Over a woman’s lifetime, it is not uncommon for facial hair, which was once lovingly referred to as peach fuzz, to cause even the least insecure gal in the world to say “what the pluck?”
Our hormone levels shift periodically due to aging, weight gain, pregnancy, and menopause. Even a slight imbalance between our male and female sex hormones (we’ve all got them), can result in an increase in facial hair that is more abundant, darker, visible, and coarse.
I don’t know about you, but I certainly haven’t noticed any fashion trend that glorifies a woman sporting a mustache or beard, so what are our options when it comes to effective, safe, hair removal?
There are several ways to address unwanted hair growth. Tweezing is an option, but this is both time-consuming, can be painful, and generally only works on a fairly small area.
Over-the-counter creams have been on the market for ages and may provide a solution for some women. Unfortunately, the chemicals used in these products often irritate sensitive skin – and many women are reluctant to use these sorts of chemicals on their bodies.
Waxing is quite easy, and relatively inexpensive, but not everyone’s skin can tolerate this method. I will say, I do this nearly every day here at Skin Essentials, with fantastic results, so if you are not among those with highly sensitive skin, this would be my suggestion for you. It’s fast, relatively long-lasting – and gives a great, smooth result.
Electrolysis has been around for a long time, and is considered one of the most permanent methods of hair removal, but not only is it time-consuming (it can take more than a year to clear an area), it is also expensive.
Laser hair removal is a somewhat newer method that is very effective – but only on dark hair, so if your facial hair is on the blondish, lighter side, a laser won’t remove it. (Note to self: invent a laser that removes light hair and make a gazillion dollars!)
Many women use a tried-and-true method to remove unwanted facial hair. They shave it. For those of you using this method, I’m preaching to the choir, because you already know how (and if) this works for you.
In my practice, the first question I always get when I pose this solution is “Won’t that turn my hair darker and coarser? I’ve heard it will make the hair come back faster.” I can assure you that when you shave, light-colored, fluffy hair will come back just the same, light-colored and fluffy. If the hair you are shaving is dark and coarse, it will come back dark and coarse. This method is safe, easy, quick, and inexpensive – so for many women, it presents a great solution.
If you are interested in learning more about waxing, please feel free to use this link: Body Waxing – Skin Essentials Montecito, CA (skin-essentials.com).
And, as always, I am here to work with you to find the best and most effective ways possible for all your skincare needs.