Can I do this? Is there anything out there that would soften it? My leg hair isnt as rough as my face. *I have a full beard*
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Officially diagnosed 2006
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I've just started using Aveeno Positively Smooth moisturizer on my upper lip and it seems to be helping a little. It doesn't feel as coarse to me. I got the moisturizer at Wal Mart for around $12. Good luck! http://www.aveeno.com/detailAction.do?id=3850
Do you shave it or pluck it or wax it... anytime you cut the hair off at the surface (shaving) you are helping it to grow faster, thicker, darker. So plucking or using something like Nads will pull the hair out at the root causing it to grow back thinner over time. Alot of people are also saying that Aldactone (RX med) also works and Vaniqa (also Rx.) Ask your doc to get you on one if you are interested in that.
KEVINSGIRL: I just read an old post that you left last year saying that you took dilantin for seizures when you were younger. I just wanted to let you know that while there have been some findings that one certain drug may cause PCOS, dilantin isn't it. (I'll let you know if I remember the name of it). I also took dilantin when I was small (for something else) and then more seizure meds when I got older. My neuro told me that it isn't the meds causing the hair growth. She said that seizures mess with your inner wiring and cause PCOS in 40% of epileptic women. There is still hardly no info out there about it, but she and her coleagues are trying write a medical journal about it right now. I'll let you know if I hear any more. All this just to say, don't jump to the conclusion about your meds. it may be the ep instead.
Actually shaving does not make it come in thicker, coarser or faster.. it cuts the hair bluntly, which causes it to feel very rough... Plucking isn't a good Idea in my opinion.. it actually causes a lot of scaring and actually makes the skin tougher and you will notice more problems then with shaving. Waxing I can't comment on because I don't do it... but using moisterizers that slow hair growth could be a good option for you. It isn't going to end the battle but might help it.
All I know is my personal experience (and the experience of everyone around me). The hair used to be thin and blond - I shaved it - it grew in thick and black. Period. Can't argue with someone's personal testimony no matter what the logic may be.
All I know is my personal experience (and the experience of everyone around me). The hair used to be thin and blond - I shaved it - it grew in thick and black. Period. Can't argue with someone's personal testimony no matter what the logic may be.
Was there other similar hair that you didn't shave that stayed thin and blond?
Hormonally-driven hair growth gets worse over time regardless of whether you mechanically remove it or not, so your increased hair growth after shaving may have been a coincidence. (Especially if you decided to start shaving because the hair was getting worse!)
Well, I was mostly talking about leg hair. It used to be long and thin and soft, exactly like the hair on my arms is right now. I still remember my mom telling me not to shave my legs cuz it would grow back thick and dark. LOL. Since when do teenagers ever listen to there moms. But the hair on my arms hasn't changed at all. I suppose there is a slight chance it could be a coincidence. Who knows. What's done is done. I am still looking into all the different hair removal/thinning options and trying to figure out what's best for me. I have never had any scarring with plucking though. I can't figure out how someone could scar from that. You'd have to pluck your skin off, I would think. My skin stays nice and smooth if I pluck and hard and rough like a man if I shave. All I know is, I would really like a hair free face. I am sick of feeling like the bearded lady in the circus.
I am so with you on the frustration! Though at this point my acne and hair loss are more bothersome to me than the hirsutism. Although currently I shave my toes, whole legs, stomach, underarms, fingers, hands, and lower arms, pluck my chin and breasts, and get my upper lip threaded, so I would actually love to have back some of the time I spend doing all that!
I think the problems with scarring mostly come from hairs that become ingrown as they're growing back after being plucked. Ingrown hairs can cause a great deal of inflammation, and digging them out can also cause skin injury.
I suppose skin damage also sometimes occurs just from plucking out a hair with a particularly large root.
I have never had any scarring with plucking though. I can't figure out how someone could scar from that. You'd have to pluck your skin off, I would think. My skin stays nice and smooth if I pluck and hard and rough like a man if I shave. All I know is, I would really like a hair free face. I am sick of feeling like the bearded lady in the circus.
I assume she meant that a lot of people get ingrown hairs when they pluck, and ingrowns lead to scarring. Luckily mine don't scar, on my face anyway, but I've read a lot of women on here talking about it. I've only ever gotten one scar from an ingrown, and that is on my nipple Grrrrr!
To the OP, I've never found anything that softened it. I just shave it as often as possible.
I was specifically talking about FACIAL growth.. which in my situation changes with my hormones... I have never seen shaving as a problem with hair growth, My problems got worse, WHEN I started plucking. never when shaving.. My cheek, lip area is fine... BUT my chin and neck area is so messed up from plucking, the hairs do not want to come out, and when your plucking it causes a lot of damage. The skin toughens up to deal with this trauma... and yes some of the scaring comes from ingrown hairs.
Aldactone (spironolactone) definitely helped my facial hair become softer and lighter in color. The first time I was prescribed it, I didn't notice any difference so I tapered off and eventually quit. The second time my doctor doubled the dose (200 mg/day) and within about 4 months I noticed that I was plucking a lot less. I still pluck pretty much every day, but the actual number of hairs I feel compelled to pluck is about 1/4 of what it used to be.
My unwanted hairs are now generally just on my chin and upper lip, but before the spiro they were sprouting on my cheeks, right under the cheekbone, moving towards my ears, and some under my chin, moving towards my neck.
About the scarring--I do sometimes get ingrown hairs from plucking (like when I don't actually get the hair but cause it to curl up and hide in my skin) but using a facial cleanser with some type of exfoliant, at least a few times a week, seems to help a lot. ProActiv cleanser is great for that, although I find it too harsh to use every day. If I'm trying to pluck and the skin around the area is getting irritated, I force myself to leave it alone for a while, and I sometimes put ice on it to reduce the swelling. But digging around while the skin is red and puffy is a definite no-no, (athough it sometimes feels like a compulsion and I can't help myself. )
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I know what you mean about the compulsion! LOL. I haven't had any problems with ingrown hairs and such, but it may be cuz of the reason you stated. I used a gently exfoliating face wash in the shower to slough of dead skin. That may be why. When I was shaving I felt like it made my skin rough like a man and now it is getting soft again since I stopped. I think the answer to this dilemma is going to vary from person to person.
Softening stubble? 
Grrrrr! 
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