Hiding the effects of shaving

Sweetly · 03-17-2008, 02:56 AM

I see lots of threads here about shaving/waxing, but i'm curious about what your skin condition is.

I've been shaving my upper lip/chin/neck/chest for almost 10 years. My biggest problem area is my neck (where I could basically grow a beard) and over the last few years the condition of my skin in this area is terrible.
I work in the makeup/skin care industry yet I have no idea what to do to help the problem.

I have to shave everyday or it's very noticable. The skin on my neck/throat has become very irritated and shaving has become almost painful sometimes.
It used to be a simple 30 seconds in the shower each morning, but it seems like the hair now just doesn't want to come off. No matter how many times I go over it with the razor, it's still stubbly (same with my legs) and I always have the infamous "black dots" that make it obvious that I shave. I can deal with redness, but the bumpy/stubbly skin looks horrible and i've been so depressed lately that I rarely want to leave my house for fear of everyone knowing.

Makeup only does so much, and piling it on makes it worse. I exfoliate very frequently to help keep ingrown hairs away, but I still get them. I've tried different razors, soaps, and creams...but nothing seems to make it any better. Recently my skin there has become increasingly itchy as well.

I've been married for 4 years and my husband and I have never spoken about my hair problem. I'm sure he's noticed, he'd be blind if he hadn't. But it's just not something I can bring myself to talk to him about. I think i'd have an anxiety attack if I did. I'd like to keep this from being as obvious as it's apparently getting...

Please help!
What do you ladies do? Is yours as noticable as mine seems to be?

Eva37 · 03-17-2008, 09:32 AM

i have spiro tablets, which does seem to help. But i stil have to shave my face each day. I shave it three way - then put on lots and lots of moisturiser, then my foundation after that.

eva

melsreturn · 03-17-2008, 01:22 PM

You will think this is strange, but I always wondered IF men who want to be women can hide their beards, then surely there is a way to hide mine! So I studied, and men who dress up as women often use an orange red lipstick to put on the effected beard/hair area. I used this technique for a long time. It counteracts the black hair look on the skin, and then I put my foundation over it. Just blob the reddish lipstick (use a cheap one like Wet & Wild) on the skin, tap it in, smooth out and then use concealer and foundation over it. Believe it or not, it did help.

I also used Vaniqua for a long time. I used 100 mg of Spironolactone daily and THIS cut down the hair growth tremendously. I then started getting laser hair removal treatments. All of that helped a lot, but then when I went off of Spironolactone, the male hormone was no longer being blocked and hair grew back. I am starting the med again and having laser hair removal at the present time. Can't wait to see those wonderful results again!

Sweetly · 03-17-2008, 02:14 PM

Thanks to both of you!

I'll definately try the lipstick trick. At this point i'm willing to try anything. haha
I wish I could afford laser removal but it's just so expensive. I have a dr appointment in 2 weeks so I think i'm going to see about getting back on Spironolactone.

Are there other medications that help with the hair? My doctor really hasn't been very helpful in treating the hair problem and I really don't know what to ask for.
Also, how long before you see results with the Sprionalactone or other medications?

AboveTheExtreme · 03-17-2008, 07:34 PM

this just may be me.. but i noticed a change in the hiar about a month after i started it.. over a course of a year i myself didn't really feel any better.. (by the time i started taking the medication i had a very low amount of self esteem) so i just quit taking it cold turkey and now i have facial hair and body hair like you wouldn't believe i feel like an ape... i hope the lipstick trick works.. let me know if it does.. like you said at this point your willing to try anything.. i'll do anything to make it less noticeable that i shave my face.

jc1978 · 03-19-2008, 07:06 PM

I totally know how you feel. The hair on my chin cheeks, mustache and neck were so bad, it looked as though my skin was going gray in the areas that I shaved and looked even more prominent with make up.

i would have to shave 2x a day so people wouldn't notice but some still did. Only thing that has thinned it out for me is laser. It is expensive but worth it in my opinion for my self esteem. What you could do is get a few laser treatments to thin it out enough and go for electrolysis or wax once it's thin enough.

That idea with the lipstick sounds good too.

tashamarie · 03-19-2008, 07:45 PM

I was just going to ask this question myself, I am so happy to read it. I too have to shave daily on my chin, neck and upper lip. I buy some really expensive razors for this and still get all the red bumps, sometimes bleeding, and all the left over black dots.
It is embarrassing, where I work there is this lady who also has the same problems, but she does nothing, they are all over her chin and they stick out of her scrub top and it is hard as I sit there and hear everyone make fun of her, I feel like both a bad person for listening to it and embarrassed because I am the exact same.
The other night I had a hair breakdown and just started plucking and plucking, I got hundreds of the little buggers, but not on my neck, I really only managed one side of my chin, it took hours.
Spiro helped my thigh area lol and that was it.

mistyr · 03-20-2008, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melsreturn

You will think this is strange, but I always wondered IF men who want to be women can hide their beards, then surely there is a way to hide mine! So I studied, and men who dress up as women often use an orange red lipstick to put on the effected beard/hair area. I used this technique for a long time. It counteracts the black hair look on the skin, and then I put my foundation over it. Just blob the reddish lipstick (use a cheap one like Wet & Wild) on the skin, tap it in, smooth out and then use concealer and foundation over it. Believe it or not, it did help.

