Situation: I’m a 20 year old male college student who makes less than $600 a month (but has a few grand saved up for unexpected expenses.) I have been very, very hairy since I was 12 (having a full hairy chest/back/legs/arms before one’s voice even broke made for some very embarrassing situations in the junior high/high school locker rooms).
I’ve never had a relationship with anyone that has lasted more than two weeks because once I take off my shirt in front of them they immediately get turned off visually (which is completely understandable, I don’t find myself attractive either.) Shaving doesn’t work, it just leaves me bumpy, sore, bleeding, and stubbly. Nair is a no-go, it just makes me smell bad I don’t even see a reduction.
I recently discovered this site and found that there is a reputable electrolysis practitioner a few blocks from where I live (http://www.cherylselectrology.com/), but my question is that with the sheer amount and thickness/coarseness of the hair I have, will electrolysis even be worth the $60 an hour I would be paying to have it done? I have so many hair follicles and so little money that I’m afraid I might be bankrupt by the end of the first session and not even see a reduction on my chest or back.
I know that electrolysis is largely an individual thing, depending on the person’s hair/skin and the electrologist’s experience and equipment, but do any of the electrologists here have any customers that are simply so hairy that they might as well just give up any hope of being smooth? I’m afraid I might be one of those cases. You tell me:
Even with the fastest modes of thermolysis and the best skilled electrologist, you are in for a long road toward permanenet hair removal. It will be expensive, too.
First off, there are a lot of women that would adore you regardless of the hair. I know many women who would think you look very sexy, even though you don’t feel that way.
I would continue to save money for future plans to start on a hair reduction program for your back, first. Seriously check into laser hair reduction and evaluate if you are even a good candidate. The front part of your body, chest and ab’s, could wait until your back is finished.
You are a young man, and your hair pattern is still developing and your hair issues will not be settled until your mid-thirties or so. Be ready for that, okay?
You will benefit from both electrolysis and laser, but start laser first when you decide to go forward. Electrolysis can handle it all, but it would take many hours and several years to get you smooth. See what percentage of hair you can get off with laser first, then go to electrolysis.
Back to the emotional side: I think if your campus newspaper conducted a survey and asked girls about which matters more, male chest and back hair or the personality, reliabilty, and respectability of a guy,they would choose the later. Not all girls are so shallow and discriminating about young men with hair on their body.
I’m aware that my hair may continue to get worse when until I reach thirty or so, but I figure that since I was an early bloomer hair has appeared in 90-95% of the places it’s going to appear. I haven’t seen any new growth on the sides of my torso or on my upper arms (the only places that non-vellus hair hasn’t appeared on me) in 3 years. No matter which way I go (electrolysis, laser, or even just waxing) is going to be expensive, but I figure if I’m going to pay through the nose I might as well go for the most permanent solution. I’ll keep an eye out for other methods, I guess.
Side note: my senior year of high school, the class was watching a video in biology about human anatomy. The video showed a brief clip of a man in his 30s with a hairy chest swimming through the water. The entire class, male and female, collectively let out an “eeewwww… gross!” I have to admit I even feel this way. Maybe I’ve been brainwashed by the media, but I don’t think body hair looks good or feels good to touch. It makes me look 20 years older than I am and makes me look unhygienic. Even if I was totally fine with how hairy I am, I can’t change other people’s minds.
If you want to remove hair, then do it! However if you are only doing it because you think other people will judge you, think about it a bit more carefully.
Now you mentioned this experience happened in high school. Is there anything that high schoolers will NOT look down upon? LOL
Also, if you can’t afford it, don’t do it!!! You will only get good results if you can afford regular treatments.
I have to admit that I know exactly how you feel. I had some guys in middle school barking at me like a dog. I’m actually very cute , but they barked in a jokey way at my furry (hairy) arms. That hurt and deepened my incentive to get electrolysis. I had to wait a few years until I had a job, but I did it with resolve and never gave up. You can’t change peoples attitudes, but not all people feel this way about hairy chests and backs. There truly are a lot of women that LOVE that look. If I were a man, I would like to get rid of the hair because it does seem itchy and hot. I’m with you on that one. I really wish someone would invent a cream that permanently removes hair. I think someone like you would pay anything for something that was easy and private. I totally understand where you are coming from.
I have several thousand dollars saved up (mostly because I knew I wanted to have work done) but with the budget situation here in AZ and in DC, I don’t know how much tuition will rise and federal aid will fall, so I will have to make sure my financial situation is secure before I go in to any treatments.
As far as my motives for getting laser or electrolysis work done are concerned, yes: I’m doing this mostly to please other people. So what? It’s the same reason why I shave (my face, nothing else) before going into work or school, make sure my clothes are relatively clean before heading out the door, and brush my teeth so my breath doesn’t stink. Not doing these things would inhibit my interactions with other people, and getting rid of 90-100% of my body hair is just taking the same principle one step further (I just wish it wasn’t so damned expensive.)
Hey, not like I’m saying there’s anything against it, but I’m just saying don’t do it if you yourself don’t want to get it removed for your personal preference. Several thousand dollars should cover ya–just don’t go bankrupt! Panhandling for permanent hair removal/reduction would not work well
The funny thing is that when that movie was made, the majority of people thought the hairier the chest, the better! Women seeing that scene in the 60’s and 70’s would swoon!
It’s all fashion, and as such, it is bound to change.
20 years from now (ok, 5 years from now) a whole lot of people are going to be lining up to beg for the removal of those once cool tattoos.
Find out about the removal rate per hour of your electrologist.
Check your rate (%) for permanent disposal.
Calculate that can cm2 per hour. (this depends on the difficulty and density of hairs in the area)
To begin to address the most urgent to take a more dignified, for example, shoulders.
ah!!, and above all, to remove any hair from the area that you can select, ALL, do not let them select only the hairs anagen.This lets you know the results of the work and reduce the number of sessions.
