The Hairy Lip

Today, for the first time, I went to the beauty parlour for electrolysis of my moustache. I have been mulling this over for a few years; the last year almost obsessively, because every time I look in the mirror I see my mother's and my grandmother's moustache looking back at me.

I've always had noticeable blonde fluff above my thin lips and even had the occasional back lash from the odd "friend" in high school but never paid it much negative attention. In fact, I fondled it often and liked the way the sun made it glow. Twenty five years later my hormones have changed and so has my fine crop of hair. It's now become a dark shadow on my once angelic lip. As I mentioned before it's developed into a bit of an obsession. I can't look in a mirror without seeing the hair looking back at me. I've probably asked my husband 40 times "Can you see it?" to which he answers "It's cute" or "It's not that noticeable".

At this point, the problem doesn't come down to whether it's noticeable to others. It's noticeable to me so it's become my problem. Especially when I put on makeup like foundations, powders and lipsticks (I love lipsticks) and they accentuate each and every hair. So I've finally stopped torturing myself, at least mentally.

For anyone who hasn't had this done, they make you hold a lubed up metal rod in one hand while a technician looks through a microscope to insert a very small needle into the hair follicle where it literally cauterizes the blood supply to the root of the hair with an electric current. After ten seconds of burning the needle is pulled out and so is the hair. Tout fini, good bye hair.

It's important to mention this procedure is only done in 15 minute intervals; recommending you come back once a week in the beginning, spreading it out up to three months depending on the work needed. At $23 a shot this can become expensive... quickly. Thank goodness I'm blonde. But more importantly than that is the pain. The fifteen minutes of torture and following. It is brushed off as feeling like a bee sting. Have you been stung by a bee? I haven't (I try to keep away from them). She probably removed 20-25 hairs today. Can you imagine 20-25 beestings in a 2 inch radius? It hurts damn it! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I'm sure with future treatments (yes I'm going back) I will, in time, develop the old "stiff upper lip". As I sit here with my saturated witch hazel cotton ball and ice pack I know one thing is certain: at least it won't be a hairy one.