How to guides

Nov 201520

Fembitions

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FEMBITIONS

Yes we all have them, 'ambitions' while we look or are in feminine mode. Let me give you an example. I am neither into motorbikes nor leather, but I have an ambition or a fantasy (let's call it a fembition), concerning both. It's not a sexual thing but something that the feminine side of me yearns to do. I have this vision of me, the female me, riding pillion behind a young cyclist. Both of us are appropriately dressed. I am encased on one of those all enveloping black figure hugging leather outfits, wearing heeled boots and have underneath, but unseen, as little underwear as is necessary. I recognise that leather and motorbikes have strong fantasy connections for some but this is not the case for me. It's just something that I'd love to do and have wanted to do for many years. The young man is purely there to steer and drive the bike, and provide a body for me to clutch to. Why I, who has never owned or ridden on a motorcycle should have this ambition, I have no idea. Is it the suppressed exhibitionist within me? Is it the promise of helpless dependency on the rider while he (or I suppose, she, I've never comsidered the rider's gender) puts the powerful machine through its paces and I hold on tightly? Is the unmistakable statement of gender, despite the disguising helmet, made by the figure hugging leather? Perhaps it's simply my feminine side's sense of adventure. The male me certainly wants nothing to do with motorcyles. I thought, until recently, that I was alone in these adventurous fembitions. After chatting with a friend I realised that not only was I not alone, but I had seen others fulfilling their ambitions, either not recognising what they were doing or hoping that no one would understand what drove them on. I am an amateur thespian. Amongst groups performing pantomines very often it is the same male that plays the dame, year after year. Now there's nothing wrong with that. He might be the only one capable of taking what is a very important and central part. He might be on an ego trip, determined to be the star each year. But equally there are some perennial 'dames' who would deny any interest such as ours, but fight tooth and nail to make sure that only they wear the dresses. Often the costume demands of these characters are quite extraordinary. How can you know which is which? The test, I discovered, is Mother Goose! Those of you who know the story will remember that Mother Goose has various wishes granted for money, power, beauty and often a full wardrobe we would all kill for. Frequently, since it gets the best audience reaction, MG ends dressed in the very height of fashion. perhaps like a current female pop singer - what a dream for a closet TV! But these males are very often not TV's, closet or otherwise, or so they claim. One, I know, is aggressively 'macho' and any suggestion that he had an 'unhealthy' interest like ours would immediately result in a bash on the nose, or worse. He is avidly anti-gay, anti-perv and anti-non normal. What is normal? If you aren't a beer swilling, chauvinistic, woman chasing, pot bellied, bigoted male, then you aren't normal. You might gather that he and I do not see eye to eye. His requirements for Mother Goose? Two special changes of clothes, which had to be correct in every detail. The first was a powerful 'Dallas-type' outfit complete with matching accessories. The other a 'Marilyn Monroe' dress, reminiscent of that famous scene where her skirts are blown uncontrollably upwards. Now that might be a scene any one of us might aspire to figure in, but this specification was so precise. From the closet I seethed with jealously but it was the silky underwear and matching handbag he demanded that made my hackles rise. All this for a man who would instantly lead a mob to make a TV's quiet walk down the street a misery, and who accused me of being a 'nancy' for my quiet southern accent.

Anyway, having got that off my chest, I hope you see my point, even 'outsiders' have fembitions. Having chatted to others, from our TV world, I find that the fembitions are almost endless. A keen golfer and TV of my acquaintance is desperate to play, en femme, at his local golf course. He would love to play a course from the ladies tees as Angelina. If anyone out there knows where she might be welcome, let me know. In a limited way I have already achieved this fembition. You may have played one of the many golf games that are available for your computer. The more sophisticated ones allow you to choose and name your own players. Driven, I presume, by 'political correctness' some even permit you to select the sex, not to mention skin, hair and clothing colour. Hidden away in my directory of players are Maggie and Rose. Maggie - redheaded, fair skinned, and whose emerald green top suits her colouring. Similarly Rose, attired in lilac complementing her tanned complexion and dark hair. The greatest advantage is that I can nip off for a quick game as Maggie without having to leave the office (and the attendant difficulties it might create). But there's no ladies locker room to retire to for a chat or to repair one's face. From others I've found fembitions to serve in shops, banks and restaurants. I've even come across a fembition to ride to hounds, become a chauffeuse, and play in ladies cricket or tennis matches. That ignores those who want to be brides, geisha girls or tarts. I didn't enquire whether they wanted to take their roles to the logical and ultimate conclusion. Fembitions are not only for TVs, through. Not so long ago, I saw and was involved in a female achieving her fembition. Even though I was alone on stage with her and in front of an audience, this caused me no problems. Sally and I were performing in a revue and our sketch was set in a hospital room. There I was, lying in my hospital bed being visited by my 'wife'. On each previous night she had made her entrance in a fur coat and completed the scene precisely according to the script. But on the last night as she stood to speak, with her back to the audience, her hands lifted to her hips to draw the fur coat open and reveal to me - alone - a white basque, tiny white bikini knickers and stockings tautly gripped by suspenders. The audience had no idea what I could plainly see. Afterwards she confessed that she had fulfilled a life long ambition. She had discussed with her husband and my wife what was to happen beforehand, and she had enough confidence in me to presume I would not give her secret away to the audience. Little did she realise that my stuttering reaction was caused less by surprise then the recognition of a fembition of my own!! The flashing isn't important to me, nor to be recommended, except under those very controlled circumstances. It was the thought, for me, of appearing in public so apparently respectable, and yet beneath being so vulnerable. But if Sally can fulfil her life-long fembition, why shouldn't Maggie? Anyway, you must excuse me, I have to dash. Angelina, wait for me on the first tee, will you? I'm just popping into the locker room to adjust my bra, it's cutting into me.

Nov 201520

Transvestites and Fashion

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TRANSVESTITES AND FASHION

Why do so many transvestites enjoy dressing forty or fifty years behind the times? Why do we choose what style of clothing we wear? Petal Jeffrey goes in search of the answers. Her skirt brushes her calves as she steps onto the dance floor. Quite demure, really. Then, to the pounding rock 'n' roll beat, her partner sets her spinning. As the skirt spins, its hem flies upwards revealing stocking tops and a glimpse of suspender. She could be a 1950s teenager, hair fastened in a pony tail. Her mother probably thinks she's elsewhere. She could, equally, be a transvestite forty years on... In that case, she probably has no pony tail - it's not a hair style well adapted to a tranny wig. Not that the presence or absence of pony tails is the best clue as to whether this is the fifties, or a dance attended by present day transvestites.

Today, the TVs will almost certainly be wearing a greater variety of styles than real girls gathered together at any age. They are likely to be dressed for a variety of occasions: debutante ballgowns rubbing hems with rock 'n' roll skirts. There will be fashions from different eras - the calf-brushing styles of the fifties swirling cool air about the thigh-high minis from the late sixties. Those minis notwithstanding, an email from Rosalind (Leeds) would have surprised few when it began: "Let's have more 50's pictures... I have fond memories of those fabulous starched petticoats we used to wear." Nor are they just memories, as "you only have to go to any transvestites party to see acres of petticoats worn by the men, underskirts that real women haven't been seen in for years and years." What Rosalind sees in Leeds seems much the same as I see in London. There are, however, some who feel uneasy about this living in the past, whether apparent or real. Neither are the fifties the most reassuring decade for transvestites to choose. The most serious unease stems from the position of women in society during the fifties. First, though, a glance at the forties... The very full skirts and masses of petticoat in which many transvestites like to luxuriate in were, in part, a reaction to a period of austerity. During the war, and for some time after, clothing was rationed. Styles had to conform to severe utility standards. Every inch of cloth was precious, and there was little to spare for frills. Nor were just frills in short supply. I have close at hand, for example, the Daily Mirror for January 12th 1946. The war had been over for five months. There is a brief story headlined: "THE SWIM-OUT-OF-IT SWIM SUIT" "The Moonlight Buoy swim suit, which the swimmer can easily shed in the water and which will float by itself, made its appearance in the New York shops yesterday. "It consists of gaberdine pants and brassiere. The brassiere is tied to the pants and both are kept afloat by a cork buckle." Interesting as the Moonlight Boy swimsuit may be, the remarkable and significant part of the story is relegated to the final paragraph. "British manufacturers have no plans for putting out these 'moonlight buoy' swimsuits. In fact, they say, British girls will be lucky if they can get hold of any kind of costume." No doubt, the public had to put up with a great deal because of the war. Probably most were unsurprised when rationing continued a few months after the end of hostilities. But, when the months of peace turned into years, and clothing was still rationed, few can have been content with the situation... So, when the restrictions were dropped a new look with masses of petticoat was surely inevitable. Nor is it surprising that that such a mass of frills appeals to transvestites. Feminine is what we like, and what could be more feminine? With that, however, we approach the area that makes some of us uneasy.

