Due to some recent developments, I am forced to write this page. I recently found out that someone out there in "gender-land" has been taking some liberties with my good reputation. Of course we all know how the rumor-mill works out there. So I thought it would be in my own selfish best interest to lay to rest any or all rumors that come across my living-room floor.

The some-time ago revelation (just in case it is still circulating) that another operator in the area actually trained me...*sigh*...NOT!.

During my stay at electrolysis school, I was appalled at the LACK of decent training. Having already read Arthur Hinkles book from cover to cover, I arrived with only one mssion: to learn the actual practice of doing the work itself. However, while I was there, I saw three individuals who were called "instructors" who did anything but instruct. For two of them, at least, it seemed as though they were more interested in swapping gossip, talking on the phone and in general goofing off. Not once did any one of these three individuals conduct a class lecture, and the couple of times that they attempted to provide us with a demonstration, were (I.M.H.O.) laughably inadequate to the task. It is such training that allows a significant number of operators to enter the field with woefully inadequate ability, yet armed with equipment that can do significant skin damage. The individual rumored to have trained me was never seen (while I was there) instructing or even performing the work of an electrologist. As a result, I often became the source of information for students and on more than one occassion, I advised the students to "tear up today's notes" and corrected all the misinformation that was handed out during the lecture. If there was room for it, I would hang my diploma from this school under the toilet roll in the bathroom.

An individual out there who claims to do the same methodology that I use. This has happened a couple of times, now.

They say that imitation is the best form of flattery, but it is a good idea to make sure that what is occuring here is at least an imitation. This rumor bothers me in that I have only once in my career actually given out the details of what I do. For that person to work on you, I recommend a plane ride to Helsinki (p.s. I like British Airways) I don't intend to be mean, but I have found out that the work performed by other persons is not like mine at all. Now here is the problem for me. If, in the course of their work, they are doing something that a client doesn't like, am I written off for being of the same caliber??? This is the sort of thing that keeps me awake at night...

Let me digress momentarily here and bitch.... :)

While on the surface, the community of electrologists seem to be "birds of a feather". Nothing is farther from the truth. My experiences have led me to believe that there is no commraderie in this business, but rather people hell bent on grabbing as much business as they can by any means possible. To the extent that there is friendly competition I am game for it. But I have found two characteristics that prevent any competition from being of a friendly nature.

Money. What can I say? To be dead honest, when the money stops coming in through my practice, I will be in search of a new job and out of a career that I have come to really like. Any transsexual out there in search of work can appreciate my predicament. I was there. I know. So when I am approached about sharing my client lists, (and I was) or giving out critical machine settings (and I was), I think back to all the companies out here in Silly-con Valley who kept telling me I was "over-qualified". After so many of these kinds of rejections, I felt like I was some kind of former technical demi-god homeless wino wannabe.....!!! That said, it is no wonder that I get evasive when the questions start to get too technical. Same on this web site. I can do wonders, but I can't describe in detail how I do them. Any alchemist would give you the same answer on his formula for making gold.

It is a supreme chuckle to recall some of the rumors I have heard about me as part of a grab for my business:

• "Susan is dying"
    YES! Aren't we all?
  
  
• "Susan is going blind"
    Not yet!
  
  
• "Susan is damaging skin"
    This rumor by someone who fried two clients that later came to me to fix their problems.

Well, you get the idea.

Demands and politics of the gender community. Whoa boy! This gets deep. I have been a member of and actively involved in many aspects of this community since 1987. I am not a founding member, but I met many of them. I came here without much in the way of true friends, but after arriving, I found myself surrounded by friends who meant a great deal to me, though many of them have since departed present company. I also found that the caliber of work being done here in the bay area was dismal approaching grim. Many of my friends were ruthlessly burned, either for money or for the rest of their lives. One of my dearest friends was so badly burned, that she will be wearing make-up for the rest of her life. It was enough to make you cry. Herein, I found a mission. I could provide my friends with the highest quality work that could be found anywhere. No one is more astounded that this became a full-time calling for me.

Currently, this page is being produced in answer to individuals who are demanding and unscrupulous operators offering clients what they want to hear and NOT what they are in need of, as well a number of laser operators who are making claims that are not only unfounded, but illegal. Hence, the concept being propagated that an average amount of facial work can be achieved in a very short time. As a result, even members of the community are engaged in a game of "MY zapper is better than YOUR zapper" and when my name comes up, there is even more controversy. I have a reputation of [saying it like it is], but, dear friend, you may find, [it is like I say it]......The race to transition usually leads the unsuspecting to Flash Thermolysis, Texas style, or Laser. On this site you will find answers to your electrolysis questions as well as the forthright answers you need to make an informed decision. But please bear in mind you may hear from individuals who have a lot to say about me, or my type of work even though I have never had the pleasure of working on them. It was this sort of political backstabbing and manipulation I have seen, that led me to terminate my relationship with several clients. Suffice to say they were not happy about that.

It has recently come to my attention that there has also been some amount of some insidious financial dealings between *some* operators and *some* well-known clients. That is, to say, that said clients were being rewarded financially for their recommendations. I have reason to believe that one or two of them have, in fact, used some of this financial reward as living wages. WOW! This clears some mystery about a number of MY clients and a certain surgeon who was attempting to get them to leave me and go (shall we say?) out-of-state.

F.Y.I. I do NOT under any circumstances reward ANYONE financially for making recommendations about my work. I am thankful, to be sure, but ethically, I find this kind of thing VERY reprehensible. If you, the reader, are getting swamped with people who are strongly recommending certain operators out there, please be very careful and do your homework. Four local (Bay area) operators and at least a dozen of them out-of-state are still frying faces.