How to proceed

Hey guys!
First off, I’m really glad I’ve found this site! It’s so great to gather as much knowledge as possible on this issue while at the same time realizing that you’re not the only person struggling with too much hair.
So here’s my situation: I’m a 17 year old male and i’ve started growing body hair a long time ago… like 11 oder 12 or something. At the age of 14 I’ve started growing first facial hair und now at 17 you can call it a beard. Of course the body hair has continued spreading, so now I’ve got really hairy legs and bum, not quite that bad but still pretty hairy arms, stomach and chest covered all over… chest and stomach isn’t yet really coarse, but it ain’t fine either… 2 years ago I’ve started having IPL treatments done on the whole body (except face) and while it some areas were cleared temporarily, it’s all come back now plus on the shoulders and upper back new growth was induced or at least the fine hair has turned dark… My life’s been hell ever since the hair growth became so overwhelming: I’ve pretty much broken all relationships (I used to be popular and well-liked), my marks have deteriorated big time (and I used to be pretty good), I don’t have any energy left for my hobbies that I really loved and I’m feeling like shit, especially now in the summer as I’m always wearing long-sleeved shirts and jeans and it’s hot and itchy… I can’t take this anymore I’ve gone from being a perfectly normal, happy kid to a complete mess.
As I’ve learned the hard way that light-based permanent hair removal doesn’t seem to work for me, temporary removal methods only worsen growth, consume an awful lot of time and your skin never looks as good as someone’s who doesn’t have much hair in the firs place, I’ve decided that electrolysis is the only way for me to end this goddamn misery.
As the growth is, compared to a really hairy adult, not that bad yet, my question is whether it might be possible to clear areas like shoulders, stomach , chest and upper back in a first full clearance and then maintain it ( for years I guess, as I don’t really think I’ve reached my full potential yet. My father’s pretty hairy as well, but not that kinda hair-all-over-torso-gorilla-thing… Is there a tiny glimpse of hope that I might not turn in to the aforementioned gorilla?) I just thought that the earlier one started the faster one could get full clearance and maintain it so that I could lead a normal life again. I guess to clear all these areas completely it will take years, but I’ve read that once you’ve reached full clearance and maintain it you’ve got the looks of the finished treatment.
The beard’s another problem: I’m so so sick of wasting like half and hour everyday shaving (it could be done a lot faster but I want to do it properly) and irritating my skin. As it’s not a full-grown beard yet I was hoping that, like I said before, you could get a first clearance pretty fast and maintain it.
Oh man it’s all just so much i just wished I could get “at least” these areas (bum, stomach, chest, shoulders, upper back and beard) done in the next few years… my goal is to get my whole body done as I just hate body hair, but that will take a little longer, but I know it’s worth it it would be like a new life…
Sorry I guess the text’s a bit confusing as I’m German and really worried right now :frowning: Thanks

When I was in 6th grade, there was a guy in my class who had a full on Wolfman-Jack-Style mustache and beard (with Paul Stanley/Burt Reynolds chest hair to boot!). He looked like a 40 year old midget walking around in our sixth grade class. All us guys thought it was the coolest thing he had going on, because he could go where adults went, and do what adults did, and no one questioned him. The kid was going to bars and seeing all the bands we could only dream about seeing live, and needless to say, if he wanted to buy beer, or whiskey, no one every asked him for proof.

I talked to that guy recently, at a reunion, and I found out that he felt more like you do, than like we all figured he should. He could not believe it when I told him that we all ENVIED HIM!

Although it is true that you can get to first clearance and then keep the look of being finished while you continue to work the area, I would wonder about the monumental task you are looking to undertake. You are looking at a very expensive process (but, hey, if money is no object, that won’t stop you) and you will need to find anywhere from one dedicated electrolysis practitioner, to possibly a team of workers to take on this Olympian task.

If you can get to the point where you have clearance in any area, and then work to maintain it, you would be able to keep it bare looking, or at least thinned out from that point on, and in the later times, you would need only spot clearances to take care of any new growth as your body ages, and the rest of the hair your body was planning on sprouting came on line.

You will have to do a good job of looking far and wide to put together the best hair removal team you possibly can and get to work. Both of you will need dedication, and your practitioner(s) will require skills and good equipment.

Well, money does matter.
My plan is, when i’ve finished school in 1 1/2 years, to work sorta fulltime so I could fix this hair problem before going to college as I guess I won’t have the time to work so hard while studying at the same time. It’s not like I’m not dedicated… if I had a goal somewhere ahead of me… But your words sound pretty devastating, I guess you’re sort of trying to tell me gently that I’m better off accepting my faith as my goal is unrealistic :frowning: I mean you’re right to not rouse vain hope in me, but still it’s hard :frowning: The thing is I don’t think I’ll ever be able to accept this it’s just not gonna happen I mean this has been going on for years it will only get worse. I dunno I really hate hair so much I think it doesn’t look good, feels nasty bah… Another idea was to become an electrologyst myself and I dunno maybe I could combine it with my ambitions to become naturopath/alternative healer… Any ideas whether it’s possible to combine those? Because I don’t think that merely being an electrologyst would satisfy me in the long run. Oh f**k I just keep asking myself why it has to be me… I mean I look alright, I’m smart enough and talented but the hair ruins everything!
I’m just a little confused as I’ve read other threads of guys who had similar problems (shoulder, back hair and stuff) and the responses didn’t sound so negative (once again, no offence =). Or is it like I said that you think at my age it’s just impossible to do this?

