the NHS are:

• Penile inversion vaginoplasty (PIV).
  • Creates a neovagina using material from the penis turned inside out ("inverted").
• Penoscrotal flap vaginoplasty.
  • Creates the vagina using material from both the penis and scrotum.
  • Typically done if you've not got much material to work with 😅
• Cosmetic vaginoplasty.
  • Creates a vulva and labia (labiaplasty), and a clitoris (clitoroplasty) from the penis (and scrotum if needed), but without a neovagina.
  • Aka vulvoplasty or zero-depth.

Please note the lack of:

• Peritoneal pull-through (PPT) vaginoplasty.
  • A newer technique that involves several incisions into the abdomen and using internal peritoneal tissue to create the neovagina.
• Penile-preserving vaginoplasty.
  • Creates a neovagina using peritoneal tissue, without removing the penis.
  • Aka penile preservation vaginoplasty, phallus-preserving vulvovaginoplasty, etc.
• Standalone bilateral orchidectomy.
  • Removes the testes and scrotum.
  • Sometimes known as a bofa-ectomy.

The NHS, as standard, also does not offer:

• Facial feminisation surgery (FFS) of any kind.
• Voice feminisation surgery (VFS).
  • We're seeking an endoscopic modified Wendler glottoplasty by Chadwan Al Yaghchi at the London Voice & Swallowing Clinic in London.
• Breast augmentation (BA).
• Full facial hair removal.
  • It varies by nation, but England offers 8 laser sessions, 16 hours of electrolysis, or a combination thereof.
  • For context, we've had over 40 hours of electrolysis (thermolysis) thus far on our face and neck with a highly-experienced (and fast) electrologist, and there are still a few stragglers.

There is a mere sliver of a fraction of a chance that we might get the NHS to fund some of our additional needs, which they don't currently provide: Individual Funding Requests (IFRs).

We're not going to sugarcoat it: the IFR route is highly likely to fail for us :FaceExhaling: Your "clinical circumstances" must be "exceptional" and the benefit clear in order to "receive benefit from a treatment or service that isn’t routinely offered by the NHS".

Even getting the EOEGS to accept that it was their responsibility to fill in any IFRs required us to contact NHS England's dedicated team for IFRs. They were not particularly happy about this.

Despite making them aware of their IFR responsibilities in March 2024, they have seemingly still not put any procedure in place for IFRs.

The doctor made notes about this during our appointment, along with our bespoke requests, and advised that he would follow this up with the first doctor involved, as well as the person in charge. (Can't remember the precise term. Service lead? Clinical lead?)

Anyway, once we've got them to fill out the bleeping IFRs, those will then be submitted to our local Integrated Care Board (ICB).

They used to be called Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), but suddenly changed the name and structure back in July 2022.

To make the structure even less clear, each ICB sits under a broader Integrated Care System (ICS).

We'll continue to share info on how it all goes, but realistically we expect all our requests to be denied, as they likely won't want to set a precedent or cough up the funding.

However, at least we'll then know that we've tried every official route we could before setting up any kind of crowdfunding campaign(s).

#NHS #NHSEngland #trans #transgender #TransFem #healthcare #TransHealthcare #EOEGS #UnionMedico #gatekeeping #vaginoplasty #PIV #PPT #orchidectomy #BofaEctomy #FFS #VFS #FacialFeminisationSurgery #VoiceFeminisationSurgery #glottoplasty #HairRemoval #ICB #ICS #IFR #IndividualFundingRequest #IntegratedCareSystem #IntegratedCareBoard #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LaserHairRemoval #LaserHairReduction #electrolysis #thermolysis #neurodivergent #neurodivergence

Apologies that we've not updated everyone for a while. The migraine from Friday and Saturday, and the migraine hangover feeling today, didn't help either.

On Friday 18th October, we had our latest 2 hour electrolysis session. This was also the first usage of the 16 hours total the NHS England is funding. (They'll only agree to more if deemed required for GRS.)

As extra preparation, we recently got ourselves some J-Cain numbing cream. It's listed as 29.9% lidocaine, but the ingredients say 15.6%.

Anyway, we'd previously tried that with PVC film and it wasn't much stronger than the previous 10% (5% lidocaine, 5% prilocaine) cream we'd been using. So, we looked into enhancing it.

Our solution in the end was to mix in some IPM as a penetration enhancer and prilocaine API for additional numbing.

