Permanent Hair Removal

[Anne Charlotte]

I hate body hair anywhere except on my head.

I keep it all shaved, but would love to know if anyone out there has 'gone all the way' and had it removed for ever.

If so, what method did you use, and how much did it cost ?

Is there any merit in hormone growth reduction creams ? or are they just a gimmick ?

LOL Anne

[Ava Mouse]

Kalo has reduced some hair for me, but I can't afford to soak in it as much as I'd need to. I plan on buying some more soon.

I've tried the One Touch electrolysis, which works, but leaves dark freckles for a long time. It's also very tricky to use, and requires patience and skill.

[Aly Cooke]

I have had 3 sessions of laser removal on my beard area, I have to say it really hurts, but I did have a really heavy thick beard so it might be just me.

It's a lot thinner now, I have another 3 treatments to completely remove it.

I am really happy with the results and will have my chest done next I think, if I can handle the pain!

[Bernadina]

Another look at total hair removal.

I'd love to be totally permanently hairless from nose to toes, but there is a down side.

If I understand it correctly, the body uses our hair (and also nails) to deposit heavy metal toxins and effectively expel them from the body. The less hair we have, the more toxins get retained.

Given the high level of lead, mercury and other nasties in our so called civilized environment, I would want to keep enough hair around to help me stay a health girl.

I suspect that some permanent hair removal is OK and then just shave the rest.


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[clarissa3d]

I have had 3 sessions of laser removal on my beard area, I have to say it really hurts, but I did have a really heavy thick beard so it might be just me.

It's a lot thinner now, I have another 3 treatments to completely remove it.

I am really happy with the results and will have my chest done next I think, if I can handle the pain!

How much does it cost for the beard removeal?

[AmyCarter]

I have been using an emjoi rotary epilator for the past 5 years or so and it really does seem to have diminished the amount of hair re-growth. It's quite a bit more painfull than waxing but loads cheaper. I use it everywhere except my scrotum, rear, and rarely my knees. For some reason my knees are so much more sensitive than my face. I love it and would stand by the product any day. The rechargeable battery kind is better.

[Shy Charlotte]

Heya gals,

Just curious if anyone's had any experience using the Igia permanent hair removal system. From what I ascertain it has tiny clips that attach to the hair, then emit a radiowave that "kills" the hair at the source (sounds somewhat carcinogenic now that I think about it).

Is it painful? (I think I was taught a new meaning of pain when I tried my mom's Epilady a few years ago. I think it was invented by a descendant of Torquemada). And if anyone's used it, is it permanent, and are there any side effects?

Just curious.

[Alayna]

I have been using an emjoi rotary epilator for the past 5 years or so and it really does seem to have diminished the amount of hair re-growth. It's quite a bit more painfull than waxing but loads cheaper. I use it everywhere except my scrotum, rear, and rarely my knees. For some reason my knees are so much more sensitive than my face. I love it and would stand by the product any day. The rechargeable battery kind is better.
I just got an epilator (Braun) yesterday and I've been *patiently* using it (I'm actually taking a break from it right now, sitting next to a bottle of scotch trying to ready myself for the next patch). OOOOOWWWWWWW! I know it's supposed to get better with time, but damn it hurts, especially on the backs of the legs and tummy! I also noticed something interesting while tweezing some hair the epilator couldn't reach: It seems I have more than one hair per follicle. I pull one out and then magically another one appears in the same spot! I finally realized that there are a couple there and sometimes the 2nd one is just a bit shorter than the first so it gets missed. Does anyone else have this problem??!!!

[babe4life]

I just got an epilator (Braun) yesterday and I've been *patiently* using it (I'm actually taking a break from it right now, sitting next to a bottle of scotch trying to ready myself for the next patch). OOOOOWWWWWWW! I know it's supposed to get better with time, but damn it hurts, especially on the backs of the legs and tummy!

I eventually couldn't handle the pain and threw it away! It just hurt too much! How does anyone stand it!? LOL

[Teddie]

I eventually couldn't handle the pain and threw it away! It just hurt too much! How does anyone stand it!? LOL

Honey,

Sometimes you have to suffer to be beautiful. I've used one for years, now along with some of the new moisturizers, and the hair is finer and sparser. Also, easier to remove.

[Aly Cooke]

Laser removal costs about £100 as session in the UK, you can probably get it cheaper if tyou shop around. I tried the epilator and the pain in almost as bad as the laser, but at least with the laser someone else inflicts the pain, so once you have started you have to see it through, also the hair is dead for good.

