To remove DD'S leg hair permanently....

[newmum0808]

So, my DD is ten and starting puberty (boobs, hair and hormones). She's asked to remove her leg hair which is already noticeable as she's pale with dark hair. My Mum refused to let me shave mine when I was her age. Instead she let me dye it - thick blond leg hair glinting in the sun still haunts me.....
Now I spent years dealing with my thick black body hair (shudders), until I invested in an IPL machine. I haven't had to shave my armpits for years.... (ditto, leg, bikini etc). Anyway, I don't really want DD to start shaving as it's a bind (when I think of how many hours I wasted hacking my leg jungle...). Waxing is a pain (literally and time-wise to getting her booked in to a salon (I work full time)), so I'm considering using my IPL machine on her. Now, I'm aware it might not be permanent (hormones etc), but on the other hand it might be. But is there any chance she'd want leg hair in the future? Am I overthinking this? What do you do?
Thanks!

This his such an interesting post. My DD is also 10 and I've been wondering about body hair. Can I just ask - I have a "No No!" - is this an IPL? Sorry for my ignorance but I'm not even sure what IPL stands for!!

Wouldn't do anything permanent. When I was younger I was obsessed with removing every inch of body hair. Now I'm 26 and shave once a year, if that.

Salon IPL - if done with the proper equipment and by someone trained and qualified (as I am) is permanent.

Trading standards could have you for that. It’s simply not true.

IPL is not permanent, especially not the home devices. They are long acting though.

Chances are the ‘do not use on under 18’s’ are more to do with litigation and product testing ethics (the product has not been tested on minors and so they cannot say it is safe), than actual tested product safety.

When I say ‘long acting’, I mean you need to top up the IPL treatments every 2-3 months with an at home tool (like the Lumea), once you’ve done the initial course of 8-12 weeks. If you don’t keep up the maintenance, the hair will come back as the follicles will restart their normal growth cycle.

It is painful though and can cause skin reactions, especially on higher settings.

IPL is permanent hair removal. It is something I studied and worked with for many years. I understand the science of IPL and the biology of hair growth. The machines I worked with were nothing like anything you could use at home though.

I haven’t looked into any of the home machines because it is clear to me that they are not going to be able to work in the same way. From the comments here I’m guessing they are sold as temporary hair removal? I’m really not sure how that would work.

In my work I targeted the hair follicles and destroyed them. It’s very precise and I had a lot of medical training. We absolutely sold it as permanent hair removal and I had a huge clientele. (Lots of rich and famous people came to me too which was great fun and really interesting).

Once the hair follicle is destroyed it doesn’t come back. If the hair follicles can rebuild themselves after many years that would be an extremely exciting area for future scientific study but as far as I understand it that can’t happen.

My own IPL on my own body was done between 10 and 15 years ago. Full legs, bikini, underarm and moustache. I have never had anything grow back.

Be careful saying you had a lot of ‘medical training’, unless you are a medic.

I use Lumea (and think it's great), but don't you have to be careful with sun exposure to treated areas? I thought skin needed to be kept out of sunlight for a few weeks after treatment, due to increased UV sensitivity. It's not something I'd use on a child, TBH, especially if she's going to be outside a lot all summer.

I think a ladyshave would be the best entry-level option. It doesn't leave a perfect finish, but that's not so important at this stage, and it's safer than razors, creams etc.

Not sure why hair removal cream isn't getting more of a mention.

I use it on 10yo DD's legs every couple of weeks (thick dark hair) with great results. Any stragglers are dealt with by her gently rubbing her legs in a circular motion with a wet flannel in the shower straight after.

No pain (waxing), not threat of injury (razor) and no permanence (IPL).

I tried hair removal cream as a girl and even if I left it on 2 or 3 times recommended, it didn't work.

Different people have different hair I suppose.

This thread is eye opening, it's really sad that hair is such a big deal on women, all these women bullied as children, and a feeling its disgusting. I wish that it was a genuine choice but it isn't is it, its v heavily enforced by other people, by us confirming to each other its disgusting etc

OP apparently this device of yours is not permanent and if it doesn't hurt then that sounds good.

