I’ve been avoiding answering this topic, because honestly I thought there were those who specialize in such hair who might give better answers ( specifically thinking of Dee who loves to do fine hair and is VERY good at it!)
I’m going to respectfully agree with part of Thermo’s advice, and also disagree with the conclusion partially.
I’m in agreeance that not all hairs are growing and visible at any point in time. Electrolysis on this type of hair is a long term committment and yes, is going to get costly over such a large area. There is not a lot of concern for things like scarring in my opinion, especially with finer more shallow hair which often requires less energy to destroy than thicker courser hair. . If you are looking to completely remove all such hair, it will necessitate treatments over AT LEAST 18 months , and that is assuming you are getting enough electrolysis to remove all of the bothersome hair at least once during each growth cycle period ( 3-5 months). This can be a challenge in terms of tolerance, but also cost over time.
When it comes to temporary relief, I’m generally not in favour of plucking waxing or threading these fine hairs for several key reasons:
1 Any method that pulls the hair out by the root runs the risk of stimulating fine hair int courser more bothersome hairs over time.This is due to damage caused to the dermal papillae which regenerates and provides a better blood supply to the newly growing hair
2 WAxing and threading can lead to ingrowns which often require manual extraction with a hyperdermic needle, wthe process of which can cause permanent scarring if not performed extremely expertly.
3 Every time you wax or pluck , you are leaving wound collogen ( scar tissue) in the follicle, and when this is repeated over time it can lead to skin surface irregularities in the form of small bumps. This is known as “pebbling” and is a permanent form of scar creation.
I DO NOT have the same concerns about shaving the hairs which can have some temprary relief. It does not affect the hair growth at all and simply cuts the hair at the surface.
Finally, all of these methods are costly over time, and tsince they are temporary methods they require regular maintenance andd retreatment, forever. So these costs never decrease, and are ongoing… most places I know charge in the neibourhood of $80+ to wax your legs just once. This is where electrolysis actually gives you a better bang for your buck.Because electrolysis results are permanent when performed competently, you are actually reducing the amount of total electrolysis that must be performed at a later date to destroy the hair.
So my recommendation would be as follows:
Shave the hairs as temporary relief, but rather than spending money on either supplies or salon treatments for waxing, use that money instead to have shorter electrolysis sessions and remove thae hair permanently over time with electrolysis. You WILL NOT be able to do it in 18 months, however you will over time see a gradual improvement until you have a result you can live with day to day without the necessity to shave them.
