Trivial - my laser hair removal experience

[CohensD]

I'm a really hairy woman. Thick, dark, coarse body hair (legs, stomach, etc) which would be more common on the opposite sex than on my own. But this is just one way in which females can differ from the average for other females.

A couple of years ago (after years of wrestling with either painful waxing or trying to not mind not fitting the mold), I got some laser hair removal, because there were some areas I just couldn't learn to love this hair on. It cost me over a grand (on some quite limited areas).
In the waiting room, I met a transwoman who was getting the whole lot done on the NHS.

Obviously, this is very trivial. But it really fucked me off. Just wanted to share, and this seems an obvious place 😁

Another one with pcos here who has spent thousands over the years on hair removal, from spending all my teenage Saturday job money on electrolysis, to laser when I could afford it and more recently Lumea. I'm glad the rules have apparently changed as it seems women couldn't get nhs treatment to relieve the symptoms of a physical health condition while men with gender dysphoria (which doesn't appear to be a physical health condition and we are repeatedly told it is not a mental health condition so I am not really sure why the nhs is involved at all) could.

TRA logic: you can be a woman with a penis but you can't be a woman with a hairy chin.

Make it make sense.

What the fucking FUCK

I have had many conversations with my children about the difference between 'I want' and 'I need'.

They will do hair removal on the NHS for anyone if it is affecting you psychologically the same as some cosmetic surgery is available on the NHS for anyone

Ask your gp

'Laser removal of facial hair may be available on the NHS in some parts of the UK.' (my bolds)

From - www.nhs.uk/conditions/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos/treatment/#:~:text=If%20you%20have%20unwanted%20hair,some%20parts%20of%20the%20UK.&text=These%20medicines%20are%20not%20suitable,or%20trying%20to%20get%20pregnant.

Not in my area certainly. I wonder where in the UK this is offered.

And in terms of 'affecting you psychologically', I had such severe acne (caused by my PCOS) that I was regularly asked if I'd been in an accident (it's actually astounding how rude people can be really). Doctors could not have cared less how it affected me psychologically.

And I'd obviously far rather that NHS resources were focused on diagnosing diseases earlier, and improving maternity outcomes, and saving people's lives and all the rest of the pressing issues facing the NHS. My acne was incredibly trivial in the whole scheme of things.

But no, women with PCOS aren't offered treatments to allievate any psychological distress caused by the symptoms of the syndrome.

(Edited as I had repeatedly spelled psychological incorrectly 🤦‍♀️)

@Alopeciabop "every penny spent on their fantasy bollocks"
I Feel compelled to point out that the only bit of this whole story that ISN'T fantasy is their bollocks

That's awful. I live abroad and have had varicose vein treatment on the equivalent of the NHS. The criteria was purely medical for both sexes. Shocking.

I don't think the NHS should cover any aspect of gender reassignment at all. It's on its knees as it is without spending time and money on unnecessary elective treatments changing perfectly healthy bodies.

The contempt for women runs strong in the NHS.

Why hasn't this been challenged?

The commissioning differences throughout the NHS are remarkable.

Some people get vitamin D infusions, others get told that no matter how chronically deficient they are, they are an OTC purchase. Similarly for problematic B12.

Some can have NICE recommended treatments, other trusts refuse to commission them.

The disparities are extraordinary.

Women probably didn't know that men were being treated favourably.

That's shit! I've been battling a thick black beard for years and its made my life absolutely fucking miserable , it never crossed my mind to even bother asking my GP about it. Thankfully the lady at our local beauty salon told me about Laser Clinics UK which is really affordable.

What pisses me off though is that almost every time I've had to call my GP recently the receptionist has told me that the GP no longer treats Under 60's for just about any fucking thing. I spent the best part of 20 years suffering with kidney infections/UTI's due to a huge kidney stone. I've had multiple surgeries and eventually lost a kidney. Rang the GP a few weeks back with a UTI to be told "no sorry, you're under 60. But you can just go the pharmacy and they'll give you a course of antibiotics". So I went up to the pharmacy to be told that no they wont. There is literally no fucking point now in me trying to see a GP for anything! Yet men can get free beauty treatments on the NHS wow!

I agree, I consider it to be form of cosmetic surgery which carries significant health risks.