[Ava Mouse]

STOP taking off so much hair at a time with rotary epilators! The problem here is it tries to grab too much hair and either breaks the hair or tugs and slips on it. This hurts more than simply pulling the hair out. Cut your hair short first, then use the epilator machines. This way, it pulls less at a time, which hurts less.

Think feminine and stop trying to brute force hair removal. Believe me, I learned the hard way. :o

[Alayna]

Think feminine and stop trying to brute force hair removal. Believe me, I learned the hard way. :o
I didn't even have a chance to force it - the reason I got an epilator is because I've tried waxing, sugaring, and shaving in the last week and was starting to get fed up. I tried this because it removes hair at the root AND the hairs can as short as .5 mm. I'm just not real good at handling pain;) , but after hours upon days I'm starting to see a difference. The hair on my lower legs is almost gone! What a nightmare session on my thighs tonight though!!!

[babe4life]

Before you try any of these methods be aware that IT HURTS REALLY REALLY BAD!!!!! and you're paying a lot for that pain so you better be sure it's what you really want! :)

Oh my. All the people that advertise here talk about a "slight tingling sensation" - it doesn't sound so slight to me after listening to what you saying!! :eek: I think they use a topical anasthetic though.

I really, really want to have my face done at the very least (I HATE SHAVING), but I am now debating on where to save up for the pshrink or the face. Choices, choices :D

[crispy]

I find most forms of hair removal result in a significant number of ingrowing hairs, and they can be nasty, especially if you can't get at them.
- Does the same thing happen with the epilator?
- Is there any way to avoid it?

[Ava Mouse]

I find most forms of hair removal result in a significant number of ingrowing hairs, and they can be nasty, especially if you can't get at them.
- Does the same thing happen with the epilator?
Yes, it can, but much less often than shaving. Shaving cuts the hair sharp and the hair digs back into the skin, but epilating breaks hair near the root and hair is more likely to grow out naturally.



- Is there any way to avoid it?
Not 100%, at least for me. A rough loofa sponge helps remove dead skin that can clog follicles and trap hair. It will also free up surface ingrown hairs. After this, moisturize with a lotion.

I find that epilating is bad for my arms, I get lots of acne, but best for my legs, which are extremely painful after shaving, for the reasons above. So, I shave my arms and epilate my legs and everyone is happy. :)

[Lily_gg]

Ok, first thing:

Any method of hair removal that completely pulls the whole hair out of the follicle (waxing, sugaring, epilating) will hurt like crazy the first time, and possibly the second, third, fourth etc etc. I personally don't epilate my legs - tried it a few times, too painful! :eek: Underarms I could cope with doing, but am now having them lasered instead, more of which in a minute. Buuuut, anything that pulls out the hair in this way will get less painful, as the follicles are slowly degraded, the new hairs will be weaker, and the 'hold' on them will also be weaker, so it's easier to pull them out. Think about plucking your eyebrows - there are some hairs that I don't even feel come out! However, there are problems with ingrowns...

Shaving - tends to be the quickest, easiest, and shortest lasting. Most people experience the least problems with ingrown hairs with shaving (shave against the direction of growth girls, up the leg!).

Depilatory creams, like Nair, Immac etc - personally, I find these don't work. At all. After the maximum allowable time, my very dark hairs are thinner, but definitely still there. So, hmmmm. :(

Laser/electrolysis - never had electrolysis, but I'm guessing it hurts like laser does. As someone else is doing it, I find I can cope - close your eyes and force yourself to relax! Also, pain thresholds are apparently higher in the morning, after a good night's sleep, so try and book sessions in the morning.

Waxing, epilating etc hurt less in the morning too, preferably after a nice soak in a hot shower/bath, to open the follicles up a bit. Exfoliate really well beforehand, and for waxing, dust yourself with talcum powder - helps the wax grab just the hairs, so better result, less pain. ;)

Ingrowns: exfoliate really really well! Loofah, exfoliating scrubs, dry body brushing are all good for both your skin and your circulation (massage in circles, towards the heart - good circulation = better looking skin, and less cellulite!). You can also get some moisturising creams that supposedly help prevent ingrowns - I wouldn't know about these, but could be worth a try.

Slight hair left after facial electrolysis - if you have a slight, fine-haired, moustache, you can discover a whole new girlie joy - facial bleach! Lots of ggs have some dark hair somewhere on their bodies that they hate (no-one has a perfectly hairless face, the hair is just fine enough that you can't see it on most people), and there are all sorts of bleaching products out there designed specially for this purpose. Look in the hair removal section of your local pharmacy.

