Facial hair on a female

IHateMondays

Can anyone help me? I'm 35 and living in dublin and for the last 10 years I have been a slave to plucking my facial hair. It's ruining my life and last year things got so bad that I started shaving it. I have, thank god, stopped now. But because of this I now spend even longer plucking it. If you get too close to me you can see the black "Bulbs" round my top and bottom lip, sides of face and under my neck. I am at my wits end and lately have founding my self dreading the long sunny evenings as I'm going around plastered in make up to hide to sort dark course hair poking through. I'm thinking of laser but I need some advice on what to expect as that will be the biggest hurdle - facing into a salon for help. Any advice or support would be so great. I feel like a freak....thank you.

Shield

Moved from Newbies & FAQ to The Ladies' Lounge with redirect expiring in 7 days.

Dudess

Laser treatment (if that's possible on the face - check with a beautician first) - expensive but effective. Or if it appears to be an "abnormally" thick growth, speak with your GP in case there are hormonal factors at play? You poor thing that it's making you feel so self conscious. :-/
Best wishes with it...

Golfwidow

I had laser treatment on bad facial and lip hair a few years ago in blackrock clinic. Don't go to a salon. I don't care what they tell you; their laser machines just are not licensed to be as powerful as those in medical establishments. Thankfully I was given this good advice by a nurse I know. Within a year the difference was unbelievable. Now I have threading done approximate every six weeks for the odd stray hair under my chin which you'd hardly notice! I mean stray !! My confidence has soared .. No more plucking. Will be expensive but it's worth giving up just about anything else to make sure you can get it done. Hope that helps!!

Helpyouspeak

My friend had the same problem as she has polycystic ovares and excess facial hair is one of the symptoms apparantly..Anyway, she was very conscious of it so ended up getting laser eventually and her facial hair is completely gone now. She had it on the sides of her face and chin and the laser totally sorted her out.Don't be embarrassed- the people who do this work are used to people having excess hair so just make an appointment and see what they say.Best of luck with it:)

bigtuna

I got laser treatment on my chin and neck. Cleared it right up. Was plucking it every day before that. One treatment a month for six months.
You should be able to get a free consultation from any laser clinic. Watch out for special offers as well as it can be expensive. Good luck.

saa

If you are overweight I would get down to your ideal weight before doing anything drastic or expensive

I say this because noticeable facial hair is often linked to the hormones and if you are carrying excess weight and lose it this will help to get your hormones back in balance

You can go for hormone tests to check everything is okay


If you have lots of disposable income or savings yeah go for it, do your research and good luck

Is bleaching an option for you OP? I have known of women who bleached their "moustaches", appeared to be a temporary inexpensive solution for them. I have quite a hairy face myself, I'm lucky that my body hair is fair. I have to pluck some on my chin because they are inclined to cause spots there, but mostly I leave it alone. But I can sympathise as I have been particularly paranoid about it in the past!

LegacyUser

I have facial hair but I always wax it do not pluck it. I find that plucking makes the hairs grow back way thicker/course and darker. I have waxed for the past 10 years and I have found that my hair grows back finer. Definitely go with laser if you can afford it otherwise waxing is the best.

LegacyUser

I totally sympathise with you.

Im 32. Why doesnt anyone tell you about this as you get older?

I have 1 particular dark hair, very noticeable (I am fair and dont wear makeup) on my lip that sprouts out. One day one of my wok colleagues was quite near me when we were talking, and he focussed in on it. I know youd say oh you were probably paranoid, but I was like "whats he looking at" so I went to the bathroom and there was the flipping thick black hair on my lip. It was like it had sprouted out in a few hours. I plucked it, and now keep plucking it.

Also, Ive noticed that my lovely mane of head hair is not the same anymore. The roots seems dryer and coarser. I cannot style it as I used to.

i knowwhatyou mean!

i knowwhatyou mean! wrote: »

I totally sympathise with you.