We later found out that a milk frother works surprisingly well for mixing, but for the purposes of this session, it had been mixed by hand. It's the best we can do on a budget really, as it's not like we can afford an homogeniser of some form 😅

It's definitely a work in progress, and we didn't apply PVC film correctly to our face after applying, but oh my gosh did it work so much better than before already!!!

Areas that would usually make us winch, like our upper lip, barely registered. Many areas on our face and neck we simply could not feel at all.

My electrologist spent about an hour on my face / neck and the remainder on the down below bits, which felt nothing whatsoever.

We're still working out the kinks with this enhancement to get it ideal, which is why we aren't sharing the percentages, but once we've confirmed the ideal mix, we'll share the details.

We'll try to remember to share some face photo updates. We won't share the down below bits 😅

We're up to 41 hours cumulatively on our face neck and 4 hours cumulatively on the down-belows.

It's really just whack-a-mole now with the remaining face and neck hairs. Leaving a month between sessions now to give more opportunity for the remaining lil buggers to show.

There's a way to go with the genital area, but hopefully the majority of the remaining 14 hours of NHS funding can be used for down there.

#electrolysis #FlashThermolysis #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransFem #TransWoman #TransGirl #enby #NonBinary #HairRemoval #transition #queer #LGBT+ #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

And here are some photos from the next day.

#electrolysis #FlashThermolysis #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransFem #TransWoman #TransGirl #enby #NonBinary #HairRemoval #transition #queer #LGBT+ #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

These were photos we took later on the same day.

#electrolysis #FlashThermolysis #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransFem #TransWoman #TransGirl #enby #NonBinary #HairRemoval #transition #queer #LGBT+ #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

These were three photos we took of our face/neck before Friday's electrolysis session.

#electrolysis #FlashThermolysis #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransFem #TransWoman #TransGirl #enby #NonBinary #HairRemoval #transition #queer #LGBT+ #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

Areas exfoliated yesterday ✅
Strong numbing cream applied (5% lidocaine, 5% prilocaine) ✅
Areas covered in cling film (aka plastic wrap) ✅
Strong painkillers taken ✅

All prepared for another 2-hour electrolysis (flash thermolysis) session. There's still some clean-up to do on my face/neck, but it's mostly going to be on my down below bits, which is much less painful we've found than our front lip.

#electrolysis #FlashThermolysis #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransFem #TransWoman #TransGirl #enby #NonBinary #HairRemoval #transition #queer #LGBT+ #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

And here are the face photos taken the day after the session.

#electrolysis #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransFem #TransWoman #TransGirl #enby #NonBinary #HairRemoval #transition #queer #LGBT+ #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

Here are the photos (of our face only) we took on the day before the electrolysis session.

#electrolysis #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransFem #TransWoman #TransGirl #enby #NonBinary #HairRemoval #transition #queer #LGBT+ #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

Electrolysis (flash thermolysis) session went well.

Face and neck is now effectively done (like 99%, with just occasional stragglers to pick up on subsequent sessions), so that's effectively done after only 36 hours.

Given my electrologist's estimate of 50-100 hours, and NHS Scotland estimates of at least 250 hours, that's pretty damn fast.

Then again, we responded well to laser hair removal beforehand. Some folks don't react as well to it and some folks can't get it at all, so have to go straight to electrolysis, which takes longer.

Our electrologist spent the remainder of the 2-hour session zapping a few hairs around the chest area, then moved on to the down belows.

So far, feeling practically nothing down there. It helps that the area absorbs the numbing cream better, so it gets much more numb than the face or neck.

#electrolysis #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransFem #TransWoman #TransGirl #enby #NonBinary #HairRemoval #transition #queer #LGBT+ #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

Areas exfoliated ✅
Strong numbing cream applied ✅
Areas covered in cling film (aka plastic wrap) ✅
Strong painkillers taken ✅

All prepared for another 2 hour session, except this time it'll just be on more than just one area.

This'll be my 21st session on my face / neck, bringing the cumulative total up to about 36 hours on this we reckon, then my 1st session on the down below bits 😳

Wish us luck? 🥺🤞

#electrolysis #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransFem #TransWoman #TransGirl #enby #NonBinary #HairRemoval #transition #queer #LGBT+ #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

Strong numbing cream applied ✅
Area covered in cling film (aka plastic wrap) ✅
Strong painkillers taken ✅

All prepared for another 2 hour electrolysis session. This'll be the 20th session on our face / neck, bringing the cumulative total up to 35 hours.