So, when the restrictions were dropped a new look with masses of petticoat was surely inevitable. Nor is it surprising that that such a mass of frills appeals to transvestites. Feminine is what we like, and what could be more feminine? With that, however, we approach the area that makes some of us uneasy. The Second World War brought a tremendous burden of suffering, in which clothing restrictions were the least of peoples troubles. However, in spite of restricting peoples freedom, the war was paradoxically liberating for a lot of women. Pre-war, it was virtually unknown for married women to be in paid employment. Many employers, such as the civil service, simply did not employ married women. When a girl got married, she left - it was as simple as that. A single girl was, in any case, lucky to have a job. In Britain, only one in eight of them were earning even a small wage - of course, it would only be a small wage, as girls weren't given jobs with much prestige, promotion prospects or pay. Whether or not they were actively unhappy with their lot, women didn't have a lot of choice. There was precious little option for a girl but to marry, as seven eighths of them were without even poorly paid work. Once married, she was obliged to adopt the role of housewife. With the wage packet in her husbands hands, all the important decisions were his - or at least, open to his veto. There was little refuge from domestic tyranny, where it was applied, or even from violence. Then came war, and more often than not the man had gone. Millions of men were conscripted into the armed forces, and all over Europe women were taking their place in factories and ship yards; on farms and railways; almost everywhere. They had their own pay packets. Even with wartime shortages and restrictions, women were exercising more choice than most of them had known in peacetime. Other women were putting on uniforms. Female branches of the armed forces sprouted from nothing, and expanded. In Britain, unmarried women under the age of thirty were made liable for military service in December 1941. Their roles were not always nursing, cooking clerical or administrative work. Women served as the crew of anti-aircraft guns and searchlights. It is interesting to note that, even in the most masculine of roles, women clung to the more enjoyable aspects of femininity. Soviet aircrew defied regulations, growing their hair long and dying their white silk under-helmets in pastel shades. They put on light make-up, with pale lipstick, before taking off on combat missions. Like transvestites, they sought to combine femininity with masculine roles. The fashions of the fifties were not only a reaction to wartime and post-war austerity, but part of an endeavour to remove women from their newly found place in the workplace, and relegate them once more to the home. This brings us to what makes some uneasy about transvestites' enthusiasm for fifties fashions. Transvestites, above all people, must acknowledge that the way we dress is no trivial matter. For us, it can wreck marriages, and often does. People do not sacrifice their families and homes for something that is not important to them. Clothing makes a big difference in at least three ways. The first is practical. Clothing can protect us, or expose us to danger. It can constrict us, or give us freedom of movement. A tie, for example can be a dangerous hazard when working with machinery. Typically, in a factory or warehouse, the foreman wears a tie while the workers do not. A corset makes us vulnerable, high heels are ill-suited for running. At least as importantly, clothing makes a great deal of difference to the way other people perceive and treat us. Someone whose business takes them into a factory is likely to accord much more respect to men in ties than to men without them. A woman is likely to receive completely different treatment if she goes out in a mini skirt and see-through top, in a smart business suit and discreet blouse, or in dungarees and Doc Martens. Transvestites who have gone out dressed will know that people react differently to their femme selves than they would do to a male presentation. Indeed, this is one of the more enjoyable aspects of stepping out en femme.

Transvestites are by no means the only ones to have fun manipulating the way others see them. There was, for example, a business woman in the seventies who held conferences sat at her desk in a plain blouse and sober jacket. It was only when the business was concluded that she stood up to reveal suede thigh boots and pink hotpants. No doubt the reactions she got were interesting... Perhaps most importantly of all, the way we're dressed affects the way we feel about ourselves. It may often be difficult to distinguish this from the way in which dress determines how other people see us. After all, if we're treated with respect our confidence increases, and the more confident we are the more respect we're likely to receive. The two things feed into one another. However, if our clothes made no direct difference to how we feel about ourselves, it would make no sense for transvestites to dress in private. Almost all of us pass through a phase of doing this, and many continue - never receiving a second person's reaction to their fmeinine presentation. We all know that we feel very different in lingerie and a skirt from the way we are in masculine things. When transvestites emerge into the public gaze, many people fail to understand why the feminine presentation is primarily for its own sake, rather than to seek a reaction from others. Even looking (and feeling) like a tart, the transvestite does not necessarily welcome male sexual advances. Another example which demonstrates the importance of dress in the way that people see themselves is the the association between uniforms and good order in schools. It is unlikely that it makes much difference in the way that teachers view their pupils. Rather, I strongly suspect that uniforms affect the self-image of the school children. All of this being so, it is not surprising that fifties women's clothing contrasts with that of the forties not only in terms of austerity, but with respect to the role that women were expected to fill. After the war, it was widely expected (especially by men) that women would return to more or less their position of the thirties. Indeed, many of them did just that. Those who managed to remain in work generally found that it was more humble - and worse paid - than their wartime occupation. A capable woman who had served as a WAAF Aquadron Leader might find that she was now considered fit for nothing more demanding than typing. In retrospect, it seems not only monstrously unfair, but a strange waste of national resources during a period of reconstruction. Even on an entirely practical level, a woman was limited in her activites by those full skirts and masses of petticoat. They were certainly not well adapted to minding machines. And the pencil skirt, fashionable in the late fifties, could be almost as restricting as the Edwardian hobble skirt. Little white gloves surfaced as an accessory. One doesn't often see them worn by transvestites in fifties styles - perhaps they represent too much bother with too little reward - but there was a time when women did not consider themselves properly dressed without the gloves. Unlike the sexier long opera gloves, the little white ones were very demure. All gloves restrict what we can do with our hands, and white ones are also apt to show any trace of dirt. More likely to appeal to transvestites is the corsetry which underpinned the New Look of the nineteen fifties. Not since edwardian times had strait lacing for a tiny waist been so much in vogue. On the effects of this I quote from A History of Corsetry elsewhere on this site: "There can be little doubt that imprisoning and often embarrassingly restrictive corsets, when really tightly laced, put the wearer into an extremely vulnerable physical position - a position that demands a submissive and placatory response towards threatening or aggressive behaviour from a male - or in the case of a TV, another male. To attempt to 'stand up' for yourself in such a physically handicapping situation would be little short of foolhardy. Indeed, one cannot help asking oneself to what extent corsets have played a part in ensuring that women have been conditioned to accept a submissive role in society..."