I'm another one who finds epilator excrutiationg... Again it prob depends on your hair!

I’m not a medic no. Yes medical training is probably the wrong way of explaining it. The training I had was with a team of doctors who ran all the training with us and we would have regular and rigorous training. It was more medical than beauty is what I meant to say. (Compared to all the other beauty treatments I studied which are very superficial- iPl was with doctors so a very different treatment).

Personally, hair removal cream worked right up til the point that I got chemical burns from the stuff within 2 minutes of putting it on. I suppose it was an allergic reaction after so many years, but it hurt for weeks afterwards - I'm thankful it was just my lower legs I had been doing at the time.

If it's safe to use on a child her age and that's what she wanted then yes, I'd personally do it.

I always get burns from hair removal cream.
Whereas waxing and sunbathing don't worry my legs at all.

Thank you all for your comments. I discussed it all again with DD and told her I wasn’t happy with making a long term decision yet.
We tried my epilator and that’s clearly a hard no, her priority was no pain. We popped to the shops and bought her an electric shaver. She knows where it is and I’ll leave it to her when she wants to use it.

I’ll talk to her again about permanent options in a few years (certainly post 16), but in the meantime she has a safe, pain free method of hair removal within her own control.

Thank you all so much for your advice.

People who are complaining about the pain of epilating: get your legs waxed first, then use the epilator weekly to keep up with the regrowth. It's uncomfortable but not painful (for me). Bonus: constantly being ripped out at the roots seems to have discouraged my leg hair.

Electrolysis is the only method of permanent hair removal. Wish someone had done it for me.

Electric shaver is fine choice OP :)

IPL is NOT permanent. Perhaps the people on here who claim that it is permanent can point to some proper published studies? I can't even find a single one that states that laser is permanent, let alone IPL.

IPL is most definitely not permanent. I had IPL done and the hair does come back and you need top up treatments.

I have a Lumea. Used it fortnightly on my armpits and bikini line for six months..... it never made the slightest difference ☹️. Waste of a lot of money for me.

I use an epilator now (silk-epil). I use it on my legs and bikini line but not armpits... they get a swipe with a razor in the shower. Epilating doesn’t cause me any pain at all but I do go for a bikini wax before holidays as it seems to last longer than home epilating.

For the people who don’t believe that professional salon IPL works, this is a couple of paragraphs from the manufacturer of the system I am trained in. Once a hair follicle is destroyed it won’t come back. This is very different from home kits. I have no idea how they work.

‘How does the Ellipse SWT/ laser hair removal treatment work?

To achieve long lasting or permanent hair removal, it is necessary to destroy the hair follicle from which individual hairs grow. Controlled pulses of light penetrate the epidermis and are absorbed by melanin in the hair contained in the follicle.

Melanin converts the light energy into heat. This heat is transferred to the hair follicle, which is destroyed, making it unable to produce a new hair. Hair in the resting (telogen stage) are treated later. The treatment is only effective on growing hairs as these are still attached to the follicle. This technique is called “Selective Photothermolysis”.

The visible light produced by Ellipse I²PL systems is carefully controlled to ensure the correct pulse length, wavelengths and right amount of energy to destroy the follicle.’

Marketing bumf from the manufacturer of these systems is not the same as rigorous independent studies.

I was just trying to explain the science behind it. It’s a very powerful and precise system that targets and destroys the hair follicles. That’s how it works and I’ve got a lot of experience and seen the results. It is more medical than aesthetic.

Would you believe that electrolysis works I wonder? Or laser? If so then you’ve understood the science of destruction of hair follicles but presumably you don’t believe that this is what IPL does? Or maybe you don’t believe hair follicles can be destroyed. Or maybe you believe they can regrow? Anyway I’ve studied this and am very experienced- and body hair free! It cost thousands though so that’s the downside.

A friend of mine had professional laser treatment over 10 years ago. She’s never had to “do” her legs, armpits or bikini line since! It was expensive though.