Expert: Casey Durrett - 8/31/2007

Question

Hello Casey am back again!... i have come to you with my problem previously & while i was still working on the solution u gave me i tried somethign rather stupid & ended up aagravting the problem.

I read in a magazine that shaving legs with Johnsons baby oil will do better than shaving cream .... so this time i put a generious amount of oil on my leg (dry without wetting them) & shaved..... the result were shocking & my legs were literally peeled at places with marks & the all the pores have become even more darker & got dry scasles on them as they are healing. pls pls pls help... am frustrated!... i have pasted our previous questions/answer  below to help u get the history


Question
I am indian of 27 years.

I not being treated for any birth control, and/or are you currently being treated with any sort of hormonal therapies

I was never pregnant

I dont tan on my legs as most of the time they are covered by my trouser's or skirts.. as i mentioned i am too lazy to wax so most of the times i keep them covered cuz they dont look good with spots or hair on.

I did shave once 2 months back, but since them i am using the Epilator as i have moved from india to UK now & i think its unnecessarily expensive to visit the parlours for waxing.

I havent tried any products for this problem, i thought it was due to shaving & will stop eventually, but it looks like its here for good!... the only thing i have bee doing is use a mositurizer after i wax or shave or use the pilator.

Never used an exfoliants onthe area, but i do scrub the areas with a body wash scrub while having a bath.

As i mentioned after i use the epilator i only use a Nivea moisturiser as my skin in dry on the legs.

I dont have any pain lingering after in the area, its only for a while after using the epilator. A few hours later no pain.

This discoluration does ot go away, it stays even after the hair have fully grown. Even now my pores are dark with fully grown hair on ym legs.

i have tried my best to answer each of your question one after the other... let me know if you need to know more.

Thanks for the help Casey.

Anisha

Answer
Hi again Anisha! (beautiful name by the way!)

Thank you for the additional information, it definitely helped me to rule in (and out) some various issues.

Since you are not using birth control and have not been pregnant, that eliminates the hormonal issues associated with both of those possibilities.

Your ethnicity most definitely plays a role here. In professional skin care we have a system of identifying different levels of skin pigmentation called the Fitzpatrick scale. Although I cannot see you in front of me, with your ethnic background being such that it is - I would identify you as one of the higher numbers on the Fitzpatrick scale. Easten Indians are generally categorized as Fitzpatrick 4's and 5's. Any skin tone that ranks in the 4-5 zones on the scale will have a higher tendency towards hyperpigmentation. So, I am not surprised now that you are experiencing the discoloration you speak of.

Now I'm sure you would like to know what is happening!

You most likely have a combination of two issues - the first being that your natural skin has a tendency to hyperpigment (darken) when it is stimulated in certain ways. Epilation of any kind can certainly be the type of stimulation that would create pigmentation increases. The second issue most likely pertains to a need for exfoliation.

Since you have no pain and tenderness is only associated with epilation itself and does not linger, the best guess here is that you do have a mix of dead skin cell build up around the hair follicles and a tendency towards pigmentation increases upon stimulation of skin in this area.

In order to exfoliate dead skin cell build up around the hair follicles, I'd like to suggest that you purchase a pumice stone and use that for exfoliation of your legs.

Use the pumice stone gently. Do not over scrub - this could lead to damage of your skin. When washing your legs, cleanse with a very mild non-drying cleanser and then use the pumice stone over affected areas of your legs. Again, be gentle. You do not need to apply a great deal of pressure or rub too hard. Just gently smooth the stone over your legs. Rinse your legs, pat dry, and apply a moisturizer.

In the beginning use the pumice stone up to 3 times per week - as long as you do not have ANY sensitivity in your skin. If you notice that your legs feel sensitive or painful, let this be your sign that you have rubbed too hard - wait for them to feel comfortable again before you use the pumice stone again. If 3 times per week works, when you begin to see improvement feel free to reduce down to twice weekly - and eventually once weekly for maintenance.

Please remember, however, that you do not want to use the pumice stone within 48 hours before or after epilation. So plan your epilation dates around your pumice use.

You may also want to consider getting a brightening skin cream that contains Vitamin C. Vitamin C is full of many amazing benefits - and one of those benefits is brightening the skin. If you opt to purchase a treatment cream containing Vitamin C, do not use it immediately after using the pumice. Vita-C can be a bit tingly, and this may not feel great after having used the stone on your legs. Use the cream on days you are not going to use the pumice, or at least wait a few hours before applying it after the use of the pumice.

Best of luck to you!

Casey
www.facesbycasey.com


Question
Hi,

My problem is the quiet common, but havent got a clue what to do...

i have been waxing for more than 6 years now, & earlier when i used to was, i had smooth & glowing legs. My problem started about 2 years when i became lazy to go parlours too often to wax & would end shaving my legs for last moment party plans!

