Confession #8: Hair Today. Gone Tomorrow.

I love a good birthday card. Maxine cards are my favorites — you know, the little old lady with the purple hair. I even have some Maxine slippers with purple hair that my sister-in-law gave me when I turned 40. My kids think they are hilarious. 

Well, I found another hilarious birthday card at the Beehive the other day. I just have to share it with you. It’s not a Maxine card, but it shares the same sarcastic view of life-as-an-aging-woman. “These aren’t chin hairs…they’re stray eyebrows!” is the comment on the front of the card. Those words are decoratively written on a sign held by an obviously-more-mature-but-trying-to-look-younger lady wearing a sash that says “Miss Optimistic.” Inside the card are the words “Happy Birthday to an ageless beauty.”

What is ageless beauty? And how about those stray eyebrows? I’ll save the ageless beauty column for a rainy day, but sister, we are going to talk about those stray eyebrows.

One of the most difficult parts of growing older is hair. And hair is one of those outside garnishments which envelopes the self-esteem of every self-respecting, card-carrying Southern woman! You know, we already have the challenges of heat and humidity around here. But there are also internal challenges that wreak havoc on our pursuit of a “good hair day”.

Did you know that hormones, the body’s communication system, can greatly affect your hair? Two years ago, I was suffering from a great amount of hair loss due to an undiscovered thyroid issue. Handfuls of hair, I’m telling you! Clean out my hairbrush every day kind of hair loss. And to make matters worse, I was growing hair in places I didn’t want it — my ears, my face, my chin, etc.! That was due to an elevated testosterone level. After having my hormones tested and discovering how out-of-whack my hormone levels were, I tried bioidentical hormones, achieved a better hormone balance and the hair started staying on my head instead of jumping off my head and into my hairbrush! Plus, the random hair growth in unwanted places decreased dramatically!

So why am I bringing up a subject we’d rather not talk about? Especially in the holiday/New Year issue of The Minute Magazine? Well, here’s my answer. ‘Tis the season! We’ve got to look good for our holiday parties. And then there’s that whole issue of “New Year/New You” for 2010. With holidays and New Year resolutions approaching, there’s no time like the present to talk about hair!

Hair Tip #1: Hormone Balance

It doesn’t matter what you do, if you don’t solve your body’s mysteries, you will just have to continually deal with this problem. So let’s start with hormone testing. If your doctor doesn’t test hormones, then find one who does. And make sure that you are retested on a periodic basis. Hormones can become unbalanced again due to stress or other events in your body. So this is a constant monitoring process. You and your doctor should have an ongoing dialogue about your hormone levels. And moms, this can affect your teenagers, too. As their hormones fluctuate, hair growth can result. Hormone testing can  be beneficial for teenagers, too.

Hair Tip #2: Waxing

Waxing is a method of semi-permanent hair removal which removes the hair from the root cause. Almost any area of the body can be waxed, including eyebrows, face, bikini area, legs, arms, back, abdomen and feet. New hairs will not grow back in the waxed area for two to eight weeks. I’ve used this method of hair removal since I was a teenager for my brows and lip. It works well, is relatively inexpensive, and available at most salons.

Hair Tip #3: Waxing with Epilar Treatment

This treatment begins with waxing, followed by application of an inhibitor gel and an activator gel. This treatment works on all skin and hair types and can be used on all body parts. The procedure targets hair follicles left empty after waxing, specifically hairs that are active and in the growth phase. Epilar application will also increase the intervals for depilation and leave skin smooth and soft between treatments. I haven’t personally tried this, but I know it is very effective for women who might have a lot of hair on their cheeks and would just prefer to have smoother skin.

Hair Tip #4: Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)

FDA approved for permanent hair reduction, intense pulsed light is fast and very effective in eliminating large areas of unwanted hair. Light is absorbed by the pigment in the hair and converted to heat in the follicle. The heat damages the follicle and disables it from growing new hair. IPL is excellent for areas such as the lip, under arms, or even the bikini area. This treatment lasts only 10 to 15 minutes, works best on darker hair, and is usually recommended in a series of four to six treatments. I have had IPL treatments under my arms. And yes, I rarely have to shave there anymore. This is truly one of my small joys in life! No more itchy, scratchy, five-o’clock shadow in my pits!

Hair Tip #5: Electrolysis

FDA approved for permanent hair removal, electrolysis is a procedure in which individual follicles are destroyed with chemical or heat energy. The hair is then removed with tweezers. Once the follicle is destroyed, it can never reproduce hair. Electrolysis can only be performed by a Licensed Electrologist. Electrolysis works on all hair and skin colors and is great for small areas that can’t be treated with IPL like ears, eyebrows, and for white-blonde, red or gray hair. Many factors influence hair growth, so the number of sessions needed to remove hair permanently from an area will vary. Treatments typically occur once a week and last 15 minutes to one hour. Electrolysis is on my list of things to do. I’d like to never again see a hair on my big toe again! Can anyone relate to that? This is also great for those “stray eyebrow hairs” that show up on your chin!

Whew! That’s it. Five tips for hair! And none of them involved cutting, highlighting, styling, weaving, extensions, horse shampoo, or other strange products. While this conversation has been geared towards my lady friends, it applies to our men as well. The ear hair that you would like to see disappear from your honey’s ears (this will help him actually hear the honey-do list you so lovingly give him) can be permanently gone, not to mention the nose hair. I do recommend that you LOVINGLY and DELICATELY talk to your honey about getting his coiffure in order PRIOR to the company’s Christmas party! After all, guys are as sensitive about their hair as we girls are. They just use fewer products — hair gels, straighteners, hairspray, to name a few. This is the moment when you can educate your man about hair removal. And after you make your own appointment, make him an appointment, too!

So if you, like me, would like to reduce or eliminate the hair issues in your life, then join me on the appointment calendar at my favorite two places for hair reduction and removal: Seasons – The Spa and Seasons Medical Aesthetics in association with It’s Permanent. You can find Seasons – The Spa at 1809 Northpointe Lane, Suite 202 in Ruston, LA. You can find Seasons Medical Aesthetics in association with It’s Permanent in Monroe at 1033 N. 6th Street. And to make an appointment or get more information about any of these procedures, contact our Ruston office at 318-255-1155 or in Monroe at 318-340-1778. In the meantime, girls, let’s put our best hair (and hair removed) forward!