Here's a common one. Excess hair.
I'm 16 and i been dealing wit this PCOS from when i was 12. The excess hair started gettin worse since then, on my face - stomach, chin, moustache, u name it and now i even got a few on my chest area! (i kno thats nasty) and it makes me feel sick to look in the mirror.
Now of course i heard of hair removal creams etc, i do use them..i use one called NAIR but it has damaged my skin, wherever i used it i now have bumps on my neck which look so unsightly it makes me wanna cry..so i tried threading once and that wuz soo damn painful i couldnt think of anything worse and i've heard of laser hair removal but i also know that people have said they've had it and that it did not do anything and that in some cases , made the excess hair come back worse.
I'm havign to apply the removal cream at least every 2 weeks and its driving me mad, i've run out of ideas, wut else can i do?
Plz any ideas cuz its makin me have even LOWER self esteem.
The treatments I know of are hair removal creams, waxing, tweezer/threading/shaving, medication, laser treatments. Each person responds differently, and due to your age, I'm not sure which ones are real options for you. Here's what has been my experience.
I started hair removal creams in college and then switched to waxing when I got a job. Eventually, I was having to wax so often, I was embarrassed to go into the salon. By that time, even the removal creams had stopped working. My dermatologist (now) explained why the creams stopped working, although I don't remember why now. Basically, the cream damages the cell in some way that doesn't make this a long term solution (at least for me).
When the creams stopped working, I started tweezing the hairs. This was on my chin/throat and upper lip. I started to get ingrown hairs and bad acne (this was really an ugly time). The hair was also coming in more coarse. I have dark hair, so it's really noticeable.
I went to a dermatologist and have been getting laser treatments for the past 2 years. I wanted an actual Dr as I was nervous about these strip-mall laser "shops". Be aware that there are many types of laser treatments. I wanted the IPL (Intense Pulse Light) laser treatment because it was supposed to be less painful and had some other benefits. Laser treatment affects everyone differently, you can't necessarily judge it from someone else's experience. How well it works is based on your skin color, your hair color, etc. For me, the hair growth has slowed down a lot (I get a treatment every 8 weeks). The hair went from being dark & coarse to light and fine, so even if it starts to grow, you can't see it. This is an expensive option, though, and is considered cosmetic (no insurance).
My next Dr apt is in June, and I plan to ask about medications to control the hair growth. I know there are some but I don't know any details.
I forgot to add that I got a staph infection from waxing. So if you go that route, make sure you go to a reputable salon. They should never "double-dip" the waxing sticks.
Woah thanx for that,
Yeah i wuz thinkin about waxing but if it just makes it worse i dont think i'll bother.
&& as for the laser treatment, ur probably right, it could be different for me cuz like u i have dark coarse hair and i think i may jus try that even tho i kno it is expensive. Is there not permanent Laser hair removal, where u dont hav 2 go to it every time?
Yeah i think that's a good idea, if you find out anymore useful information plz let me know.
Once again, thank you.
Nothing I did ever made the hair 'worse' -- meaning, nothing made the hair come back thicker, faster, etc. Out of control PCOS hormones is what made my facial hair worsen, and of course, the ultimate solution is to stabilize/reduce the hormones.
So then.. how did u control your hormones?
Is losing weight the best possible solution?
I've been on Yasmin birth control pills but then stopped using them cuz my mom wuz worried it wuz cause me prolems in the long run when i want to have children, also made me too irritable. Then i started takin metformin, but then i wuznt consistent so i stopped using it, which wuz probably a reall stupid idea. There is this prescribed cream Vaniqua that i use to use but it never helped with the hair growth so i stopped that too, So i am not on any more medication at the moment. I did find that wen i lost like a stone before i generally felt healthier.
I don't use many meds, but I can throw in that I was on Yaz for 2 months (trying to regulate cycles hopefully (didn't work) making it easier to TTC) and I have to say that my hair growth significantly lessened. I still had to shave every day (my method of hair removal), but it was significantly less. For example, with out BCP's I would feel the hair come back by 5-6ish and by 8-9pm (shave around 7am) it'd be so had I'd have to re-shave (never good having to shave twice in one day) if I was going out w/ friends on a weekend or something. WITH BCP's, I'd for sure only have to shave once each day and for some reason I was getting less razor burn, bumps, redness etc.
If I weren't TTC or scared of BCP's I'd definitely be using them regularly!! I loved it!
__________________ Me (26) DH (26) Married 1.17.09 TTC since 10.12.08
Self Dx '99 Official Dx 7.29.08
Metformin 500mg Since 11.12.09 Pre-Seed Sometimes Since 7.17.09 Yaz 3.11.09 - 5.4.09 PNV's + 1g Fish Oil
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So then.. how did u control your hormones?
Is losing weight the best possible solution?
