As a high school student, Robbie lived a life of shame and silence. Feeling alone and vulnerable, he didn’t speak to anyone about the pain that lied beneath. Each day he went to his classes like everyone else, but the violence he experienced each day kept him isolated from his peers. When Robbie went away to college he discovered a special group of men who suffered the way that he had his entire life–a group of men who came together to support each other through the pain of leg hair loss caused by socks. Men everywhere have suffered from “crew sock calf sting” but the pressure society puts on men to cover their feet and maintain an abundance of leg and ankle hair has kept these men from speaking out.
Custom Sock Shop isn’t just about customizing socks with logos and brands. Our team puts in hours to customize socks to lifestyles, and we will no longer stay silent about the painful secret that effects so many men. Our first step is to aid in victim healing. While that project is underway and we begin to look closer at the root of this phenomenon, we advise taking the following measures to sufferers of leg hair loss and pain:
Roll high socks down: Ever feel the urge to roll your socks down below your ankle in the middle of the day? You’re not alone. Men from all over the country report that rolling their socks down below their ankles in the middle of the day is one of the most effective daily coping strategies to date. On an online support group for men with ankle hair loss, members post photos of their feet donning the rolled-down socks under their desks at work as a symbol of unity and pride.
Wear ankle socks: For those men who suffer only from ankle hair pain and not foot or toe hair pain, we recommend wearing anklet or “no show” socks. Low-cut styles of socks such as these do not intrude on leg hair and are easy to obtain from any retail outlet that sells socks. Because anklet socks can be customized, they are more fun. You can even create custom anklet socks advocating your cause: “Tender Leg Hair So/ucks” socks could catch like wildfire.
Shave: Shaving a portion of your legs or feet is not entirely unheard of. It’s the length of the hair that is the problem, not the hair itself. Over a short period of time, it gets caught in the fibers and elastics of your socks and begins tugging at its root follicle. The follicle becomes irritated and eventually dies, causing you pain and hair loss. Shaving your leg hair to prevent the loss of leg hair seems a little illogical, but for those of you who can’t bear to suffer any longer, shaving offers temporary relief.
Exfoliate: If your condition has gotten to the point where you have ingrown hairs on your ankles and feet, you may want to consider exfoliating your skin before taking other measures like shaving. You can use a loofah or just some exfoliating scrub to gently massage the red, irritated area where your hairs are ingrown. Don’t be too aggressive. You just want to loosen the dead skin that is keeping the hair from growing properly. If your ankle hair pain problem is chronic, make exfoliating part of your weekly routine.
Sleep barefoot: Waking up in the middle of the night with leg hair pain is the worst! Not only can you not get back to sleep due to the pain, you’ll also be worrying about beginning the next day with agony in your ankles. If you have a habit of falling asleep in your socks, try keeping a note or alarm at your bedside reminding you to take them off. If your feet get cold at night, add another blanket at the foot of your bed.
End the silence. If you experience leg hair pain and loss due to socks or have tips for prevention, share them with your brothers on the Custom Sock Shop Facebook page.