Edging ever closer to no more facial hair 🥺🤞

Put numbing cream and cling film on me like one of your electrolysis girls 🩷🤭

#electrolysis #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransFem #TransWoman #NonBinary #HairRemoval #transition #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

CW for images: direct eye contact

PSA about hair removal

This post is for anyone who's seeking hair removal, but especially for the many other trans / non-binary / agender girls / women / fems / folks I see being given misinformation by laser or electrolysis technicians, especially in the US and UK 🥺

Please note that we've not gone into all hair removal forms, such as waxing, epilation, sugaring etc., as there is less misinformation given about these.

Laser hair removal

• NOT suitable at all for tattoos!
  • There is a high risk of burning, scarring, and damaging the tattoo.
  • Not to be confused with tattoo removal lasers, which work differently to laser hair removal.
• Permanent hair reduction.
• Always shave the area closely beforehand. Laser is less effective if you do not shave, and can actually cause skin burns if the hair is too long.
• Ideally look for a clinic that uses something like a Candela GentleMax Pro or newer. Such machines are less painful & more effective than ones like any of the Alma Soprano devices.
• 6-8 sessions will typically be the sweet spot before moving on to electrolysis.
• Laser is sadly not universally effective with all combinations of skin and hair tones / colours. However, machines like the GentleMax Pro use a combination of a 755 nm Alexandrite laser for skin types I to III (lighter) and a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser for skin types IV to VI (darker). You can find more info by searching for the Fitzpatrick scale.
• If the technician or clinic tell you not to use numbing cream, that's a massive red flag against their knowledge. A technician does not need pain feedback from you to know they're using safe levels!

Electrolysis

• Suitable for tattoos.
• Permanent hair removal.
• You must let the hair grow at least a few mm before a session.
• There are 3 different electrolysis methods. Flash thermolysis electrolysis uses short, high intensity bursts that are less painful. Galvanic is slower and more painful, but typically the most effective. Blend combines both methods. Each method has pros and cons, so ask your electrologist which method they recommend for you.
• Ask your electrologist for an estimate of how long it will take to clear an area, as their expertise and speed will vary. For example, NHS Scotland estimates it can take 250-400 hours to fully clear a face of facial hair. My own highly-experienced electrologist estimated 100-150 hours max for me, but has nearly cleared my face in under 40 hours. She's not yet taken more than about 120 hours to clear someone's face / neck fully.
• Again, numbing cream is not only absolutely safe, it's in fact highly recommended if you cannot afford local anaesthetic injections.
• For most folks, it's as much a mental challenge as it is about physical pain management. Even with numbing cream and strong painkillers, it's gonna hurt, especially in 2 hour+ sessions and around sensitive areas (especially the top lip and around the mouth).
• Aloe vera gel helps with post-electrolysis swelling and recovery.

Numbing cream

• The most common brand of numbing cream is EMLA, which is 2.5% lidocaine and 2.5% prilocaine.
• The strongest cream we'd previously found without prescription is Tattoo Numbing Cream, which is 5% lidocaine and 5% prilocaine.
  • We no longer recommend Tattoo Numbing Cream due to having found a stronger, more cost-effective Korean brand called J-Cain, which comes in higher strengths, but our initial testing with the 29.9% lidocaine version was that it wasn't much stronger, but we think we might have been actually sent the 15.6% version.
  • They typically do 10.56%, 15.6%, 19.8%, 25.8%, 29.9% creams in 500 g tubs, which are much more economical than the Tattoo Numbing Cream.
  • They also do 59.9% and 79.9% creams, but those those are potentially very dangerous in terms of lidocaine toxicity.
  • Please note that J-Cain seems to have a decent preservative in it, but it's not clear what penetration enhancer it uses.
• If you can get a strong lidocaine-prilocaine cream on prescription at an affordable cost, this is definitely something to consider.
  • Lidocaine and prilocaine form a eutectic mixture and work very well together.
  • You ideally want a cream with a decent penetration enhancer (like IPM).
• To help with absorption, exfoliate and clean the area before applying cream, apply 60-90 mins before a session, and cover in an air-tight, water-tight dressing (cling film / plastic wrap works well).
  • Please note that food-grade PVC wrap works far better than the non-PVC one now commonly sold in supermarkets.

