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submitted 1 day ago by Xenia to c/trans

If you are thinking about harming yourself — get immediate crisis support. Connect to a crisis counselor 24/7, 365 days a year, from anywhere in the U.S via text, chat, or phone. The Trevor Project is 100% confidential and 100% free.

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[-] dandelion 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

just scheduled the hotel for my upcoming vaginoplasty, I think it's two months away now

Electrolysis is painful! I use a 20% lidocaine BLT cream from a compounding pharmacy and apply it hours before the appointment, usually around 40 - 45 minutes into the session it starts to get what I would consider "too painful". At first I thought it was because the lidocaine was wearing off, and the pharmacist switched from 20% lidocaine to 20% benzocaine thinking it would help it last longer, but it made absolutely no difference, I get around the same pain around the same time. So now I wonder if it's due to the accumulation of damage and pain over the session, esp. as she begins to cluster the places the hairs are removed.

Either way, it makes me wish lidocaine injections were more common - this pain is unnecessary, more a consequence of falling through the cracks of the local government and medical establishment which just hasn't prioritized the legal pathways and training programs that would enable lidocaine injections for these areas and in these contexts. You can get your mouth numbed for dental work, for example (and you can get trained and certified to numb patients for dental procedures), but for electrolysis it's just not an option here.

[-] OldEggNewTricks 3 points 1 day ago

Sounds unpleasant (I still haven't started). Hope you get everything sorted in time! Good luck.

I got some lidocaine cream for my face for laser, but didn't use it in the end. They said not to use it on genitals, but I guess it works OK then?

[-] dandelion 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

My laser place also tells me not to apply any creams or product, etc. - it's a liability issue for them, and it is a real risk. However, the pain from laser is so bad that I would rather take the risk by applying the cream and just doing my due diligence by thoroughly cleaning the skin right before the appointment (I walk into the place, go to the bathroom, use paper towel to wipe off all the excess cream, then I wet a rag and get it all soapy and then scrub the area well, then using a clean towel to wipe the skin completely clean - then right before, the laser techs use alcohol wipes as a last measure - so far, over a year of doing this, I've had no complications or issues).

The 20% cream is expensive and it comes in very small amounts, so I only use it on the genitals and my face. For other areas I just settle for a grey-market South Korean 10% lidocaine cream called Anesten, which mostly works - at least enough that I'm able to sleep the night before appointments and I don't have too much anxiety about it.

Normal lidocaine creams have 5% btw, I found them unhelpful (practically no better than not using it).

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this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2025
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Trevor Project: crisis mental health services for LGBTQ people, lots of helpful information and resources: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

The Gender Dysphoria Bible: useful info on various aspects of gender dysphoria: https://genderdysphoria.fyi/en

StainedGlassWoman: Various useful essays on trans topics: https://stainedglasswoman.substack.com/

Trans resources: https://trans-resources.info/

[USA] Resources for trans people in the South: https://southernequality.org/resources/transinthesouth/#provider-map

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