So, hope all that helps a little, and as I've said before - indulge yourselves in a truly girlie way and subscribe to a girlie magazine (or regularly 'borrow' one you like from your mother/sister/girlfriend/wife/etc) - they have all sorts of tips on everything from make up to hair removal (especially coming up to summer time, as we all want to be smooth for the beach!). :D

Lily
*hugs*

[Lily_gg]

Pain relief - I'm sure I read somewhere that using topical anaesthesia can actually increase the pain felt later on (or perception of it), when it wears off, although that was referring to piercing, which does actually hurt afterwards - I find the laser pain is instant, and then gone.

Maybe they like you to feel you're really paying for something? Especially since with laser you don't see the results for a little while afterwards... :p

[JoannaDees]

I find the laser on my back, shoulder, chest and abs hardly any pain ... maybe the light hair? I do feel the needle zap. However, just started facial and that does hurt. But the pain does not persist with me. So, to each her own pain threshold, so don't let laser scare you ... except the price!

While on that subject, why the heck AM I doing my face? Will I make myself always girlie in the future? I am on other groups and one GG was distressed about her SO doing the face, because it was part of the "male" part of him/her. Am I going too far, too deep? Rambling here. I guess because I'm in that "been there, done that relationship" thing and I'm running scared.

[GraceUSA]

There was an article in I think GQ a few months ago about how more men are going for hair removal. The said that they're getting face, chest, back, arms, and legs done basically going hairless. So you can tell the GG on that other forum not to worry. :)

I wonder how many of those men are realy CDers and not wanting to admit it. :)

Grace

[babe4life]

LOL.

There was a nice article not so long ago about how the new metrosexuals were now indulging in facials and so on.

Heck, I must have been a trendsetter all those years ago! I loved going for my monthly facial. Oh those were the days ... :)

Love,
Vicky

[JoannaDees]

Ha ha! Oh my! I AM ONE OF THOSE!!! The RN asked me why I was doing it, said the usual ... don't want to shave, want to feel the soft skin to skin ... etceteras. All the time I was thinking, "Because I want to be able to look more femme!". Am I a bad boy ... girl?

[Rebecca Jeanne]

Thanks for the tip on facial bleaching Lilly. I have never heard of this. Even after a close shave I still need quite a bit of cover and foundation.

[Lily_gg]

Ahhh, that'd be because the ggs keep it quiet - we don't want our men to find out about things like that, we want them to believe we're naturally 100% gorgeous ALL the time! :p

[babe4life]

Ah, the joy and admiration I have for you Lily ... :D

Bring on the secrets! I need every last advantage I can get ;)

Love,
Vicky

[Lily_gg]

Secrets?! What secrets? I'm not telling anyone any secrets!!!

Really, I'm not, they're discovering it for themselves, honest guv!!!

D'you have any idea how much trouble I'm in if the rest of the ggs in the world find out I'm telling you this stuff?! :D

I guess you all already know about nail varnish and pantyhose/tights/stockings ladders/runs?... And that lemon juice (well, rubbing on a piece of lemon) is good for removing dark nail varnish stains if you're so naughty as to paint your nails without base coat? (moral of the tale: always use base coat. Preferably one that smoothes all the bumps and ridges out). Ummm, what else do I know? Hmmm. At the moment, not a lot I don't think - too tired!!!

Will be back with more tips as and when I remember/find them... Unless anyone fancies prompting me with a question or two? ;)

[DanaJ]

I was going to get a complete laser treatment for my face/neck area for free a few years ago in exchange for doing a webpage for the laser lady. I only got one treatment (she flaked out on me and changed her mind about the webpage) and it did hurt, but not unbearably so. I noticed absolutely no difference after one treatment, but I realize that it does take a lot of treatments before that happens.

As far as a good coverage foundation, I have a secret what my makeover lady uses on me - sshhhhh - I'll start a new thead about it :)

DanaJ

[layme]

Hi Im Michel. And I have problems shaving around my genitals. I get bumps and get irritated! What should I do??? Please help!

[LindaTS]

How much does it cost for the beard removeal?

Here's a web site that gives a little info. on costs. I'm sure that it varies with location, etc. www.philadelphiahairremover.com. And I've found several other web sites where you can get information about all of this,

[Paula A]

Michel

Don't shave them then.

no really - its nice to be smooth but since this is new to you your er.. area and it is not yet conditioned for continous shaving, start out a slow, let it heal up and then shave again and they will go away eventually as your skin get used to the abuse.

I see in your avatar that you want to get layed?

