Superfluous hair

Redlands Daily Facts Health Section
Staff Writer

Q: I have hair in places that I don't want hair. What can I do?

Mimi: Since the times of the Egyptians people have removed unwanted hair. Here's the info you want.

If you have an inordinate amount of facial hair for a woman, ask your doctor to check your hormones. Some drugs will cause hair to grow excessively. If you have had an organ transplant, the drugs to prevent rejection can cause abundant facial hair growth.

Electrology is good for zapping facial whiskers. It is tedious and time consuming for larger areas. Hair goes through 3 stages of growth and dormancy. So laser and electrology may take several sessions to eradicate the hair.

Laser is almost permanent hair removal. To find a good doctor for laser, ask your primary physician or your esthetician for a referral. If you have light skin and the hair is dark, you are a good candidate for laser. If you are Asian, Latin, or Black have a serious discussion with the doctor before having laser. Laser could cause skin discoloration. If your hair is blond or gray, the results may not be as good as if the hair were dark.

Depilatories are effective for removing hair. They are made of a lye solution and tend to be very irritating to skin. There are several on the drug store shelves. Follow the instructions. Wash off well. Apply lots of unscented moisturizer afterwards. Keep away from eyes.

Emery mitt is fine sandpaper that buffs off soft, fine hair.

Bleaching doesn't remove the hair, but it makes it less noticeable. There are bleaches in the drug store.

Below are some of the easiest methods for hair removal for various parts of the body:

FACIAL HAIR

Eyebrows: See the previous column about the shaping of your brows to compliment your face. Tweezing is the easiest home method to remove stray brows. Waxing by an esthetician is quick and easy. Do not shave. Do not use a depilatory. Men can tweeze or wax the uni-brow

Ears: Tweeze, clip, or wax. Ask your barber to trim with each haircut. Hairstylists may not be trained in eliminating ear hair, but estheticians are. Laser works.

Nose: Trim with little scissors, nose trimmer, or call until you find an esthetician that is trained in waxing nose hair.

Upper lip: Tweeze, wax, laser or daily shaving. If it is dark hair but not too full, bleaching may be enough.

Chin: Soft hairs can be waxed. Stubbly "boar whiskers" must be tweezed. If there is a lot of hair, daily shaving may work well. Definitely laser.

Sideburns: Bleach, wax, daily shaving, definitely laser.

Hair in moles: There is a controversy about hair in moles. Most doctors say to go ahead and tweeze them. A few people think that this is not safe and recommend clipping them close to the skin with little scissors.

BODY

Chest: Wax or laser.

Around nipples: Wax, tweeze, or clip.

Back: Wax, laser, or emery mitts

Buns: Wax, emery mitt, or laser

Arms: Bleach, wax, emery mitt, laser, depilatory, or daily shaving

Underarms: Wax, laser, or shaving

Legs: Wax, emery mitt for very soft hair, laser, depilatory, or shaving

Bikini: Wax, laser, or shaving

Fingers, toes, and feet: Wax, laser, or shaving

Armed with so many choices, you can be smooth and clean. Between hair removal sessions, use a loofah or scrubby mitt to whisk away dead skin. When hair is trapped under the skin it causes ingrown hairs.

After every hair removal procedure, be sure to apply ample moisturizer.

Mimi Barre is the owner of International Day Spa, 325 Cajon St., Redlands. Send your skin care questions to her at MimiB@INTLdayspa.com. She and her estheticians are available for personal consultations, (909) 793-9080.