Im 32. Why doesnt anyone tell you about this as you get older?

I have 1 particular dark hair, very noticeable (I am fair and dont wear makeup) on my lip that sprouts out. One day one of my wok colleagues was quite near me when we were talking, and he focussed in on it. I know youd say oh you were probably paranoid, but I was like "whats he looking at" so I went to the bathroom and there was the flipping thick black hair on my lip. It was like it had sprouted out in a few hours. I plucked it, and now keep plucking it.

Also, Ive noticed that my lovely mane of head hair is not the same anymore. The roots seems dryer and coarser. I cannot style it as I used to.

Not to scare you, but is your hair getting thinner? Female pattern baldness is a lot more common than anyone thinks. I started to suffer it at 16. It's rarer in younger women but it does happen. It doesn't mean your hormones are out of whack, in fact mine are totally normal. It doesn't mean you're "part man" (been accused of this) - it means that your follicles inherited a susceptibility to DHT - more common in men but happens in women too. I inherited this susceptibility from both sides of the family - my dad went bald at 19 and my great grandmother was bald at the time of her death - we don't know at what point it started. I noticed the difference when I was 19 but thought nothing of it, when I was 25 I realised large portions of my head were going bald, and since 27 have worn wigs.

I've never been sure if my facial hair growth has been connected to my hair loss on my head, but since my hormones tested as normal, probably not.

lilsis

I used to bleach it when I was a teen but it makes in really dark and thick! Then i plucked it for a while but it takes to long and is so sore that I didn't stick with that for too long. Now I wax it. Only have to get it done about once a month to 6 six, it's sore at the time but it lasts for ages, only thing is you go around with a big red lip for a couple of hours! If I had the money I'd definitely get laser, like everywhere, but if that's not an option I'd definitely go with waxing, it's not that dear and it definitely gets lighter. Oh actually the pill definitely helped lighten mine aswell and when I came off it last summer it got way darker, back on it now so gradually getting lighter again. Also the laser people do this all the time so don't worry about that. I have heard that the therapy place is bad though so maybe look elsewhere, also, just to warn you it's not pain free like they say it is. It's supposed to be like an elastic band snapping on you.

gargleblaster

i knowwhatyou mean! wrote: »

Im 32. Why doesnt anyone tell you about this as you get older?

Don't get me started! :P It's so frustrating to me that some women hide the ravages of age so well that some of our own daughters are shocked and stunned when they run into them later in life.

In addition to the condition budgese mentioned there is also one called alopecia. Not sure what can be done about it though other than resorting to wigs or getting hair implants. Also coarser hair is a natural result of aging.

Back to the topic though there is absolutely no reason to feel like a freak as this is extremely common. As for me, I've always tweezed. I would love to have laser treatments or preferably electrolysis, but due to cost it's not an option for me.

Good luck!

Pythia

I would visit your GP to ensure hormonal problems aren't the reason. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8002579.stm

SIRREX

I hope you don't mind a male input here but my wife would have always been self concious about hairs on her chin, and like the OP progressed from plucking to shaving with interludes of bleaching.

Money being tight laser did not seem like an option until we saw a deal on Boards deals or one of the other deal sites, €80 for 6 session, with a pre-session to try a tiny patch.She said it was nowhere near as sore as she expected. The fear before the first zap was the worst part, along with the smell of burning hair! And the lady in the salon in rathmines was very nice at the trial session , leaving my OH very happy to go for the full session.

My wife is quite fair and the hairs were dark, which is apparently the best for laser therapy, but the effect has been nothing short of amazing. She no longer has the problem of a hair popping up leading to a rapid bit of plucking and her worrying the rest of the night.

I am delighted for my OH because while it was never something that I realised was such a personal confidence problem for her, I have really seen a difference in her since the laser sessions

bourgie

Laser is not always suitable for facial hair and has been known to stimulate growthif not done properly. Go to a reputable place for a consultation. Don't feel embarrassed- it is SO common.