Victorian and Edwardian ladies, no doubt, had been conditioned to accept a submissive role in society. For women in the 1950s, things were rather different. They had, in wartime, assumed a degree of independence which would have astonished most of their grandmothers. Perhaps the corsetry felt good for a while, but it's not surprising that it didn't last. By the end of the decade, strong elastic had replaced the boned corset. The era of the girdle had dawned. By present day standards, a girdle seems restrictive - but it does not entail the extreme vulnerability that many obviously enjoy. The girdle continued its reign well into the 1960s. While I was slipping into my youngest sister's clothes through the first half of that deceade, she must have worn a girdle for most of her waking hours. She had no suspender belts as such, relying on the suspenders at the hems of her girdles to support her stockings (tights lay in the future). This was in spite of her trim and youthful figure. Indeed, it may have been the advent of the mini skirt in the second half of the sixties which expelled girdles from from many girls' undie drawers. Of course, one may as easily wear a girdle below a mini as any other skirt, it wouldn't show beneath the hemline. But as hemlines ascended in 1966 and 1967 stockings became more and more impractical. The girdles often went out with the suspenders which now dangled uselessly from their hems. By that time there were a large number of women - both married and single - back in paid employment. A buoyant economy through the 50s and 60s ensured that employers needed women as well as men. Since women often worked well for less money than their male colleagues, many firms preferred them. The women's liberation movement was not launched until 1969 - the idea of equal pay for equal work was still in the future. There was an idea that the mini skirt was a liberating device - it certainly didn't imprison the legs, and gave girls an opportunity to display their sexuality. There was a lot of talk of erogenous zones. The fashion for coupling mini skirts with kinky boots was said to have pushed the erogenous zones up to the thighs. The late 60s were supposedly the years of the sexual revolution. The pill had given girls more control over their sexuality than ever before. Or so it was said - living as I was amongst drug taking students, the sexual revolution thing seems an exaggeration. It failed to touch a lot of people, even in the group that was supposedly most affected. Gay liberation - launched in 1969 like women's liberation - was slow to develop. Many lesbians and gay men would agree that it still has a long way to go. In the late sixties, few of them were prepared to come out - no doubt there were excellent reasons for their shyness. As for transvestites - whoever heard of trannies' lib?? Sexual advances were not for everyone, and they still aren't come to that. Pundits of the day pointed out that it was possible to run in a mini skirt. Yes, it doesn't physically restrict ones' movements, but it's very difficult to run in one without flashing ones' knickers. While there's certainly pleasure in displaying undies to selected eyes, few girls enjoy doing it in the street. Wearing a mini with decorum is as physically restrictive as the fashions of the early fifties - in some respects, this fashion was the reverse of liberating.

In the second half of the fifties, teenage girls had skirts offering the best of both worlds - decorous or outrageous by turns. This (as we used to say in the pictures) is were we came in. With a rock 'n' roll skirt, a girl's knickers were well under wraps until she spins on the dance floor. If freedom is choice, this was surely a liberating fashion. The 'jive', the fifties knicker-flashing dance, was not new. It had been very popular in the war years, when it was known as the jitterbug. After the sedate dancing of the early fifties, reclaiming this wilder dance must have come as a liberation - it is especially fun for the girl. More transvestites should try it, but remember that it's wasted on too tight a skirt. It is right that we transvestites should have fun with our clothes, it's a small enough compensation for the trouble and heartache which transvestism causes all too many of us. Growing up as a trannie, trying to hold down a transvestite marriage, these are not easy. In my experience, employers are less than delighted when one turns up to work with traces of make-up. This is true even when everyone knows what we are - they don't like to be visibly reminded. Among the transvestites I know, there is a very high rate of broken marriages - including mine. Admittedly, I'm more likely to meet transvestites who are no longer married than those who are... there can be no doubt that it's easier to go out clubbing if there's no wife about :) Two come to mind as having had marriages that have survived, at least as far as the world in general is concerned. In both cases, Mrs Tranni stumbled on clothes carelessly left about. One is now forbidden to dress and is only seen on rare occasions when wifey is away. In the other case, the marriage is so nearly dead that the wife doesn't care, as long as the neighbours don't find out. While, to be fair, a lot of people seem more sympathetic than one might expect, the degree of hostility transvestites can arous is frightening. I've had my head bashed against a wall and then been kicked as I lay unconscious. It was a dreadful thing to do simply because those responsible didn't like the way I was dressed. Worse, perhaps, I strongly suspect the attack to have been premeditated. It can be a bad idea to allow unsympathetic people to predict where and when one is likely to be seen in a skirt.

All things considered, if cross dressing were simply a matter of fun, we'd be fools to do it. The more transvestites I meet, the more I am convinced that our reasons for doing it are complex, and that we are a diverse bunch. However, I hesitated to write "reasons for doing it", as - with all my transvestite friends - it seems significantly more a case of being rather than doing. Of course, we do something - dress in women's clothes - but this stems from the fact of being what we are. There is a degree of choice in the doing, but not in the being - we are what we are. And the choice in doing is no more than a degree because the pressure of being a transvestite can make feminisation an almost physical need. Our degree of choice is often a matter of no more than when, how often, and in which outfits. Clearly, in all of this, self-image is important to transvestites. We may not do it as literally or irrevocably as transsexuals do, but in dressing we assume a female identity, and selecting fifties fashions surely says something important about those female identities. That something has to do with submission, subservience and dependence. This is another aspect of something we may observe when transvestites wear uniforms. They are more likely to reflect submissive, subservient, dependent roles than those of such authority figures as policewomen. The 2 most popular are undoubtedly the schoolgirl and the maid. No points for spotting that neither represents female power! The same story is told by the transvestite interest in corsetry. There is some connection between this and the fifties look, but for many transvestites the attraction is for Victorian or Edwardian styles. Those were eras during which women in general exercised far less independence than their grand-daughters of the 1950s. Many transvestites feel that they are 'on the same side' as women. Some of the reasons why women do not often feel the same way should be clear enough. Few women, perhaps, would go as far as Germaine Greer who descibed transvestism as 'another form of rape' but the strong emphasis on submissive roles is sure to make many women uneasy. Indeed, the same unease extends to transvestites. Paradoxically, closely allied to a transvestite's view of herself as submissive is an attraction to dominant women. The submissive oartner obviously needs a dominat one. Since most transvestites are sexually attracted to women, that partner should ideally be a dominatrix. This considered, there may be an argument that submissive transvestism allows a lot of openings for liberated ladies. Most women would not - and do not - agree. Role playing can be fun, but we should not confuse reality with fantasy. Nor should we equte femininity with submissiveness. In these matters, there is surely a balance to be struck, a middle path to follow. Back in the 70s, when women's liberation was advancing, many of us must have feared that femininity was under threat. Twenty years on, however, one can still see women on the streets with adorably feminine presentations. Pretty skirts, shapely legs in sheer hosiery and high heels are still very much with us...

Nov 201520

A Guide to Electrolysis

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Those of us who feel that we have been born into the wrong body have a lot to cope with. Most of us, I suspect, suffer enormous mental, emotional and spirtual anguish from time to time, sometimes for years, even for life. No matter how early we learn the truth about ourselves, no matter how unmistakeable the evidence, no matter how determined we are to bring everything to the right conclusion, our situation inevitably involves what might best be decribed as psychic assault and battery. And then, having given that to us as our birthright, dear old mother nature adds insult to injury by allocating many of us not only the wrong sort of body, but a body that demands a great deal of transformation before we can begin to appear as the person we know we are. We can cope with most of it, of course: we can buy realistic false breasts and padding, or we can let hormones do the work for us. We can buy magnificient wigs, or we can grow our own hair long and let the experts decide the best way to wear it. We can get away with excessive height, by dressing carefully and by behaving with the confidence that comes from remembering that many women are tall. We can even learn how to modify our deep voice. And of course, we can enlist the skills of a surgeon to make some especially significant adjustments. Considering how effectively we can deal with so many apparently big physical problems, it's ironic how much difficulty is caused by something as delicate as a hair. Yet, for many of us, body and, particulary, facial hair is one of the most basic obstacles between us and what we seek to achieve. Of all the physical characterstics which are held to disguish man from woman, it is facial hair which is probably the most difficult to disguise. Some male bodies are blessed with the fairest and softest of hair types, but most are not. Anybody who needs a shave faces the problem, and those with dark hair face the greatest of difficulties of all. For a dark-haired male to female transsexual the problem is especially restricting. Even with the most skilled use of specialist make-up, Andrea knows that, in due course, people around her will be provided with unmistakable evidence that she started life as Andrew. And, if you are like me, "in due course" can mean as little as a couple of hours. The worry that my five o' clock shadow is only thinly covered by my foundation; that the wrong sort of light will disclose it no matter what I have used and how recently I applied it; and that the tell-tale tips of new-grown hairs will inevitable break the surface - all of this works on my confidence. When I should be experiencing life as the woman I know I should be and although I know I'm otherwise convincing, I need a lot of persuasion and the right light before I will venture outside my front door. Perhaps you will think that is a bit extreme. Perhaps not. I imagine though, that you will have experienced some, at least, of these concerns. Can the problems be overcome? Well, yes, it can. But it takes more than determination and money. If you want to get rid of facial and/or body hair, you also need information. There are many techniques on offer, not all of which are nearly as effective as those providing them would like us to believe - and some could actually be dangerous. Even among woman, for whom the different methods were devised, the specialists feel there is a great deal of ignorance. Even among experts there are disagreements. They cannot, for instance, even agree whether people who carry out the most effective treatments should be called electrolysists or electrologists. In using "electrologists" to describe them, I know i will be incurring the displeasure of a number of highly professional and dedicated people who prefer to be known by the other term. All I can offer to them are my apologies. What I can offer you, though, is a survey of the main methods of treatment now available, and the experts' assesments of them. I have spoken to scores of practitioners, all over the country, including very many who treat transvestites and transssexuals. What they have told me has encouraged me, I know how to beat my own problem and, as a result, I can look forward to the prospect of living life as I should. But I have also learned of the dangers and heard of people who have suffered badly from mistreatment. Whether you are undergoing treatment now for hair removal, whether you are planning it or whether you simply feel you might need it sometime in the future, this article is for you.

