I'm so hairy, it's getting me down. Support needed!

[pandorasof]

Hi, I've always been a bit hairy but now in my mid 30's its getting worse. Would love to hear from people in the same boat?

I've tried everything to get rid of my hairy bits, sugaring, waxing, bleaching, plucking, electrolysis and more resently lazer hair removal. I often wax my arms, constantly shaving my legs and growing bikini line, now waxing upper lip and plucking chin practically every day.

I can't afford to go back for more IPL hair removal and am worried that the hair on my face is getting worse. Not only do I still have enough hair on my upper lip to wax every week but I now have a few patches on my chin that are getting quite thick, and I even have fluffy patches on my higher cheek bones!!! Untouched at the moment.

Any recommemdations of hair removal appreciated or just similar stories. How it effects your life, relationships, confidence etc.

Thanks

I'm 30 and hairy and dark too .. Dh calls me a Yeti

Tbh I get my eyebrow and top lip threaded and pull the hairs out of my chin and nipples etc with tweezers and shave my legs when I can be arsed, my puts every time I shower and leave my lady garden to nature because it'd just be too much like hard work to do anything else.. I might strim it occasionally.

My hairiness does get me down sometimes, it's usually my eyebrow which pisses me^ off the most cos it I don't get it threaded every ten days I literally look like a monster... I have nightmares about being stranded on a desert island and then being discovered after some months looking like something out of the lagoon and having to have press photos!! Can you tell I've thought about it a lot

I will have electrolyisis one day, my hairy mum's had it quite successfully.

Till then I just get on with it, I don't find it affects my confidence much unless my eyebrows require attention. I'm generally to lazy to care most of the time.. I'm
Not much of a groomer.

My dh is a hairy beast too, our kids are doomed.

Ps.. Eyebrow wasn't a typo. Without my lovely threader it would literally be an inch thick strip of thick black hair going from one side of my head to the other with no interruptions. Good look!

Good job I can laugh at myself !

Thanks for the reply, I did laugh at the desert island nightmare. I've resently had a chat with my best mate who agrees that if i ever end up in a coma she would come into hospital and pluck my chin for me, that's my worse area! If I wake up and look like a bloke i think it would be enough to send me back to the coma!

I've thought about that too!

I'm in the same boat, if not worse. I'm 41 and I have hair pretty much all over my face and neck, from the top of my cheekbones down and the buggers on my neck can get to about an inch long. I'm not talking about the odd random one either, I mean bloody loads of the buggers. My bikini line is a bit like I'm wearing mohair leiderhosen .

I had laser hair removal on my face for 6 sessions and it grew back worse but I am now having it again because, even as an ongoing method rather than a permanent solution it is more effective than anything else.

It's worth signing up to Groupon as they have a lot of very good special offers on IPL and laser hair removal. I am currently having 6 facial sessions for £99 and then was offered, by the salon, and additional area (which I chose my bikini line) for £129 for 6 sessions.

Annoyingly it makes me a bit spotty but not half as spotty as if I waxed as I get really bad ingrown hairs from that.

If we ever manage to get through a full term pregnancy the poor little blighter won't know which of us is his mum and which is his dad. Although, my OH is also rather hirsute so if we are struggling for money we can always send our offspring to join the circus as it's more than likely going to be like one of those mexican wolf children.

Joking aside, it does get me down and makes me feel pretty grim. Most of my friends say they don't notice it and I suspect that's true as they don't get as close to me as I do to the mirror, but I am a make up artist and have to get pretty close to my clients' faces and they must look at me and think "Urgh, she's hairy".