Unfortunately, I don't have control over my hormones, which is why I'm currently still taking the laser treatments. For me, losing weight is the best solution. I'm extremely overweight; losing weight should reduce the hair-growing hormone level, and therefore slow the hair growth.
People experience different PCOS symptoms and what solutions work for one person don't work for another (I wish there was a cookie-cutter recipe!). You should definitely bring up the issue at your next Drs visit to see what they advise or possibly prescribe. Don't let any embarrassment stop you from finding a possible solution.
Heyy Girl. I'm 19 and I'm also dealing with the same problem. I've tried anything and everything and I've noticed that birth control helps me to manage my facial hair, however, not as much as I'd like. I also trim it daily, and just recently got prescribed spironolactone, which I'm hoping to see results from. I know it's a hard time, right now, especially when it comes to hiding it from friends and BOYFRIENDS. but it'll get better, and you'll learn how to manage it best.
I saw where you said that you didn't like Yazmin, but there are other birth control pills out there that could help. I didn't like Yazmin either, but I just talked to my doctor, tried a few different types and observed how they made me feel and then finally found one that I liked.
I also tried Laser Hair Removal when I was 17 and it didn't help for me - which can be attributed to the raging hormone levels courtesy of being so young, and having PCOS. If you are going to do laser hair removal, I would do as the other woman advised and wait til your hormones are under control. And waxing, ugh, that is a pain in the butt!
But like I said, you'll figure out what best suites you, and that's what everyone on this site is here for! Definitely a great support system.
i am 22 now and didnt really know what was going on. I was 14 when i started to shave(which i schould never have done). i am taking spiro right now and stopped birth control cause it made me bipolar. i took provera to start a period(after 2 years w/o)and it worked. i shave every day and sometimes twice. i thought about vaniqua. there are such a wide range of comments on it though. so im scared. idk. i am trying to find a way to get rid of facial hair. ......you know i was thinking about sex changes....you know how they change men to women.... how do they get rid of their facial hair? how could we use that to our benifit too? and what about other creams out there? does any1 have any advice for that too?
Laser and electrolysis are really costly... but if you can afford it, might be worth a shot? The only problem is that I've heard is that the hair will return unless the hormones are under control...
I gave up on waxing years ago. Thats painful and costly. When I was your age I thought it was "nasty" too. But really its my life. And I can't do much to change this part.
i am 22 now and didnt really know what was going on. I was 14 when i started to shave(which i schould never have done).
Don't worry -- shaving didn't make you have any more hair or any coarser hair -- you may have more hair and coarser hair than you did when you started shaving, but it would have been the same even if you'd never shaved.
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i am taking spiro right now and stopped birth control cause it made me bipolar. i took provera to start a period(after 2 years w/o)and it worked.
Most medications have some side-effects -- what works well with one person has intolerable side-effects on other people
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i shave every day and sometimes twice.
Many of us do.
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i thought about vaniqua. there are such a wide range of comments on it though. so im scared. idk.
The biggest question is whether it's worth the effort. It may, for some women, reduce the rate of hair growth, but that's about all.
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i am trying to find a way to get rid of facial hair. ......you know i was thinking about sex changes....you know how they change men to women.... how do they get rid of their facial hair? how could we use that to our benifit too?
The fact is that they can't change men into actual women -- though they can make some bits very like real women. The basic human form is pretty well that of a pre-pubertal female. Under the influence of male hormones you get the development of a penis (which of course can be removed as can testicles and a very reasonable facsimile of female genitals created -- though of course they can't create a uterus or ovaries). Male pubertal changes like a lower voice can't be reversed. But the key to any even-moderately convincing change is to change the hormonal balance. Removal of the testicles is a start, but that in itself will only reduce the level of male hormones in the body. It won't even stop the beard and body hair growing, though the rate will slow a lot. However, once the testicles are removed and heavy doses of female hormones given, it is possible for a genetic male to grow perfectly genuine breasts (and in fact many intact, normal males have quite substantial breasts quite naturally) and if laser or electrolysis is used after female hormones have adjusted the hormonal balance to that of a normal female, there's a good chance that the hair removal may be virtually permanent.
When it comes to ourselves, one of the characteristics of PCOS is that it tends to give us a hormonal balance comparable to that of a normal male, so many of us have male-type beard growth and body hair. To have any chance of getting rid of it on a long-term basis we really have to get our hormonal balance into the normal range for females and to keep it there.
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and what about other creams out there? does any1 have any advice for that too?
If your hormonal balance isn't in the normal female range, then shaving is probably the best course of action, IMHO. If you can get your hormones into the normal female range, then you may have a wider range of effective options.
Excess Hair 
You should definitely bring up the issue at your next Drs visit to see what they advise or possibly prescribe. Don't let any embarrassment stop you from finding a possible solution.
