[Bluishness around the mouth] Even after hair removal, the "blue beard" won't go away... A 34-year-old who has suffered for 20 years talks about dissecting "uneven color under the nose" with numerical values

1. Nice to meet you | What I will do in this note

Nice to meet you🌸
My name is Aoi Nasashita. I am a 34-year-old woman.

"Even though I had hair removal, the area under my nose is still blue..."
"The bluishness around my mouth won't go away, it looks like a blue beard..."
"Could it be that I have a beard growing...?"

You who typed those words into the search bar and ended up here.
I have been suffering from the exact same problem for 20 years since I was in junior high school.

This note is an experimental log to clarify and improve "uneven color under the nose" using:
✔ Not by feeling
✔ Not by assumption
✔ But by numerical values
My handle name is "Aoi Nasashita" (Aoi under the nose).

Because the area under my nose is blue, I am Aoi.
Nice to meet you😊

📖 What you can learn in this article

✅ The history of suffering from bluishness under the nose and redness on the sides of the nostrils for 20 years
✅ Treatments I have tried so far (8 sessions of medical hair removal, 3 sessions of V-beam, 5 sessions of IPL) and their results
✅ The fact that the uneven color under the nose was not "blue" but "gray"
✅ How I objectively captured the uneven skin color using the Lab color space
✅ The mindset of this entire note, pursuing improvement with "numerical values" rather than feelings

🎯 The goal this note aims for

My goal is very simple.
"Improvement of uneven color under the nose"

I have had several treatments so far, but honestly, all of them only gave me vague results like:
"I feel like it got a little better"
"Maybe it's just my imagination?"
So this time, I'm changing my approach!

✔ Do not judge by "feeling"
✔ Compare with numerical values
In this note, I will record everything, including clinic visits, treatment details, progress, and even failures.

For those who say, "I have the same problem!"
I would be happy if we could find the answer together🙌

2. What I learned from living with the bluishness under my nose for 20 years

The discomfort I noticed in junior high school: "Am I growing a beard?"

I started becoming conscious of the blueness under my nose when I was in junior high school.

Looking in the mirror, I thought,
"Is this... a beard? Am I growing a beard...?"

Thinking that, I would shave it off with a razor (with a T-shaped razor. It's scary to think about it now).
But no matter how much I shaved, it stayed blue.

At this point, I didn't even doubt that "blueness = because of hair".

When I became a university student, I started covering it with makeup in earnest.
I tried all the foundations and concealers that had good reputations.

But I have a constitution where I sweat abnormally only under my nose😭
When I suddenly looked in the mirror, my morning efforts had vanished, and the blueness had returned...

I think it's also a problem with my technique, but I felt there was a limit to covering it with makeup.

8 sessions of medical hair removal. Even so, the area under my nose was still blue

In my early 20s, I decided, "Makeup has its limits. I'll get hair removal!"
If the hair roots are gone, the blueness should disappear.

Believing that, I first had 12 sessions of salon hair removal.
Since hair remained after that, I went for medical hair removal.
I received a total of 8 sessions of GentleMax Pro.
It had a reputation for being highly effective, and I had high expectations.

The result... I feel like the hair has decreased, but the blueness remains😥

I understand that facial hair is thin and hard to get results from.
It's true that even after 8 sessions, the hair hasn't completely disappeared.
Even so, it should definitely be less than before the treatment.
But, when I look in the mirror, the area under my nose is still blue.

"Maybe it's not hair?" A turning point where I turned my attention to redness

Entering my 30s, I suddenly noticed something.
"Isn't the area next to my nostrils quite red...?"
If you look closely, you can see blood vessels wiggling through.

Red and blue are complementary colors.
"Is the area under my nose looking blue because the area next to my nostrils is red?"
Thinking that, I consulted another clinic.

There, I was diagnosed by a doctor with "telangiectasia".
The redness next to my nostrils was a state where capillaries were dilated and visible through the skin.
"This must be the cause!!"
Because I was diagnosed, I was able to receive V-beam covered by insurance, and I had a total of 3 sessions.