Go to Hawii. You'll get one when you step off the plain. LOL :D

[ChristineRenee]

I hate body hair anywhere except on my head.

I keep it all shaved, but would love to know if anyone out there has 'gone all the way' and had it removed for ever.

If so, what method did you use, and how much did it cost ?

Is there any merit in hormone growth reduction creams ? or are they just a gimmick ?

LOL AnneI shave it all off except on my head. I hate body hair too Anne..always have. I've tried hormone growth reduction creams..they do help to minimize and lighten the growth but only laser would remove it forever and I would have to believe that it is a pretty expensive way to go for the average CD. I'm on HRT and taking spironolactone which is an anti-androgen. It blocks testosterone which allows the estrogen (premarin) I take to be more effective. Also, I'm not into waxing either...guess I'm just a wussy but I find that too painful and time consuming, even more so than shaving.

Sorry I have no easy answers for you Anne as it is a battle we all face everyday....some more severly than others I'm afraid.

Love,
Christine Renee

[Rachel_740]

Hi Anne,

I am currently having my face done by laser hair removal at my local Nuffield hospital. I have now had 3 sessions and the results are very good, but then I'm an ideal candidate with fair skin and dark hair. It's not cheap either - but loads cheaper than the local beauty salon.

Rachel

[Bobbie Lee]

Hair?
Heya gals
Just curious if anyone's had any experience using the Igia permanent hair removal system. From what I ascertain it has tiny clips that attach to the hair, then emit a radiowave that "kills" the hair at the source (sounds somewhat carcinogenic now that I think about it).

Is it painful? (I think I was taught a new meaning of pain when I tried my mom's Epilady a few years ago. I think it was invented by a descendant of Torquemada). And if anyone's used it, is it permanent, and are there any side effects?

Just curious.
undefined
not heard of tIgia yet? what is it? anyone know about removing hair slowly over a long pwriod of time? Bobbie Lee

[Helana]

Just one word of caution about laser - I have read several reports of people (especially for beard cover) who had no growth for 12 months after treatments then it started to grow again. This is known as laser waxing. Laser is still not proven to be permanent but it is the best option out there for the time being, especially for body hair.

As for the cost, you ladies should work out how much you will spend on razors and shaving foam over your lifetime - it works out as a greater cost than having laser/electrolysis.

eg. $10 a month = $120 a year x 50 years = $6,000

[Bobbie Lee]

I have a lot of face hair and thinking about the laser method. What does it cost and how many treatments does it take, did it hurt really bad?

[Natasha Anne]

I gave up on laser after about 15 sessions! I resort to plucking and an epilator.

Laser reduced the hair in my cheek area markedly, but my neck, moustache and chin are not so clear.

The last 5 times the laser was set to it's highest settings.

You can read about my experiences on my home page at http://www.mascarabrush.com

[Helana]

There is something to aware of with laser. Unless you are on hormones then your body is pumping out testosterone which instructs hair folicles to grow. Often with laser treatments the hair folicle is not totally destroyed, just damaged. If you don't have testosterone (ie GGs and GRS girls) then damaged folicles is usually sufficent to stop the hair growing but in men the testosterone actively promotes hair growth and the body rejuvenates the damaged hair follicle and after a few months the hair begins growing again.

Basically the more testosterone in your body the less permanent the treatment. Testosterone levels peak in men at age 18 and then go into a gradual decline for the remainder of our lives. Laser clinics reckon that men under 35 still have too much testosterone so hair regrowth after treatments is expected. Over 35 and you should have better results.

I was thinking that if you can do it, you may want to think about taking an anti-testosterone blocker to negate its influence so your damaged hair does not get instructions to regrow. These blockers do not feminize the body they simply prevent your body responding to testosterone instructions. I am only guessing but I think taking blockers in the weeks and even months after laser treatments may help prevent regrowth

I guess the message is - the older you are, the better the expected results, but in all likelihood, some hairs will begin growing again after a period of dormancy unless you block the testosterone. Also you should ask for the maximum setting on the laser so that more folicles are destroyed rather than just damaged.

[Helana]

I gave up on laser after about 15 sessions! I resort to plucking and an epilator.

Laser reduced the hair in my cheek area markedly, but my neck, moustache and chin are not so clear.

The last 5 times the laser was set to it's highest settings.

You can read about my experiences on my home page at http://www.mascarabrush.com

There are many different models out there operating with different wavelengths and power outputs. You may want to consider going to another clinic with a different brand and trying again. The manufacturers claim that the effectiveness of the newer lasers is better than the old ones as this is really a new market and they are still learning themselves how to improve their product.