Found this link in a magazine but not had time to investigate. Might be helpful...

www.wecanfaceit.com/

Have you considered having a checkup to see if there's a hormonal component or some other factor at play such as:

Polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Tumor or cancer of the adrenal gland.
Tumor or cancer of the ovary.
Cushing's syndrome.
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
Hyperthecosis (a condition in which the ovaries produce too much male hormones).
Medications (testosterone, danazol, anabolic steroids, glucocorticoids, cyclosporine, minoxidil, phenytoin).
(List from here)

I share your pain! The best thing I've found for upper lip/chin is threading, but locally they only seem to do it in the middle of the shopping centre which is a bit embarrassing They also did my eyebrows and removed some from above the brow line too, which looked better. I didn't mind the passers by having a look while I had my eyebrows done but made the staff 'hide' me while she did my chin and lip - who wants to have that done in public???!!!!

I'd had a lip and chin wax about a week before the threading, but the girl was able to remove the really fine hairs that grow right under my bottom lip. Usually they get left behind when I have a wax - or parts of my bottom lip get ripped off. I was really impressed but need to find a salon that does it away from the public gaze!

I share your pain - I'm very pale with very dark hair and lots of it.

Funnily enough my sister and I have a pact that if one of us is in a coma /breaks both arms etc, we will sneak into hospital with wax and deal with all the hair removal.

No advice as it seems like a perpetual struggle - I need to shave legs, feet, toes and pits daily in the summer, epilate my arms, hands and fingers weekly and wax my tache and chin twice weekly.

I call my moustache Burt Reynolds.

Medical hypertrichosis aside, wouldnt if be wonderful if we lived in a world were we
didnt have to feel like hairless prepubescent girls to be attractive.

I've been waxing since 12, my mum finally relented after she found me crying with the pain of a chemical burn after using a trowel of Immac and leaving it on my Burt Reynolds for one hour. My brother learned never to call me Moustachio again.

I got a bit obsessed with hair removal in pregnancy, i got my second pre labour wax the day before my due date, i delivered 10 days late, i have a distinct morphine hazed memory of apoligising to the midwife as I was a bit stubbly.

Since DD came I think I have calmed down. I dont want her to see me constanltly scrutinising my Burt's nest and running to the beautician at the slightest 9 o'clock shadow.
Frieda Kahlo is an inspiration to me.

She was gorgoeus

I have spent time with many wonderful elderly ladies who have lots little tufts here and there (and everwhere), they are fabulous. Often dressed in fuschia, donning ridiculous hats, excess emerald eye shadow and purple nail polish, they dont give a hoot about their moustaches and bear legs.

I call the hair on my forearms Alec Baldwin

Frieda appears to have stolen my eyebrow!

I always used to be sensitive about how hairy I am - but I'm not embarrassed by it any more as I realise how hairy most of my friends are!

I recommend the full face threading that is done. Brilliant, fast - though a bit ouchy. I couldn't have IPL done because it was too painful.

I've seen plenty of women have full face done in the middle of a shop - you could just go for it. These tend to be pricier places though - £10 - £20 for eyebrow alone - and it is much much cheaper to find little beauticians that do it. In Streatham there's a place that does eyebrows for £4.

Hello hairy ladies -didn't realise there were so many of you out there. I pity you each and every one, can't imagine the embarrassment and shame!

I jest of course! Such a relief to read this. I could have written each and everyone of those posts but must admit it's never occured to me to name my hairy areas - inspirational and comforting to know I'm amongst friends!

Had a panicky moment there when laptop went weird and froze and I thought that I wasn't going to be able to post my second post explaining that I too am a hairy lady. Thought I might get permanently banned from MN over an innocent joke!

Re the coma and desert island traumas - I too have had those very thoughts but you have spurred me on - I will have to have fixed and firm strategies in place. A rota, with designated people to come in in shifts - Ill get in drawn up and signed by the end of next week.

Oh no - this isn't comforting and reassuring at all - it is panic attack inducing!

HAVING KITTENS - very sorry if you have had repeated miscarriages - I did with polycystic ovarian syndrome (one cause of facial hair). After 3, I saw a specialist gynecologist and was put on metformin, high dose folic acid and various vit B type supplements, got preggers almost immediately and had a lovely DS (and I was over 40 at the time). It is well worth pursuing this medically with some vigour (if you have not already).

