I Have Random Long Black Hairs On My Body. What Can I Do?
It can be really disconcerting to find long black hairs coming out of your skin. For women, these hairs tend to be much darker, and much more noticeable than the normal body hairs. Normal female body hair is short, downy, and colored to essentially match the skin tone. For many women longer, blacker hairs on the female body can be a little upsetting.
What Causes Random Long Black Hairs?
There’s basically two possible explanations for these random hairs.
Genetic Mutation
If there’s only one, single long dark hair growing on the face, or body, then the explanation may be due to a genetic mutation. This means that the genes of the hair mutated during its growth phase, and diverted it from the usual growth pattern. This mutation can be caused by trauma, or environmental factors. Once the follicle has mutated, the hair will always grow in this way.
Hormone Problems
Another explanation for those random, long hairs is issues related to the hormones. Excess androgens, or too many “male” hormones in a woman’s system can cause an endocrinological condition called hirsutism. Hirsutism can affect women with PCOS, Cushing’s Disease, and women who are going through the menopause. The hormone imbalances can cause long hairs to grow from random places on the body.
How To Remove Random Long Hairs
Essentially, how you choose to remove these hairs is down to personal preference. However, most hair removal methods won’t last forever, and these hairs will eventually grow back. The cost of each hair removal method varies, from very inexpensive, to much more costly.
Tweezing
Tweezing is an extremely inexpensive way to remove random, long hairs. It’s a good way to remove a few hairs, but it would be time consuming to tweeze out many hairs. Tweezing isn’t a permanent method of hair removal, but it is longer lasting than other at home methods.
Tweezing can be painful, but there are ways to reduce the amount of pain you feel. First, it’s a good idea to pluck hairs after a shower or bath, as the heat opens your pores. Another option is to hold a warm cloth on the area for around 30 seconds. Make sure you stretch the skin to expand the pores, and making it easier to pluck the hair. Pluck the hair from the base, and in the direction of the growth. Once the hair, or hairs have been plucked, cool the area with an ice cube, or cold cloth to close the pores and reduce any irritation.
Shaving
Shaving is also very inexpensive, and it can be useful for more than one or two hairs. It isn’t as long lasting as tweezing, as only the above skin part of the hair is removed. It does need to be repeated on a regular basis. Shaving is painless, but the razor can cause some irritation to the skin. A good after shaving routine, and a quality skin care cream or balm can be very helpful.
Hair Removal Creams
Hair removal creams are painless, fast acting, and can last longer than shaving. They remove the hair above the skin by dissolving the hair. The chemicals in the creams react with the proteins in the hair, destroying the hair.
Some people can be allergic to these creams, and others may need to look for one designed for sensitive skin. If the hair is on the face, then it’s very important to use a cream that has been designed for facial use. Before you use any kind of depilatory creams or lotions, you should do a patch test at least 24 hours before. This will let you see if there is any kind of negative reaction, such as irritation, redness, bumps, or a more severe allergic reaction.
Epilation
Epilation is similar to tweezing as it removes the hairs from the root. It’s more useful if there’s a few hairs in the same area, as it can hold multiple hairs at the same time. The results can last for up to 4 weeks, but it will need to be repeated. It can be done at home, but it is a little painful.
The effectiveness can be increased, and the painfulness can be reduced with a few simple steps. Make sure that the skin has been exfoliated a few days before epilation, as this can make sure that there is no dead skin to interfere with the process. Hold the skin tight, and use the epilator at a 90 degree angle. Gently glide it across the skin, without pressing down hard. Make sure you use the epilator in the direction of the hair growth.
After using the epilator, you may find the skin irritated or red. You can use an ice cube, or a cold cloth to soothe this redness.
Intense Pulsed Light
Intense pulsed light or IPL is a form of hair removal using intense lights to damage the follicle of the hair. It can be done in a clinic, although there are some at home products that use a similar technology. There is some argument over whether at home IPL devices are as effective as IPL in a clinic setting, however, in the case of a few random hairs, this isn’t overly important.
IPL can be expensive and it does need a few sessions to be fully effective. It does have a major advantage over other forms of hair removal. It doesn’t cause ingrown hairs. However, it can be painful, and it can cause issues with pigmentation. You can’t use IPL if you have had exposure to the sun in the previous 4 weeks, or if you have used a fake tan lotion on your skin.
Conclusion
Random, long black hairs on the body can be embarrassing, and unsightly for a woman, but they can be dealt with relatively easily. Skin care before and after hair removal is extremely important, and can help lengthen the time between removal.
