A Woman's Guide to Removing Facial Hair

by Megan Halloway

Many women experience unwanted facial hair and wish to have it removed.  It can be due to genetics, age, medication or many women just want it removed for cosmetic reasons, like eyebrow hair.  Women experience growth of unwanted facial hair during certain times of their life, such as puberty, pregnancy, and menopause.  Regardless, there is a large population of women who want a safe, long lasting, and effective way to remove facial hair.  One way to remove facial hair is through shaving.  Although the old wives tale that this will cause the hair it grow back thicker and faster is not true, many woman feel this is too masculine a way to remove facial hair.  Plus, it only eliminates the problem for a short amount of time and may irritate sensitive skin.

One of the most common ways for women to remove facial hair is by plucking.  They are probably already familiar with this due to plucking their eyebrows with a process.  If they see a darker hair on their lip or chin, it is easy enough to pluck out.  Plucking the hair removes it longer than shaving, but is still not the permanent solution for which many women are looking.  Waxing is similar to plucking, but it can be more painful and is more likely to irritate sensitive skin.  The same is true for creams that remove hair plus many of them have a bad smell.  There is a skin cream called Vaniqa that decreases facial hair growth, but it is also only temporary and requires a prescription from a doctor.

You can purchase epilators with tweezers at most beauty stores, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stated that that is no

statistically significant data to prove that tweezer epilators provide permanent hair removal.  It may for some, and not for others.  One factor may be the coarseness of your hair. 

If you are looking for a method to remove facial hair permanently, try electrolysis.  Electrolysis is the process by which facial hair is removed using electrical currents.  A trained professional, often referred to as an electrologist or electrolysist, must perform this procedure.  They take a metal probe and insert it into an individual hair follicle.  The electrical current is then delivered to the follicle, destroying it.  One the procedure is complete; the hair is removed with sterile forceps. Each hair follicle must be treated individually.  The discomfort of this process varies among clients. Some have reported feeling a slight pinprick and some have reported a more painful feeling.  As with many medical procedures, there is a chance of scarring, although it is minimal if you are using a well-trained electrologist.  But, immediately after a hair follicle is treated, there may be a small, red lesion, much like an insect bite for a short time.
 
While electrolysis will permanently remove the hair, it may not be instantaneous.  You may have to have several electrolysis treatments to the same hair follicle before the hair is completely removed.  This is because your hair cells grow in cycles and electrolysis only works if the hair is in its growth phase.  Many electrologists charge by the amount of time it takes to remove the hair.  Ten minutes runs about $18 and 30 minutes costs about $34.

Another form of permanent facial hair removal is laser treatments.  This is a new technology, only being offered commercially since the mid 1990s.  This may also be referred to as phototricholysis or photoepilation.  Like electrolysis, this may require several treatments before the hair is removed permanently.  The laser light also feels like a pinprick to most patients.  However, the laser treatments will not work on blonde, red, or white hairs.  It will however work on areas that electrolysis will not, such as the ears and nose.  Laser hair treatments for the upper lip normally run about $50 per session as does the chin treatments.  If you have facial hair on your cheeks, those treatments are a little more expensive – around $75 per treatment.

If you decide to do electrolysis or laser treatments for your unwanted facial hair, you should always talk to your doctor first about any pre-existing conditions you might have that would make you an unlikely candidate for these treatments.  There is no need to be ashamed of having your unwanted facial hair treated.  Do some research on the Internet to find the best way for you to have the hair removed.  There is no doubt it will make you feel better about yourself.

Megan Halloway is a cosmetologist specializing in hair removal providing valuable tips and advice on facial hair, back hair and body hair removal methods.

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