How does hair grow? To understand how the diffrent treatments work (or don't!) what the hazards are, why they cost what they do, and why you may have to be patient indeed, you need to know something about what hair is and how it grows. This is not an excuse to give you a science lesson and it certainly won't get technical. We all need to get into the complexities of the structure of the skin - there are plenty of books available if you want to do so yourself - but the basics are farly simple. The starting point is that, of all the organs of the body, your skin is the largest. If, like me, you have always assumed that the main purpose of skin was to stop the blood from leaking out, this may come as something of a surprise. It is far more important than that, as its relative size suggests. In fact it has a number of functions without which you would be in considerable trouble, and just as you can damage your liver by drinking too much alcohol, you can harm your skin by treating it badly. It pays to understand it. It has three main layers, although each have lesser layers within them, and the layer at the surface (the "epidermis") is flexible, but tough. Like all parts of the body, it is made up of cells and, as the ones at the surface die, they flake off and are replaced by other cells from the layer below. The two layers beneath the eperdermis (the "dermis" and the "subcutis") contain an extensive and remarkable network of nerve fibres, blood vessels, fat cells and glands of different sorts, all set in a web of body tissue. Among the functions this very complex organ performs for you are the maintenance of your body temperature; protection (against blows, harmful light and bacteria); the disposal of material which could be harmful to your body; and the detection of sensation - heat, cold,pressure, pain, pleasure and touch. Your skin varies over your body. It is thinnest on the lips and eyelids, thickest on the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet. In some places - armpits and forehead, for instance - it has more sweat glands. And in some places, too, it produces more hair than in others. The surface of the skin has a very large number of openings. They are not so much punctures in the skin as places where the surface layer funnels down into lower layers for one reason or another. To provide a sweat gland with access to the surface, for instance; sweat glands produce a moisture, as we all know. When this moisture reaches the surface of the skin though one of the special ducts, the heat from which we are suffering evaporates it, and the process of evaporation cools the body. The skin produces about two pints of sweat every day in normal circumstances. Another sort of funnel contains the hair. It is called a "follicle" and this is one of the few technical terms you will need to remember for the rest of the article. There is a diagram which shows, in a very simplified way, the way in which the hair itself and the folicle are arranged. A very important companion of the follicle is the sebaceous gland. Whenever you find a hair follicle, you will usually find a sebaceous gland, but not the other way round. Sebaceous glands make a substances called "sebum" which reaches the skin through the follicle opening. Sebum is a lubricant and conditioner which works on the scalp, the skin and on the hair itself. Without sebum, they would deterioriate. They exist in the skin on every part of the body except the palms and soles and they reach their heaviest concentration in the face. Every hair has its origin in a sebaceous gland but not every sebaceous gland always produces a hair. Because of their importance to the condition of your skin, it is obviously crucial that any action you take against the hair itself does not damage the sebaceous gland. The structure of the hair needs also to be understood because this holds the key to the way it can be attacked. The hair shaft is the part of the hair above the surface of the skin. The part below the surface, lying in the part of the follicle, is the hair root. At the base of the root is a slightly swollen part, called the bulb and there is an indentation in the underside of the bulb which contains the papilla. The papilla is also very important when it comes to destroying the hair. The whole folicle is served by a system of blood vessels and nerves, and also by its own muscle. As you will note from the diagram, hairs usually grow at an angle to the surface of the skin. In certain circumsatnces - fear and coldness for instance - the muscle comes into action and pulls at the base of the hair so that it can be dragged upright. This is what we call hair "standing up on end", and it is also the explanation for goose flesh or bumps. It is the bulb and the papilla which are responsible for the growth of the hair, after receiving a trigger from the hormones in their blood supply. In due course each hair regenerates naturally, and falls out. The bulb and the papilla then rest, before receiving a further hormone signal and starting the growth of new hair. Specialists who treat hair have a number of names for the different types or stages of hair growth. We need to know only three. "Vellus" hairs are soft, downy and fine, and you will find them on most parts of your body. The hairs you will see on the face and arms of young women, for instance, will almost certainly be vellus hairs. You will sometimes see these described as "lanugo" hairs, which are actually the hairs which grow on babies in the womb, and which they usually lose quite soon after birth. "Terminal" hairs are far tougher and much more noticeable. Women have them on the scalp, under the armpits and in the genital area. The distribution of terminal hair on men is usually, as we know and despair, much more widespread and usually includes the face. The other sort of hair we need to know about is the "regrowth" hair. We will return to it later. As you would imagine, hormones play a very important part in the growth and distribution of hair. The male androgens, and particularly testosterone, are very powerful stimuli for hair growth and are especially responsible for the growth of tough, terminal hairs on the face. In women, the female oestrogen hormones are normally able to outweigh the effect of the testosterone in their bodies, so that terminal hair will usually be found on their scalp under their armpits and in their genital area. Sometimes, however, this balance is not maintained and they may find terminal hair growing in embarassing places - on the face, for instance, and sometimes around the nipples. This is often one of the effects of the menopause or "change of life", which women experience in their forties and fifties. But all sorts of other factors, including emotional stress,can upset the hormonal balance; and professional beauty therapists believe that most women, at some time in their lives, feel a need to get rid of unwanted facial or body hair. The methods, techniques and practice of hair removal described here, therefore, been developed for use on women. They are, of course, available also for men; but it is important to bear in mind that the technique for permanent removal starts off with an assumption about the relative androgen and oestrogen levels in the person being treated which will not apply to physical males - unless that is, you take special steps to counteract your own overwhelming testosterone levels. To find out more about the different methods, both temporary and permanent, I have spoken to many practitioners, most of them beauty therapists. I will refer to them mainly by their first names. I have also been greatly helped by Julie, who is course director for the beauty therapy courses at one of the country's top colleges of arts and technology. And I have talked also to Margaret, Clinic Manager of the Albany Clinic, which specialises in treatment and care of transvestites and transsexuals. If you want to follow up your interest in this subject, I would especially recommend a book called "Principles and Techniques for the Electrologist", on which I have also drawn for this article. It is written by Ann Gallant, who was a lecturer responsible for beauty therapy at two colleges of arts and technology, and is published by Stanley Thomas (Publishers) Ltd.

