Friday 13 January 2012

Permanence

    It's an exciting moment, when about a week after going under the laser your beard hairs start falling out. Right now I'm looking a little patchy, definitely bristly but a little threadbare. In a day or two with luck my chin will be as smooth as the proverbial baby's arse. At least until the next crop grow through.
   I have no regret about losing my beard, I've never liked it and I've always hated shaving. In my life as a scruffy bloke I've thus ended up oscillating between clean shaven and very bristly as I delay shaving until the beard gets too annoying. Ending that cycle will be nothing short of fantastic.
    Everything I've done until now with respect to my appearance has been temporary, or at least reversible. Fingernails and hair can be cut, plucked eyebrows can be allowed to grow back. But lasered beards will not return, this is permanent. Those surrounding me in my daily life will probably not notice and think that I'm simply fastidious in my shaving habits, but never again will they see the bristly me.
    In changing my appearance irreversibly for the first time I have crossed a line somewhere. No possibility of going back, this is uncharted territory.

8 comments:

  1. Long ago I was at the very same place and just telling myself that nobody else need ever know but that it would be enough to make me comfortable with myself and help me survive the life which I led.

    For a while it did...

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  2. I have never regretted the decision around laser. Just wish that my hairs weren't so persistent in some areas !

    Becca

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  3. When the people in the office found out about me, and about the laser one of the guys I work with just said 'Oh, I thought you were just really good at shaving!' :)

    Stace

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  4. I wouldn't be so sure about folk not noticing Jenny because with the hair loss also comes the loss of shadow. Now I don't know if you have a strong beard but if you do I suspect you normally sport a shadow too. The loss of the shadow might be more noticeable than simply a smooth shave. In any event think of all the money you will save not having to buy razor blades! I hope your treatment goes SMOOTHLY.....

    Shirley Anne xxx

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  5. Errrr, I "forgot" to mention to my partner that I had started zapping the beard, neither she nor anybody else said anything about lack of shadow or stubble. I did confess after a bit more than six months when I thought she would start to notice eventually.

    After about six years a doctor in the family did ask advice about my shaving technique!

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  6. There is a clinic who is promoting using the laser for men as an alternative to shaving; not for us particularly. Interesting!

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  7. It's on my bucket list when the time is right.

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