Hello,

I'm not sure if its my imagination or not. My skin is definitely getting softer and drier and as it does, no matter how carefully I shave I can still see beard shadow even if the skin feels 100% stubble free. Before if I shaved that carefully you wouldn't see the hair under the skin. Is it possible my skin is also getting lighter? As HRT takes it path I suspect that growth may slow, but its still going to be visible. Short of a thick layer of some kind of foundation every day is there any other way to stop this?

Thanks.

Get some good tweezers and try pulling one out I find I can pull out hairs that are visible but not noticable to touch. Usually there are a few milimeters of hair down beneath the surface of the skin so shaving does nothing to remove them. My solution at the time was to just tweeze them all out but that takes FOREVER and can result in ingrown hairs - no good(also some people find it unbearably painfully to do themselves) Electrolosis or Lazer are the preferable options here. Gotta get down to the root or they just show.

I have a theory that frequently shaving close causes hairs to have trouble getting out of the skin so the start to bunch up beneath and become visible under the skin more than if you let them get out to the surface- so by that theory removing the dead skin on top and teasing them to the surface might make them less visible when you shave.

Since you are on HRT and concerned about your beard, I am assuming that you are considering permanent hair removal.

Shaving will not do it. There will always be some sort of stubble that will be visible up close.
It is time to consider laser for dark hair and electrolysis for lighter hair.

If you are looking for a temporary fix, there is waxing, which pulls the hair out of the follicle.

Hair removal is a struggle we have all dealt with. It is expensive and time consuming. 

With a prominent shadow, laser would probably work well.  Be a bit careful with laser since you are on HRT already: estrogen will make your skin more sensitive to light.  I have a large freckle (called a melasma spot) on my cheek the exact shape and size of the laser probe.

Ultimately, the solution is electrolysis to remove all your facial hair.  Start it soon, because it is a slow process.  In the short term, you will likely have to cover it with makeup.

I had a permanent shadow as well.  Laser worked for the majority of it, and now I'm doing electrolysis to finish it off.  Prior to that I got quite accustomed to wearing a lot of concealer and heavier foundation.

When I finally get to start, it'll cost me a fortune. My entire facial hair is pretty much silver-white. On the plus side, no 5 o'clock shadow to worry about. On the down side, it grows fast and thick. If I don't shave daily I have sandpaper face.  No covering make-up for me. If it looks odd, they can deal with it. Not my problem

Quote from: KathyLauren on December 13, 2017, 06:39:47 AM
With a prominent shadow, laser would probably work well.  Be a bit careful with laser since you are on HRT already: estrogen will make your skin more sensitive to light.  I have a large freckle (called a melasma spot) on my cheek the exact shape and size of the laser probe.

Ooh, I've never heard of this.  Is this a permanent thing, or will it fade?  How do you be careful.  We are the victim in the chair...

Bari Jo

You can treat them with bleaching creams.  That said, sometimes they show up without the aid of a laser.  I have some near my eyes that are on skin that has never been zapped.

I had a similar permanent shadow, you could hardly tell I shaved - just part of being light skinned and dark hair I suppose. However because of that , Laser works wonders quickly. I got rid of 85% ish of the dark hair in three sessions, now to zap the white ones with electrolysis while continuing laser for as long as it continues to make a difference.

Quote from: Bari Jo on December 13, 2017, 07:35:48 AM
Ooh, I've never heard of this.  Is this a permanent thing, or will it fade?  How do you be careful.  We are the victim in the chair...

Bari Jo

According to what I've read, melasma will fade over time if there is no further eposure to light.  Unfortunately, the sensitivity is to visible light as well as to UV, so normal sunscreen won't protect it.  Only physical sunblock like titanium dioxide (white paint, essentially) will protect it.  I wear a wide-brimmed hat in summer, and use an SPF 60 sunscreen for whatever protection I can get.

I have some spots that aren't laser-related, too.

The last time I went for laser, which was my first time after starting HRT, the tech noticed that my skin was reacting, and advised against further laser treatment at least until after the summer.  I'm not going back at all.  While the laser was nice for making my shadow invisible, 90% of my facial hair is white, so it was of limited utility anyway.

Isn't puberty fun? 

Quote from: KathyLauren on December 13, 2017, 07:48:29 AM
According to what I've read, melasma will fade over time if there is no further eposure to light.  Unfortunately, the sensitivity is to visible light as well as to UV, so normal sunscreen won't protect it.  Only physical sunblock like titanium dioxide (white paint, essentially) will protect it.  I wear a wide-brimmed hat in summer, and use an SPF 60 sunscreen for whatever protection I can get.

I have some spots that aren't laser-related, too.

The last time I went for laser, which was my first time after starting HRT, the tech noticed that my skin was reacting, and advised against further laser treatment at least until after the summer.  I'm not going back at all.  While the laser was nice for making my shadow invisible, 90% of my facial hair is white, so it was of limited utility anyway.

Thanks Kathy, Good to know.  I've had one laser session and haven't had any reaction, but I'll be on the lookout.

Bari Jo

I definitely have some shadow in my mustache area. I have a few sessions of electrolysis under my belt but I haven't had her work on that area yet. I have a session next week and I was going to have her work on it but I think I'm gunna hold off, my band has a show a few days later and then there's xmas and I have a party to go to that week and there's usually some visual marks left on my skin for a few days after each session, so I think I'll have her work on my neck.

anyways, if you're into makeup I'd suggest using an orange toned concealer after shaving. the theory is that since orange and blue are opposite colors then the orange concealer will cancel out the blueish tones of your shadow. I got a peach colored concealer from Sephora and it seems to work well, then I just put my normal skin toned foundation on over that and it seems to work well

Quote from: Maddie86 on December 13, 2017, 08:46:44 AM
I definitely have some shadow in my mustache area. I have a few sessions of electrolysis under my belt but I haven't had her work on that area yet. I have a session next week and I was going to have her work on it but I think I'm gunna hold off, my band has a show a few days later and then there's xmas and I have a party to go to that week and there's usually some visual marks left on my skin for a few days after each session, so I think I'll have her work on my neck.

anyways, if you're into makeup I'd suggest using an orange toned concealer after shaving. the theory is that since orange and blue are opposite colors then the orange concealer will cancel out the blueish tones of your shadow. I got a peach colored concealer from Sephora and it seems to work well, then I just put my normal skin toned foundation on over that and it seems to work well

Just tried that. It does seem to help. Laser will have to wait until after xmas, and the shadow may be useful in distracting attention away from other areas this xmas anyway - don't want to field too many questions until next year if I can manage it. Not sure I'm 'into' makeup but it seems I need to learn to be 'into' many unpredicted things! On the plus side, hair does seem to be growing slower in places and I don't want and faster on my head. It also feels a bit healthier.