Are These Methods Effective? Methods of getting rid of hair permanently are called "epilation", while temporary methods are called "depilation". We will start with the temporary methods of depilation. They appeal to many people because they are often quite simple and can be performed by the person who needs the treatment. But are they safe? And are they effective? The most obvious method is shaving. For women this is one of the most commonly used methods, especially for legs. They are, however, treating vellus hair, whereas a man will usually have to contend with terminal hairs. There is some uncertainty about whether, as Margaret says, "the more you shave, the more it stimulates the growth", but she would probably agree with Rosemary that "it doesn't really have any detrimental effect. It's an old wives' tale that it damages the hairs". Julie, however, has an explanation for why the growth of hair often looks worse after shaving; "usually your hair has a nice tapered end, so if you're shaving the hair you're going to get a blunt edge on it... so it looks darker or coarser as it grows through". You have only to remember that the hair usually grows at an angle to the skins surface; your razor will not be simply be chopping it straight across, but slicing at an angle, leaving a bigger cross-section showing. There seems to be no reason, then, why you shouldn't shave your unwanted hairs away - you won't do them any damage or actually make the regrowth coarser. Most of us, however, could find several reasons why shaving is no real answer. For body hair it has to be done too often to be practical, and there are dangers of inflicting cuts, which make it clear to everyone what you have been doing. And, of course, for facial hair it is only the most temporary of solutions. It is likely, though, that shaving will toughen the skin; dragging a razor across it regularly will inevitably produce both friction and pressure, which tends to lead to a thicker skin layer. It is interesting that electrologists will often recommend to their clients that they use sharp scissors instead of a razor, once treatment has started. If you are a transvestite who likes occasionally to look as convincing as possible but has no interest at all in dressing full time, shaving may be a very convenient, cheap and private way of dealing with a short-term problem. For a transsexual, however, it is less likely to be satisfactory. Plucking Another method that is cheap, simple and private is plucking, using tweezers to pull the hair out. It is a method many women use on their eyebrows. But says Julie, "tweezing out the hair on a facial area is not a good idea". Marian says: "I really don't recommend it. It produces infection sometimes and it can distort the hair". And "it's very painful, apart from anything else, especially on a large area - and very difficult", adds Margaret. Nobody i have spoken to recommends plucking at all. Many beauty therapists raised fears that trying to pull hairs out by the roots with tweezers would only succeed in breaking off the hair and damaging the root. At the moment there are three systems of permanent hair removal, by electroysis, in use at the moment in beauty salons in Britain. In all of them a very fine needle is inserted into the follicle and electrical power is used to disrupt the bulb and the papilla. The skill required of the practitioner is remarkable. Few untrained eyes, I suspect, would be able to identify a regrowth hair which might then be crooked, making it very difficult indeed to treat permanently by any method, including plucking. Waxing A much less dangerous method of removing hair temporarily is by waxing. The basic technique is to seize a lot of hair on one area of skin simultaneously by applying something sticky in the direction of the hair growth, and then removing them all at once by pulling sharply in the other direction. Done properly, this will usually remove the hair roots. But, of course, there will still be some regrowth in due course because the papilla will still be in place. There are three main ways of using wax. There are prewax strips, intended mainly for home use, which you buy in a box. You remove a backing sheet, stick the strip on in the direction of growth, and pull it off like an elastoplast. Women use this method on their legs but rarely elsewhere. The advantages are that it is quite cheap, and you do not need any special equipment. Cool waxing works in much the same way, except that you apply a sticky honey wax thinly on the leg, then put a paper or muslin strip on it and pull it off in the same way as with pre-waxed strips. Hot waxing involves heating a mixture of beeswax and resins to about 60 degrees and spreading it thickly on the leg. When it has set, gripping the hairs, you yank it off in the same way as in the other two methods. "it is said to be more effective than cool waxing," says Julie, "but we've done a lot of tests with clients in which we do one leg with hot and the other with cool, and we haven't seen much difference. But with very strong hair, you have perhaps got a better grip." Beauty salons will usually offer both hot and cool waxing, and it is possible to buy kits for use at home. Cool wax has to be disposed of after use, but it is possible to filter the hairs from hot wax, and re-use it. Many salons refuse to do this, however, because there is a danger of cross-infection; if you are going to be the sole user of a home hot waxing kit, filtering would not present the same kind of problem. An advantage of waxing is that the effect should last for three or more weeks, until regrowth occurs, and then, of course, you might find eventually that the regrowth hairs were less course and noticeable. A disadvantage is the pain which these methods inevitably involve. Much will depend on your own pain threshold, of course, but it is worth remembering that successful treatment of an area such as a leg will need several applications of wax or prewaxed strip. One beauty therapist from Essex said she would consider using the waxing on some body areas in treating a transsexual. Waxing is not, however, an option on the face. Creams Nor are most depilatory creams, which are probably the second most popular method of home treatment. "Immac" is perhaps the best known brand, although there are a number of others. There are some types designed for facial use but it seems very doubtful if these would be able to cope with male facial hair. They work by a chemical reaction with the hair at the point that it leaves the follicle and, says Julie, their effect may last a little longer than shaving or plucking. There are dangers, however; "Because they're quite a strong chemical product, the skin might react to them. So you're actually destroying the surface layer of the skin if you leave them on too long." That is why you're always advised to do a patch test when trying a new depilatory cream or treating a new area of skin. The time recommended by the manufacturers for you to leaving it on the skin is obviously related to its use by a women - a man might need to leave it on a little longer but not much. Margaret believes that there is a danger with these creams that their frequent use will result in a stronger hair growth in time, while Julie points out that they do tend to smell a bit unpleasant, despite the makers' attempt to mask the chemical smell with some other fragrance. Having said that, chemical depilatories - which comes as creams in tubes or jars, or as aerosol sprays - will often appear to be the best method available to transsexuals or transvestites for regular use. They are not, however, a permanent method of hair removal.

Transgender ResourcesEverything You Need to Know About Hair Removal, By C Dawson Threading There is one other, and in this country very unusual, method of temporary hair removal. It's called "threading" and it is used quite commonly in Middle and Far Eastern countries. It is impossible to describe, but involves a piece of thread with a loop in it, one end of which is put in the mouth. The thread is then drawn in and out of the hairs, which are then removed - "very like a mass plucking," says Julie. "It's wonderful to see it done." Electrolysis The only available method of permanent hair removal - epilation - is electrolysis. This, as you would imagine, involves the use of electricity and, to be fully effective, it must not only remove the hair from the follicle but must also disrupt the papilla in some way, so that it is no longer capable of producing regrowth hairs. At the same time, it must not cause lasting damage to the follicle itself, and especially to the sebaceous gland. There are several techniques which have been developed over the years, and we'll examine each of them. Before we do, we should look at one method which is sometimes thought to be a technique of epilation - permanent hair removal - but which, says Ann Gallant, "is not currently considered by the electrology profession to give the proven results neccessary to class it as a method of permanent hair removal." This is the tweezer method (not to be confused with plucking, where no electrical power is used). It's known as "Depilex", which suggests that it manufacturers, recognise it as a method of temporary hair removal. Because of superficial similarity between this equipment and other types intended for true electrolysis, there is sometimes confusion about the lasting effects of this method. It operates by gripping a hair with a special pair of tweezers as it leaves the follicle and passing a strong enough current through to destroy it. The theory is that the current will be carried through the hair to the papilla, which will then be incapable of producing regrowth hair. Ann Gallant, however, believes that the current tends to be dispersed on the surface, via the moisture and oils on the skin, and says, that "permanent results have not yet been achieved" by this method. None of the specialists I spoke to would recommend it in preference to any of the main techniques of electrolysis, but some felt that, as a method of temporary hair removal, it might be as effective as shaving or depilatory creams, although probably not as effective as waxing. There was also the fear that, in the hands of an experienced operator, it could result in some burning of the skin. At the moment there are three systems of permanent hair removal, by electrolysis, in use at the moment in beauty salons in Britain. In all of them a very fine needle is inserted into the follicle and electrical power is used to disrupt the bulb and the papilla. The skill required of the practitioner is remarkable. Few untrained eyes, I suspect, would be able to identify a follicle opening, even using a magnifying lamp. Electrologists locate the opening, identify the direction in which the hair is growing, insert the needle and judge precisely how deep it needs to go before applying the electrical power. They then remove the hair. They can work at speed; Rosemary reckoned to work normally at 100 hairs in fifteen minutes (or one hair every nine seconds!) but has achieved twice that number. "The main thing," says Julie,"is the depth, because you can go too far and go straight through and cause a blood spot; and obviously won't get an effective treatment. And then you have to judge how much current to use, because the stronger the hair is, the higher the current you may need." It is worth at noting this point that there are "home electrolysis kits" which are offered for sale, usually through mail order, for about thirty pounds. The instructions for the one I bought come on a sheet no bigger than an A4 page. These are the full instructions given for inserting the needle (or stylet tip) into the follicle. "Note the angle of hair growth and gently insert stylet tip along underside of hair and into the follicle using a downwards pressure (sideward will bend the tip). In the beginning it may take a few tries to locate the follicle so tip enters easily, but you will become proficient sooner than you think. The stylet tip floats on a spring cushion, thus cannot pierce or break the skin; it can only locate and slide into the follicle. Good lighting is imperative and a magnifying mirror is helpful." Constrast with the training Julie insists her students should have "We give them them about 300 hours practice, and a lot of it is spent initially on each other, using a needle without current."Marian says of home electrolysis kits "Diabolical! There's a real danger of scarring. Correct probing is absolutely crucial. You need plenty of training." The warning about scarring stems from the fact that, if you release the current before the needle tip has reached the bulb and the papilla, you may well burn the upper layer of the skin or the surface itself. If you are considering whether it is worth buying a home kit, consider how you would cope with hair you cannot see very easily and, if you are right handed, how effective your left hand would be in treating your right arm... Back, though, to the three main methods of permanent hair removal. For simplicity, I am calling all three of them "electrolysis," although technically only one should actually carry that label. The oldest is the galvanic method. It uses a discharge of electricity to produce a chemical reaction at the base of the bulb; the sodium hydrochloride which is formed is an alkali which destroys both the attachment of the hair to its follicle and the ability of the follicle to develop regrowth. Galvanic electrolysis is slower than the diathermic method, but it probably results in less regrowth and, therefore, not so much need to return to treat the same follicle again. Diathermic electroysis uses a short wave diathermic current which destroys the hair root through heat. It takes far less time for each hair, but because the needle has to be positioned with far greater accuracy, it is not so immediately effective as the galvanic method. Far more hairs can be treated in any one session and that will result in a sense of far greater progress; but, in fact, it is far less likely that any one insertion will result in permanent destruction of the hair. It may take a number of treatments before that has taken place. Recently a new system has been introduced. Called "The Blend", it combines both galvanic and diathermic methods, and it is claimed to have the permanence of one technique and the speed of the other. Those beauty therapists who have used The Blend seem very enthusiastic, although several have said that they will keep their previous system, as it may still be more appropiriate for some clients. Although much more effective than any other methods available at the moment, none of the three techniques is without its problems, no matter how skilled the operator, as many beauty therapists have told me. The galvanic system may result in some of the alkali it produces being left at the base of the follicle, for instance. However, there are side effects. Electroysis is painful, although much will depend on your own pain threshold. But nobody I have spoken to is in any doubt that there is a possibility of a great deal of pain involved. Not, as Julie explains, "from the insertion of the needle, because you're not actually breaking through skin or anything else.", but the electrical power produces heat and that causes a sensation like "a short jab, the pain of which depends on the sensitivity of the area you are working on." As one authoritative American study, "Electroysis, Thermolysis and the Blend," puts it; "The goal of the electrologists is to work as closely to the pain threshold as possible, employing the maximum amount of current that the client can comfortable take. The higher a client's threshold level, the greater the intensity of current we can use, thereby shortening the length of time needed to treat any follicle." A threshold level is defined as "the degree of pain sensation beyond which the intensity of pain becomes consciously uncomfortable or intolerable," and it varies from person to person, from day to day and from body area to area.

