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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to hate hate hate my hairy chin.

140 replies

ihatemyhairychin · 29/01/2014 13:17

Namechanged for this as I'm so embarrassed.

OK - so I am nearly 40 years old, female and have facial hair.

It started about 10 years ago - just the odd black hair on my chin, but now there are bloody loads of them in small patches on my chin and underneath. They are thick & black and not like the little bit of fuzz I get on my upper lip. I shave my chin every morning (and sometimes in the evening too). Can't bear to leave it long enough for waxing or threading.

I paid for laser hair removal about 5 years ago and have had a course on the NHS as well, but they don't seem to have worked.

Do I have to deal with this forever? I can only imagine it getting worse as I get older and that is very depressing. Any other hairy folk out there with any advice?

OP posts:
rainraingoAWAYNEVERCOMEBACK · 29/01/2014 15:16

I was also thinking of thread on this.

the cream is vanquin or something like that,but doing research on that and other things I have not heard of it being successul on its own adn also the problem becoming worse after usage stopping its also about 60 quid.

5Foot5 · 29/01/2014 15:22

I pluck too but it is painful and the buggers grow back so quickly. Before you know where you are you have got one nearly half an inch long that wasn't there the night before.

Also isn't is just sod's law that this starts to happen just when the old eyesight is deteriorating so I have to use the magnifying side of the mirror and wear my reading glasses before I can see them well enough to pluck, But I know they are there because I can feel them.

What is a philips lumea?

riskit4abiskit · 29/01/2014 16:10

I combine epilator with plucking. Also have many many hairs. It takes up so much of my time. Grrrr

CumberCookie · 29/01/2014 17:08

It's nowt to do with being 40+, I'm 24 and I've had this problem for ages! It's horrible.

frogslegs35 · 29/01/2014 17:14

Regarding the link I posted earlier - it says epilator but it's more like threading. It's a bit more painful than single hair plucking but that's to be expected as it's removing multiple hairs in one shot.

The Vaniqua cream is rubbish - it irritated and discoloured my skin too.

holidaysarenice · 29/01/2014 17:23

Agree with being young - what hormonal issues can be at the bottom of it?

sisterofmercy · 29/01/2014 17:29

I have to use one of those daylight lamps to see mine because my flat is so dark. I pluck although I am on a hormone implant at the mo' to see if it helps. I have PCOS.

SolomanDaisy · 29/01/2014 17:42

Philips lumea is a home ipl system. I've only had it a month, so can't tell how well it works long term, but I already have a lot less hair.

OnTheBottomWithAWomansWeekly · 29/01/2014 17:49

I have a home electrolysis thingy (tweezers on a flex, that are supposed to zap the hair) - I got it about 10 years ago for about €100.

I realised on a sunny day when reversing the car that there was a bearded lady in the driver's seat!

So I dragged it out of the attic and spent an hour that night tweezing and plucking the worst hairs - and none of the big black ones have grown back.

I've still got some that I need to zap - I think your hair grows on different cycles and I probably missed these the first time. Don't know if they still make the machine thingy, will have a google and will link if I find it. (it was made by Babyliss and I bought it in Boots)

SassySpice · 29/01/2014 17:50

I'm the same. Used to pluck, but always ended up with zits and lumps where I'd pulled the hairs out. Tried threading very recently but that didn't get all the hairs out. I've now taken to shaving the two patches every morning Blush

OnTheBottomWithAWomansWeekly · 29/01/2014 17:53

Can't find a link to the unit I have, but the reviews of other tweezer electrolysis are crap! I only did mine a few months ago so will reserve judgement on whether it's permanent or not.

Pigeonhouse · 29/01/2014 18:33

Soloman, can you say more about the Phillips Lumea? Is that one of the self-IPL ones? How frequently can you use it?

Oblomov · 29/01/2014 18:34

I've been having electrolysis for nearly 20 years.
I have had Laser and IPL. Both useless.
I have had all my hormones tested.
Altleast now it is just about bearable.

Electrolysis is the ONLY permanent solution.
I was told IPL or laser, never claimed to be permanent, only a semi-permanent solution.
Not sure if that is correct. But that is what I was told. And makes sense.

But atleast , for gods sake get a home machine, or do some threading or waxing. Please stop shaving. please.

StatisticallyChallenged · 29/01/2014 18:55

You'll probably think I am nuts, but I noticed my chin hair had been getting worse since I had DD. I was pretty ill the whole way through pregnancy, couldn't lose weight after, bla bla bla. Eventually twigged that I might be insulin resistant and started eating low carb.

