Forum Discussion
Under arm hair after node removal
Hi everyone,
I’m 2 months out of lymph node removal, and 1 month post mastectomy.
I purchased an electric razor about 6 weeks ago but only succeeded in pinching and nicking the skin in my good armpit.
I’m 2 months out of lymph node removal, and 1 month post mastectomy.
I purchased an electric razor about 6 weeks ago but only succeeded in pinching and nicking the skin in my good armpit.
Currently I’m just letting it grow. I’m figuring I’ll be wearing long sleeved tops when I’m out anyway. And if I’m not - it will be tshirts and people will just have to deal with it.
ive never been a waxer - always ended up with I grown hairs if I waxed my legs.
ive never been a waxer - always ended up with I grown hairs if I waxed my legs.
The scar under my arm is just below the hairline but I am very wary of shaving and damaging the skin. I’ve already swapped to an all natural deodorant which works brilliantly.
What solutions (or not) have you come up with ?
I’m thinking I’m just going to embrace my hairiness and horrify the people who happen to notice it!
20 Replies
- Only for those of a build to be able to reach, but plucking was my solution. First time daunting and pin prick painful as strangely nerves under skin still working but gets very easy and neat couple of times a week 10 minute job. not alot of ingrown hairs. Do same for belly surgery line from reconstruction otherwise would have bikini line nearly 15 cm high! yikes
- Lazer hair removal is the way to go. Check with your doctors how soon you can do it.
- Probably just one lymph node dodged the numb response - I had 17 removed, only one malignant, but several very suspicious looking. That’s a fair bit of digging around and it doesn’t do your nerve endings any good! Any side effect you don’t get is to be celebrated!
- Probably just because you didn’t have axilla clearance. I have just had a second mastectomy with no axilla surgery snd I haven’t got any numbness on that side.
- I feel like I missed out, no numbness. Is it because I only had 1 lymph node removed? Or just a side effect some get and others don’t.
- If it’s any comfort, the numbness may reduce over time. Like @ddon, my affected armpit belonged to someone else for quite a long time. But little by little, it’s come home. It’s not exactly normal, but much more normal than it was - I don’t have to use one hand to feel where to put deodorant, and the other to apply it, any more!
- I’ve got two numb armpits. I thought one benefit of radio, bedsides getting rid of stray cancer cells, would be also getting rid of my much hated armpit hair. Alas, it was not to be so. My axillas were not irradiated so I still have to shave. I’m very careful not to cut myself in the area, and it hurts a bit when I stretch my arms up, esp after the radio due to the tightness. So all I got was numbness. But at least I don’t get any more nipple hairs 😆😄👌🏻
- It’s definitely difficult to shave under that weird numb arm that feels like it belongs to someone else. Like others I shaved in front of the mirror for a long time but I got used to it. Then radiation got rid of most of the hair permanently so that makes it easier still.
- @Abbydog, I tried the electric razor on my legs. Didn’t like it; it took too long and the result wasn’t as close or smooth as a regular razor. My stitch line is just below the hairline too but I’ve been warned about cuts/scratches/burns/bites etc to that arm and hand. I don’t know if I’m supposed to be over careful or what. It’s so frustrating!
- Thanks @Raich and @June1952, I’ll have a look for them.
