The Permanence Of Plucking

[Guest OneOutOfnOne]

So the general consensus is, one achieves permanent hair removal using lasers or electrolysis.

My question is, can permanent hair removal be achieved with tweezers alone? If it is so, the economics of it are unbeatable - a pair of tweezers is a dollar at the drugstore. And I have enough student debt to find this prospect very attractive.

I started tweezing away my abdominal hair about eight months ago. It seems to be effectively reducing hair growth at a slow but steady rate. I was gifted with an incredible patience and rather sparse bodily hair - also, the hair on my legs is pale enough that they still look bare with a week's growth if you don't inspect too closely - so if anyone can do this, I'd like to say it's me. I started plucking at my face only a week ago, and have been pleasantly surprised at how little it hurts, and hope to continue it with good results.

Any opinions or experiences shared are welcome.

[Guest Ashlee]

I did this for awhile on my hands and it did slow the growth, but it always came back, much thinner, but came back.

[Guest Naomi Loen]

I used tweezers on my uni-brow

it thins out but grows back

but I'm thinking maybe thinning it out with plucking might save a little time and $ on electrolysis later on

who knows...

but I think I'll try it

[Guest Kelly Ann]

This thread really made me giggle ladies I should think it has a bit to do with how young you start doing it, I actually had a pretty bushy unibrow that my mom started on when I was very young. My dad's dad having taught me how to wiggle my ears and arch my eyebrows gave me, and friends, no end of amusement. This was back in the late 50's (OOPS!) and I sorta thought it looked cool to have one big eyebrow...which I'd arch and wiggle, it was off the scale. Thankfully my mom persevered...she always was able to outlast me...and kept plucking until about 12 when I took over. There really isn't anything there now to speak of and for the rest of my eyebrows I just pluck out the 'wild roots' from the actual eyebrow when they get too long just to keep them from smearing up my glasses. The best part of beating the unibrow look is now when I arch or wiggle my eyebrows it's lots more expressive...my personal favorite is to make one eyebrow go up while the other goes down while wiggling my ears and doing other things simultaneously. Gurning...er ahem (ok Donna Jean)...learning my way through life, Kelly Ann

[Sally]

Plucking doesn't kill the folicle like Electro, but done enough times it can damage it to the point that hair will not regrow.

But, if you are talking about more than say twenty hairs - you are in for a lot of plucking, remember Kelly Ann said that her mom started when she was very young and she took over when she was twelve and didn't say when it actually stopped! That is a very long time!

Plucking is an alternative to Electro if you are very patient and only trying to get rid of about 8 hairs!

Good luck to you,

Sally

[Guest Elizabeth K]

How patient are you - I mean how many YEARS do you want try this?

As a Seriously Senior individual - I started tweezing my moustache area back in about 1971. I have done it ever since. I eventually discouraged about half the folicues - they decided it ain't worth the effort to sprout out only to be nipped in the bud, so to speak - the other 50% are still stuggling, but have turned white or almost clear from the effort [i have little greying anywhere else, but my surviving moustache hair is over 95% white or clear).

The real battle is that your hair folicules renew in about a seven year cycle. On me those newbies come in black as the original moustache (I am dark brunette with pale skin). Why just the moustache area? I have an extremely light beard, almost nothing except under my chin. Losing the moustache is like a cheapie electrolysis - what the original thread is about.

But I have to tweeze the moustache every other day - and it's about a 100 hairs I guess - pretty easy - about 10 minutes.

So why not tweeze the entire face beard area? When I get the urge I will do that. Takes about three hours total because I have to work blind in some places, contort my arms and fingers in other places, and that slows things down. And my beard is extemely light. But nothing compares to a fully tweezed face! Baby smooth for three to four days if you get it all (which you can't).

But I can't afford that much time, usually. So I just shave closely.

Okay - confession time. I learned that if you are especially careful - if you have an extremely light hair growth on your face, the heavy duty epilator made for you legs, if very gently tapped - not rubbed- will also take out the hair in the beard area. It hurts a bit. At first, until your skin gets accustomed to it, you may get a real burn or rash, Eventually you can make it work. The manufacturer recommends against using it on your face - and I recommend being VERY cautious if you try this - you skin may be too sensitive and you can really damage it - and it's difficult explaining a scabbed up face. If you can get it to work, the three hours tweezing can be reduced to like 30 minutes. The hairs grow back in about three days, but sparcer, as it comes back in stages. I wouldn't want to do it except once a week - to give the skin a chance to recover as it also has an exfoliation effect of the skin to a dergree.

BUT then I stared on HRT - I cannot epilate as it destroys my softer skin. Tweezing is also now more painful, so...

Nevemind.

So I guess electrolysis is the eventual solution after all. You may want to also consider LASER but I have heard that it is that effective on everyone.

[Guest Kelly Ann]

I had pretty bushy eyebrows once upon a time LOL...pretty wispy now and actually need a pencil to really bring them up. I otherwise have a pretty light beard with like two hairs and peach fuzz on my facial cheeks and light growth around my mouth and chin...had a Maynard G. Krebs for a while years gone when I wuz a yute. Jeeze Sally...how'd you know about my chest???? When we'd play cowboys and indians when I wuz a yute I was always called 12 Hairs because thats the extent there...and THAT followed me into high school...I hated to take showers in gym class because everybody was so hairy and there I was like a chihauha...nearly hairless. I am thankful now...but back then during the Michigan winters I'd really wished I had more hair on my derrierre when I had to change clothes LOL...isn't life strange? erm or is it just me? Kelly Ann

[Guest Martin]

I have one hair I cannot stand. It grow out of a mole on my stomach. I use tweezers to rip it out again and again and again. It always grows back. It has gotten to the point where I don't need to pull as hard to get it out, but it grows back. And I've been at this for years. If you want permanent removal, try something else.

[Guest Kelly Ann]

Hi Martin...well one isn't all that bad is it? We might count ourselves fortunate that we have so little body hair...moles can be pretty tricky...ask your Dr. how to deal with it...it's generally an inexpensive out-patient procedure if necessary. Plucking works just fine though too. Bought the Tee-shirt my dear...wrong shade...so now I mow the lawn while wearing it...and well I sorta look ok wearing it...%ROFL...erm, I'm more than slightly OVER-DRESSED to mow the lawn while wearing this Tee-shirt. Jeeze Martin...how did we go from your hair follicle to my lawn???? Do you have any snicker doodles? Kelly Ann

[Guest Martin]

It's kinda weird - I like most of my body hair (leg hair, belly hair, etc.), but that one little hair drives me insane. I don't much care for my back hair either, but I'm getting over it.

Snicker doodles? No, I don't, you'll have to ask Sally for those. Maybe I should ask her for some as well - I love snicker doodles.