I read an article today that said we we seem to be finding more and more things to be ashamed of especially in the U.S. and that this new trend includes hair removal along with our weight, our acne etc.

But  I think it’s not a new trend, by any means, to be ashamed of our perceived physical imperfections.

30 odd years ago I was certainly not too fond of my crop of teenage spots and unwanted hair. Luckily time moves on and  I grew out of the acne and learnt to deal with the hairy bits.

Even Jane Austen’s heroines knew where they stood in the beauty stakes,  and how that might affect their attractiveness to husbands, although they may not have been able to run off and have laser hair removal, a
nose reshaping or breast augmentation and do something about it.

So looks have always been important – maybe it’s just that now we have a whole heap of images of the beautiful people wafting in front of our eyes day after day and the girls never have mustaches nor the boys hairy backs.

The more that we all strive to look good by removing hair and other so-called imperfections, the more it becomes the norm to do so. It’s not just the beautiful people – “everyone” is doing it.

Should we stop trying? No, I don’t think so. It’s good to care about grooming and make the most of yourself. It only becomes damaging where obsession takes over.

Cultural differences are a big thing in hair removal and none more so than with the difference in removing armpit hair for females. In the US and UK it is pretty unusual to see a girl with hairy armpits wearing a sleeveless top or dress, yet in some countries such as Greece and France it’s more normal to see a hairy armpit than not.

There was quite a stir when Julia Roberts sported hair with her long dress on the red carpet – the photos made all the papers but was it really such an ugly sight?

Actually this is a case where half the job is worse than going natural. A few silken hairs are fine and make you look like you just don’t care about such mundane activities as shaving your underarms and have better things to do like saving the planet whereas four-day old stubble looks slovenly.

And in some cultures it would be very much an no-no to show an armpit anyway so they don’t have to worry too much at all….

See the main part of the Simply Hair Removal site for more information on removing underarm hair

This is a thorough medical article by PDR health outlining the many causes of hirsutism (or excessive hairiness in women) including various medical conditions which can cause excess hair growth and over 15 medications which can create the condition.

The article also describes how hirsutism is diagnosed and how it might be treated both by self care and medical treatment and follow up.

If you suspect that your unwanted hair problems are caused by a medical condition or medication, check out the article first before looking for hair removal solutions.

Excessive Hairiness

Hair removal is such a pain that it’s probably the last thing to be thankful about but in honor of Thanksgiving in the U.S. tomorrow I thought I would just say a few words about what we can be thankful for when it comes to removing hair….

• we can be thankful about anwhere that hair is NOT growing (unless it’s not growing on your head!). That would be the palms of my hands and soles of my feet then – no need for wax or laser in those places
• we can be thankful that there are reasonably accessible and affordable methods of dealing with any hair removal problem. No matter how much of a pest it is to get rid of hair we don’t have to live with it unless we want to.
• we can be thankful that no matter how hairy you are or which places you have hair sprouting from you are still lovable just as you are. People love people with hair growing everywhere and anywhere.

Have a Happy Hairy or Non-Hairy Thanksgiving tomorrow if you celebrate it and a great Thursday if you don’t.

Veronique

Simply Hair Removal

This link is to the diary of a 25 year old woman who is undergoing laser hair treatment on her upper lip, underarms and bikini line. She has had three sessions so far and is experiencing some regrowth and issues but is generally happy (at this stage) with her treatment. If only we could look into the future to see if she is still happy in 6 months, a year or 5 years from now!

Laser Hair Removal Journal Entries – Treatment Experience Diary Including Step By Step Pictures

Update: This woman has now had 9 sessions of laser hair removal and it’s quite fascinating to see and read about her progress. Some areas have seen disappointing results in particular the facial area where a less powerful laser was used. Of course the face cannot stand the same strength of laser as the legs etc.