Dotty Legs

0blackeyed0 started this discussion · 5/14/2010

Hi ladies, Weird question but it's seriously affecting my confidence! I have really pale skin and quite dark hair on my legs so when i shave I have these really visible black dots all over my lower legs, not half as visible on my top legs though. Does anyone have this? It really affected my going to lessons in front of people and I could never pole in front of others because I dont want them to laugh at my legs. Waxing etc didnt really help, it made the dots red instead of black. Any clues? 🙁 😢

15 replies

megs982 · 5/14/2010
is it like bruising? If so, that is normal with poling 🙂
chemgoddess1 · 5/14/2010
I think she is referring to the hair that is still going into the skin. The only thing I could suggest is laser but that gets on the pricey side.
2dyzzi · 5/15/2010
Like really short stubble sort of? I would suggest trying a multi-blade razor if you shave - I find the more blades the closer the shave so go for something with 4 or 5 blades. The battery power ones that vibrate with the push of a button like gillette fusion power get even closer which is surprising since I thought it would be just some lame gimic. Shaving cream is also key. As for waxing... Wax is applied in the direction of the hair growth and then torn off against the grain if you will. This will break the hairs off resulting in ingrown hairs and faster regrowth. If I were you I would look into Sugaring. It's been around forever and ever, but its just starting to grow in popularity. The process is reversed - the sugar is applied against the direction of the hair and pulls the hair out of the follicle the same way it grows = no breakage or ingrown hairs. Hair takes longer to grow back, can be removed at a shorter length, and will eventually result in permanent removal. The sugar is not hot so it will not burn you or cause inflammation like waxing does and there is NO double dipping so it is much more sanitary. Hope that helps...
AnjilsBaby · 5/15/2010
i also get the black dots (rather pale myself) and the main thing i can suggest is when you shave, make sure your water is nice and hot to open your pores obviously, but also make sure you heat up your razor blade, when i shave with a cold blade i notice they are more visible. also, dont worry about it too much! 🙂 what ive learned is even though i see black dots all over my legs and everything, no one else seems to. if they really really bother you, maybe look into a self tanner to add a couple shades to your legs and they wont be as visible 🙂 hope that helps! (oh and everything the other ladies said is good too lol)
minicoopergrl · 5/15/2010
Add me to that list. I think its mostly due to the pale skin. I know no one else can see it (I shave once a week, I HATE doing it). I recently started tanning and hoping that will help. Chem do you have anymore info on the sugaring? Im totally interested!
2dyzzi · 5/15/2010
Well I'm not Chemmie, but I'll tell you all I know 🙂 Because sugaring sort of seeps into pores (hence the reason it eventually becomes permanent), it can even be used to remove blackheads! You can eat it. It rinses off with water - you don't have to use chemicals like with waxing. If you come across a stubborn hair (even an ingrown one) you can just keep going after it until you get it. With waxing you aren't supposed to go over the same area more than once... Because the sugar only sticks to dead skin cells (unlike wax which sticks to everything), its WAY less painful and does a lovely job of exfolliating! Hmmm... nothing else is coming to mind. Let me know if you have any specifc questions. PS - Anjils is TOTALLY right about everything.
AnjilsBaby · 5/15/2010
i have never actually heard of sugaring before but i think im gonna look into it now 🙂 i hate shaving cause i can shave be all nice and smooth, then 5 hours later have bad pricklies. i guess its cause im french canadian lol. where would you look for sugaring? like target? or specialty shops?
miss fern · 5/15/2010
I would recommend laser. I know it's expensive ... but look at this way: Your hair is NOT going to get paler. So you are going to have these dots for the rest of your life. So IMO this is a worthwhile investment, for your self esteem. Plus, you could shave every day for the rest of your life, and you would rack up a HELL OF A LOT MORE in expensives over time (shavers, blades, creams etc). So in that sense, although laser is a huge unfront payment... it's actually a long term saving. And while I don't recommend laser for everything (your pubic grooming preferences may chance when you're older, for example) you can pretty much guarantee you never want black spikey leg hair! If you DO research laser clinics, make sure you educate yourself on the difference between IPL, laser and electrolysis. 🥂
