Tips for shaving facial hair between treatments?!

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hi everyone!

First of all I would like to thank everyone responsible for putting this site together… great job! I found a lot of useful information here and after a while I decided to remove my facial hair with a much more “permanent” method as tweezing.
I’m a 28 year-old female with quite enough facial hair (at least for my taste). Since I was 18 I started tweezing which with time became an everyday activity, affecting and irritating my skin. So after a year of playing with the idea of “permanent” removal in my mind and reading as much information as I found, I decided to give it a try with IPL (which along with laser is the only treatment available where I live).
So yesterday was my first session and, as I already knew, the doctor said that the only method allowed to remove my hair until the next session (which will be in 6 weeks) was shaving. But now that I’m actually in this situation I realise that I have no clue about shaving! I’ve never shaved my face and I’m quite afraid of the idea that the hair will become much more visible, thick and coarse. Honestly I’m a little afraid of giving up at the middle and going back to tweezing…
So please… I would really appreciate any tip to do this as good as possible without irritating my skin too much. Maybe using makeup might be a solution to “hide” my hair a little?!.. but I also don’t use makeup… so I don’t have a clue about that either… So any idea, tip, story whatever would be great! Thanks.

#2

Below is clinical data that proves that shaving does not cause the hair structure to change. It is a myth that is hard to correct.

http://www.hairtell.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/18961/page/1#Post18961

Dee

#3

what color is your hair? what skin type are you? how coarse is the hair? what machine is being used? where are you located?

#4

Hi lagirl!
I’m located at Zürich right now and the clinic where I’ve had my first session done uses a “Plasmalite II” equipment with 55 J/cm².
My facial’s hair color is black and from my point of view it is coarse enough that it makes it visible (if not tweezed).
About the skin type I really dont’ know how to answer briefly. I guess I’m right in the middle between white and dark… my mom is caucassian and my dad was a mulato so I ended up something in between.
But why is this important for shaving tips? What would you suggest me to do?
Thanks…

#5

It’s not important for shaving. It’s important for getting results from the IPL treatments you are having. Coarse hair is thick dark hair like the hair on your underarms and bikini. If you don’t have that on your face, it is not likely that you will get good results from these IPL treatments, especially with your skin type. You are also risking induced growth from these treatments on this area - i.e. more hair than what you started with. I would advise you to look into electrolysis instead.

#6

Hello Lagirl!

Could you please explain me why exactly you believe that the treatment won’t work for me? and even make the problem worst by inducing more hair growth?

About electrolysis, I’ve been looking for places here that offer electrolysis but I haven’t found any… and I was told that here in Switzerland almost every practitioner works with laser or ipl.
But as far as I understand ipl and laser is the next step in efficiency after electrolysis?! And my hair is dark, almost as coarse/thick as my underarm hair and my skin tone is not very dark, actually in winter I get quite pale which is the reason why I use a self tanner.
But I must say… you scared me a little with your prognosis of inducing more hair growth. So could you please explain me why you believe so?
Thanks again for all the help…

#7

It’s not what lagirl “thinks” it is what has been reported more times than I wish to count on this and other forums. She is just warning you that it COULD happen to you so you know all the facts before going forward with laser hair reduction. Read these threads so you gain more understanding. sslhr is fabulous at explaining this. Read what he says carefully.

So truly there are no electrolysis practitioners in Switzerland?
Did you hear that from one person that does light-based hair removal?

Dee

#8

Please read the FAQs at the link below. There is an entire section on this phenomenon. I just want you to be aware of all the facts because those selling you treatments won’t necessarily tell you the negative things.

If you do in fact have coarse hair on your face, you should get results. Although, I would definitely switch to a good alexandrite laser from the IPL for best results. And I would be careful not to treat any areas on your face with fine hair.