Hair today, gone tomorrow: eight steps to a fuzz-free life

Men's Fitness, August, 2004 by Brian Good

There's a reason Barbie decided to dump a few months back. Turns out the plastic bikini babe couldn't stomach helmet head's excessive body hair (hidden for years under those tiny tees). If only the little guy had consulted us--unwanted hair is easier to control than you might think. Whether you're Sasquatch furry or just looking to lose the knuckle stubble, here's a complete-body guide to fighting for.

AREA TO TRIM: EYEBROWS

Best way to tame 'em: Fine-tipped tweezers. (Tweezerman.com has a wide selection.) The sharper the tip, the greater your control over the tool will be and the less it will hurt when it comes time to yoink those hairs out. Do your plucking after a hot shower. The heat opens up pores, allowing hairs to slip out of the skin more easily. To minimize pain, pull each hair as quickly as possible and use an aloe gel after tweezing to further soothe the skin.

"If it's your first time plucking, consider going to a salon at least once to have your brows shaped by a professional," says Leon Kircik, M.D., medical director of Physicians Skin Care in Louisville, Ky. If you take this route, ask a female co-worker the name of her favorite shop--tell her you want to buy a gift certificate for a "friend"--and schedule your visit for the a.m., mid-week. That way, the only people you'll run into are little old ladies looking to lose their moustaches.

AREAS TO TRIM: EARS & NOSE

Best way to tame 'em: Blunt-nosed tweezers. The medical equivalent, called a "needle holder," may be the best-kept secret among male doctors for removing unwanted nose and ear hair, says Stuart H. Kaplan, M.D., a Beverly Hills dermatologist. The smooth, non-ridged grasping surface of the instrument allows it to grasp many hairs at once and remove them, pulling them out from the root of the hair shaft. (It doesn't hurt nearly as much as you'd think.) This, Kaplan says, is better than trimming, which only removes the portion of the hair that is above the skin surface.

AREAS TO TRIM: CHEEKS & NECK

Best way to tame 'em: Shaving cream and razor. But don't just slap on the cream and start slicing skin. You need to let the white stuff sit awhile to be effective, says NYC dermatologist Karen Burke, M.D., Ph.D. "The hairs in your beard are as strong as a thin wire," she notes, "but if you leave your shaving cream on for at least two minutes and 45 seconds, the hair becomes softer and easier to cut."

The best shaving cream? Any that contains the ingredient benzoyl peroxide. "If you get razor bumps after shaving, they'll generally go away after using benzoyl peroxide for just a few days' time," says Burke. Once your beard is soft, shave slowly, stopping frequently to rinse the blade. If you're prone to ingrown hairs, Burke recommends exfoliating the skin and taking 1,000 mg of vitamin C a day.

After shaving, splash cold water--not aftershave--on your face. The cool [H.sub.2]O will close your pores and soothe your skin. Then apply a moisturizer, like Gillette's Complete Skincare.

AREA TO TRIM: BACK

Best way to tame it: Lasers. Here's how they work, Chewbacca: Light from the laser is drawn to the dark pigment in a strand of hair. The more light the hair is exposed to, the more it heats up--just like a black shirt on a sunny day--until, eventually, the hair follicle self-destructs.

Unfortunately, up to half of all your hair follicles can be dormant at any one time. Meaning, it may take four to five treatments to achieve true Dr. Evil-level hairlessness.

The most important things to keep in mind, according to Jeffrey Dover, M.D., a professor of dermatology at Yale University, are the type of laser being used for the procedure and the qualifications of the person using it. "It's generally best to go to a board-certified dermatologist," says Dover. "You'll get better results and will be less likely to suffer side effects such as skin discoloration." Dover recommends going to a doctor who uses an assortment of lasers, but if you want to get specific, ask your doctor if he uses what's called an Nd:YAG laser. "It's the safest and most effective for a wide variety of skin tones," he says.

AREA TO TRIM: ARMS

Best way to tame 'em: An electric trimmer. When your arms look like the sleeves of a King Kong costume, you might assume that laser hair removal is the best option. But think before you get zapped. If the laser treatment isn't done well, you can end up with spotty patches of hair on your arms that will look even worse. Instead, get your buzz with the new MultiTrim All-in-One Trimmer from Norelco. The rechargeable gadget ($20@norelco.com) has a hair-clipper comb with nine adjustable length settings--perfect for trimming arm hair (or even beards), from supersheer to just short of shaggy.

AREA TO TRIM: CHEST

Best way to tame it: Scissors or ab sculpting. If you have a hairy chest but don't feel like sporting the '80s-Travolta look, scissors can do the trick. Stand in your shower (to keep cleanup easy) and simply cut away half the length of each hair--enough to leave you looking groomed, though not like a prepubescent boy.