I have used the lipstick trick on occasion to hide tattoos. I used to do a lot of makeup jobs for weddings and such. It works like a charm, especially if you mix with something hardcore, like Dermablend. I never attempted to use it on a face. I never had occasion to, and probably wouldn't have felt confident about it's lasting power.
If you are familiar with the color wheel, it's a pretty simple concept to master. Basically, you use the opposite of the color that you are trying to conceal. The most typically used are combos like orange over blue (dark circles), yellow to purple (bruise) or vice versa for sallow skin, and green to red (acne).

I never thought of using it in terms of covering facial hair shadow, but it might be do-able with the right product. Several brands put together concealor corrector pallettes with shades of orange/peach, lavender/purple, green and yellow. You may want have a look around for them next time you're near a Sephora or Ulta. I've seen them in ranges for light and deeper skintones. It might be worth a shot to see.

evadestruction · 03-20-2008, 10:21 AM

hi eva37, remember me...? not been on here for ages but as usual, its facial hair issues that are killing me too! i am gorrilla girrrllll!!!!! hahaha! i got sick of using tablets and creams and just stick to my trusty razor but always checking on here for tips and advice and find it most valuable, so keep in touch with the site folks! always cheers me up too if nothing else! peace!

AboveTheExtreme · 03-20-2008, 11:03 AM

i've thought about carrying a small travel can of shaving cream and a razor in my hobo bag.. for those times where i just don't have the time to do it..

PBLayzod · 03-20-2008, 12:00 PM

I have very pale sensitive skin and almost black hair. I shave my upper lip every day while in the shower. I've done it for years and only occasionally have a reaction of some sort. If I get a tough wisker or two, I'll pluck them. For the rest of the face I use a personal trimmer. They used to advertise them on TV, but now they sell them in all the drug stores. It doesn't get you to smooth, but at least you don't have stubble. Then I pluck the black hairs that stand out after that. Mostly those are on my chin and just under my chin. Finally, I'll feel for any white whiskers. I'm not hair free after this, but I feel like it keeps things from being obvious.

One day (hopefully soon) I'd do laser. I've found a place that's $100 a session for lip and chin if you only buy 1 session at a time. It's cheaper, of course, for a package deal. It's worth it to not spend 30+ minutes a day dealing with facial hair.

AboveTheExtreme · 03-20-2008, 12:31 PM

the black hairs on my chin are what bother me.. but i have tons of fine white hairs.. some long some short.. and for some reason they don't bother me.. but the black ones do .. when i see them i pluck them.. but as far as my sideburns and neck.. i have too many little black stubbies to pluck.. i just wish i could find a good razor that works to give me a soft feel for a few days.. im currently using the cheap disposable razors and they seem to work but by the end of the night im stubbly again.. but i don't want to fork out a ton of money on all these razors if they don't work..

KimberlyMillions · 03-20-2008, 01:48 PM

LASER!

It's the best thing for longer lasting effects from that dark hair shadow...I just scraped up the money for my latest laser session and boy did it do wonders for my self esteem...I plan on scraping up just enough for one more session so that I can make the transition into summer without feeling ugly or insisting on wearing my hair out on hot & humid days.

Laser helps to minimize that dark shadowy effect from the hair growth...I wish that I can do the rest of my unsavory body parts. But the face is a good start; it's the first thing that people see!

But if you must shave it, I reccommend the Schick Silk Effects Razor and Caress Tahitian Body Wash to use as a shaving gel...I found that this keeps the skin smooth...this razor shaves the hair off gently and I rarely get bumps and cuts. Also, the hair doesnt itch when it grows back on the face and arm pits! It's probably too gentle to use on tougher parts with courser hair.

Beautiful*sista · 03-20-2008, 07:43 PM

I can relate. I having been shaving since I was about 15 years old and I had these very very dark spots and razor bumps. I now get laser hair removal which helped with the spots and bumps. also I used some skin lightner and razor bump treatment dssigned for men!

sugarbabygirl28 · 03-01-2009, 05:31 PM

i also have the same problem but with razor bumps i have tried everything under the sun...but honestly a really good trick that i use is LANACANE.... the itch medicine. It works beautifully on my face to help with razor burn and it gives you a anti bacterial layer so you dont get infections from the makeup and it helps the redness and burning.