Sadly, I can't provide much information on local anaesthetic injections. In the UK, they're typically arranged either by a medically-trained specialist at an electrolysis clinic or separately (such as at a dentist's) immediately before attending a session.

#HairRemoval #Laser #LaserHairRemoval #LaserHairReduction #electrolysis #electrologist #trans #transgender #enby #NonBinary #agender #transition #TransWoman #TransFem #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

And here are some photos I just took now. My skin is really turning red.

CW: redness and swelling

#electrolysis #HairRemoval #EvieElectrolysisExtracts

Sadly today was a very difficult, very painful session. I felt exhausted afterwards, like I'd been in fight or flight for 2 hours. My legs kept twitching too 😖

Nonetheless, it was a very, very productive session.

Here are the photos I took immediately when I got home.

#electrolysis #HairRemoval #EvieElectrolysisExtracts

CW: eye contact

Freshly showered ✅
Strong numbing cream applied ✅
Area covered in cling film (aka plastic wrap) ✅
Strong painkillers taken ✅

17th session today. This will bring my cumulative total on my neck/face up to 29 hours.

Still more regrowth than I'd like (see yesterday's post - https://cultofshiv.wtf/@SleepyCatten/111472192224806279).

#electrolysis #HairRemoval #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransWoman #TransFem #transition #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

CW for images: direct eye contact

If anyone's interested in the progress I've had with electrolysis, the below photos show 13 days' worth of hair growth.

I've let it grow extra long in preparation for my 2 hour electrolysis session tomorrow.

#EvieElectrolysisExtracts #electrolysis #HairRemoval #transition #trans #transgender #TransFem #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+

CW for images: unshaved face & partial eye contact in one photo

Strong numbing cream applied ✅
Area covered in cling film (aka plastic wrap) ✅
Strong painkillers taken ✅

16th session today. Perhaps the final 2-hour one on my face/neck? It'll bring my cumulative total up to 27 hours & should finish off my face/neck, apart from stragglers 🥰

#electrolysis #HairRemoval #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransWoman #TransFem #transition #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

CW for image: direct eye contact

Face exfoliated & scrubbed ✅
Strong numbing cream applied ✅
Area covered in cling film (aka plastic wrap) ✅
Strong painkillers taken ✅

15th session today. Another 2-hour session. This will bring my cumulative electrolysis total up to 25 hours.

Sorry for the lack of prep photos today. Ran out of time. I'll add photos later 💖

#electrolysis #HairRemoval #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransWoman #TransFem #transition #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

Face exfoliated & scrubbed ✅
Strong numbing cream applied ✅
Area covered in cling film (aka plastic wrap) ✅
Strong painkillers taken ✅

14th session today. Another 2-hour session. This will bring my cumulative electrolysis total up to 23 hours.

Time to zap more hairs into the void ⚡

#electrolysis #HairRemoval #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransWoman #TransFem #transition #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

CW for photos: direct eye contact

Major swelling today 😅

Doesn't hurt, but my top lip is pulled a bit tight, slightly affecting my speech & ability to drink from a cup.

Totally worth it though.

#electrolysis #HairRemoval #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransWoman #TransFem #transition #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

CW: direct eye contact: red swelling

Yeah... face is definitely swelling up after this session 😅

#electrolysis #HairRemoval #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransWoman #TransFem #transition #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

CW: direct eye contact

Whilst my face probably looks super sore, it's actually only feeling a bit warm right now.

I feel like I did a better job at exfoliating & cleaning my face today before applying the numbing cream, as the session hurt a lot less, even on sensitive areas.

#electrolysis #HairRemoval #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransWoman #TransFem #transition #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

CW for photos: direct eye contact

Face exfoliated & scrubbed ✅
Strong numbing cream applied ✅
Area covered in cling film (aka plastic wrap) ✅
Strong painkillers taken ✅

Today is session 13. It's another 2-hour session, which will bring my cumulative total up to 21 hours.

Wish me a good session? :PleadingFace: :TransFemHeart:

#electrolysis #HairRemoval #EvieElectrolysisExtracts #trans #transgender #TransWoman #TransFem #transition #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #LGBTQIA2S+

CW for photos: direct eye contact