Month or so in I realised my chin hairs had buggered off.

Then had to start working away, diet went to pot(atoes!), chin hair came back

I'm a few weeks in to low carbing again and I would swear on my life they are reducing. My leg hair is growing more slowly too

Just worth a mention, it seems to happen for quite a lot of people especially those with PCOS and insulin resistance

Fakebook · 29/01/2014 18:56

I've read some really good reviews about the Philips lumea on the Boots page. It apparently works best with dark hair on light skin. I've been thinking about buying it for a few years but have been pregnant or breastfeeding more or less since 2009 so keep putting it off.

Through 3 full term pregnancies I've found that my body hair stops growing. I normally have to wax/shave/thread regularly (every 2 days or so) but every time I've been pregnant I've gone weeks without having to remove the hair. It generally grows slowly and thinner when I'm pregnant. So for me, I know that it's hormonal.

When I was 19 I was prescribed Dianette for acne, and found that my body hair began to disappear in patches, especially my legs. I never took it again because I was afraid of pumping my body with hormones but it made a good difference.

Starballbunny · 29/01/2014 19:02

I'm afraid I shave mine, don't see why being female means I have to spread tons of money, pain and inconvenience on fancy zapping methods.

Like Arne 'they'll be back' I can't be arsed to stress about it.

RunRabbit · 29/01/2014 19:05

I saw a woman today with a full on moustache. I was in total awe. I'd never have that kind of courage.

I have PCOS. I don't have the skin colour for laser removal and have to pluck every day. Bloody nightmare. Angry

Mimishimi · 29/01/2014 19:10

You're not the only one. 37 here and same problem although not beard proportions. Ten or so will sprout up overnight. I've never shaved them because apparently it makes it worse (according to MiL). I do notice a lot more when I eat a lot of carbs too.

missmarplestmarymead · 29/01/2014 19:19

Please don't shave.

I have my upper lip waxed regularly because I have to and for the ones that sprout out of my chin, I use a Mr Muscleman tweezers (the yellow one, which I think is designed for ingrowing hair) it is quite satisfying to grab a short little blighter, pull it out and find it is about two feet long.

it may be the only upside but an upside nonetheless. Like others, I use the 10x side of the mirror and daylight, even though this reveals more flaws than I like to see.

Anyway, you're not on your own.

rainraingoAWAYNEVERCOMEBACK · 29/01/2014 19:39

I think your correct I can almost feel them growing if I eat comfort foods....

worth a try, I heard dianette was good but if you can keep it up for life great, if you try it and stop it can make things a whole lot worse..

rainraingoAWAYNEVERCOMEBACK · 29/01/2014 19:48

its so hard to know what to do, some say no to ipl, or laser or electrolisis...

whats the answer

UsedToBeNDP · 29/01/2014 19:49

This is like the sporn thread for me. I get about 6 or 7 re growing in exactly the same places once tweezed, totally bizarre. On the one hand, I'd rather not have whiskers. On the other, they are hugely satisfying to pluck.

StatisticallyChallenged · 29/01/2014 20:04

Glad it's not just me with the carbs!

GarlicReturns · 29/01/2014 20:10

Haven't read the whole thread but YANBU and my sympathy.

Doctor says it's not a medical issue. I did have undiagnosed PCOS for decades, though, so that probably hasn't helped.

I wax the fuckers. Still have to tweeze a dozen out every day, though.

As part of my feministy getting to know my own body project, I have let them all hang out a few times. The main point of this was to force myself to get used to it - it's highly unlikely the whole world is fixating on my unconventionally hairy bits, and I needed to get over it. It's helped a lot, actually, as I will never be completely free of lightning-growth chin fronds, so I don't angst about them any more - just try and keep them reasonably suppressed.

If anybody stares at them, they deserve a knee in the nads Grin male or female!

ExcuseMeButtingIn · 29/01/2014 20:10

Can i just say that the contraption that Frogslegs linked to earlier is absolutely bloody amazing! I would have a full on beard if I left my chin to its own devices, and plucking it takes an age. I bought one of those on a punt a couple of years ago after someone else linked to one on here and its fab! It does take a bit of getting used to, but I wouldn't say it hurts anymore than plucking (though tbf I think I have killed any pain receptors in my chin after plucking for years.)

Seriously its worth a shot and its considerably cheaper than even a decent pair of tweezers