1/13/2009

Puberty & my first body hair

At all ages, our skin has fine, short hairs all over it. The amount and type depends on our genes, you will know if you just take a look at your parents. When we are going through puberty, we start to grow thicker and darker hair around our genitals, which are called pubic hair, under our armpits an...

At all ages, our skin has fine, short hairs all over it. The amount and type depends on our genes, you will know if you just take a look at your parents. When we are going through puberty, we start to grow thicker and darker hair around our genitals, which are called pubic hair, under our armpits and on our legs. The length, darkness and thickness of this varies between people. However, these first body hair could provoke problems if teenager does not know how to handle with it.



What girl should do about first body hair?



Some people choose to trim, lighten or remove body hair and others do not. This is only your choice. There is nothing wrong with feeling that you do not want to remove body hair. The fact is that European women often leave their body hair alone. Removing hair can cause some minor problems if the skin is nicked with a razor. Commonly skin is irritated by some creams or the re-growing hair gets stuck under the skin surface. For this reason everyone should be careful, and try different methods. You should find one that suits you, and keep the area very clean to prevent skin infections. Some girls and women are naturally more hairy than others, or have darker hair that is more noticeable then others. It is quite common to grow single or many hairs in the typical moustache area of the face. This case is especially as women get older or if they are taking some medications. Hair growth can also be influenced by your hormones or by some prescription drugs. If you have noticed that you are more hairy than your friends and you are not having periods, or your periods are irregular, or your periods have stopped, you should go to see your general practitioner, who can advise you.



What boy should do about first body hair?



During puberty, boys start to grow longer, darker and coarser hair on their legs, genitals, arms, face and their chest. In boys and men, the first hair that grows on their face is quite soft, slow-growing and usually on the upper lip and chin.





Even if you do not want to grow a moustache and beard, you probably will not need to remove this very often. Later on, you will get darker, thicker, faster-growing hair over a larger area of the face. If you do not want to grow a moustache and beard, you will probably need to remove this hair daily. Most boys and men remove this facial hair by shaving with razors. You can buy these razors at chemists and supermarkets. Scraping the skin every day with a sharp blade can cause it to become irritated, which is why most boys and men use shaving foam or shaving gel to help the blade slide over the skin easily.



Removing of the hair



As guys go through puberty, they start growing hair in just about every place you thought it would be impossible to grow, such as arms, legs, chest, belly underarms, pubic area, thighs. This means body hair will grow almost everywhere. Probably the most common concern about hair is when it is going to come in, and how much of hair will be there. As unfortunate as it is, it is absolutely impossible to tell so for the most part, you will just have to wait and see. However, if you are really desperate, then you can always ask your father. While it is not a given, sometimes sons and their fathers share a good bit of the same traits. If you're father is pretty hairy, you might be too, and if he is not so hairy, you might not be either. While it is by no means fool-proof, it can at least give you idea. For now, you must know that hair comes in at all different places in all sorts of different orders. Therefore, just because you have underarm hair, and some friend does not, but he has facial hair, does not mean you will be getting facial hair next. You could get hair on your arms, or legs, or just about anywhere as you have already hear. Then comes the second most popular question, whether it should be shaved off or not; the only one who can answer that is you, it is absolutely 100% personal preference. Some people like being hairy because they think it makes them look older and more manly. In the same time, others like being smoothe because they think it is more attractive. There is no given what type girls like better, just like with guys, it is a personal preference thing for girls as well. However, if you do want to shave it, be careful. Just like with using a blade on anything it will cut the skin if you try and move too fast. Use some shaving cream, and take your time for this process. You can shave just about anywhere, but be aware that it will itch when the hair grows back. Because of that, a lot of people prefer to trim their hairs instead of shave completely. This is most common when it comes to pubic hair, but off course it can apply anywhere. Generally though, it is only useful if you already have a good amount of hair. The most common myth about hair and shaving it is that it will grow back thicker and faster, which is absolutely not true and has no merit. While it might look thicker, and maybe darker, it actually is not. It is just that your eyes playing tricks on you.



You can do just about anything you want with your body hair, it is going to come in at it's own rate, and you cannot change that, but you can wait. After it is in, you can shave, trim, or leave it, it is all up to you.



Normal body hair growth



The normal pattern of body hair growth starts with pubic and axillary hair. For a very hairy man, the next area to grow hair is the legs, and then the abdomen and chest. The area around the coccyx can grow hair quite early in pubescence and the rest of the back is much later. Facial hair is variable in growth pattern, usually growing after the first appearance of abdominal or chest hair, giving a full pattern before the chest and abdominal hair. Upper arm hair grows quite late in the process and forearm hair is the most widely variable in the age at which growth occurs. Forearm hair can grow at any time from about the age of fourteen to twenty-five. It can grow before or after chest, abdomenal or facial hair. Men who are less hairy will follow the same basic pattern as the hairiest men but leaving out the areas where they do not have hair. The least hairy men just have pubic, axillary and facial hair. Growth pattern in women is similar but any woman who has significant quantities of body hair apart from pubic, axillary, leg and forearm hair should consult the doctor. There is a possibility of hormonal imbalance that should be investigated for each woman that is too hairy. It is not count the sometimes heavy downy facial hair that some women have as significant growth. The age variation for the onset of puberty that is biologically normal is nine to 21 years-old. However, the vast majority of people reach puberty between the ages of ten and sixteen. Given these wide tolerances for normality, it is not surprising that doctors consider almost everyone to be normal with regard to hair growth. There are some abnormalities such as precocious puberty in very young children and there are people who grow hair severely outside the normal sequence. In essence, some doctors define normality as a growth pattern that will give rise to a normal individual of normal height and intelligence without any physical disability, including sterility.



Why is body hair important?



Whether it is long, short, straight, or curly, the body hair is important. It protects skin from dirt and germs, provides cushioning for your sensitive parts. It also lessens the friction between skin and clothes, and holds in heat to keep you warm when you need it, which leads to more revealing clothes. Body hair even helps provide a subtle dating service by retaining human unique personal scent, conveyed by chemicals called pheromones. It helps a potential mate become attracted to you. Sometime after puberty, body starts sprouting hair in places that were probably baby smooth just a few short months before. It is especially around genitals, under arms, on legs, and for guys on the face and neck. Many guys find it exciting to start growing body and facial hair, because they think it is a sign that they are changing from boys to men. Some people choose to keep their new hair because they like how it looks, their partner prefers it, or they leave it for religious reasons, among others. However, other people prefer to bleach, trim, or completely remove hair from some or all parts of their bodies. No matter what you decide, the fact is that you have got plenty of options for dealing with your own body hair. It is the easiest option of all just sit back, and let it grow. You get all the benefits of having the hair, and you do not have to spend time or money trying to get rid of it. However, some people find that armpit hair can encourage the growth of bacteria there, leading to body odor, so they rather decide to remove it. You could also bleach or dissolve it. Chemical bleaches lighten hair so it is hard to see, while depilatories dissolve hair so it washes away. Both are good for places not only where you would rather not have hair, but also where hair removal is difficult. Both are easy to apply but can irritate sensitive skin, which is common problem. Off course, you always have option to shave it. Shaving hair is inexpensive and easy, where pack of three disposable razors costs around $1.50, and shaving cream costs around $4. The downside is that you are scraping a very sharp blade across delicate skin. You must be careful, or you could be in for some serious cuts. Most girls prefer plucking or waxing it. Pulling hair out by the roots leaves you smoother longer; it can take weeks for hair to grow back. However, it can also be painful, and some hairs can come back ingrown as common problem of recurrent hair growth.