Electroysis nearly always produces a certain amount of inflammation and redness on the area of the skin treated through this, too, will vary ftrom person to person. But "redness and swelling rarely lasts longer than thirty minutes to two hours." The more sensitive the skin, the longer. Younger people show more effects. It's common, especially with a lot of growth. This can provide problems for any client, but especially for a man. It may be difficult to arrange the frequent treatment you would need at times which would allow you to keep out of sight until the redness and inflammation disappears although, according to one specialist, "only an electrologist would notice." A similar problem arises from the fact that an electrologist needs a certain length of hair growth before she can work on it. Not only does she need to grip it with tweezers, after treatment, to remove it; but she will neither be able to locate the follicle nor to determine the direction in which the hair is growing without some growth. How much? "You need at least twenty four hours growth to enable the tweezers to grip. But as the treatment proceeds and you get regrowth hair, it becomes less noticeable." As you might expect, this puts dark haired people at a disadvantage, but there are compensations; "Dark hairs are easier to see, depending on the colour of the skin. Blonde hairs can be a pair in the neck." That's obviously not a joke! Time and money If you are considering money, treatment by electrolysis - and is really is the only possibility for dark-haired transsexuals, for instance - then you have to be prepared for frequent treatment over a long period of time. The normal pattern seems to be one session a week of about an hour, and some people arrange two sessions a week. As the treatment continues, and the amount of regrowth hair increases, it might be possible to have less frequent sessions. And you must be able to continue for at least eighteen months and, more probably two years - or even more. It is expensive, too. Depending on where you live, and where the salon is situated , you will be paying no less than £20 an hour and, very probably, in excess of £30 or £35. Although that sounds - and is - a great deal of money, especially when added up over the entire length of the treatment, you are paying for a very high degree of skill and experience. Some electrologists operate a home visiting service, which might be more convenient for you and also cheaper - the cost of their travel might be significantly less than the rent and rates for a high street salon. And, if you are seeing a psychiatrist as part of your gender reassignment treatment, you may be able to arrange for much cheaper electrolysis, as it can be available on the National Health Service. Beware, though! Fees paid by the Health Authority to the electrologists who work for them are often very low. So you will either get superb treatment from someone who is doing it because of social commitments or you could be in the hands of someone who is far less experienced or skilled. Go for the best Wherever you seek your treatment, you must go for the best possible. "Electrolysis is a very demanding and difficult technique and unfortunately there are too many people carrying out treatment who are not really adept. I have met many cases of people with redness and swelling that has taken over twenty-four hours to subside, and this should not be. As a result of poor treatment, carried out ineffectively over a period of two years, I myself took up electrolysis..." and discovered, says this specialist, that many apparently qualified people are not actually very good electrologists. Julie says that it is best to go on the reputation of the salon or practitioner, but reminds us this might actually be based on their skill at, say, make-up. Her advice to women is to visit the salon for something else - a manicure, perhaps - and weigh up its standards of cleanliness and general professionalism; and, of course, to seek recommendations from friends. This is less easy for a man, especially one as self conscious as many transsexuals tend to be. However, if you have a female friend in whom you can confide, she should be able to do some research on your behalf. Otherwise, you could approach one of the professional bodies - like the Insitute of Electrolysis - and ask for their advice. Hormone treatment There is one form of treatment which, used as as a preparation for and simultaneously with electrolysis, should make life a great deal easier for transsexuals in particular. This is a hormone treatment, and it is provided by the Albany Clinic, whose manager, Margaret, explained to me how it works. "It contains an anti-androgen which works against the testosterone (the male hormone)."As we mentioned earlier, in most young women their own oestrogens outweigh the effects of the testosterone in their own system and one of the results is very little terminal hair growth. When this balanced is disturbed, as at the menopause, they may start to show a pattern of hair growth which one associates with men. The Albany Clinic's hormone treatments seek to do the opposite by treatment with female hormones. There are two ways in which this is used. "There is a cream which is used on the areas where you want to get rid of the hair, mainly the face and chest area. It's applied normally twice daily, in the morning and evening." This treatment results in less strong growth, with finer and usually fairer hairs. The cream is sold commercially, but the hormone level is relatively low. A stronger cream is available but only on prescription issued by one of the medical specialists who are associated with the Clinic. The other form of this treatment is also available only on prescription. This is a drug which is swallowed and which has its effect over the whole of the body (although it does not make any difference to the hair on the scalp, in the genital area or under the armpits). It has a stronger effect than the cream and it is usually prescribed as part of the process of gender reassignment. Professional electrologists recommend this treatment highly for transsexuals. "It's very important that people should have been on oestrogen treatment before electrolysis." "Do try to get hormone treatment before you start electrolysis." "Hormone treatment is advisable - taken orally preferably. The hormones remove the desire of the hair to be there." "There are no problems with treating male hair if they're on hormone treatment... One client hadn't had any hormones, and electrolysis wasn't really having any effect." Although the cost of hormone treatment is likely to be fairly heavy, it may well cut the overall cost of the electrolysis - because finer, softer hairs are easier to treat and the whole process will probably be completed more quickly and with less pain and discomfort of the treatment - because the electrologist may be able to use a weaker current than would otherwise be necessary.