0blackeyed0 · 5/15/2010
If only I could afford laser, would be so easy and the perfect solution, but definately not an option at the moment due to price, maybe in a few years. Every reply has been helpful, I have tried most of these options, waxing was awful because of the ingrown hairs and has now left me with more marks from them, especially inside thigh, and sugaring, I bought a sugar kit from the body shop here in the UK and it smelled sooooo sweet, but didnt seem to pull my hairs out haha they were too tough then! 😉 Just gonna have to try and not get so jealous at others smooth legs and always wear tights.
amcut · 5/15/2010
.... Nothing is wrong with your legs!!!! I can't believe no one said that. No one can even SEE your black dots, unless we're twelve inches from making out with your calf. It's like using one of those magnifying mirrors, looking at yourself from the usual length. No one is as close to you as you are- so no one is going to see the "imperfections" that you see. Nevermind that the world is fillllled with pale skinned dark haired women- and since dark hair is consistently so thick when matched with the pale, I'm sure they have "black dots", too. But we're never like, "Damn, that bitch needs to bleach", 'cause we don't seeeeee it. 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 NO TIGHTS, NO TIGHTS, NO TIGHTS.
FreeTheSun · 5/15/2010
I had that happen to me all the time when I used to shave, kinda made me feel like what's the point in shaving. It's annoying cause I'm a blonde (depending on the season depends on how dark it is) but my lower leg hair and underarm hair seems to have come from my dad (who has...had thick dark red/brown hair). Really not cool. It annoys me, but as Amcut says, you're the only one who notices cause your close and you know what to look for. Besides, who cares if anyone else notices. They looked, they get to deal with what they see. I'm a swim instructor so I'm in swimsuits a lot of the week but because shaving gives me bad razor burn and ingrown hairs I wax (legs, underarms and bikini), which means there is grow out time. I use to be self conscious about it but after I while I just gave up. People know women naturally have hair. If they don't want to risk seeing hairy legs or underarms or something, don't look! It's amazing how that attitude change helped me not notice those little inconsequential things. So what if you have dots on your leg! I know a lot of people do too but you don't notice and unless you're a leg model no one's gonna notice on you either.
0blackeyed0 · 5/15/2010
thank you so much ☀️
2dyzzi · 5/16/2010
Anjilis said nothing is wrong! She pointed out that we're all to hard on our own selves. I'm not sure if you can buy the product anywhere. Its a service you can have done at a salon or spa.
Solya · 5/17/2010
I totally agree with the others, no one notices/gives a damn about the dots on your legs 🙂 No one gets that close to your skin to thoroughly observe your shaving and hair growth habits lol. I have the same problem, shaving gives me smooth legs for 5 hours and waxing/epilating gives me red dots. What you could do is use fake tan or a tanning body lotion, it will make your black dots less noticeable and give you a nice tan 🙂 If you wax or epilate, wipe your legs with an astringent afterwards to prevent inflammation of the hair follicles. Any drugstore product containing alcohol will do. I make my own astringent - I put water in an empty facial toner bottle, put some alcohol in it, dissolve 5-6 aspirin tablets in a few drops of water and put that in it too. Aspirin is a very strong anti-inflammatory and works wonders on irritated skin. This stuff really prevents the red dots on me 🙂
JenLFG · 5/18/2010
i pretty much have translucent skin because i am so pale & i have darker hair so i totally have the dark hair follicles too! it used to bother me but it doesn't anymore, i still have it & no matter what i do it's gonna be that way so i just wear shorts anyway. i've never had anyone say anything to me about it or look at my legs funny so i'm guessing its not as noticeable to everyone else or people just don't find it to be that odd. so yeah, i think it's normal 😀 don't let it bother you, you are definitely not the only one with it 😀