Yet Another Newcomer! Advice?

Start here! Share your feelings
#1

Hi everybody,

I’m 16 years old and have had dark hair for most of my life. When I hit puberty, I had hair in all the normal areas - legs, underarms, etc. It was a lot darker than most of my friends’, but my mom has dark hair on her legs and arms too and it was manageable (as well as close to normal) so it didn’t bother me.

But about a year ago, I started growing coarse, dark hairs on my chest, neck, cheeks (like sideburns), up my stomach, on and between my buttocks, between my breasts and on my lower back. It’s become a major embarrassment in my life. I went to an endocrinologist, got my blood tested, etc, and there’s nothing wrong… no PCOS, no unusual hormone levels, no androgen weirdness, nothing. I’m a normal weight, and would be very comfortable with my body if not for the hirsutism.

I feel very depressed most of the time, and have sworn off all dating and intimate encounters (my mother assures me that some men like “fuzzy” girls, but I told her I’m not “fuzzy” I’m “furry”). I’m currently shaving, bleaching, tweezing and waxing all of the hair I can manage to remove, but even doing so makes me sad because I know none of my friends even have to do this, and I have to spend hours making myself just look like a normal girl! I work as a lifeguard at a local pool and it hurts when I see all the women in bikinis with no, very little or very blonde hair. I’m embarrassed to change in front of my friends or in locker rooms, and I feel very unfeminine and ugly. I avoid wearing low-cut shirts because of the hair and/or razorburn. I avoid looking at myself when I change or am in the shower because I’ll start crying if I remember how ugly I look.

None of my friends or family members have this problem, and I haven’t told anyone except my mother and psychologist because of how embarrassed and hideous I feel. You can’t imagine how grateful I am to have found this site… it’s just helpful to know that I’m not the only one who has this problem or feels this way.

I’m sorry to dump all that on anyone who took the time to read all that (and thank you for reading that!), but as I mentioned, I can’t talk to anyone about it because they can’t relate and/or am too embarrassed to talk about it.

Now, I’ve got a question: my parents have offered to get the hair taken off my neck, chest and face (I’m saving up for getting the hair removed off my stomach, legs and other areas myself) because of how it affects my life. I’m wondering which treatment is better in everyone’s opinion: laser vs. electrolysis, price-wise, pain-wise, etc. I’m very light-skinned with dark hair, and I’ve heard that’s optimal for laser treatment, but have also heard that laser treatment can have a tendency not to work as well as electrolysis does.

Thank you so much for reading and understanding.

#2

Price wise, though laser usually works out cheaper than electrolysis, you can talk to your electrologist and work out cheaper options sometimes, as you’ll need a lot of work. Also, laser clinics can vary greatly. You also need to tell us what your skin type is - skin type is also very important when considering laser vs. electrolysis.

Also remember that sometimes laser can induce hair growth in some areas. So it is great for areas with thick, coarse, dark hair - like bikini, underarms, but not so good for areas where hair might be coarse (side of face, upper lip) but is much more likely to experience induced growth. Your chest might not even have thick enough hairs for laser. So consider electrolysis for areas where the hair is at risk of induced growth or not thick enough for laser. The face is usually great for electrolysis but you need to remember that you do need to let the hair grow out a little, and while there shouldn’t be too much redness you might experience redness/swelling for a while after - so get a test patch, have a few consultations at different clinics, and find out what is best for you. Remember that cost is important for everyone, but the most important thing is to have successful treatment - so it might cost more, but in the long run you’ll find a better quality service will cost less than a dodgy place where practitioners are not practising well, and either don’t kill the hairs (electrolysis) or don’t use high enough settings/induce hair to grow (laser).

If you have dark skin there are options for laser - using the nd:yag, or even the diode, if your skin is fairer. The best lasers for very fair skin are alexandrites (which I’m assuming you are, since your skin is so fair). If you let us know your general location, there are people from many different places on this board and someone might be able to recommend a great clinic near you.

Hope this helps :slight_smile:

#3

Please read the FAQs in the link below. Coarse hair like bikini and underarms and legs are best treated with laser. The other hair, that’s either fine or sparse or both should be treated only with electrolysis.

The growth you describe is pretty normal for many girls. Some have more noticeable growth and hair colors there than others.

#4

I’m 17 and have most of the exact same issues except I have upper lip hair and not sideburns. Also, my mom and sister have facial hair.

I shave. The body hair is annoying enough, but I can hide it better than my upper lip which has been causing me suffering for a couple of years. I have used electrology on and off. I really need to start the process and stick with it, but you have to grow out the hair for a few days before doing it which I have a extremely hard time with. I was hoping to get it started on a consistent basis this summer, but it’s almost as hard to find a stretch of time where I can basically become a hermit and hide for a few days.

#5

If you can find an electrologist that has great magnification so she/he can see the hair as it newly emerges, you won’t need a couple days of growth. A good vision set up allows us to see hair that the client can’t possibly see. If she/he has a better epilator and chooses the correct probe for the job, sensation and skin reaction are none to minimal. You don’t have to be a hermit if you have a professional electrologist with a good set up working near where you live. Do have have more than one electrologist in your area?

#6

The proper way to do electrolysis is to clear the entire area that bothers you in one sitting. Then, you only have to come in when new hair shows up. You can trim meanwhile. The hair only needs to be long enough to grasp with tweezers. Definitely try to commit with stick with it! You’ll be happy you did.