What is the best method of facial hair removal?

Question

My daughter is very self-conscious about the hair over her upper lip and wants to remove it but I'm afraid that once she does it will only grow back darker and/or thicker. Since I don't have this problem I don't know what advice to give her or what woud be the best method.

Please, some suggestions based on experience would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

Bleaching is best if she has pale skin. Otherwise, the blond fuzz will standout even more against dark skin.

Another at home solution is to use a depilatory designed for the face. The down side is that a depilatory can irritate the skin and it can feel weird on the upper lip. Plus it may also smell a bit.

Take her to a good, experience aesthetician to have her upper lip waxed. It will grow back finer over time. If she has sensitive skin she can asked for a cold wax.

It's a good idea to have a soothing balm on hand for afterwards. Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 & Aquaphor Healing Ointment are good. You can apply a cold compress and then the balm to sooth the skin.

Waxing isn't all that bad but it takes some getting used to. Also, your upper lip is sensitive and might be a little dry afterwards and these products are the best I've found.

Some people prefer hydrocortisone cream, Neosporin or aloe gel.

Note: people using Retin-A or Differin should not wax. These medications thin the skin and waxing could tear off top layers.

Although there are wax strips designed for home use, I don't recommend inexperienced people do this. It is important to take the strip off in the correct direction and you want it to work the first time. Practice may make perfect but you'll have red, blotchy skin.

Threading is another good option. It can be hard to find a salon that provides this service since it's relatively new here.

A permanent solution would be laser removal. It is supposed to be better than electrolysis.

There is also a prescription product called Vaniqa. (http://www.vaniqa.com/?CMP=KNC-VU9763023244&OVRAW=vaniqa&OVKEY=vaniqa&OVMTC=standard)

Avoid shaving. It doesn't make hair grow back darker or thicker. It just seems that way because all the hairs grow back with a straight tip and create stubble. IMHO razor stubble is worse than facial hair on a woman.

Answer 2

One thing you don't tell us is how old your daughter is.
Another thing you don't tell us is whether her moustache is dark or fair, though if you're afraid it wil get darker, I assume it can't be black.

There isn't a simple answer to this question, but here goes:

Facial hair on girls comes about in the same way as on boys because of

1) the body being sensitized, before birth, to testosterone -- doesn't happen to all girls, but does to many

2) the body producing high levels of testosterone

The growth rate and coarseness of the hair depends on just how much testosterone is circulating in the bloodstream.

As far as removing it is concerned it's worth remembering that

* Waxing, plucking, threading, epilating all pull the hair out by the roots and where the growth is hormonally-driven can actually stimulate a dormant follicle into producing more hair quicker. They also distort the root if done repeatedly, leading to hair growing at strange angles. And you've got to let the hair grow to quite a length before you can repeat the exercise. It can also damage the skin and discolor it.

* Chemical depilatories strong enough to remove the hair are very likely to burn the skin, cause swelling and cause long-term discoloration of the skin.

* Laser is also liable to cause burning and discoloration and only works properly on very dark hair on light skin.

* Electrolysis is very liable to cause scarring and discoloration of the skin.

Which, like it or not, leaves shaving which does not damage the skin. Best done with a men's-style electric razor, the best of which, for women and girls, are probably those from the men's range of Norelco razors (Philishave outside the US).

I would NOT suggest wet shaving.

Your daughter's moustache is not likely to disappear. No method of hair removal is going to prove permanent with hair which is hormonally stimulated. She obviously has more testosterone than you do. Long term, the Norelco is the best approach, imho.

Answer 3

Electrolysis is the more effective and permanent method for removing facial hair (kinda expensive, but excellent results). Waxing can work, but it can be irritating and the results are very temporary.

Bleaching is not a option, as the skin on the upper lip is extremely delicate. Shaving is another no-no because it will cause the area to darken and the hair will be even thicker when it grows back.

Answer 4

Bleaching is the best for your daughter because anything else will just promote further hair growth and it'll more then likely grow back in thicker.

Answer 5

Never shave off any facial hair. Shaving will cause darker and thicker hair growth. Try waxing using cold wax strips.

Answer 6

Laser hair removal!

Answer 7

bleaching blond so its less visible or get laser hair removal (quite expensive).