Casper's Gender-Affirming Permanent Hair Removal

The Basics:

Hi, I’m Cas (they/she/he pronouns). I’m an autistic trans femme person in my mid-thirties, just trying to get by and live my life authentically and joyfully, as much as possible.

This is for permanent removal of my facial hair and chest hair. I realized several years ago that the gender I was assigned at birth doesn’t match how I feel inside. Over the years my desire to express more femininity has gotten stronger, and it has come to the point where this hair on my face/body that signals to society “this person is male” makes me feel dysphoric, and I need it Gone gone.

To put it more positively: sometimes after I've trimmed my beard hair down, I catch glimpses of my feminine self in the mirror, and seeing her delights me. :) I yearn to bring that person out fully into the world.

This transformative process began in so-called southern Ontario. Since I first started to understand my inner self while living in my parents’ basement in Grimsby, I’ve moved seven times (which has been... challenging), and now I’m semi-settled in what's commonly known as East Vancouver. I made the leap to move out West last year because Ontario simply wasn't right environment for me to grow and thrive in.

It was about nine years ago that I first caught a glimpse of the fact that I'm trans. The ensuing journey of understanding has been a slow build, but for the past several months it’s been getting ever more clear that my "male"-coded hair needs to go as soon as possible.

My friend, money is incredibly tight. Truthfully it’s a struggle even to scrape by. Being autistic, I’ve learned through years of trying different jobs, then having a vicious burnout experience, that full-time work asks more of me than I can give. I’ve been lucky enough to find a part-time job in my area that I like and can sustain (which is rare for me), but it doesn't provide enough hours to cover all my expenses. Additionally, trans-specific laser & electrolysis hair removal are not covered by the provincial healthcare system, so the money has to come out of pocket.

Further details:

I’ve found a reputable laser & electrolysis technician who has offered to treat both my face and chest at once for $300 per session. To get the job completely done will take 6-8 sessions ideally, up to as many as 12 (depending on how my body reacts).

If this campaign nets the total amount of $2995 and I end up needing less than that to complete my face/chest treatments, the rest will go towards the treatment of my hands and arms, and purchasing food and self-care products to help get me through the post-treatment recovery periods. (Laser is painful.)

"Can you just shave?"

It's not a viable option. I have very dark hair and light skin (good because I'm a great candidate for laser hair removal; not so good because my facial hair is visible even after a close shave). Also, my skin is extremely sensitive and responds poorly to shaving, so the best I can do is trim my hair very short.

"How will this change things for you?"

Apart from growing out my hair, this is the first big and outwardly-visible step on my transitionary journey. Once I've cleared my facial and chest hair, I'll be able to pursue hormone replacement therapy and feel reasonably comfortable and safe doing so. This is a very big deal. Moving forward from here is dependent on this procedure.

(The facial hair removal will also make a world of difference when it comes to caring for my dry & sensitive skin. I have to apply creams daily to keep my skin healthy, and having a bare face will make it much more manageable to divert energy to that task, from the limited reserve I have on any given day.)

Any help you're prepared to offer, be it a donation or sharing my campaign, would be a great help and deeply appreciated. If you can't help, no worries!

No matter what the case may be, I wish you all the best!