Advice on Upper Lip hair please? Don't know what to do :(

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#1

I’m almost 16… Ok I’m probably a lot better off than a lot of the women on here with facial hair, but I do have hair on my upper lip. In December I decided to wax it myself and in my opinion it did make it a little darker, which wasn’t so great. I let it grow back, and well, it had been bothering me ever since and I am so so so SO concious of it. When I’m with boys or wanting to get close I’m constantly worried they’d see it. I feel as though they look at it, because I see their eyes glance towards my mouth. I’m not a very happy person at the moment either, I’m pretty down, and it doesn’t make things better :blush:

So I thought why don’t I bleach it? As I heard it didn’t thicken the hair - well up until now. Anyway, so I bleached it… and a few hairs seemed to grow back really quickly on my upper lip - and they seem a bit darker/thicker than they was before <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> I’ve only bleached a few times (well a few times over the last week only on the bits that were growing back in an attempt to re-bleach them because it drove me insane to have little “black dots” from where the root was coming through. There was one really dark one that I coudln’t bear being there so I HAD to pluck it. I’m scared its going to come back worse. It made me wonder if maybe the bleach actually caused those hairs to break away causing them to come back a bit thicker/darker as they are growing back? I don’t know. It’s really distressing me…

I know I’m being kinda selfish in a way, but I’ve become kinda obsessive about thigns lately - especially this. I know we all have our different levels of tolerance of hair - and this is mine.

I was just wondering, do you think that I only FEEL as tho the hairs are coming back darker/thicker because all the other hairs are still bleached and light, not as noticeable? I’m also worried they’ll look worse as they grow out more. UGH they look really dark to me.

I’m sooo not gonna bleach again after I heard it makes the hairs thicker <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> But I don’t think I’ve bleached it enough to make the hairs go thick already (only a few times I’ve done it) So… that’s why I am confused.

I apologise… I’d just like to know your views. This site is great, and like everyone else has said - a big thank you to those who run it.

Don’t offer electrolysis or laser treatment, cos that is too extreme, plus too expensive… ahah.

If I plucked the dark hairs they would definitely get worse, right?

Ok, i’ll stop now! I would really appreciate your advice/help/views/opinion/anything?!

Thank yoooou

#2

You will just have to continue with temporary methods that can aid in worsening your problem over time. Also, the hormonal environment that is unique for your body, may continue to worsen your problem, too,as you get older.

I will suggest electrolysis even though you don’t want me to. Even though you are only sixteen, you’re old enough to earn your own money if your parents aren’t willing to pay and if you find a good electrologist, the treatments can be tolerable and over before you know it - permanently all gone.

There is no easy way down for PERMANENT hair removal in 2005. There is no “McDonalds” for permanent hair removal in 2005. I firmly believe that the shortcut to help you for such an area as your upper lip lies with professional electrolysis, otherwise you will be chasing your tail for years. Sorry to be so blunt. Good luck with deciding.

Dee

#3

Bleaching does make hairs thicker, but mostly because the chemical process pushes out, and plumps up the fibers of the hair.

If your problem is as small as you suggest, a good electrologist would be able to clear you up, and finish you off with little investment of time and money. You would pay more on your prom than your hair removal.

#4

hi there new comer and all,

about bleaching hairs. i have been doing it a while and i did not notice my hairs get thicker or darker. I also spoke about it to my electrologist and she said people only believe their hair is getting thicker is because light colour things in general look bigger. similar to people who wear white look slightly more chubbier than those who dress in black (the slimming colour). Also the light colour reflects the light and so is applified and appears thicker. The hairs that do come out and appear darker is only because they are growing in a back drop of lighter hair and so naturally they look darker.

bleaching is like dying. you colour your hair yellow/white, just like dying your head hair. Often hairstylists will tell you to colour your hair a lighter shade to get the allusion of fuller, thicker hair. They often recommend that for people who naturally have thin, flat hair.

just my two cents in. hope it helps and good luck with hair removal!

-Rachel

#5

Hey, thanks for your inputs <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

When I am older I most likely will get electrolysis, but this will probably be when I’m around 18, unless the problem does get quite a lot worse?