The future Looking to the future, what treatments may be on the horizon? Many practitioners feel that laser technology may have something to offer. The practitioners will still need to be highly skilled, though, so long as the basic method involves targeting the papilla accurately, whether with a fine needle or a laser beam). From Australia comes news of a drug treatment which has been developed for women suffering from excessive terminal facial hair at the menopause. It is called spironolactone, and it is said to have two effects; it reduces the production of the male hormone and it reduces or prevents the effects of testosterone on the papilla. If so, it is claimed, it might stop the growth of facial hair. The treatment is given in tablet form and it is said to take two to three months before there is a visable improvement with the maximum effect showing after nine to twelve months. Spironolactone has been available for some years but its use in the treatment of unwanted hair growth is very recent and it needs emphasising that nobody has yet had a chance to evaluate possible long-term side effects. And, so far, it seems to have been used only on women; it might have a totally different effect on men. For the foreseeable future, the various forms of electrolysis seem certain to offer transsexuals and transvestites the best and, indeed, the only form of permanent treatment, especially when carried out in parellel with hornmone treatment. it will remain a costly, long uncomfortable and difficult process, which should only be embarked upon seriously and with commitment. How to set about it If you have made the decision that you need electrolysis and are determined to carry it through, how do you set about it? The best way, as we have already suggested, is to ask a female who understands you and is supportive, to find out whether any of her friends have had electrolysis treatment, and, if so, who they recommend. If that draws a blank, she may be able to identify a salon which has a high reputation generally, and which offers a service of electrolysis. There are also professional bodies, whose members have to meet certain standards and which will be glad to put you in touch with a local member who will advise you. You can feel some confidence about the professional standards of people offering electrolysis who belong to one of these organisations. You need have no hesitation in approaching a professional electrologist or beauty salon. They may not feel able to accept you for treatment, but they will not be surprised by your inquiry. Phone them, explain simply and straight forwardly why you need electrolysis, and ask if they would be prepared to meet you to discuss the possibility. They will understand why you expect them to be discreet, and they will be. If they feel unable to help you, thank them anyway and ask if they can recommend anybody else you might approach. Caring people One of the most rewarding aspects of the preparation of this article has been the contact it has allowed me with some exceptionally caring people. Not all electrologists are prepared to treat transsexuals or transvestites, but many are. Ann and Patricia, electrologists in different parts of the country, are typical of many of their colleagues. "I get on with them very well. I feel they need the treatment and shouldn't be turned down. Somebody must help them... I feel very strongly about that." "They've got to be helped. At least they know I'm there, to talk to... I just treat them as people... they ask for advice about what they should wear..." "I have a laugh with my clients, chat them up... they tell me things about themselves... they can't help feeling the way they are... you've got to be understanding and sympathetic, and see them the way they are." "I just want to help them." That sort of sensitivity is more widespread than you might think. Perhaps it's because most of the work of electrologists stems from the overlap between what are seen as male and female characteristics. And maybe, too, as the practitioners in the "beauty industry," they are more than usually aware of how important it is for people to look the way they feel. It is sensitivity and a sympathy that should not be abused. Most of them do understand that many of us, for much of the time, live in a sort of emotional turmoil, and that we are faced with some of the most unenviable decisions imaginable. This is no excuse for taking our problems out on people who are prepared to take us seriously; and yet many speak of one arkward client with which they or a colleague have had to cope. One practitioner from the Midlands has been particularly annoyed by the casualness with which some transsexuals have treated her. She had three or four enquires in a short time and went to great lengths to arrange convienient appointments, even sending her assistant off the premises to ensure complete discretion. Then the callers have not turned up or even bothered to phone a cancellation. She is still prepared to consider treating transsexuals but one can hardly blame her for wondering whether it is worth it. Each wasted appointment cost her, and her assistant money. Some prefer not to treat transvestites. Several electrologists have told me that they find transsexuals far more confident, far more convinced and commited to their treatment. And, as one from East Anglia asked, "If a transvestite actually wants to remain a man, why does he want hair removal?" It's not, she assures me, that she has anything against transvestites; she just doesn't see the point of electrolysis for them. "I worry about the inconsistency," Many will allow totally convincing transsexuals or transvestites to come for treatment dressed. They understand the need to do so, especially for transsexuals. But they expect us to understand their needs and to recongise our responsibility towards them. Put simply, we can lose them a large number of clients and a lot of credibility if we let them down. They say; "I will only let full-time transsexual people to come dressed." "Its OK for them to come dressed, but not to cause embarrasment to other clients and staff." "Presentable appearance is OK but nothing kinky." "If other patients know you are treating transvestites you could lose a lot of them." These comments are from the North, the South Coast, and from the home counties. The AIDS scare has obviously not helped at all. Many people wrongly assume that transvestism and transsexualism are just forms of homosexuality. Most electrologists understand that they are not, but that does not matter to their clients. "I treat both transsexuals and transvestites," says one practitioner, from Lancashire, "but subject to our own approval of their hygeine and general behaviour during treatment." And who can blame her? And, although many electrologists will point out that Hepatitis B has been a menace for far longer than AIDS and that they are trained thoroughly to avoid any risk they, too, might feel themselves in danger from a dubious client. For that reason, some will accept transsexuals or transvestites only if they have been referred by a doctor or a gender identity clinic. Do not be surprised if the electrologist you approach for treatment asks for your doctor's name, address and phone number first. Ready to help So what is the overall message? That permanent hair removal is difficult and demanding; but it can be achieved, and there are many highly professional and caring people ready to help you. They will be prepared to help you if you show them you are serious and that will almost certainly involve hormone treatment. For that reason, permanent removal may be a less appealling option for transvestites, for whom there still remain many effective methods of getting rid of unwanted hair temporarily. If you are certain enough within yourself that you need treatment for permanent removal of facial and body hair, there is no reason why you should not succeed.

Nov 201520

Applying foundation and concealer

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Firstly, I would recommend that you cleanse and moisturise your skin (or at least moisturise) and wait a few minutes for the moisturiser to be absorbed. The following tips are for liquid or crème foundations. (For 2in1, or crème to powder compact type foundation, use a damp sponge and start by applying and blending from the eyes and T-zone outwards, similar to the steps below). I usually start by dotting foundation in the areas I think need it most, before blending it in with a damp makeup sponge… Start around the eye area and blend outwards. (I tend not to put foundation on very heavily these days.) The aim is to cover flaws and even-out skin tone, but still see your skin. Make sure you blend the foundation well and don’t forget to bring it down over your jawbone onto your neck. Don’t forget to blend it into your hairline.

I usually apply concealer after foundation, the “old school” always applied it before but I find it is more effective after foundation, as long as you take care to blend it well. If you have one of the light reflecting concealers, now is the time to apply it. (Details of how to choose a good concealer will follow…) Before you set your foundation, (with a loose powder,) make sure there are no “creases” in the base, usually round the eyes or mouth. Smooth them out with your sponge and powder straight away. Using a powder puff, apply the powder by gently pressing it into the skin, be liberal with it, and concentrate on the eyes and creases around the nostrils. Then, using a large powder brush, dust off the excess powder in a “downward and outwards” motion. Take care to dust in any crevices too!! e.g. around the nostrils… Voila!!!!

If you think of a basic colour wheel, the colours that are opposite each other effectively cancel each other out. When choosing a concealer, remember that the dark circles under the eyes have actually a blue tinge, therefore you need a concealer with a very slight hint of pink/orange to counteract the blue. The amount of colour in the concealer should only be enough to counteract the blueness; you should be left with a neutral tone once the two colours have cancelled each other out. The texture of your concealer is vital too. It should not be too heavy and should not “sit” in the creases of your skin. It should be silky smooth, creamy and light. This, I am afraid comes at a cost. I have yet to find a good, cheap concealer. I always test the texture of a concealer on the back of my hand. It has to blend easily and cover smoothly, if it instantly sits in the creases of my skin, I won’t buy it. If you are covering a blemish that is inflamed, or you have a ruddy complexion, this may sound bizarre, but add a tiny bit of green to your concealer and you will make those red blotches disappear. Most makeup ranges carry so-called “colour correctors” (A tip here is to buy a relatively cheap colour corrector as it is used in such small quantities it should not affect the qualities of your base.) Once applied to your blemish, blend the edges of the concealer with your makeup sponge. I know this all may sound rather in depth and complicated but I can assure you it will be well worth trying!

