Basically, penile inversion vaginoplasty uses skin that has hair on it, and most surgeons ask for it to be completely gone before they will schedule surgery. (Some surgeons do say they can cauterize/scrape the hair follicles during surgery, but I've been told it can result in incomplete hair removal and may reduce vaginal sensation due to potential nerve damage.)

I've been doing monthly laser hair removal sessions on my genital region for a year now. I knew it would eventually have to switch to electrolysis to get the lightest color and toughest hairs, but I figured I must be getting close to the end. Unfortunately, I just learned that I still have months and months of sessions ahead of me unless I add bi-weekly electrolysis into the mix to speed things way up. I really thought SRS was in my near future and now it feels so far away. :(

So yeah, get your hair removed now if you think PIV is the path you'll take.

EDIT: I almost forgot to add: Once my hair removal technician gives me the OK, I then need to get a hair check appointment with my surgeon. Then, two months need to go by to double-check there's no more hair. Then, if things are good, I can work on getting prior authorization for the surgery from insurance, which could be fast or could take months. Then I can finally get on the actual surgery waiting list. So yeah, any delays throughout this process can really extend the wait. :/

EDIT 2: In response to comments about laser being bad for permanent hair removal, I should clarify that I'm following the professional advice of my hair removal and surgical teams.

In addition, here's what one study had to say about laser hair removal (LHR) vs electrolysis for vaginoplasty prep: "When compared with electrolysis, LHR showed greater treatment efficiency (shorter and fewer treatment sessions to complete treatment), less pain, greater tolerability, and lower total cost. Our data suggests that, for patients with dark genital hair, providers should consider recommending laser as the first-line treatment for permanent genital hair removal before vaginoplasty." Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9537259/