Please help me. I cannot take my hair anymore.

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hi there,

I’m female, 22, south asian, live in the UK and I’ve been hairy ever since I remember. Over the years it has become progressively worse, to the point where, I have hair everywhere feom my toes, knuckles, hands, legs, knees, thighs, back, stomach/abdomen, chest, face, neck, cheeks. I am literally covered in hair. I’ve now reached that point in my life where I simply cannot take. I feel like I’m going to explode. The constant struggle, to remove unwanted hair, is soul destroying. I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of money in the last 6 years, making weekly trips to beauty salons, to get my face and neck waxed or threaded. Constantly buying home wax kits, and razors, to remove facial and body hair in between. I just cannot take it anymore. I feel so depressed and it’s effecting me deeply on a social level. I often turn down invitations to meet friends, avoid family etc, because I haven’t been able to attend a salon that week, or I have run out of wax strips at home. I hate sitting too close to people out of fear of them seeing and judging me for just how hairy my face is. I feel so severely depressed, and noone knows it not even my own mother, because I have gone out of my way to hide this for so many years.

I need help. I don’t know what to do anymore. I simply cannot go on, with these temporary methods of hair removal. The hair on my neck and chin has become so coarse and I feel like a freaking man. I am scared to ever be intimate with with a guy, out of fear of rejection after he sees how repulsively hairy i am.

I came across this forum while browsing google for permanent hair removal options, I need advise on what I should do, what the best course of treatment would be for a girl who has course, black hair all over her body, and if anyone can recommend someone who will do an excellent job of electrolysing these disgusting hairs that i’m covered in, then I would be forever thankful to you.

As I’m in the UK, if anyone knows of whether I could receive help from the NHS and if there is any trained professional in the midlands area in particular. It would be of great help.

#2

I don’t have any advice yet because I am new to this myself but I wanted to let you know I know exactly how you feel and you’ve come to the right place.
Electrolysis is the only permanent hair removal method and if you look through some of the posts on this board you will find lots of pics of men and women whose lives have been transformed by the Electrologists here.
Have you had a look here for an electrologist:

#3

I’ve only been doing research on hair removal topics for a few months, so what I will advise you is far from being 100% accurate. First, did you ever have your hormones checked? Hirsutism on young women could be sign of hormonal problems. You could have a syndrome called PCOS, but the only way to know for sure is to have medical exams. If you have a hormonal problem, it would be much easier to control the hirsutism through medication (as well as other underlying symptoms).

As for the hair itself, since it’s dark and coarse, perhaps you should seek laser treatment for some areas of your body. Do be sure to get treated with trained personnel - you should never ever have any form of laser treatment with unqualified people, as it could lead to permanent damage to the skin and, at times, even stimulation of hormonal areas to develop new hair (what happened in my case). Thus, the areas you should never have treated by laser (and, so, turn to electrolysis for these) include the face (except for the upper lip area), the back of your thighs and the area under your navel. You could have electrolysis in these areas instead. As you mentioned that your hair is dark and coarse, be prepared to spend some time in the process. Also, for electrolysis to work properly right from the start, you would have to quite waxing/tweezing the hairs in the areas. You can shave them, though or bleach them.

I hope I helped a bit. I am unsure of any qualified personnel in the UK, sorry. Maybe someone else will point you towards somebody.

#4

Thanks for the reply and the link. I actually want to post some pics to show you just how terrible the hair on my face is. What’s the best photosharing domain to use?

#5

Hi there, thanks for the reply. I was checked for PCOS when I was younger, I had terribly irregular periods for most of my teenage years. Sometimes I’d be ridiculously heavy and my periods would just continue on and on, until the GP gave me something to stop the bleeding or put me back on the pill (microgynon). I had blood tests and and ultrasound scan, but all my hormone levels were normal, I thinkt he LH and FSH was slightly inverted but the Doc didn’t really know why, since everything else was normal, and we never chased it up in the end… My testosterone and the rest was in the normal range. And the ultrasound scan showed no signs of cysts on my ovaries. So i was given the all clear. I didnt really discuss the extent of my hairy issue with my GP at the time, he was male and i was 15 at the time and very embarassed, and it wasn’t so bad on the face either, I just remember mentioning to him, that I’m hairier than you’re average girl. But he didnt follow that up.

My period issue has since resolved itself in the last 2 years. I’ve been pretty regular. But for about ten years of my life (I started my period when I was 10). It was all over the place.

I did once have a groupon voucher for six laser sessions at a salon about two years ago, on the chin, and upper lip area, I’m not sure if that it was aggrevated the hairiness espec around the chin and neck. It was rubbish though, it really didn’t make any difference, and my hair has become coarser since, on the neck and chin, but on upper lip it’s stayed pretty much the same.

I dont mind shaving my face if I were to have electrolysis, I had avoided that until very recently, but nowadays I get so pissed off at seeing hairs on my face when I’m about to leave the house, I’ll give my face a quick shave, It’s so demoralising for a woman to have to do this… since my experience with laser was poor, I am more interested in electrolysis.

#6

Do correct me if I’m wrong but you took the pill or some meds that work on hormones for a while? If you did and then discontinued treatment, that could have led to an aggravation of the hirsutism. I took the pill during 8 years and discontinued it 4 years ago. Last year I had some light fuzzy hair appear on the sides of my face. It could be from hormones or stress. I am having my hormones checked soon.

