Having read many threads on this forum, I know about the risks of plucking, especially on the female face. But is it really that big a deal when we are talking about a small amount of hairs, such as 3 or 4 chin hairs that all grow out at different times (so only 1 or maybe 2 need plucking at once)? I don't have much in the way of facial hair, but I do have a couple dark, thick hairs that grow out on my chin. I usually pluck them because it takes about 2 seconds and I don't have to worry about it for weeks. I would really rather keep plucking, because if I shave I will have to do it way more often, and you can still see the dark spot under the skin. I would also rather not use delapitory creams because they are messy, and I don't want to take the normal female peach fuzz off my chin.

So, is it still a big deal if I just pluck 1 or 2 chin hairs every couple weeks? I don't really care if the hairs themselves grow back thicker, since I am plucking them anyway. But I don't want more hairs to grow in the area as a result of plucking. I am on anti-androgens so hormonal stimulation should not be an issue once the meds take full effect. I know electrolysis would be a great solution for these hairs and I am sure I will get them done when I get electrolysis on other areas (sometime in the not-so-near future). But, in the meantime-- is plucking really a horrible idea?

I think it is okay for just a few hairs, but do seriously consider electrolysis when you are ready. It would really be no big deal or a huge effort. I would consider it being like what I do when I remove hairs from a facial mole. To describe this, it's a couple to several short appointments spread out over a year to reflect the hair growth cycle of ALL the hairs that are really present inside the mole, but unfortunately those hairs do not show up at the same time. It would not be costly.

Thanks dfahey. I do plan to get electrolysis on many other areas once I have my hormones balanced and have enough money for it. I figure it would be a very simple matter to just have the electrologist hit a chin hair or two while they are doing other areas on my body. But, it will be some time before I can start electrolysis, so in the meantime I'm trying to find the best temporary method. I am glad to hear that you think that plucking a few hairs is ok.

It's not that big of a deal for a couple hairs. Just keep in mind that for some people they may get more coarse with time and that every time you pluck, you're sending the hair into a 2-4 month dormancy period. Which means that you'll have to wait that long before it shows up again to get killed with electrolysis.

Thanks lagirl. I don't really care if the hairs I am plucking get coarser, because I never plan to let them grow out, so it doesn't matter much to me. As long as new hairs don't get stimulated to grow, that's fine. I do know about how plucking affects the hair cycles, and I will definitely take that into mind once I start electrolysis. But, I think it will be easy, since I plan to get electrolysis on other areas and maybe get the chin hairs treated as an afterthought, so I can just get them whenever they come up, in the course of my regular electrolysis. So I don't think it will be as much of a problem as it would be if I was only getting electrolysis on those hairs.

One doesn't know if the hair will get thicker, distorted, stimulate additional hairs or some combination of some or all of those possibilities (and then some).

That is why it is recommended that one get electrolysis on such a few hairs. The appointments would be short, and the total cost would be small. You might want to do some underarm hair, eyebrow hair, or leg hairs to get a little more done with the time.

Only thing about plucking facial hair (take it from me) is that if you have a lot of free testosterone floating around in your blood or you have follicles that are sensitive to testosterone, plucking will make the testosterone-rich blood rush to the follicle from which you just plucked and possibly cause a terminal hair, as was mentioned. So just keep that in mind and pull gently! (less trauma)

One or two terminal hairs, no biggie. You just don't want those androgens affecting the follicles around the one you plucked, so don't pluck too many. Else you'll just end up with a face full!

CoffeeGal, do you think that could still be a problem if I am on drugs that block androgen receptors? Once my Spiro really kicks in, my hairs should stop being able to respond so well to testosterone. I am hoping that means that the blood rushing to the area poses less of a risk.

Technically, that is correct. As long as you don't have a whole lot of androgen in your blood, it should work that way. Spiro doesn't do as much for the free testosterone in the blood as it does for the receptors in the skin. So if you still have a bad hormone imbalance, think twice about doing too much plucking. Besides, if you're going to go to an electrologist, let her/him zap it for ya! That doesn't stimulate hair growth. Plucking does. Oh, if only I had known sooner!