Upper lip shadow?

i need help. i’m plucking my upperlip then it got discolored. can anyone help me what do i need to do not to discolored it aside from electrolysis. cause it seems its not available here. only laser hair removal.

Hi Janina:

If you have dark hair and light skin then you might want to
try laser if electro is not available.

Plucking is bad since at the minimum it can
lead to ingrown hairs and possible infection.
Besides that you have to keep on doing it forever.
The root bulb beneath the skin sometimes shows through
as a shadow when you have enough of them and the roots
are dark,

Approximately how old are you and what area do you live in?
If people know the general area you live in they might be
able to suggest a place to go.

I am assuming you are trans if you posted here?
Is that the case?

It would seriously behoove you to do some travel if there really is nothing in your area. I don’t know if by nothing available in your area, you mean in a 45 minute drive distance, or what, but I do know that relief could be had if you found someone who could clear you out, and then get you on a maintenance schedule. If you could do that, the distance would be well worth it based on the return on investment.

yup i’m a trans and i’m 22 yrs old i lived in the Philippines and it seems i’ve checked all the dermatologist here and they don’t have electrolysis service available only laser hair removal. how can i get rid of the shadow? is there any natural remedies? or no choice but to look for electrolysis or laser?

and it is very costly here.

Hi Janina:

I live in Canada where both laser and electrolysis are
readily available, so am fortunate. I did a quick internet
search for your area and came up with laser. I think if you
looked really hard you might be able to find someone who
can do electrolysis. Maybe there isn’t as much demand for it
there and laser pays better? Have you tried asking other
trans woman in your area?

Aside from either laser or electrolysis I don’t think
there is anything I could suggest that would be a good
long term solution.

If you aren’t on anti androgens though you should get
on them right away to keep the facial hair from getting
worse. I am guessing that you don’t have an extreme amount
of facial hair since you only talk about your upper lip.
If that is the case then probably you won’t need a lot
of either laser or electrolysis as compared to what
I had to go through. That is a blessing for you.
That means less work and less cost in the long run.

I work with a woman who is from the philippines and she
is one of the nicest people I deal with.

Hmmmm, perhaps your lady may know someone in the Phillippines who is doing electrolysis. It may be something that is being done out of a spare bedroom, but it would still be better than her current situation. She would have to try to fly to Japan, Hong Kong, Hawaii or Los Angeles otherwise.

There is no electrolysis in Philippines. I have had long conversations with a very nice couple on another forum who lived there (now they are in the states) and that was their frustration as well. Everything is laser, laser, laser, which they tried, but had poor results. I think I remember them saying they found one person who claimed she did electrolysis, but ater they described the experience, I will repeat, there is no electrolysis options in the Philippines.

what can be my options since it’s not available here? is laser good and can it be a solution to the shadow problem i had?

Your only option is laser that is suited for your skin color, hair structure (coarse hair) and hair color (dark hair and dark roots).

Skill matters right next to laser chosen, so find someone good. Maybe your friends can give you a recommendation. Unfortunately, at best, you will get a high percentage of reduction, but you should never hope for 100% success for all noticable hairs. Now we are back to electrolysis…

Dee

You might want to try contacting a Philippine transgender group or organization and ask them if they know any electrologists in your country. If there are any, odds are they have heard about them. STAR at www.tsphilippines.com is one I am aware of.

The problem many folks who don’t have dark and dense facial hair understand is that the shadow is there because of the hair below the skin’s surface; if I had a nickel every time someone told me I have a shadow just because I was shaving wrong, well come to think of it, I’d have enough money to buy a new an Apilus Platinum.

I used to pluck my upper lip, and in fact I used to pluck my whole face at times, trying to remove the shadow. It reduced it, literally speaking, but the skin was so traumatized it still didn’t look natural. And the shadow came back in a week and a half. Plucking can also make future permanent removal harder by causing distorted follicles.

If you can’t find an electrologist, but you can find a reputable laser clinic and you are a good candidate and everything else being equal, at least you may find some relief. I had mixed results with laser, but it did reduce the shadow (after several treatments), the reduction in density made it easier to shave and in general the skin looked more smooth and natural.

Hi Janina:

Just to second what Vickie said: Try talking/emailing other
local woman like yourself regarding their experiences
with laser, and if anyone knows someone who does
electrolysis that they have experience with.