Hey Lindsay,
I can totally relate. I remember the shock I felt when first confronted with the symptoms of PCOS. At first you think it's nothing - just a couple hairs here and there, a missed period now and then....what's the big deal? Before you know it, you find yourself moody.. depressed, then the loss of hair ( thankfully my hair is still pretty thick and a decent length), the constant battle with breakouts, the hair on breasts and around navel, the side burns, the weight gain .... etc. I had countless nights crying myself to sleep and I felt worthless for a time. So how do you relate to the strange person staring back at you in the mirror? Even the medication which is supposed to provide succour joined in on the act. Metformin did a number on my digestive system at first and I rebelled by not taking it for a couple of years. In fact I was in a state of denial about PCOS, thinking it would magically disappear or maybe that was my then depressed self simply not caring anymore about anything......
Now that I have decided to take this disease on it has forced me to confront my true self, not just the exterior I present to the world. How do you love yourself as a woman when something threatens all you associate with femininity? In a way it's making me stronger by forcing me to look beyond the superficial and hold on to my beautiful spirit. I know the title of this thread was a bit melodramatic ( to say the least) ... but in fact I have alot to live for....Of course I will still worry about facial hair, hence this thread, because I'll be damned if I let PCOS win this fight.
Shannapayne,
Hey there. I, like many people of colour, have a tendency towards ingrown hair if I'm not careful. I really think waxing is terrible, stick with the shaving unless you can do laser removal which I have yet to try. The thing about waxing, as I said, is how traumatic it is to the follicle. Because you're removing the wax against the direction of hair growth, the next hair growth emerges from the follicle in another direction or curls inward causing inflammation and bumps/pimples. This has happened to me after religious waxing and tweezing leaving scaring on the points of my chin. I see some marks cleared up but old and new bumps - almost like tiny razor bumps - remain.
I scoured the archives looking for remedies other cysters have used and came across a natural recipe using jojoba, myrrh, frankincense, geranium and lemon oil. I started using it last night so we'll see how it goes. I asked my GP to refer me to a dermatologist so hopefully I'll see some improvement in the upcoming weeks. |