I had a similar issue and summer time was worst- especially on public transport. I went to a clinic run by dermatologists and beauticians and they said laser wouldn't be effective, electrolysis was better. It's also a lot more manageable in terms of cost. It takes a while - if you've been plucking, those hairs are hard to shift - but my self confidence increased so much after a short time. My sister goes to the same clinic and was advised to get laser and she is now just finishing it off with localised electrolysis. She had gone for cheap laser in a salon before and ended up worse.

In short, don't suffer, pick up the courage to go to a good place foe a consultation: I really felt so much better. It's not all gone yet but I don't feel the need to cover my face with my hands when talking to people! Am abroad so can't advise on Irish clinics

LegacyUser

It stays close enough to pass, its just not baby-bottom close. But definitely not a George Michael either. Regular hair clippers do the job for me while staying away from ingrowns. Youd only be able to tell I dont razor shave if you touched my face, but visibly theres no difference.
One friend of mine, no matter how close he shaved he always looked like he had stubble. Light skinned with thick coarse dark hair, bad combo. Havent found anything to give him the skin look short of makeup. So for some I guess it doesnt matter. My facial hair grows slow enough I can cut once a week.
Ive plucked all of my facial hair before but I dont know too many people willing to do that. It doesnt hurt as much as youd think, just right under the nose is a pain. Youd still have bump problems though if you dont actually get at the root and the hair breaks beneath the skin level

LegacyUser

Can I ask, I have dark hair that are around my nipples.
Hormones etc tested and normal.
Has anyone had laser/electrolosis on this part of the body?
At the moment I have to pluck them.

rainbow kirby

MessiJJ banned for trolling.

jamboambo1

Can anyone recommend a good clinic in south dublin

LegacyUser

I'm currently using therapie (can I say that mods?) in the city.

I'm dark haired and have facial hair. Have always had hair on my upper lip, and a few years ago started finding random dark hairs on my chin. I wax my lip (about once a week), but was plucking the chin. A few months ago I decided to bite the bullet and go get the laser treatment done.

Worked like a dream. I've had little to no re-growth on my chin, and extremely fine re-growth on another area of my body that I got done. I'm still waxing the lip, but as soon as I have the money, I'll be lasering that too. At the moment, they have a half price deal on (can I say that too, mods?!)...I just figure it's a long term investment, and the price will eventually equal what I would spend on wax and (definitely, with the price of it!!) bleach over the years. My arms are also on my list of things to get lasered....the price of bleach to lighten those hairs is ridiculous.

I've had waxing done before on my legs and live in terror of anything pain based! The laser treatment is not pain free, but I find it's not as bad as waxing and it's over much, much quicker. It's literally 2 mins to do your chin, and that's it. And you go back 6 weeks later You pay for a course of 6 treatments at my place and then can return sporadically as you need it after that. You might never have to again if you're lucky!.

Obviously, it's going to work differently for different people, and the girl did tell me that hair on your chin is usually linked to hormones. It may never come back, or you may have to come in once a year after your first 6 treatments to keep it at bay. Either way, that suits me fine. It's a million times better than plucking your chin and worrying what hairs have grown back (also worrying about the inevitable spots that occur due to ingrown hairs etc). It's also great for your confidence, in a weird, relieving kind of way!!!!

MacieC

I would NOT recommend bleaching !

I had normal hair excess before. But my arms were quite hairy so I decided to bleach them instead of waxing. And that was the worst idea I could have ever come up with !

Two days after using the bleaching cream, I started getting hair on the back of my hands and I had never experienced that before. Then, my eyebrows got a bit thicker. And I started getting a bit more " mustache " hair which wasn't prominent at all before using this bleaching product.

Be careful with bleaching ! I'd go for laser, that's safe and you don't do it yourself. It's a professional so they know what they are doing, no fear of messing up !