YES, some of the providers at The Electrolysis Collective offer electrolysis for surgical prep!

NOTE: Surgical prep services are not offered by all electrologists and availability is limited.

Hair can sometimes return to an area a couple of years after it was laser treated. If a surgery is 4-5 years out, laser may be an option (giving time to ensure the area has truly been cleared). If a surgery is less than 4 years out, electrolysis is a better option.

The amount of surface area that will need to be fully cleared prior to surgery will be determined by your surgeon. They will provide the electrologist with the specifications for clearing prior to your Vaginoplasty, Labioplasty, Phalloplasty, or other gender related surgery.

Electrolysis is a process that can take approximately 18 months, depending on the treatment area, the length of sessions you can tolerate, and how consistently you’re able to maintain a treatment schedule.

In Portland, there is a shortage of electrologists, and not all offer treatments for surgical preparation. The demand is high, and many providers have waiting lists ranging from several months to over a year.

If you are preparing for gender affirming surgery—whether in the near or distant future—it’s wise to begin reaching out to electrologists now and getting on wait lists as soon as possible.

In Oregon, House Bill 2002 (passed May 2023) requires insurers to cover medically necessary, doctor-prescribed gender-affirming care, including electrolysis.

All providers at The Electrolysis Collective can supply detailed receipts for you to submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement. Some providers are working toward direct insurance billing, which we hope to offer in the future.

If you plan to use insurance, you must obtain prior authorization before beginning treatment (the request must include the first & last name of your provider). Once authorization is approved, reimbursement timelines vary, but many clients receive payment within about two weeks.

While many insurers (e.g. Kaiser) readily provide preauthorization, some plans are more complex. The Electrolysis Collective does not assist with prior authorizations, however a number of our clients have obtained preauthorization through working with a patient advocate; Flourish Advocacy, based in the Northwest, specializes in patient advocacy and insurance authorization.