Hi all
I’ll keep this short (or will try). For ages I’ve toyed with the idea of having LHR on my face – it’s the area that gives me most distress, and is getting worse – but I never have – why? Because I need to pluck every day (I have very fast growing hair and, obviously quite a lot of it) and the thought of having to shave and then deal with the spots and shadow and not being able to pluck – well I can’t imagine it. I’ve even thought of ‘taking a holiday’ to get through the first few weeks. For anyone who have been through this, how did you cope?
I am female, think I have no real ‘reason’ for the hirutism (ie PCOS, drugs, etc) just a hairy women. Who doesn’t really want to be!
I have thought of doing a trial area (ie bikini line) just to see if this what I’d learn from experience could be transferred to face…
Any advice appreciated.
Hi C_mare and welcome.
I believe that LHR on the face for a woman is risky as there is a possibility of induce growth from laser so exacerbating the problem. I have read information on this site and others where members have reported that experience. Areas such as the chin and jawline are suspectible.
Electrolysis is the way to go. I have been plucking for years and stopped in February to have electrolysis treatment. Once you are being treated you must NOT pluck. You can trim, shave and I believe bleach. The wise ones ( Michael, LAgirl, James, Jossie etc) should be able to give a definitive answer.
As you have been plucking there will be a lot more hair coming through than you actually see over the period you have been plucking. I has shocked but have stayed with the programme…weekly one hour sessions. It will take a good 6-8 months before things really improve due to plucking but I am seeing results.
Plucking stimlates blood flow to the follicles and the trauma causes increased blood flow too with the result of thick, strong, deeply rooted hair follicles. Who knew!!! Others please correct me if I’m wrong.
Good luck and start the journey as soon as possible - you won’t regret it. RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH your electrologist.
Hope that helps
issy
There’s no way of ruling out a cause for excessive hair growth without getting evaluated by a physician. You don’t mention your age, but hair growth on the face is common in menopausal women.
You can’t use the outcome of one treatment area to extrapolate and predict the outcome of another. Bikini hair is usually coarse, and provided it’s dark, responds well to treatment. Facial hair is notoriously difficult to treat.
Don’t bother with laser unless your hair is coarse and dark, and unless you get treated with high settings.
Since induced growth on the face is a concern, and since the area is relatively small, electrolysis may be a better option.
Facial hair shouldn’t be treated unless you have coarse dense growth, i.e. male type of growth. Laser only works on dark coarse hair. It can stimulate MORE hair if you treat finer growth.
Electrolysis is the only option for hair that’s not very coarse and dense.
Bikini hair is very easy to treat because it’s dense and coarse. As long as you do your research on the best laser for your skin type and settings, you’ll get good results.
Please read the FAQs below.
Hi LAgirl,
Can applisonix (ultrasound) stimulate more hair on face?
I’ve never heard that. You can see the list of things that can in the sticky thread.
Sorry I’m new to this whole thing. What is a sticky thread?
Thanks for replies, especially Issy. I see now LHR is not perhaps the way to go (although the hair is quite coarse and dark and I am pale skinned).
Not interested in rights & wrongs of plucking, only the best way forward. Issy: how do you manage inbetween treatments? Bleaching and trimming are absolutely out the question, so I guess shaving is the only option (I know this, which is why I have put off electrolysis). Saying that, I did embark on a course years ago but seen realised that I would need to have treatments every day (unless I shaved which I really didn’t want to do. Perhaps it’s purely physcological and shaving is not too bad (which is why I am posting) – but I just find it really hard to commit to doing this. (I’d find it fine for some areas, eyebrows even but I am taking about upper lip, and to a lesser extent, chin).
I think now I got a bad practitioner as I had some burning, which put me off, and I wasn’t very rich at the time (I have more money now).
Can one have electrolysis every day? Or every other day?
As for doctors/menopause. I am not yet menopausal and have had this problem since I was 14. I did ask the doctor who found I had a slightly underactive thyroid (and no other symptoms for this except PMT – in fact I am not sure hirtuism IS a symptom??) which is now managed by drugs but has not affected the hair growth (at all).
Many thanks again,
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There is nothing wrong with shaving and clipping. If you’re worried about making things “worse”, that’s an old wive’s tale. It’s no different than a haircut. Try to think of it as a necessary evil in order to get rid of the hair for good.
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With good electrolysis, you don’t have to have the in-between maintenance. You can go in and get those hairs removed with electrolysis as soon as they show up. That’s the best way to go anyway in order to get results in the most efficient way. Basically, you go in to clear the area (average electrologist removes 5-10 hairs per minute). Then you come back once every 3 weeks or so to clear the area again. You’re done in 12-18 months and later treatments will be short and only once a month because there won’t be much hair left. You shouldn’t be retreating any area that hasn’t healed and treating every day or every week is not necessary.
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Yes, hirsuitism is a symptom of thyroid issues.
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wannabee: I misread your post. Stickies are on the main page of the LHR forum at the very top. There is one describing what can cause excessive growth. The method you’re referring to is not known to produce permanent results, so not sure that it matters.
Hi C_mare
It is hard to manage regrowth when you have been plucking. It seriously sprouts up in my experience. For me I have to go weekly as new growth - NOT regrowth - appears. Weekly keeps things under control.
I have either clipped or shaved. I use make-up to disguise the stubble but I think I’m kidding myself. I just bear with it as if I want permanent results then I have to be patient. I also think about how free I will feel - no worries going away with friends, staying overnight, if I’m to ill to groom.
I have been reliably informed that the new growth slows down, you are beginning to target all the cycles of the hair and have longer stretches between treatments and less duration of tretments. Personally I can’t wait. My electrologist has been away so it will be 14 days since my last treatment when I see her on Thursday. I can’t wait.
You don’t necessarily have to go in that often. Going every 3 weeks is fine as hair cycles last 4-6 weeks. As long as you’re clearing the area at each treatment, it’s good. Shave or clip in between.
thanks both. I have a slight shadow when I pluck and have to pluck pretty much every day so god knows what it’ll be like shaving. I am just not sure I can do this, and carry on working/dating/seeing people/myself…I am not worried about shaving making it worse, (I am very well read on many hair removal techniques) more how I will look and how it will feel. I shaved when, aged 13, I first had this problem and cut myself…and soon realised plucking was long lasting, easy clean, free, could do it anywhere any time, didn’t cause a rash – this was a long time ago before I know that it could make things worse, that I had a thyroid ‘issue’ or that such things as electrolysis existed (or I could afford).
I think it will be a long battle, one I am not sure I can take despite your assurances.
C_mare, the difference is, that you will have started your journey. So if you go every week and manage to clear all the hair that has appeared, that’s a large part of the battle overcome. It will be difficult for a few weeks but it won’t be forever. After a few months you may even go through some days after the appointment without anything hair coming through. I would think it’s worth it.
My aunt had a lot of very coarse chin hairs (the whole area under the chin) and was a daily plucker. This was the hardest thing for her to overcome. At the start of her journey, she would still occasionally pluck until we managed to get through to her how detrimental it was. She eventually made peace with shaving/trimming and the hair has decreased a lot. She’s a lot happier.
I would like to endorse stoppit’s post C_mare. I have times when I feel despair that nothing will chage. But it has - for me slowly but surely. I know that I am addressing the problem permanently. I am noticing areas that are clear or thinning and I have started this journey 24th Feb 2011 and feel relieved that I have begun my “single step”.
If you want a chat, info or to vent then this is the place.
Good luck.
If you’re worried about the in-between time, you can go for electrolysis from the start. Either way, you’ll need to finish with electrolysis since laser only targets the very coarse hairs.
Electrolysis removes all offending hairs at the appt, so you won’t have any hairs left when you leave.