I created this series of blog posts to share my personal experience with male-to-female transgender surgery: what I went through, what I had to do, and what I needed to buy along the way.
Of course, every experience is different. I have friends who have had the same surgery, and their experiences were not exactly like mine. That could come down to timing, the surgeon, the facility, or any number of other factors. So please take my advice with a grain of salt. I only want to highlight the things many of us seem to have in common and be as helpful as I can to my sisters. This is not my way or the highway. It is simply what I learned.
One of the first things you will need to handle is hair removal. Even before choosing a surgeon, it may help to meet with a few and get their requirements. Most will require hair removal down there, generally about an inch around the base of the penis and downward, including all hair on the scrotum.
There are two permanent hair-removal options. Laser is the fastest. I cannot speak much to the pain level, but it can often be completed in four to six sessions of around 15 minutes each. The catch is that laser only works on dark hair. If you have lighter hairs mixed in, you will likely need electrolysis afterward.
Electrolysis works on every hair color, but I will be honest: it is both a very personal and very religious experience. Personal because you become very familiar with the person doing it, and religious because the pain can be excruciating. I scheduled 30-minute appointments but could usually only make it through about 15 minutes before I was done. I really cried.
If you are unfamiliar with electrolysis, a tiny needle is inserted into each hair follicle. An electrical current is applied to destroy the follicle permanently. It is the old standard for permanent hair removal, and it gets hairs laser cannot touch. But yes, it hurts.
You may find plenty of places offering laser hair removal, but finding someone who does electrolysis for those final hairs can be harder. Still, make sure every hair is gone. You do not want hair growing inside your new anatomy. From what I understand, that can be extremely painful. It is better to deal with the discomfort now than face something worse later.
A few things helped me prepare for electrolysis. Avoid caffeine for at least two hours beforehand because it can make your nerve endings more sensitive. About 30 minutes before your appointment, apply a topical numbing cream called Numb Master, which you can find online or on Amazon. Buy the larger bottle from the start and apply it generously so it has time to absorb.
It will not eliminate all the pain, but it absolutely helps. It may seem expensive at first, but after one or two sessions, you will understand why it is worth every penny.
That is all I have for this first part. More to come.