how do I get rid of the really bad facial hair!! - Page 3

PCOShortLP · 10-09-2008, 02:52 PM

How much is laser? Electrolysis? A price range would be helpful to me. After 7 sessions would you HAVE to do 6 week sessions, or will plucking get it? I have aweful facial hair!

awdixon86 · 10-10-2008, 10:38 AM

Is It Safe To Use Metformin And Fertilaid?

irispixie · 01-27-2009, 10:32 PM

May I ask where did you have your Laser hair removal treatment done? I had signed up with American Laser, back in September 2005 and was promised results. It is now January 2009, still have the stubborn facial hair with no results and am out $1500.00.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joyblack

You've already had two suggestions that you could shave it. And I agree.

However you'll find a number of views held by different women on this board.

I think there are two questions you should come to a clear understanding on:

1. What do you mean by "really bad facial hair?" If you were to shave it, how soon would you have to shave again? In a month? In a week? In a day? In a few hours?

2. Have you got your hormones maintained steadily within the normal range for females? This is a vital matter in getting an answer to your question, because if you haven't, then some methods of hair removal just won't work effectively.

Facial (and also body) hair on women comes about in the same way as on men because of

1) your body being sensitized, before you were even born, to testosterone -- doesn't happen to all girls, but does to many

2) your body producing high levels of testosterone

The growth rate and coarseness of the hair depends on just how much testosterone is circulating in your bloodstream.

Some women try bleaching facial hair. But when someone sees you against the light you'll look as if you have a glowing moustache and beard

As far as removing facial hair is concerned it's worth remembering that

* Waxing, plucking, threading, epilating all pull the hair out by the roots and where the growth is hormonally-driven can actually stimulate a dormant follicle into producing more hair quicker. They also distort the root if done repeatedly, leading to hair growing at strange angles. And you've got to let the hair grow to quite a length before you can repeat the exercise. It can also damage the skin and discolor it. Long-term use of waxing also cab cause bad wrinkles. However very fine hair in women whose hormones are within the normal female range can sometimes grow back weaker.

* Chemical depilatories strong enough to remove the hair are liable to burn the skin, cause swelling and cause long-term discoloration of the skin. The depilatories sold for facial use are not very effective on hair which is coarse and strong.

* Laser is often successful in women whose hormones are in the normal female range and whose hair is dark and skin light. It is not very effective unless your hormones are thoroughly under control and it is liable to cause burning and discoloration

* Electrolysis can be permanent, but only where the hormones are maintained in the normal female range. It can cause scarring and discoloration of the skin.

Which leaves shaving, which does not damage the skin and does not cause the hair to grow more or coarser or faster.

I shave every morning and if we're going out in the evening I'll usually shave again to ensure that I'm still bristle free at the end of the evening. What I find is best is a men's-style electric razor, and I really like the razors in the men's range of Philips/Norelco razors (Philishave outside the US).

irispixie · 01-27-2009, 10:35 PM

I had signed up with American Laser Centers, who promised me results. This was in September 2005. I paid $1500.00 for the upper lip and chin/lower chin area. It is now January 2009. I have yet to see results. In addition, they never treated the same area, always argued with me about what treated area I was paid for.

Fortunately, my facial hair isn't as bad as most with PCOS, but it is the embarrassment that never seems to leave. I just use one of those personal trimmers, which you can pick up at Bed Bath and Beyond for $10.00.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PCOShortLP

How much is laser? Electrolysis? A price range would be helpful to me. After 7 sessions would you HAVE to do 6 week sessions, or will plucking get it? I have aweful facial hair!

irispixie · 01-27-2009, 10:40 PM

Where do you go for laser treatment? I had a package at American Laser Centers, back in September 2005. I have yet to see results and they told me that I should see results within the first 3 treatments. Frustrated and have not been back since 2008.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leah97229

Laser is so worth it. By no means do I have a lot of money, but I make sure I have enough for laser.

irispixie · 01-27-2009, 10:43 PM

Where do you go for laser treatment? I have gone to American Laser Centers and I have yet to see results. I started going in September 2005 and stopped going back in 2008, because I did not see any results. Am open for referrals.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KatCarney

Another vote for laser...it's one of the best investments I've ever made.

michellezearing · 01-28-2009, 12:15 AM

I shave my face. it's no fun though.

