So I made a very dumb mistake. I have been using hair removal cream for the last month or so and getting good results. My skin was handling it well and the grow-back was much softer and slower than shaving. Good times.

Yesterday I didn’t time it correctly and left it on certain areas too long. I didn’t realise that 2-6 minutes was a strict upper range and that it’s dangerous to leave it on longer.

So yeah, I took too long and now I have a very unpleasant chemical burn on both my ass cheeks. I had to cancel plans so I can sit inside with my butt in air while it heals.

Setbacks like this have really thrown me into downward spirals in the past, and I was very upset at first, but I’m trying to move past it, see the funny side, and pick myself up.

Early transition can feel a lot like you’re fumbling around in the dark sometimes. I wish I had a community-assigned trans mentor with me at all times to gently warn me when I’m about to do something stupid.

Alternatively, maybe some of you have some similar mistakes that you can look back and smile or laugh at now, and maybe if you share them I can feel less like a dumb idiot while I wait for my ass to cool off.