Q&A: Do you believe that [my facial hair] will grow and will look normal again in time [after getting electrolysis in the past]?
Posted: July 16, 2012 Filed under: Q&A | Tags: electrolysis, facial hair, medical, testosterone 9 Comments »Question:
Im FTM. In my previous -female- life I had electrolyses (epilation) to my cheeks and upper lip. Now Im on T for 3 mounths. Only a very tiny and scattered hairs came just on my chin bone. Some of them long, others much more thin than the long ones, I mean not spread evenly and same length. Do you beleive that they will grow and will look normal again in time?
I checked my cheeks with magnifier, and saw that there are very tiny and pale colored hairs all over my cheeks. Do you beleive that they will grow, turn black, getting thick in time?
Answer by Lee Penman from TfTM on 7/17/2012:
Electrolysis is a spot specific treatment that causes the interior of the follicle to heal in such a way that a callous of skin walls off the interior of the follicle, this closes off access to the follicular blood supply, and also eliminates the germative growth cells that start the hairs. Usually there is no way a hair can grow back in that follicle.
However women with hormone imbalances can sometimes grow new hair (the testosterone in your case would be equivalent to a hormone imbalance). Also previously ‘non active’ follicles may open and produce hair. The follicle that was originally treated is unlikely to produce new growth though.
I would say it would depend how hormonally sensitive your body is as to how reactive it will be to the influx of testosterone in a previously estrogen dominant system.
I will add though, that the fact that you have produced scattered growth may be hopeful 
but I am guessing hair [on your chin] will always be patchy.
If you had several treatments [on your cheeks] it might be difficult as the hairs will not grow the same. You may get a light ‘fuzz’ type of hair but I have to say it is unlikely that you will have the kind of growth you would have had without the treatment.
Wish I could be more hopeful….
Answer by Wes Austin on 7/16/2012:
The point of electrolysis is to completely destroy the hairs and hair follicle. Having this done means that no hair will be able to grow there. Testosterone can only stimulate follicles that haven’t been destroyed. Unfortunately, this means that you won’t be able to grow any facial hairs in the areas that the electrolysis worked.
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Thanks for the answers Lee, and Wes…
I want to ask another questions. I checked my cheeks with magnifier, and saw that there are very tiny and pale colored hairs all over my cheeks. Do you beleive that they will grow, turn black, getting thick in time?
I’ll reach out to the Contributors with your question & let you know!
Trans girl here! The specific hairs that were treated have likely been destroyed and will never regrow BUT you may very likely grow new hairs in the same are as your hair coverage on T will be a lot higher than anything pre transition. Hope this helps.
Thank you very much for your supportive comment Hana. Hope you are right,
Intersex trans man here. Growing up, I had patches of whiskers on either side of my chin and upper lip which I had removed. They didn’t regrow on T. It hasn’t been a problem for me in growing a beard, as my beard hair is sufficiently thick, but I have an area of no mustache growth on one side that looks silly if I try to grow a stache. So I work with what I have–and you will as well, never fear!
As for the tiny hairs all over your cheeks, this is a different sort of hair (“vellus hair”) than whiskers (“androgenic hair”). You can’t tell by looking at it what your facial hair growth pattern will be.
Bear in mind that while some changes come quickly on T (such as genital growth), changes in facial and body hair develop more slowly, and take years. It took me 6 months to grow a chin patch protobeard, and three years to grow chest hair, for example.
Hi intersexroadshow,
Thanks for the answer. Im very sad when I learned about the difference of Vellus hair and Androgenic hair. I always thought that that tiny hairs (vellus) will be stronger with T. Its very difficult to accept that I will have no hair on my face. In my country facial hairs are the symbol of maleness. Im feeling really depressed.
Echoing what Hana said, if you had electrolysis that hair follicle will never grow back.
HOWEVER, if you had laser hair removal, it is more likely to grow back in that area, just slower. I had laser hair removal in tons of places – where the treatment was completed I am seeing slower thinner hair growth, and where the treatment was halfway done I am seeing pretty much regular growth, with a few bald spots here and there.
Hi Maddox,
I had both electrolysis and laser treatment.
Im real intersex (hemaphrodith) and lived as a male for 10 years, I had beard than. Than my feminity aroused and I had electrolys treatment. But in couple of years I understood that I cant live as a girl! Now Im in transitioning period toward maleness AGAIN and unfortunately I see that I lost the chance of facial hair. Thanks for the answer.