Maria is a 38-year-old transgender woman from Solihull. Part of her transition process has involved laser hair removal treatment. Here she talks about her experiences growing up transgender and how she is finally feeling comfortable in her own skin…

“From my earliest childhood memories, I always dreamt of being a girl. I used to go to bed at night and wish I’d wake up a girl. I found it very difficult in these early years to have any opportunity to express my feminine side and growing up with two older brothers only made this more difficult.

It was the 1980s, and whilst I had no true concept of the way society would see me, I realised that boys are expected to act in a particular way and I was scared of not being accepted. This was before the internet and I knew nothing about what it meant to be transgender. As a result I just felt ‘wrong’.

Through my teens, I would secretly dress in my mum’s clothes when everyone was out of the house. Finally, I felt I looked on the outside how I had always felt on the inside. It felt completely right. I remember one time my brother came back and I quickly jumped into bed so he couldn’t see what I was wearing.”

Finding Other People Like Me

“In my late teens, I gained the courage to visit a social group in Birmingham where, for the first time, I met other people who felt the same as me. I remember a conversation with an older person who told me I was so lucky to be so young and to be able to do something about it. For the first time in my life I had some financial freedom, and with the help of a good friend, we went into Birmingham and shopped for a complete outfit, makeup and a wig.

I started to present as a girl and visited bars in Birmingham. I did this for about a year. However, I felt so very lonely and wanted to be in a relationship, so I put my feelings about my gender on hold and concentrated on building a career and finding a partner. This was enormously difficult for me.

As I climbed the career ladder, I tried so hard to suppress my emotions and with the birth of my child at the age of 27, I found that there was plenty to distract me from my true feelings.

At the age of 37, I sadly lost my older brother to cancer. This shocked me to the core and gave me the courage to be my true self. I then discovered there was a name for how I felt: Transgender. I soon found that changing your gender was now not just a possibility, but a reality, and that I could live a complete and successful life as a woman.”

Beginning The Transition Process

“I discovered a private doctor in the UK who could help. I had to fill out lots of forms, go through various counselling sessions, undergo a series of blood tests and finally 12 weeks later, I received my first official prescription for hormones. I have never been so happy.

While I was waiting for my hormone prescription, I had my first appointment at sk:n clinics to get laser hair removal on my face and was still presenting as a male. The team made me feel so comfortable, from small administrative things such as changing my name on their system as soon as I asked them; to professionalism and attentiveness within the treatment room..

Laser hair removal has been fundamental to my transition. I never wanted to be a ‘guy in a dress’, and I didn’t want to present as a woman until I felt confident enough to do so. I am now able to wear make up smoothly and wear clear tights on my legs – something I only dreamed about before.

At work, I was nervous about coming out to my colleagues, but the support they have given me throughout my transition so far has been nothing short of amazing. I have a good relationship with my family and I feel more and more complete with each passing day.”

Before And After Transgender Laser Hair Removal

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