Oh I forgot to thank you for your immediate response! Thank you :slight_smile:

It is not our intention to make you believe that it is impossible, just that it is not as easy as a woman looking to remove a “cookie Duster Mustache.” It can be done, you just have to really get the right situation going and hit it long and hard. That’s all.

My Gosh you could be my twin…a younger twin. I too started gettin hairy around 11. My papa is hairy too but mom said when they married at 19 he was smooth. At 19 I hardly had a smooth inch on me.
Like you it has affected my social life as well. I never get to go shirtless and I always have a 5 oclock shadow. I also had to pass up a modeling oportunity because of the hair. I have that black corse sort that you still see under he skin.
I wish I knew at 18 that electrolysis was possible. I have blown probably 100,000 dollars since then (not on hair removal) and am still hairy. Had I known, I would have sunk my hard-earned money into something worthwhile, like being smooth and confident.
I plan to have pretty much the same thing done as you, but will start once I return from Iraq. I know it is expensive and I plan to go in with 25,000 dollars as a start.
But…what’s money and a couple of years when I won’t have to sweat it years later.
And to you dedicated electrologists, I really hope you understand what a service you provide. You can really help change someones life.
Best of luck bub, J

First poster:

  • Please don’t be so hard on yourself. If you read through this forum, you’ll see many stories like yours. You’re not abnormal in any way. Many men have this growth and more will develop it by the time they’re in their late 20s. The areas you describe which have hair are all normal for a male to have. I know you probably look at magazines and tv and think that you’re alone. But that is really not the case. The majority of people hide this issue and tackle it by removing the hair, whether permanently or temporarily. There are those few people with little hair, but there are many men in the same situation as you. Believe me.

  • I’m sorry about your bad experience with an IPL. Unfortunately, there are too many clinics out there who take people’s money and pray on their weaknesses. IPLs are not good for hair removal. However, TRUE lasers in GOOD hands work wonders. Of course, they ONLY work on DARK COARSE HAIR. If you are intereted in the future in actually getting GOOD treatments that will give you results, please make sure to come back to this forum and read our FAQs (link below) before you jump into anything and listen to sales pitches. You will need to sample around and chek out 4-5 places before you pick anyone to do this for you again. Same with electrolysis btw. Not all machines and practitioners are made equal, especially in this difficult industry where so many are in it for the money.

  • For any finer, light, sparse, etc hair, you’ll still need electrolysis. But I think you could be pretty satisffied with just a general reduction that good laser treatments can provide on the very coarse and noticeable hair.

  • Also, consider waxing as a temporary less expensive solution.

  • Please also realize that you’re still young in hair terms. You’ll develop hair into your late 20s. So you’ll need touchips once in a while after you get treatments. But you should still be happy with the results you get.

  • I waited until I finished college and started a job to start my laser treatments. I paid for waxing in college. But I probably would have started earlier if I knew that the cost was actually not that prohibitive if you get a part-time job. I had to pay for school myself, so it would have been hard, but most people can do it if their parents are helping with school.

  • You can’t get rid of the beard completely. But you can get a few treatments to make it easier to shave, to make the hair less dense. I would also look into different ways of shaving. There are various tricks and products that can hep.

To the second poster: What areas bother you most?

@templje:oh man it’s a shame but we’ll just have to be tough and stand this through! And like you said, I wouldn’t mind spending some years of my life to earning money and getting electrolysis done. I mean this is something that lasts your lifetime and I guess time-wise it would be less to have electrolysis done than to shave, wax etc. in the long run. If one worked really hard, I guess it’d be possible to earn whats needed for this electrolysis thing in 1-2 years (Of course only if my parents let me stay at home for a few more years so I don’t have to pay for food, rent etc.). It’ll take a long time but looking at other people my age I see them wasting their time and money ond watching Tv, drinking excessively, buying stuff they don’t need… I really hope we can do this!Good luck to you :slight_smile:

Hey bear, thanks for the words. I totally agree that suckin it up for a couple of years, maybe even more will definately be worth it in the long run. You are very lucky to have the info at your age. I really wish I had known then what I do now. And I can concur with Lagirl about it gettin a bit worse in your late 20s. I look at photos of myself at 18 and I am a bit more hairy now. If any way possible please take photos of before so we can see your progress…but only if you are comfortable with it.
I plan to do the same. It will definately be impressive once I’m finished. Feel free to send me a msg if u need any tips on how to deal until you can afford a beter way. i’m sure Ive tried it all. J