Spider legs, oh spider legs... :((

Start here! Share your feelings
#1

Hi everyone,

I’m new here (stumbled upon you a few weeks back when I tried to search for hair removal success stories…) and this is a massive forum, so bear with me if I’m a bit out of place.

Information about me:
From Denmark (in Europe)
Am 20 years old female
Caucasian

I know my problem is not as close to as bad as what a lot of other people suffer (from what I have read here), but for me it’s a pretty big thing…

Ever since I entered puberty (actually even before) the hairs on my legs grew extremely much. Like really much.
Once in the winter when I was too lazy to shave, my sister happened to see my legs, gasped, and since then they have been named “man legs” or “spider legs”. It hurt. Still hurts.
Another time I was waxing my legs and as I pulled off the strips and looked at them I thought oh dear, I’m a werewolf… I hoped though I was just being the typical teen exaggerating things about myself. My mom later saw the strips in the bin and asked me what animal I had tortured. A confirmation of non-exaggeration, ha.
And quite frankly it has bothered me for what seems to be a lifetime now.

Now I have been waiting for years to hopefully have reached the point where my leg hairs won’t develop more. (I know hormonal changes and such can cause more growth.)
As my 21rst birthday is coming up I would like to treat myself with a gift that I will benefit from for many many years. Permanent hair removal!

I hope I’m ‘good enough’ for it…
Humiliating pictures posted beneath…

Really sorry about the grossness of the pictures :((

Can’t believe I’ve posted this, but you all seem so very nice it gave me courage. I don’t even know if these hairy legs are normal, as girls shave and wax always so I have no chance of knowing/comparing… Is it normal?
My sister doesn’t even have to shave her legs, I mean how lucky can she be and how complete opposites we are!

In Denmark the majority of clinics use IPL and since I have a feeling that this forum is more inclined towards proper lasers, it has me worried whether the money spent in the end will be in vain…

I also have hair other places bothering me, armpits though the growth there seems to be normal, my bikini line - number one reason I stay away from beaches, bikinis, and (sigh) shorts… Huge burden.

It is my hope as (if) I start the treatment to keep a log or blog in here so other people can follow along a Dane’s treatment.

But right now I’m more interested in hearing your folks thoughts and opinions. That’s actually what I need the most, as I could never ever show this to any of my friends!! And my mom… she’s in her own delusional bubble about me, so her opinion, how honest it may be, won’t help much.

Ps. I put a sister thread up with questions on the “Laser Hair Removal” forum because no questions here.

#2

Hello Swan,

You can imagine where I may go with this one, but I want to congratulate you for making that decision to do something so incredibly beautiful and kind for yourself. What you are choosing is to change something that can be changed. You are taking power over something that has negatively influenced your life and relationships for far too long.

The hardest part is over; making that decision. I see that you are educating yourself with your options and trying to find the right professional to join your team to change your life. Really! It’s not just the hair being treated that will give you a new image, your treatment success will also transform how you feel about YOU. We all know that little story about the baby swan who turned into that beautiful creature she always dreamed of being; is it no coincidence that your screen name is what it is? :slight_smile:

You have my support and encouragement!! Don’t give up. Be patient with yourself and the process. Find the method and practioner that will work hard for you and you will see that the money and time spent on YOU won’t be in vain; it’ll be the best investment you’ll ever make.

#3

Thank you so much for your kind reply, LindaG! Completely unexpected it made my tears flow like a waterfall (still flowing, ha). It’s unbelievable how happy it’s made me, despite the tears.

Actually I work in a restaurant called “the Swan” - that was just the catalyst for the username, I guess. Yes, the name takes root in that story. (It was written by H.C. Andersen in Denmark over 100 years ago. (Random fact of the day))

I cringe so hard every time I scroll over the pictures… Just wanted to say that right now they are very shaved, very lady-like, lol.

#4

To me it doesn’t look that bad. It looks to me that if you could find a proper laser technician, your legs would see drastic changes (probably your armpits too if you wanted to do that.) Otherwise, you’ll need to go for electrolysis which is fine too, but the important thing is that options to permanently remove your hair are out there and exist.

Interestingly, we had a reality show in the US called The Swan… about women who felt they were “ugly” and then went through extreme amounts of plastic and dental surgery, and the winners of each episode competed in a beauty pageant. It was pretty sadistic. I think your story is better lol.

#5

Thanks that you don’t think it looks that bad. Provides a little space to breathe in.
Sadly, I don’t think there is any electrolysis in Copenhagen, I’ve googled and googled and all results are ‘fake’ (says in their heading but there is no mention of electrolysis once you enter the websites). Same with laser, all that ever comes up is the IPL method!

Yeah, I’ve watched Youtube clips from that show! It was really creepy and I thought they ruined a lot about themselves. There was also this really scary show called “Bridalplasty” where brides would compete against each other for a nosejob and whatnot before the big day. But as long as they get happy with themselves…
And funnily enough, none of them ever got permanent hair removal! ;))

#6

I really think you you would be happy with laser hair reduction for your legs. For anything that laser can not “see” in the end, it may behoove you to travel to a country where an electrologist can “bring you home” and make you totally hair- free.

#7

Hi Swan,

By HairTell standards, your legs are quite normal. For women with my ethnic background, most have this much hair on their legs and arms, so again normal.

It’s sad that your own family are not empathetic and I hope you can ignore their comments.

Your photos aren’t gross to most people on here. Well done for being brave enough to put them up though.

Provided you visit a good clinic with experienced technicians and the right equipment, you should be able to get decent results from Laser. However, I personally don’t feel most of your leg hair is thick enough to get spectacular results. Also, you seem quite tanned, if that is the case, you’d want to lose it before starting LHR.

I don’t know the electrolysis situation in Denmark but even a student electrologist who is aiming to kill follicles would be able to get you great hair removal result on the legs.