Ah so you did laser on your face. Depending on the settings, it can make things worse. I’ve had 8 sessions on my upper lip and I’m seeing the hair return now (it’s been 2 months since my last session and I’m not setting foot on a laser clinic anytime soon again) and 3 on the area under my chin - that was free of any hair until they messed everything up. Now I’m growing some fuzzy dark hairs in the area and that is why I am seeking electrolysis myself.

Yes, I bet it is very demoralizing and I cannot imagine what you go through. I have been paranoid about this new hair growing and it’s been only 2 months. I cannot imagine spending years like this. If I can avoid it, I am not shaving the area. I trim the hair that is growing now and bleach it.

So, yes, electrolysis is the way to go instead of laser in such critical areas. I hope you can find a good practicioner. I think there is a British Association of Electrolygists. Not sure if it goes by that exact name.

#7

Oh and as for posting pics online, I use tinypic. Imageshack is terrible.

#8

Yes, I was given microgynon 30 that I would take on and off, for periods of three months at a time, to help stop the excessively long bleeding and to help regulate my periods. I didn’t take the pill continuously though. It would just be as and when needed, basically, when my period wouldnt stop, I would go back to my GP, my GP would prescribe me for periods of 3 months at a time. I was given other pills in the beginning few yrs, but they didnt seem to suit me in the way microgynon did, so we settled with that one in the end. I havent taken micogynon since I was about 20.

Before laser, I did have a light tash, and I still ahve one now, there’s been no difference. But my chin reeally dindt have many hairs jsut a few that i’d have to pluck out every now and then, and neck area had hair but it was softer and whispier, not it feels coarse, the hairs are thicker and my chin is a lot hairier than before.

#9

This is what I look like when I don’t touch my face/neck for about a fortnight, and the last one is my arm:

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#10

As others mentioned, you should check with your doctor to check your hormone levels again. Even if there is no PCOS the testosterone “normal levels” for a female are a rediculously wide range. You can always request a mild antiandrogen.

I’m going to echo the advice of others, abandon laser and go for electrolysis. Honestly you have half the facial hair I do, if you spent half the money you had on waxing and threading on electrolysis instead, you would be hair free.
Check out LOTS of electrolysist, at least 4-5 different ones, and choose the one you like best and is most efficient. You can try even short sessions if money is an issue, and mentally keep track as they are going along to see what kind of progress they are making in the time allowed.

Seana

#11

Hello tiredofhair 123,
Thank you for speaking about your hair situation and for uploading pictures.
It’s really brave and unselfish of you to share these.

The hair that I can see in your pictures is the type of hair that electrolysists treat every day- not unusual and not shocking. So please be assured, you have hair that can be treated successfully.

SeanaTG has hit the nail on the head when she says you should see a few electrolysists and get a feel for the process and the practitioners you meet.

You will be building a relationship with your electrolysist so you need to have a bit of a grasp of what factors are important for the process so take the time now, to get to know a few things. Your antennae will get very sensitive to what sounds/feels right and what doesn’t, quite quickly.
Equally, your electrolysist needs some things from you; co-operation,trust,faith in their ability to name a few. (speed is not the top priority, killing hairs is)

Helpful people are only a click away so don’t worry, you can always ask.

good luck
June

#12

I can totally relate to your predicament and know just what you’re going through! I’m a noob to this so I can’t give you any new advice than what’s already been said but I wish you luck!

Dd you have a look at this http://www.electrolysis.co.uk/?page_id=844 to find an electro near to you? Try to make a few consultations and get a feel of it, hopefully you’ll find the perfect one!

A few of the electrologists from my consultations told me my south Asian hair (virgin hair) was difficult to treat and I should wax etc. don’t let this get you down, as it did me, your hair IS treatable so just keep on with the search if that happens! :slight_smile:

#13

Thanks for the replies all!

What kind of questions should I prepare to ask an electrologist on appointment? Are there any red flags I should look out for? What kind of technique is best for the facial hair shown in the pics?

SaltedPistachios, how is your treatment coming along?

#14

hello i was wondering how long will it take for upper lip and chin hair removal like about how many sessions. the lady i am going is charging me 60-55 per session i have some hair on my chin it is not dark there is only one dark hair. on my lip it is also not dark but not peach fuzz.

#15

Color of hair doesnt matter on electrolysis.

I went to 12 1 hour sessions for my chin, and never got clearance. That was by students though. A pro who had been teaching them for 10 years, cleared my uper lip in an hour. It all depends on how much is there, and the skill of the electrolysist

#16

Has subsequent work on your chin cleared the hair?

#17

I’d recommend electrolysis on your face, but for other body areas, I’d consider laser (mainly arms and legs).

I never had a “clearance” either, but rather we started removing hair on my chin, and with each session, was able to expand a bit so I essentially had this bald spot that kept getting larger and larger as months went on.

This was my chin before starting: http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=142ehkw&s=6#.UjHni8asjlU

Doing a first “clearance” if you will took about 3-4 hours.

#18

Tiredofhair;

My treatment isn’t going too great. I have yet to find an electro that does fine hair and in the meantime I am getting courser hairs zapped but there’s a lot of scabbing. Still, I’m positive I’ll find someone and get it all done :slight_smile:

Have you booked any consultations?

#19

I have booked 2 appointments today for next week. I’m quite nervous about what to expect, but the ladies I spoke to over the phone were very friendly and reassuring.

How long does the scabbing typically last for?

#20

hello tiredofhair123 i am 23 years old and i am doing electrolyosis as well on my upper lip, chin, stomach and breasts… i know exactly what your going through everything will be okay though will make it through :slight_smile: