Something I read for hair reduction!!

ChristinaofTexas · 05-05-2004, 05:12 PM

I read in a newspaper supplement that if you rub lard into the skin where the worst of the hair growth is twice a week it is supposed to eventually kill the hair follicle after a few months. I haven't tried it yet because I'm not a big fan of it, but I'm warming up to the idea because I'm getting a little desperate.

Has anyone ever tried this? The article was written by a British doctor. Please tell me what you think!

dberg · 05-05-2004, 06:10 PM

Can you tell us what journal it was in?

ChristinaofTexas · 05-05-2004, 06:12 PM

Hmmm, yes, if I still have it. It was a British magazine though and it comes with the newspaper.

shades of grey · 05-05-2004, 08:56 PM

lard??? what's it supposed to do, give you so much acne the hair can't penetrate the skin?

ChristinaofTexas · 05-05-2004, 09:34 PM

I'm really sorry, but I have had a look around the house and I can't find it. If it helps, I'm pretty sure the following details are correct. I think it was from a newspaper in England called The Daily Mirror, and on Sundays it is called The Sunday Mirror. The magazine was inside the Sunday edition and is called "M". It would have been from the most recent Sunday or the one before. (I didn't buy the paper, my dad did.) I know this isn't very specific, but it is the best I can do. I wish I'd kept the mag in a safe spot. As it is, I think one of the three other people in this house has thrown it in the trash when they were cleaning. If I do find it, then I'll be sure to post the info on here.

I'm going to have a word with my doctor about this because I'm not sure how it works. It was one of many suggestions on how to tackle a hairy body written by a doctor that works for the magazine to answer readers' questions. Somebody wrote in asking about their hairy body, and it wasn't necessarily linked to PCOS in her case, but the article was largely about PCOS and the hairiness symptom.

I hope this helps. I can't see how it would to be honest though, because I've not given you very specific information to go on and I don't think it would matter if I did because I don't think the records would have it on file yet. It was a very recent article in a magazine. All it said was to rub lard into the skin where the worst of the hair growth was twice a week for a few months. It was just one sentence. The rest of the article was about other things like diet change and exercise. I just thought that this was an unusual method of treatment for excess hair. The doctor also said yoga was good for relaxing, which should also reduce the level of testosterone. Perhaps the lard has an anti-testosterone affect?

shades of grey · 05-05-2004, 11:37 PM

I'm really, really skeptical. It just doesn't make sense why you would want to rub lard into your skin! I would do it if I saw a journal article backing it up but if it was a doc making suggestions I am guessing it is merely anecdotal and I doubt it has any truth behind it. But hey, I'd love to get rid of the hair completely so if anyone wants to try it go for it!

Renae · 05-06-2004, 12:58 AM

... and found a few hits:

Can a flightless bird from Australia solve your hair loss problem?
http://www.hairlosshelp.com/html/emuoil.cfm

When you eat a lot of fat, it seems that the sebaceous glands that oil the hair root become over active and swollen. Then the hair root becomes weak. In the old days when men went to war and didn’t want to have to shave, they rubbed lard or sheep fat into their faces to destroy the hair roots. The same can be seen today in cultures such as the Chinese who often eat a lot of fat: male Chinese tend to have very little hair on their faces.
http://www.dr-ali.co.uk/consult/display_23_True/

ChristinaofTexas · 05-06-2004, 07:37 AM

Thanks to Renae for her search! I have found the article on the internet!!! I'm sorry, I gave you completely the wrong information for the magazine!!!! Thanks to Renae though, because with her help, I found the original article on the net!!! Yay! Here it is:

I¹m 19 and ever since I hit puberty I¹ve had more hair than usual, especially on my face. I can mask it by bleaching but over the past few years the hair has increased on my neck, stomach and lower back. Although the body hairs are quite fine, I am very self-conscious about the thicker hairs on my face. I wonder why this is happening and whether there are any changes I can make to reduce the hair?

There are two types of excess hair growth in women. The first one is generalised increase all over the body _ face, arms, back, legs etc _ which may be what you have. The other type _hirsutism - is distributed in a male pattern so females get beard and chest hair. Normally a woman has thick hair on the scalp, underarms, pubic region and around the nipples, and fine hair in moderation all over the body. Trouble starts if the adrenal glands are overactive, due to stress or over stimulation of the pituitary gland (the hormonal headquarters in the brain). The adrenals release male hormones (androgens) that can be converted into testosterone in various cells of the body, which need not be the male testes. So women, who have a little testosterone anyway, may make more under stressful conditions, or if there are problems with the pituitary. The adrenals also release stress hormones. Interestingly, these are mostly male in nature _ like testosterone. Evolution designed men for fight or flight: to go out fighting predators of all sorts _ or fleeing fast. Modern lifestyle means women are suffering the same pressures as men. Androgens may be released from the adrenals at the same time as stress hormones and convert to testosterone. (Vigorous exercise also stimulates the adrenals to release androgens, which can then convert to a form of oestrogen, a useful tip for menopausal women.) Hirsutism is also a common symptom of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In this case, androgens are produced by the ovaries (the female glands that release eggs, also oestrogen and progesterone) and also in fat cells. In PCOS sufferers, these male hormones suppress menstruation and cause hair growth. You must consult your own doctor if your hormones are unbalanced. Signs of this include irregular periods, acne, and rapid weight gain, also irritability and mood swings not connected to PMS. You will almost certainly have blood tests to find out if there are signs of excess androgen production, although I should warn you that these are not always very accurate in the early stages. If hair growth is accompanied by some or all of these symptoms, it suggests either PCOS or release of androgens from the adrenal glands. Your doctor may prescribe a type of contraceptive pill if your periods are irregular but otherwise testosterone suppressing drugs may be considered. Because stress is likely to be the cause or a contributory factor, I suggest doing the following: Avoid coffee and alcohol, also excess salt and excess sugar (which are commonly found in prepared foods of all kinds): these ingredients can add to your existing level of stress. Avoid late nights and get as much sleep as possible. Walk regularly in the fresh air of the countryside, or in parks if you live in the city. Avoid yeast products (such as bread, marmite, pasta, pizza, cakes) as these can make you tired. Eat rhubarb, pomegranate and yams, which contain plant oestrogens. Take one capsule aloe vera and one tablet shatavari twice daily for three months, to help balance hormone levels. Rub lard (any sort) right into the skin under the worst hair growth. Leave overnight. Do this twice a week for three months. Lard destroys the hair roots and facilitates hair loss. (You can try this for any unwanted hair growth.) Practise yoga to help you relax. Find a good class nearby and also do some poses in the evenings, always finishing with the corpse pose. Details are in my book Therapeutic Yoga, co-written with Jiwan Brar (available from the IMC and the YOU book shop). Listen to a relaxation tape in bed. There are many good ones in the shops, or my Yoga and Meditation tape is available from my website. Massage your neck and shoulders with Lifestyle Massage Oil : Preferably ask a flatmate or partner to give you a massage: tips on how to do this are freely available on my website. This will relax the muscles of your neck, which in turn helps the circulation of brain fluid and improves blood flow to the brain. Never shave excess hair. It will only get thicker and make things worse.

ChristinaofTexas · 05-06-2004, 07:49 AM

http://www.dr-ali.co.uk/you/article.asp?youID=145

I totally messed up because I gave the wrong information. I thought it was from the M magazine that comes with The Mirror.

Sorry about that! Tell me what you think!!!

Here is another article that might be useful to some.

http://www.dr-ali.co.uk/you/article.asp?youID=72

Edited to add article about endometriosis.

shades of grey · 05-06-2004, 04:22 PM

ooh!!! so this is a possiblity! I've not as skeptical anymore. I seriously think someone who isn't acne prone should try it. Hell, even if I had acne for a bit that'd be okay as long as the hair was destroyed. anyone want to try it? it'd be hard at night sleeping with lard all over your face though!

ChristinaofTexas · 05-06-2004, 04:37 PM

Interesting concept isn't it? I'm certainly going to ask the doctor how this would work. If your acne isn't bad at the moment, and you make sure to really cleanse and scrub your face in the morning, I wonder if the lard would be that bad for your skin???

Also, it might not be a good idea to use it on your face anyway, but it could still be used in other places where you aren't so prone to acne I suppose. I'm considering putting it on my happy trail that goes down the middle of my trunk from my chest to my belly button. And possibly on my legs. (Wouldn't it be great to never have to shave your legs again EVER!?) My grandfather was in the Korean War, and he had no hair on his legs from the line at the top of his boots downwards. He said it was because of the rice patties in Korea. I suppose the water killed the hair shaft. This must be a similar thing. I think it might be a good idea to use lard on my legs now that I think about it. My skin is very dry on my legs anyway, and I have much longer, coarser hairs. I can shave and have five o'clock shadow later in the evening.

Smeggle · 05-06-2004, 11:33 PM

There is only one thing to do! Who is going to be the guinea Pig?? I don't even know where you would get lard. Hell, it's bizarre, but who gives a rat's ass. I nearly burnt my skin off using debilatories, what can it hurt to rub pig lard into my skin?

ChristinaofTexas · 05-06-2004, 11:42 PM

I like your attitude!!! Feel free to experiment if you like and please do tell us about your results on the morning after your first lard soak!

You can usually get it in the grocery store near the butter I think. Me? Well, I'm going to get around to trying it eventually, but I want to talk to my doctor first. I haven't even been officially diagnosed with PCOS yet! Hold my hand girls! I'm seeing my doc soon and hopefully she'll tell me I do have it so that I can move forward! I'm completely new to PCOS, and indeed I'd never heard of it before I started doing some research on my symptoms on the net and found this website. I'm about the same size as you Smeggle. Actually, if I'm honest, about the same as the old you. Boo Hoo!!! We need to do this together. I'm sick and tired of being a big ol' fat tub o' LARD!!!

hburgkittn · 05-07-2004, 10:00 AM

I know in the South, you can buy lard in a grocery store. You could also try Crisco, which is basically lard. Might have to consult my grandma's book of ol' country home remedies book. This is interesting.

Wiggleynose · 05-07-2004, 01:13 PM

I'm going to try this tonight on my legs if I get my butt to the grocery store. I'll let you know how it goes.