Immediately after the treatment, the redness calmed down and I was moved!
But after a while, it went back to normal😂

I also used IPL, but it wasn't the deciding factor

I was also using IPL (Nordlys) for the purpose of treating spots, and I have received it 5 times so far.
I heard it was also effective for redness, so I had them apply it to the sides of my nostrils too, but... in my case, there was no dramatic change in the redness.

The spots faded, so that was good though😅

Organizing the treatments I have done so far

✅ Medical hair removal (GentleMax Pro): 8 sessions
✅ V-beam: 3 sessions
✅ IPL (Nordlys): 5 sessions
But, the uneven color under my nose is far from a "fundamental solution"😢

3. Why I decided to "quantify" it

At a hair removal clinic, a doctor once said this to me.
"Is it that blue? I don't think it's that noticeable."
...Then, where is this discomfort coming from?

There is a gap between subjectivity and objectivity...
To bridge that, I decided to quantify my own skin.

Not "vaguely blue," but "how blue is it?"
If it improves, "how much better did it get?"

I want to face it with facts, not feelings!
That is this challenge💪

What is the Lab color space? (*Feel free to skip)

*This part is for those who want to understand the logic, so if you only want to know the results, please proceed to the next section👇

This time, I will use an index called "Lab color space" .
Colors can be analyzed by separating them into lightness, redness, and yellowness.

✔ Lightness (L): When this ishigh, it looks 'bright'✔ Redness (a): When this is
high, it looks 'red'✔ Yellowness (b): When this is
low, it looks 'blue'My enemies are 'too high a-value (redness)' and 'too low b-value (bluishness)'.

What matters is 'how different it is' | The rule of looking at the difference

The important thing is not the numerical value itself.
It is to look at the difference from the cheek (ideal skin).

I will track this difference, 'how much it differs compared to the cheek,' which is not affected by the shooting environment.

4. Measurement results | My area under the nose was not 'blue' but 'gray'

Seeing is believing.
First, here is my unedited skin (viewer discretion advised)👇

………………
……………………
…………………………
Isn't it blue...!?

Next, please take a look at the data for the '4 points' on my face measured with an app.
▼ Measurement points

A: Cheek (ideal skin)
B: Side of the nostril (strong redness)
C: Center under the nose
D: Above the corner of the mouth under the nose (bluest)

▼ Measurement data list

The true identity of the 'shadow beard' revealed by the data

[A: Cheek] The ideal skin condition used as a reference
Healthy, bright, and yellowish skin.
I will set this as the goal.

[B: Side of the nostril] 'Copper coin color zone' with too much redness
Compared to the cheek, the redness is prominent and dark.
This is the cause of the increased contrast.

[C: Center under the nose] Why does it look blue even though it's bright?
There is no problem with lightness or redness.
But compared to the cheek, it lacks yellowness and looks relatively blue.

[D: Above the corner of the mouth under the nose] Conclusion: This is the most 'shadow beard'
It has no yellowness and is dark.
The app's color judgment is gray (Cinereous)😨
Blue + darkness = gray... This seems to be the true identity of the area under my nose.

5. Future numerical goals | This is where the real start begins

Based on the measurement results, I have decided on the target values.
This is not the 'correct answer,' but a premise that I will update while verifying it from here on out!

✔ Suppress redness on the sides of the nostrils (a-value)
・Current: Difference +10.86 👉 Goal: Within +3.0 (minimize the difference from the cheeks)
✔ Regain the yellowness under the nose (b-value)
・Current: Difference -5.84 👉 Goal: ±0 (make it the same as the cheeks)
✔ Increase the brightness under the nose (L-value)
・Current: Difference -15.58 👉 Goal: Within -3.0 (minimize the difference from the cheeks)

Next preview | Formulating hypotheses and verifying them one by one

'Even after hair removal and V-beam laser, it's still blue.'
This state may involve multiple factors intertwined:
✔ Hair
✔ Blood vessels
✔ Pigmentation
Next time, I will formulate hypotheses such as 'Why has the yellowness been lost?' and build a treatment strategy.

I am leaving this record in the hope that it will be helpful to others with the same concern.

Thank you for reading this far 🙌

Please follow along for the continuation as well.

# 🔗 I also started SNS
X (formerly Twitter): @aoi_hanashita

I will be posting daily progress and real-time updates on my clinic visits.
Please be sure to follow me 😊