Trans people often use permanent hair removal techniques to remove their facial hair, body hair, or hair from skin that will be used as part of a surgery.
Your options
The main options you can use for permanent hair removal are:
- Electrolysis: Electrolysis is often required for treating light blonde, red or grey hairs, but can take a long time – often hundreds of hours for facial hair.
- Laser: Laser can be much faster than electrolysis and some people find it less painful, but it is only suitable for certain hair colours. There are different types of laser machines available, with different advantages and disadvantages, so discuss with a laser service what laser types they have available and what might be most suitable for you.
- IPL: Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is an alternative to laser, which may possibly be less effective on some skin colours, and is normally not offered by the NHS.
Different permanent hair removal techniques may be best for you depending on your situation.
It’s not possible to undo the effects of these treatments.
If you’re not looking to remove the hair on an area permanently, you could try non-permanent alternatives like shaving, plucking, waxing, threading, sugaring, epilating, or using a hair removal cream. If you’re using one of these methods, remember that only some of the hair removal methods are suitable for the delicate skin on your face or genitals, and to follow the instructions that come with products you buy about how to use them and where to use them.
NHS funded hair removal
Facial hair removal is funded by the NHS for patients who have received a formal diagnosis of gender incongruence or gender dysphoria from an NHS gender clinic.
If you ask your NHS gender clinic for help with facial hair removal, they can make a referral to GDNRSS, who are responsible for arranging hair removal for trans patients. They should give you a list of local hair removal providers you can choose from.
The amount of facial hair removal that is funded is:
- NHS England: 8 sessions of laser hair removal or electrolysis sessions up to the value of 8 sessions of laser hair removal. IPL hair removal is not available on the NHS in England.
- NHS Scotland: a minimum of 15 sessions of laser hair removal or at least 250 hours of electrolysis treatment. IPL hair removal is not available on the NHS in Scotland.
- NHS Wales: facial hair removal is not currently funded by NHS Wales.
This is not always enough sessions for complete removal of all facial hair, and you might need to pay to have more hair removal sessions outside of the NHS.
Pre-surgical hair removal is sometimes needed before genital surgeries like vaginoplasty, metoidioplasy, and phalloplasty. Your surgeon will check if this is required for medical reasons during your pre-surgical consultation. If hair removal is required before surgery, your surgeon will make a referral for you to a local NHS service that can perform hair removal. It is important to know that pre-surgical hair removal will only be funded by the NHS if absolutely necessary. Because of this, some people getting phalloplasty pay privately for hair removal on the donor site.
Privately funded hair removal
In our Transition Access Survey in 2022, over 90% of people who told us they had needed hair removal had paid for some or all of this themselves. You may want to access hair removal privately because you want or need facial hair removal before you are seen by an NHS gender clinic. You might also want it because you want hair removal on a part of your body that would not be funded by the NHS, or because you need hair removal before a non-NHS genital surgery.
Hair removal can be expensive. In our Transition Access Survey in 2022, trans people told us that the average amount they had spent on hair removal was over £2000. Some employers have medical insurance policies that will fund hair removal as part of the medical transition cover they offer, so if you have a medical insurance policy, it is worth checking if hair removal is covered.
If you’re not able to afford the cost of hair removal, you can be prescribed a cream called Vaniqa or Eflornithine which can slow how fast your hair grows on the part of your body you apply it to. Speak to your gender clinic or GP about this if you need to use this option.
To find a professional service offering hair removal to trans people, have a look at:
- Electrolysis: British Institute and Association of Electrolysis member directory
- Laser and IPL: You might want to try asking for recommendations of laser clinics at your local trans support group.
If you want to further research a hair removal provider, you could also check to see if they’ve been inspected by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, the CQC in England, Healthcare in Wales, or the RQIA in Northern Ireland.
What to expect
Before you begin treatment, you should be asked to read information about potential side-effects of the hair removal method and how to reduce risks. You should also be asked to provide information about what medications you’re taking and any medical conditions you have.
You’ll also normally be offered treatment on a test patch somewhere not too visible. This helps you and your hair removal provider check that you’re not going to experience any serious side effects from the hair removal method or any products they are using. If you see any irritation or discoloration of your test patch, let your hair removal provider know about it.
If you’ve not had any significant side effects you can now start hair removal treatment. This will happen over a number of sessions. When the same area is being treated repeatedly, sessions should be around 4-6 weeks apart for the best results. After leaving your hair removal session, remember to follow any safety instructions you’ve been given by your hair removal provider (like wearing sunscreen).
The number of sessions required will vary from person to person depending on the amount of hair you are removing and will also vary between hair removal methods.
If you’ve had laser or IPL hair removal, you may find that after a few years you need to have further ‘top up’ sessions to remove any new hairs or hairs that have regrown.
Pain and discomfort
Permanent hair removal processes usually cause pain and discomfort. If you feel you need to reduce the amount of pain, you can speak to the hair removal professional about your options. You could discuss options like ice packs, over-the-counter pain relief medications, or stronger prescription-only numbing creams. You may need to speak to your GP to obtain these creams.
Staying safe
It’s very important that you follow the advice of your hair removal professional.
After laser or IPL treatment, make sure to stay out of the sun as much as possible, and wear sunscreen if you are in sunlight.
Tell your hair removal professional if you’re experiencing skin irritation, or discoloration of the skin.
Further information
You can read more about hair information in:
- this NHS facial hair removal leaflet
- the British Institute and Association of Electrolysis FAQ
- the NHS Scotland facial hair removal guidelines
- the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health: Hair removal page
Errors or omissions
Is there something missing from this page? Have you spotted something that isn’t correct? E-mail info@transactual.org.uk to let us know.
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This page is based on information originally posted on genderkit.org.uk with permission.
A disclaimer: TransActual do not provide medical, health, or legal advice. The content of this page is intended for information purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment from a medical professional. It is not a substitute for advice from a legal professional. We strongly suggest you consult a healthcare professional or legal professional for specific advice about your situation. TransActual do not advocate or recommend the purchase of any specific product and we do not endorse or guarantee the credentials or appropriateness of any health care provider, any product or any provider of insurance and legal services.
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