Each time i shave or wax or use the machine to pull hair out, the pores on my legs become red & eventually become dark & show as if i have innumerable dark black spots on my legs & this now makes my legs look very ugly.

To give you a bit of history, i think my problem started when i started shaving, about 2 years back, each time i used to shave & when the hair would grow back i would get this terrible dryness with an itch. I would scratch so hard that my pores would bleed with tiny hair growth out.

Now my hair growth has become thick & coarse. Each time i shave or wax, the pores on my legs become red & evetually become dark & show as black spots on my legs. i have the ingorwth hair problem as well.

I now use the Philips epilator, which pulls hair out, thinking this problem would be resolved, hwoever it still persists.

How can i get my glowing smooth legs back!.... pls help.

Answer
Hi, Anisha!

I would like to get some additional information from you before I give you a suggested plan for improving the appearance of your legs.

Quite a few factors can contribute to the symptoms your experiecing, so I'd like to rule them in, or out - as specified by your answers.

What is your age?
What is your ethnicity?
Are you on birth control, and/or are you currently being treated with any sort of hormonal therapies?
Were you pregnant at any time prior to your troubles beginning?

Certain body processes take place as we age - and they can often contribute to a number of skin conditions, so this is why I am interested in your age.

Ethnicity is important here because certain ethnic skin types tend to discolor and hyperpigment easier than others. Even within caucasians skin tones can be vastly different. So, when answering this question let me know your basic ethnicity, but also tell me a bit about your skin's ability to tan. Do you tan easily? Do you ever burn? Do you always burn? Do you burn, then tan, etc. A brief explanation on this will help me to determine if possibly your skin has a tendency to hyperpigment based on ethnic factors. Also, my suggestions for treatment will vary based on your ethnicity.

Are you currently shaving or waxing at all? Or do you only use the epilator now?

What, if any, products have you tried on your legs to combat the problem?

Do you use any types of exfoliants on the affected area?

What products do you use pre and post epilation on this area (if any)?

Are the pores painful? Obviously after epilation you may experience some pain, but do you have lingering pain in the areas where you have discoloration?

When this discoloration appears, does it go away? If so, how long does it take to fade, and if it does not fade, are the legs basically smooth in texture with discoloration looking as if it is beneath the skin, or are the legs bumpy feeling with discoloration looking as if it is on top of the skin?

I will be stepping out for the rest of the day, but I will check my email tonight to see if I have received a response from you. When I hear back, I will reply with what I believe may be the complication, and what we can do about it!

Have a super day!

Casey
www.facesbycasey.com

Answer
Oh my, Anisha! I'm so sorry to hear that this has happened. Yes, I do not know why anyone would publish something telling people to shave with baby oil!

I tried that once - many years ago when I was a teenager - and I had a REALLY bad result. My skin looked like a plucked chicken - covered in painful red bumps, and it was several days before that cleared up.

I am sure that somewhere out there - someone uses this method and has no problem - I envy them for being able to, but I believe for most of us, this would never work well and will only create just what has happened to you - and myself back when I tried the same.

I do not know how long it has been since you tried this - but before you do any further treatments, I want you to let your skin heal up completely. If you have any tenderness at all - do not do any exfoliating of the skin right now. If you have some sensitivity try using some 100% aloe vera gel over the affected areas until it has rebalanced and healed.

Once the skin is healed, you can continue use of the pumice to help lighten back out the darkness. I want to stress again - that you definitely want to be very gentle here. We've established that your skin is prone to reacting to over-stimulation by darkening. So, though we want to buff the skin and smooth it, we do not want to treat it aggressively, as it will react negatively to this.

The pumice will help alleviate the dry scales you mention. But do not use the pumice unless your legs are not tender or sore!!! I cannot stress this enough.

Okay - so in terms of future hair removal - if you plan to continue shaving, I would like you to get a quality shaving cream or gel. I prefer gels because I feel that they tend to give a better level of protection. Believe it or not, I love Noxzema sensitive skin shaving gel! I do not know if you're familiar with the old Noxzema line, but they do actually have a great shaving gel. It's not expensive, and it works very well. My legs are very prone to getting nasty red bumps if i do not use a good gel, and I do just fine w/ the Noxzema gel. So, if you can find it, you may want to try that.

Also, if you find that your legs are inflammed or tender, you can also use plain old oats to help soothe and soften the skin. Ideally, you'd grind some plain oats in a food processor and then make a paste with a bit of milk or warm water. Rub over legs, allow to sit for say ten minutes, then remove with warm water. You can use the oats without grinding them down, but it will be very chunky so use caution when removing.. Don't want to clog your drain!

If you need to follow-up with me with any further information on the current condition of your legs, please feel free to do so. Hopefully they're healed up right now and you can begin going back on the plan with the pumice.