Like your own facial hair, you can only get rid of it temporarily, it will grow back. There are cremes that remove the hair & bleaches that lighten it, & I believe there are lady shavers for this purpose. I'd avoid electrolysis, it may frighten her & can be quite uncomfortable. There can also be allergies, so you might want to try a little bit of product to see what happens, and also you have to keep it on for a few minutes so you have to see that she doesn't lick it off. I'd take her to a pharmacist or a dermatologist to look at her skin type & make a suggestion. Also, try a facial salon. The ladies there may have some good ideas & if she'll sit still for a full facial, it's a pleasure--and it would be for you, too. My DH got a few when I did & he enjoyed them.
In certain cultures, female facial hair is very desirable, not so much here. It sounds like it bothers you, but if it doesn't and she's OK with it, you can let it be.
Ah, Bengy, you have found out our secret. We "somewhat older" women seem to get hair growth where we surely don't want it when our hormones change. I'm sure many of us have managed to get rid of it before our husbands ever really know about it.
There are a host of methods I am sure you never imagined. Shaving with a razor or electric shaver; waxing; depilitories; laser treatments; electrolosis. If you are asking what to do about it, my guess is that she is in a later stage, which would mean you could only do what she will tolerate. Shaving if she won't push your hand away; waxing is fast, lasts longer, but hurts (only for a few seconds) - you would need to take her to a salon for that. Depilitories (creams you leave on and then wash off) don't smell as bad as they used to, but you wouldn't want her trying to lick it off. Laser treatments and electolosis are expensive and many treatments are involved.
My suggestion would be waxing and maybe she just has "goat hairs" on the chin. If so, they may be taken care of with tweezers and the beautician can take care of both. Facial would be nice if she would sit still for it. I never had one. (sigh)
OK>>My wife has the same problem..so I took her to a beautician to have it done. They did her hair and she looked great..but I noticed that her eyebrows were missing.....When she saw the beautician, she told her that she wanted her eyebrows removed...but she came out with her mustache still visible....so back we went and I had to explain that she got confused, and really meant mustache not eyebrows.......so here I am now, trying to color on eyebrows on her face every day....drawing a nice line is not easy...
Most manicure salons do lip waxes. I'd take her to have her nails and toes done and while at it..get a lip wax. Now you're learning the secret we women take to our graves....:-)
My-oh-my phranque. Might I suggest to you men, that you go in with her and give the beautician the directions. I can't believe a beautician would do that but evidentally so. At least they will grow back out.
I have little tiny shaver. About as big around as my index finger and 6" long. Cap pulls off to expose cylinder with a tiny blade on side (maybe 1/2" long). Push lever up and blade vibrates. Gets those little babies in no time. Barely even feel it and only feel tiniest vibration. Easy to handle.
I make her look like Groucho Marx...hey, I am still learning how to cook, clean, wash, and how to remove the pink stains from the white underwear....You want me to do makeup?????????????????????????????????????? It took my wife hours to do it herself....My day is already 36 hrs....makeup will increase that to 40,.....
Oh my, and I thought when the time comes for me to have to shave my husband's face, I will have a tough time. I can't imagine being a man and having to learn the make up stuff.
Don't fret too much about the eyebrows. They will grow back. Once a month to the beautician, and let her take care of lip wax, and any other pampering you can afford.
There's a thread here somewhere about easy recipes. Don't make more work for yourself than you already have. Nothing wrong with shortcuts.
I guess a lot of us women worry about those hairs even when we're dead. My mother died over 40 years ago . Before she died she told me to make sure there weren't any hairs on her chin. I still remember telling that to the funeral director. He was glad I told him.
Carolyn, I love your story regarding your mother. My mother had a similar wish, she never wore makeup, however, would not go out of the house without earrings...the clip on type. So I made sure she had them on when the time came.
You know, my mother didn't inform me of things to expect after I reached my twenties...I was married with children by then, and when things happened to her body, she just never mentioned them. I NEVER discussed such issues with my friends either. Therefore, out of ignorance, I was shocked when the color of my hidden hair changed! It just didn't occur to me that it would! Of course, it made sense, but I just didn't think of it! That applies to those **#@ little gray hairs 1/2 inch long that appear overnight on my chin occasionally, and the **#@ little black and/or gray ones appearing over my lip. I swear that they come in that long overnight! I just take the tweezers and pull them out. After having had my eyebrows waxed once, I decided that plucking caused me less pain and that the pain didn't last as long! (But I'm doing that to myself - not to my spouse!)
I agree with all of you that the guys should take their wives to the beauty shop, but please call first and tell the stylist of her Alzheimer's and what procedures you want done, not what your wife says. It will be in HER best interests!!!
Mary,not only do they seem to appear 1/2" long overnight, I can't see them or think about them until I am in the car going someplace or already been there.
i had to go look. yeah. some duzzies growing over the lip. i have the little tube razor that is not supposed to make them grow back dark. they lied. they are not only dark but wirey. ha. i knew i wore the pants this household but didnt know the mustache would accompany the pants. agreed, salon if you can manage to get her to sit still long enough! divvi
Frank (ph). I don't know where you live..but there is a company called Diet Gourmet that delivers a weeks worth of food..you can decide 3 meals a day, 2 or just 1. They are reeally good meals. You just have to microwave them. Nothing at all like frozen dinners from the grocery store. They include salads, soups, snacks, ...you can google then on line. www.dietgourmet.com. They arrive at your door.
If you get all 3 meals a day, it costs around $20.00 but most people go with only one! Believe me, if you breakdown the cost of preparing a ameal, it's about the same. They have low calorie meals, no salt meals, diabetic-friendly meals. It's amazing. We have one of their stores near us and I went in one day and looked at their "ready to go" dinners and they were beautiful!
Might be an option..to go with this 3-4 days a week just for a change. They are quite generous in size.
Phranque, in a previous post I mentioned the magazine "Cooking for 2". It really helped me learn how to cook. Unfortunately, it has gone out of business (not enough subscriptions, I guess), but maybe you could find some back issues in your library. A friend of mine, whose wife also has AD, ate mostly "Lean Cuisine" or other ready to go dinners. In the early stages they would each pick out what they wanted for dinner that night.
As for the make-up, I am really lucky there. My wife has never worn any type of make-up, so I doubt she would know what to do. She does get 3 or 4 hairs on her chin which I cut off occasionally. I do take her to a "beauty shop" every couple of months to get her hair cut, but that is about it.
Well Friends...you are correct. Since my Chemo I think I only have one harmone left, and wouldn't you know it....that little harmone spends all of its time producing three chin whiskers. My grow so fast that I just keep a razor in my make-up box and just Whack them off!!!!! Maybe I should be glad the little harmone did not decide to grow a mustache !!!
Guys...I have lost eyebrows and eyelashes during chemo....it grows back, just be patient.
My girlfriends and I have made a pact, if any of us end up unable to care for our "upper lips" or chins, we are not to worry, whoever is able will take care of business!
That's funny, Susan! I promised one of my girlfriends I'd polish her nails if they looked bad! Another said she wouldn't not have an open casket funeral if her " dark roots" were showing. I laugh at the story about not realizing that his wife had a mustache. I'm sure my husband had no idea whatsoever that I have had my upper lip waxed for years and years. Wonder what else they never knew?
I started finding stray grey strands when I was in high school, just like my Dad did. I corrected my Dh and my daughter when they'd find them and start to pull them out. "Leave them alone. I earned them." Well, I'm not all grey yet but very grey and feel luck because they're that silvery grey that looks so nice. They are my badge and didn't cost me a dime at the jewelers.