My Finding an Electrologist

May 27, 1998

I had been thinking about getting rid of my facial hair for a long time. Beard cover has been the hardest regiment in my makeup routine and probably the one thing that gives me away more than anything else. I had been gathering information from the net and had put off my decision to go with electrolysis until a friend had completed her treatments with laser. At first the results looked very promising even though I had not seen a single positive report on the Net about its effectiveness, and sure enough her results turned out to be as negative as everyone else’s.

I began looking at yellow page ads in earnest. Odd but some of the ads did not give me a comfortable feeling as to how creditable and effective these people were. So I checked out a new web site and read about the CPE accreditation. They had a referral listing and there was one for a woman in my area. So I looked at her yellow page ad again, and it was better listing. It said that she was CPE which means that she has to be re-certified every so often and is up to date on all the methods and procedures. The ad said that she practices all three major methods. So I gave Rhonda a call and told her that I was interested in removing my beard. We had a brief discussion about price and what would be involved in the treatment. I got the impression that she had a lot of inquiries and a lot of no shows. Anyway, we made an appointment on an evening that she works late.

The evening of the appointment I drove to her residence. She like many other electrologist works from her home. I was nervous entering her door and walking down the hallway. I was pleased to see that she had converted her basement into a professional office area with office, waiting and treatment rooms. This woman took her business seriously and that made me feel better. I mean the electrologist will be sticking my face with a needle several thousand times over an estimated 70 to 90 hours and I definitely wanted someone qualified if I was to be the pin cushion.

I met Rhonda and we talked about what I wanted. I told her that I wanted to completely remove the beard but I also wanted it to be as least noticeable as possible. I asked about redness and swelling and told her that I would like to try to keep it to a minimum. She said that we could probably go with a general thinning at first to see how the skin reacts and to minimize the swelling that accompanies a clearing. And I agreed with her in that she only had Wednesday evenings free for me and I would have to be at work the next day. I did not want to have to explain things to my co-workers (not yet anyway). Also it would be rather noticeable if one part of the face had a beard and the other did not. She talked about the natural hair growth cycle and that only about 1/3 of the hair is actively growing at any one time. She went over the obligatory forms, disclosures and waivers and we then got down to a sample treatment.

I laid down on the table and she handed my an electrode to hold in my hand. Rhonda uses the blend method AC and DC. She leaves the needle in after she plucks the hair to give it a little more killing power. She told me that I had some naturally bare spots on my face and that my beard was not too high or too low which means less time will be needed to complete the job. She also told me that my beard grows in all directions which will make it more difficult to find and kill the root. Well she did about fifteen minutes that first visit and cleared several small areas at different parts on my face to test for reactions. I will not kid anyone. It HURTS.

She suggested that I get a prescription for a topical cream called Emla which would help numb the upper lips area (I understand that it may become an over the counter medication soon). I asked her in general conversation if she had had any other men customers, and her response was that she had "all kinds" of clients and she emphasized "kinds". Maybe she was trying to tell me that she was cool with TG clients. She could not help but notice my long nails. She told me that she was a professional and that she provided a service for those who needed it for whatever reason. And I thought to myself how long will it be before I come out to her?

Well the next day there was a little swelling and some redness in the treated areas but to see those small patches of hairless skin just re-enforced my resolve.

I went to my local doc-in-a-box and paid $48 for a five minute visit for me to tell the doctor I wanted a prescription for Emla. The doctor was cool and she had even used it herself when she had her upper lip waxed.

Well the Wednesday of my appointment arrived. I did not shave that day and Rhonda said that it was plenty to work with. I had arrived about a hour early to apply the Emla. I apply it thick on the upper lip and cover it with saran wrap and tape it down. It needs at least an hour to work well and needs to be kept moist. The thinning that she is using is just going after the heavy black hairs that are full of moisture and most likely to be killed on the first treatment. Well it hurt; a lot. The upper lip was helped by the cream but it still hurt. I could hear the television in the waiting room playing and I tried to concentrate on it instead of my discomfort. It was like a thousand bee stings, only there was no residual pain like you get with a bee sting. And after a while the face and skin does sort of get used to the pain as they nerves get numb from all the pain stimulus. Well I survived and we have a standing appointment for every Wednesday. We have also talked about extending the sessions to more than an hour and she might be able to set aside a late Friday for a clearing. She seams to be as anxious as me to get on with the project.

No one has said anything about me except for mom. She thinks I have a rash from using the night cream that I have been using for months. Odd isn't it that the rash is only there on Thursday mornings? Well it will not be long before I have to tell her. But I love looking in the mirror and seeing no hair and feeling smooth skin. It will be my intention to clear my breast and stomach soon as the face is in a maintenance mode. ZAAAPPPPP!!!

Epilogue

December 27, 2001

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