I am like this too, I bleach most of it - face, arms, chest even! Then I feel better, its still there but not so noticeable. I would love it all gone but cant be arsed. Its fine but dark and when I bleach it I can see how much less noticeable it is, and I am happy with that.

I shave legs and under arms and bikini line.

Pluck any dark wirey hairs that appear on neck - have 3 regular ones

And thats it. I would love to click my fingers and be hair free, its not going to happen. Or I could spend ages getting rid of it all - tbh I cant be arsed. Maybe if I was ruch I could pay someone to do it for me. I guess you need to find a level of removal thats manageable and you are happy with.

A lot of it I found is to do with self confidence. I always thought if I had no body hair would be so much more confident.

I know this sounds a bit of a twisted way to think about things but it helps me if I am feeling down about it. Think about people with severe facial disfigurements (not sure if thats the correct term, I dont mean any offence) and I just think I look ok, I can get the hair as least noticeable as I can for me. Anyone close enough/with me enough to notice how bad it is should be close enough to accept it. iykwim?

There just doesnt seem to be anything thats going to get rid of it all/stop it (well nothing in my price/time range anyway) so I just think if I can manage it to a level that I am ok with, then there are other things I can do to make myself feel better.

employmentlawquery thanks, I've actually been scanned repeatedly for PCOS and don't have it, nor any thyroid issues. I was convinced I must have one or the other due to being quite hairy and spotty (Mmmm) but they never found a reason for the former, nor the miscarriages. I am on 5mg Folic Acid, and Vitamins B & D but that didn't help last time. Hoping to go and have NK Cell testing next. But I guess that's all for a different thread!

Have any of you considered home laser treatments? I had some salon treatments done (underarm - the only bit where I have darker hair so the only bit where laser will work) - it was very effective, but I also bought a home device which has been more convenient and cost effective. I've got the Boots one but there are various out there.

I had considered laser, I've even had a couple of patch tests. My concerns is that i also have vitligo. I'm not willing to put myself at risk of permenantly white patches of skin.

Thanks for all the messages, good to know i'm not alone but I guess there is never an easy solution to this problem.

Constant preening and trying to have more confidence is the way forward.

It's amazing how therapeutic it is to read all your messages and realise that we 'moustacheod ones' are not alone!!
I've just had my first IPL treatment and have decided that I'm just going to tackle it one area at a time - my hairy chin and bikini line being the first priorities!! I've been to No+Vello in London after a friend recommended their pricing. Each session is £39 so you know exactly what your paying for and they've told me I'll need 10-12 sessions for my upper lip/chin about a month apart and 6-8 for the bikini.
A few messages on here seem to imply that the treatment doesn't work but let's face it - I've tried everything else and think I owe it a go.. will keep you posted.
They do men as well and thinking of signing up my fella to have his back done at the same time
PS it didn't hurt at all - slight twinge on my bikini line but nothing compared to waxing!!

Not got that much to add that's productive, but had to join in as a woman of some hirstuteness and say how nice it is to come across other women in a similar situation. I'm hairy of arm, leg and face. Arms and legs have basically been ignored for months under clothing, but I still have to give my chin / upper lip some attention most days (also have two odd little patches just below my cheekbones, in the lower part of my cheek).

Nowadays it bothers me less, mainly due to the efforts I've gone to to convince myself that other people are unlikely to care / notice. But I wish society was a bit friendlier to women who are not virtually hairless ... I've found hanging out on the feminism boards has helped me get cross about this.

OT, but: oddly enough, I also experienced RPL before having my two DDs. Ended up on progesterone, 5mg folic acid, 5mg prednisolone, 75mg aspirin and daily injections but it did the trick. I also wondered a lot about PCOS but had bloods / scans and doesn't seem to be an issue for me. There's so many unknowns about pregnancy loss ...