It’s still a mystery as to why those 4/5 hairs came through darker, because the bleaching I did a week or so has still had its effects on all the other hairs, as they haven’t grown out yet. Anyway, I probably did the wrong thing but I plucked the dark ones out a few days ago - they haven’t grown back yet, but it’s made me feel a lot better for the time being anyway. And seeing as it’s only a few hairs, it’s not such a problem. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I may continue bleaching… I’ll have to see how bad the natural colour of my hairs looks when they grow back :blush: But yeah the majority ofthe hairs are pretty fine.

It amazed me how a difference of plucking those few dark hairs had… and I must of plucked okay cos they haven’t started growing back yet.

I also heard that if you haven’t been plucking for long if you let the hairs be they eventually go back to their normal thickness? (I’m talking about plucking 2 or 3 times).

Anyway I thank you again for your help, I do feel better now, I often go through massive phases of anxiety about these things - it’s just how I am… but ah well.

When I’m older I will most definitely get electrolysis to get any hair on my lip removed hehe. It would work on hair that isn’t uber thick right?

#6

dont pluck. it will make the hairs thicker and darker. i did that couple of years on my chin and thats what made me resort to electrolosis because of the growing mass of thick hair from plucking. essentially anything you do to yourself will have an effect on the hairs. BUT it also depends on the individual. some ppl react differently than others under the same conditions.

some people believe shaving makes the hair worse, while many believe it doesnt.

some believe waxing/sugaring decreases the hair over time, while others believe it makes them thicker

some believe bleaching hair make them thicker, while others believe there is no difference

most know that plucking is bad and for the majority electrolosis is the only sure way to get hair to lesson down and thin out.

start saving money for electrolsis and in the mean time do what you feel works for you, KNOWING that it could make the situation worse… but who cares because you’ll get rid of the hairs permanately soon anyway! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

good luck!

rachel

#7

plucking will eventually make the hairs thicker. i think it’s too soon for that to have happened yet to you. i plucked the thickest darkest hairs on my chin and my lip for MANY years and eventually they started growing in thick as wires practically. bleaching no longer worked on them.

electrolysis will eventually kill off even the thickest hairs, but a thick hair might regrow in 3 or 4 times (each time it will be thinner, though) and requiring retreatment before it finally disappears. (this is what happened to me). so the advantage of you doing this as soon as possible is that it will take you much less time, money, and aggravation. so start saving! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> you’ll be doing yourself the hugest favor.

#8

Electrolysis works on any size hair, any color of hair and any color of skin. If the hair is super thick, it may take two or even three hair growth cycles to permanently destroy it as we must break it down. However, most hairs we treat properly are gone the first time if it’s in the active growth cycle. For an upper lip, it is not unusual to have that finished look between the 6-8th appointment, thereafter you show up for scattered therapy to zap the few hairs that pop through here and there.

So start saving and so you can go full blast in the beginning. You don’t want the lack money to be the reason to stop progress. My upper lip clients pay between $250-$500 for a complete course of treatment spread out over 9 months. All this depends on how much hair they have and how they treated the hair before they sought electrolysis. So you see, that is why we urge you not to wax or tweeze especially because you will change the structure of the hair for the worse,thus you will require more energy to destroy the thicker hair. Not want you want.

Dee

#9

Dee - you say that by apointment 6 to 8, clients have that finished look. What is the finished look???..

I have had about 2 and half hours electrolysis so far, going twice a week for half hour appointments, so have just started.
However, I am worried because although I do not have many noticeable hairs there I have ‘the dreaded shadow’ on my lip. Which is especilly noticeable when I go outside. In some lights there is none in other light there is a definite moustache. Is this a normal side effect when having electrolysis?? I do have very dark hair hair and pale skin, but I thought electrolysis would help.

I am going to stick with the programme and I think she is an excellent electrologist but I is Confused <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

LIsa

#10

When you have dark hair and light skin, one can see the darkness of the hair threads THROUGH the skin. Since electrolysis removes the hair completely, t here is nothing to make a shadow.

The finished look comes when you have had all needed hairs removed, and therefore look like you don’t grow hair there, and your electrologist is able to remove all the growing hairs before you see them.