How to resolve patchiness on male beard

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

I am a male in my early 20s with patchy facial hair left over from over 11 sessions which I only later found out were not true lasers (Palomar I think it was called). It’s been a little more than two years since I stopped the sessions and much of the hair grew back but not evenly. There are some clearly denser areas than others.

I come to this forum now seeking advice on my options and your recommendations for the best possible result. One question I have is about the capacity of electrolysis to remedy this type of situation (patchy male facial hair). Can it be used to even things out or is that something only a (true) laser could do? I mean as far as the difference between destroying a follicle and weakening it. It seems the many sessions with the Palomar ultimately only weakened areas of hair growth and was not as effective on other areas. Anyway, your knowledgeable input is much appreciated.

#2

I would make a clearance with electrolysis only in patches where the density is higher. This can unify those patches with other areas and provide a consistent look.

#3

Electrolysis would be best. It can provide precision and only treat hairs you want gone. That’s what I would go for at this point.

#4

Thanks for the advice, I’ll see what I can do with electrolysis then.

#5

I just talked to an electrologist in my area who I’ve read very good things about. I told her my situation and she was very candid and realistic about the unpredictability of this kind of endeavor. She actually said she’s never worked on someone before to try to even out patchiness though she did not say she was opposed to trying. She did make it clear that she could not predict the results however or how well it would work.

Finally, she recommended that perhaps I go (somewhere else) with laser to attempt to even things out. Any thoughts on this? Could it be done if I went with a real laser this time?

#6

If the patchess are dark coarse hair, then using an actual laser on the entire face for a few sessions all over would most likely remove that and further remove what’s left if there’s anything else left to remove.

#7

Based on the information you have provided in the patches where the laser treatment has been effective hairs are thinner, is this correct? if so, shaving a full beard prior to keep the hair in these patches shorter than the areas where the laser was not effective. Here is the key, your electrologist may avoid patches with less hair density and focus only on the rest.

I think a new attempt Laser can produce new patches or maybe it will work, experts can advise you best.

#8

We are very good at removing patchiness with laser and have had incredible success with Forum Members. In most cases, we look at these situations as a challenge. If anyone in this situation is close to New York or willing to spend 2-3 weeks in New York, we can clear these areas for you. One to two weeks of intense treatments may do the trick.

#9

Romeo, are you saying that you could even things out rather than just trying to remove everything? Because I do want to keep some facial hair if possible, I just don’t want it to be uneven/patchy. I still have facial hair all over, it’s just very light in some spots and very dense in others and the rest is in between…so I’m not exactly sure how you’d approach this.

I don’t live in New York, but if this is possible it might be worth traveling. What do you think? Maybe I could post or send photos to give you an idea of what you’d be working with.

#10

Please post pictures so that we can guide you. Yes, we can reduce your hair evenly. Regarding success stories, there are many from this Forum. I can not post for them. However, you can do a search and see who used to post regarding their face and are not posting anymore…

#11

Here are the pictures:

front
http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/3213/img8700q.jpg

left side
http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/8291/img8701r.jpg

right side
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/3585/img8704i.jpg

from below
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4118/img8703y.jpg

I last shaved more than 2 weeks ago. As you can see, the patchiness is not quite as apparent straight on but from below you can see more clearly just how uneven it is. Also, I’m middle eastern so I do have some color in my skin. Anyway, what do you think?

#12

Having looked at your pictures I’d say the growth shown looks pretty normal. I can see what you say when you say it’s patchy but it’s not obvious, it looks normal/typical I think. If someone took time to study your beard and have a really close look then maybe, just maybe they might come up with a description of patchy but it would still fall into the normal/typical range. With the hair grown in as it is it’s doing a pretty good job of balancing itself out.
My own patchiness after laser was more pronounced. I had little groups of dense hair separated by areas where there were stragglers dotted here and there. When I was close shaved it made my face look dirty where the hair was dense. When it grew through I looked like I had contracted mange.
If you did want to thin the slightly denser areas then electrolysis would give you a more measured result than laser. You never know what you’re going to get with laser and anyone who tells you different isn’t being realistic. How can anyone possibly suggest they know what’s going to happen. Who can possibly say which hairs in any pulse area are going to disappear and not reappear once they have been hit, it is a very random approach.
If you do go ahead with electrolysis make sure you keep your original pictures and take some more with your face recently shaved. Only with these will you be able to gauge any progress accurately. In the meantime have a look at other guys faces and take note of just how varied beard growth can be.

#13

I agree that to anyone who has never seen your beard area before it looks completely normal and not patchy.

I would definitely only go with electrolysis in this case if you have any specific areas that concern you. In my opinion, there are very few areas that I see as problematic. If you do a bunch of treatments within a few weeks as Chris does to even things out, you will probably not be left with that much visible hair or much of a real beard. It’s up to you if you’re ok with this.

#14

Thank you all for your input. In that case, my main concern is the spot on my right cheek that almost seems to be missing hair, and the few dense spots right around the chin area.

What would be the best way to approach this if I can’t find an electrologist who has experience with patchiness? What should I tell them? Would you clear out those particularly dense areas around my chin area and let whatever comes back grow or would you only do some of the hairs within those areas to make them less dense? I don’t know exactly how it works with electrolysis in this situation. What if it’s more the hair thickness that is the problem rather than the density? I’m just not sure, what would you suggest?

Perhaps for that “missing” spot on my right cheek I could do a small facial hair transplant if I really wanted to, because if I reduce the hair right above that spot to match it, it may be uneven with the left side of my face. Hmm…

#15

Oh and quick side question: could I do laser on my neck area or would you only stick to electrolysis for that too?

#16

There are dozens of electrologists in the Bay Area. You don’t really need one experienced in patchiness. You just need a good one who will listen when you tell them which hairs you want gone. Electrolysis only kills the hair it touches.

Yes, you can do laser on your neck, but you’d need to finish with electrolysis if you want most of it gone since it’s medium coarseness and a bit sparse.

#17

Please do not do that, it will only harm your skin, and would never look natural. Remove more hair than you had originally planned is not a problem, this gives you a more youthful, like when you were 15 or 17 years, have you seen those actors who have that eternal aspect of adolescents? I made a small design how would your beard if excess hair was removed. I like how it looks. And you?

#18

Jakecat.
I did remove completely my beard as this was always my intention. As Josefa has pointed out as a possibility, I now have a youthful look :slight_smile: Unfortunately that’s all it is… A look. I still feel my age, like I’ve been inside a washing machine full of bricks and gone full cycle ooh ah OO :wink:
By the way Josefa an excellent job, very spanish I think…

#19

I agree with the Forum. Your patchiness is not the type that can be corrected with laser unless we treat all the area and then let it grow back and try to even it out. Electrolysis may be better. However, I would do laser on certain parts of the cheek and the neck. There is a way to treat you to make your patchiness look less defined.

#20

HA HA HA, Follizap, I’m sure your sense of humor has improved over the years :wink: .

I’ve actually inspired by a British actor of Asian origin . I think the pattern that best fits the image of Androby.