Nov 201520

Luscious Lips

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Lipstick is often the least thought about part of a persons make-up. Colour applied properly to your lips can make them as stunning and sensual as the rest of you, but if inexpertly applied nothing is more certain to look a mess! Lipstick applied to unprepared, dry or cracked lips will not give the best effect, so the place to start is with the actual skin of the lips. The fine tissue covering the lip area is not naturally supplied with body oils like the rest of the skin. This means that windy, cold, or even very sunny weather affects the moisture levels in your lips causing dryness, cracking, flaking and sometimes coldsores. All these problems can be minimised by keeping the bare lips moisturised and protected by applying a rich lip barm morning and night, makiing sure you have smoothed it well into the outline area and facial skin around the mouth. When combatting the effects of strong sunlight (or sunbed treatment), use a balm with a sun screen or block to protect your lips from ageing caused by ultra-violet rays. Your soft, moisturised lips are now ready to prepare for colour.

Preparation has more than one advantage. Not only does it give you a good base on which to apply a defined outline for a professional appearance, but also sets your lipstick for a longer lasting finish with minimal colour bleeding onto surrounding facial skin. Start off by patting on a small amount of foundation onto your closed and relaxed mouth. Allow a few seconds to dry, or lightly dust with face powder to set foundation. You are now ready to choose your colour. It should complement your outfit and the rest of your make-up. A poorly matched colour looks just as out of place as a poorly applied colour. The colour you choose should be influenced by the outfit you will be wearing and also the rest of your make-up, your blusher in particular. Pink base colours and brown base colours should be kept seperate. Using pinks for pink, blue, purple, red and grey based outfits, and browns for yellow, brown, green, orange and beige based outfits is a good guide to bear in mind for all cosmetics.

When you have chosen your colour, applying it to your lips is easy to do with confidence. Outline your lips with a fine line of colour using a matching lip pencil or a good quality lip brush (using plenty of lipstick on the brush for smoother brush strokes). If you have thin lips, a fuller more sensual look can be achieved by drawing the outline just outside the natural lip line, tapering the line into the corner of the mouth in the natural lip line position. If your lips are wide, make your mouth look pursed by outlining short of the corners and allowing the foundation applied in preparation to cover the uncoloured lip area. Very full lips can be made to look thinner by outlining lips just inside the natural lip line, taking the line to the full width of the mouth, again leaving foundation to mask the uncovered areas. To fill in the defined lip area, use a good quality lip brush taking small amounts of lipstick onto the brush to minimise usage and thickness of of application, and maximise lip crease infill. Remember, it is easier to 'not enough' than it is to take 'too much' off again! For maximum staying power dab the first application with tissue (not a lot of pressure or too much will be removed) and set with powder, followed by a second coat of colour. For an extra boost to luscious lipsplace a small amount of lip gloss to the center of the bottom lip, being careful not to take it to the outline to avoid bleeding. And that's it! Enjoy your Luscious Lips!

Nov 201520

Beautiful eyebrows

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Beautiful Eyebrows

Prepare your eye brows by washing and completely drying the area. Don't moisturize until after you're through. You want to work with a non-slippery surface. Take your time and grab each hair singularly and from the root. Spread the area to be tweezed as flat as possible between the thumb and pointer finger of my left hand as I tweeze with the right. The hairs are easier to grip this way and I've found it to be less painful. As for filling in eyebrows, you have the choice of working with eyebrow pencil or powder shadow. Here are some tips for applying brow makeup: Find a colour one full shade lighter than your hair colour. This is very important; as you want to gently enhance the brows, not scare people. If using an eyebrow pencil, sharpen to a fine point first and draw with light pressure in fine, tiny strokes as hair growth (think of minute blades of grass) in the area needed from lower to upper hair (by that I mean draw in the same direction of the hair's natural growth). If using eyebrow shadow, you'll need a firm flat brush cut on an angle. Dip the brush onto the cake of shadow, blow on it to get rid of excess shadow. Work the brush with light pressure, also in the same direction of the hair's growth. Eyebrow pencil or shadow is also great for delicately lengthening the outer brow or enhancing the arch. The key is light pressure and short strokes; it's easier to add a little than remove a little.

Nov 201520

Applying Lipstick

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Applying Lipstick

[caption id="attachment_3944" align="alignleft" width="150"]

Applying Lipstick[/caption] Consider your lipstick colour and finish. You'll do well with colours that match the natural shade of your lips, opting for darker tones that complement your overall colouring. Matte lipsticks offer a muted finish complementary to workday makeup, while satin and gloss finishes offer appealing evening looks. Apply all other makeup before putting on lipstick and lip liner. Begin by dabbing on a very small amount of lip balm or petroleum jelly to give your lips a little moisture. Draw a thin line along the edge of your lips with a lip liner whose colour is one shade darker than your lipstick. Start at the centre of the upper lip and work outward. Hug the very outer edges to open up thin lips, and line well within the edges to downplay excessively full lips. (Image 1) [caption id="attachment_4085" align="alignleft" width="150"]

Applying Lipstick[/caption] Apply lipstick from the tube or by using a firm, small lipstick brush. Coat the lips evenly. Pay special attention to staying within the lips' edges. (Image 2) Blot to remove any excess color and to even out the texture. (Image 3) Remember to touch lips up after a meal, as lipstick easily transfers onto coffee cups, wine glasses etc.

Nov 201520

EyeShadow That is Perfect for your Eyes

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Perfect EyeShadow for your Eyes

Not sure which eyeshadow shade that will look great with your eye colour? Here's some help. FOR BLUE EYES 1. Tried and True: taupe, gray, violet, purple, deep blue (a darker shade than your eye color makes your eyes really blue), black (mix it with bright blue for a smoky effect) 2. Funky Favourites: silver, turquoise, fuschia (brightens any shade of blue) GREEN or HAZEL EYES 1. Tried and True: brown, apricot, purple, plum, deep khaki or forest green (because they are in the same greenish family, they brighten green eyes) 2. Funky Favourites: gold, lime-green, really light green, bright purple (super modern) BROWN EYES 1. Tried and True: copper, bronze, champagne (soft pink with a touch of apricot), brown (for a doe-eyed look), beige, and khaki-green (lighter shades add highlight) 2. Funky Favourites: tangerine, royal blue, hot pink, lime-green (the contrast adds punch to brown) ALL EYES 1. Tried and True: navy or charcoal base to define and a powder-blue shadow for highlighting (it brightens your brow bone so any eye color pops) 2. Funky Favourites: silver-sparkle shadow makes all eyes look edgy

Nov 201520

Creating A Sexy Cleavage - Advice

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Creating A Sexy Cleavage

It's easy to use make-up to create the illusion of bigger boobs and sexy cleavage with a plunging neckline, but do it subtly. To create the illusion of having more cleavage, simply apply and blend a little dark colored bronzer to the area between your breasts where the cleavage is supposed to be. If you don't have any bronzer handy, try applying a little white powder on the top halves of your breasts first, then apply a dark eye shadow color between them.... blend well. Think about flattering necklines to make the most of what you've got. Contour seaming, halternecks and cross-your-heart necklines all enhance a small bosom. A bustier or corset top is guaranteed to create a cleavage where none exists, but make sure you don't overcompensate by choosing one that's too tight. Don't ruin everything by wearing an ill-fitting dress that you can't fill out.

Nov 201520

Dancewear

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The first requirement when wearing Dancewear is to shower and shave in order to get my legs feeling slinky smooth. I then proceed to slip into a white coloured satin deluxe naked tanga followed by a pair of seemless tights, again in white. Feeling 'all femmy' and gloriously comfortable I put on my supersoft bra, padded out with a pair of socks. I then eased my way into a pink and white tutu. The soft flimsy skirt is positioned as to allow a pair of pink frilly panties to be worn and for the multiple layers of pink frills to be visible, front and back at all times. Finally, ballet pumps are worn to complete

the look. All I need do is practice my curtsy. The thrill - I am transformed into a fairy princess, all silky smooth and girly. As an alternative to wearing my tutu, more often than not, I wear a satinized body with high cut legs. When worn with 2.5 Inch heels that accentuate my long, shapely legs I am again in heaven. Oh, to gaze down and finger my slinky, smooth nylon clad legs and caress the full majesty of my C cup bra! Colour combination is important. Ecru/white tights with a black or pink body, caramel or nude tights with white body or black tights with black or coloured body. Trixie

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Applying foundation and concealer

Luscious Lips

Beautiful eyebrows

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Applying Lipstick

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Perfect EyeShadow for your Eyes

Creating A Sexy Cleavage - Advice

Creating A Sexy Cleavage

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