Leah97229 · 01-28-2009, 12:26 PM

irispixie--I first went to a place that then went out of business before I was finished and was out about $900. I was so mad, but then I went to American Laser Centers, and they have been pretty good to me. Here in Portland, the manager is really sweet. They try to give me the best deals, but it was still $1200 for chin, under chin, and neck area. I've heard some ALC's won't honor the 2-year guarantee if you have PCOS, but mine does, so I had been going for a little over a year before I got pregnant. Now, I'm hoping they will give me another year of my guarantee after I deliver. If you go there, I would suggest not telling them about the hormonal problem, and then they couldn't void the guarantee. I also heard that dermatologist's offices have reasonable prices but have yet to check them out. It definitely helps, but after a year, I still have trouble--it just keeps it away for longer periods of time and I didn't have to shave every day. I will have to go back after pregnancy.

Leah97229 · 01-28-2009, 12:29 PM

Irispixis--I just realized that you said you went to ALC. I'm sorry you didn't get results. None at all? I'm not able to be on antiandrogens while TTC and pregnant, so mine didn't work as well as it could either, but still worth it to me. You could try a dermatologist's office. I know there are different kinds of lasers, and maybe a different one would work better for you .

Leah97229 · 01-28-2009, 12:31 PM

Irispixie--You also mention that your facial hair isn't as bad as most. I wonder if that's why because it works best on thick black hair. Mine went from thick black hair to fine hair, which most people might have a problem with, but I was happy with. Good luck!

HarleyGirl93 · 01-28-2009, 01:22 PM

Someone asked about laser costs - there's a great thread here:
Let's compare LASER HAIR REMOVAL costs in various cities...

I personally had electrolysis for about 15 years starting when I was 13. This was well before they even knew about PCOS and all of my tests kept coming back "normal" even though I had a full beard by 13. I started electrolysis and was going for about two hours every week... Don't remember the prices and I'm sure it's gone up since then. But after years of treatment, I was virtually hairfree and only going in for about 15 minutes once a month or 6 weeks or so, just to get the strays. It is permanent, but takes a long time as it's one hair treated at a time. Anyhoo... Moved away from my home town and stopped all hair removal to bask in my hairfree-ness for a while (plus I couldn't afford it living away from home) Fast forward 10 years later, I tried Vaniqa for a while in the middle there, while plucking, and that worked well to slow down growth and keep upkeep under control . Then I was living in the UK and unable to get Vaniqa, plus I got pg and had ovarian drilling, which helped the hair issue anyway. Now back in the States, the beard is really starting to come in since I haven't pursued any permanent hair removal, thus I decided to get laser treatment in 2009. Had mine done in a doc's office on 20 Jan (7 days ago), and I can tell the hair is starting to shed out, but other stuff is growing in that I had previously tweezed. Laser treatment & electrolysis are really for the long haul (laser is just faster to be treated than individual hair by hair electrolysis), since something like half of your hair is at a resting point anyway, it takes several treatments spaced out over several months/years (if you have hormone issues like higher levels of androgens) to see appreciable difference.

Iris - I would look into a derm's office and try another kind of laser if you aren't seeing any progress with ALC.

tnjackson · 01-28-2009, 01:47 PM

Hello, I am new to the soulcysters community but have done a lot of research on PCOS. My doctor recently prescribed a cream called Vaniqua that can be applied to the affected area. The only thing with this cream is it has to be used continually in order to work. It doesn't hurt to try it. I noticed that you mentioned taking Metformin made you sick but are you eating before you take your meds or not? I can understand your frustration, because a nurse told me years ago about taking Metformin and I didn't want too take it. The reality of it is my symptoms from PCOS worstened and now I'm 37 years old and am 80 pounds overweight. I have never been a big eater of food, sweets, or salt but because of this condition weight gain is very easy. Since I finally took the doctors advice and started taking Metformin as instructed, I have lost 12 pounds and the facial hair has become finer. This medicine doesn't work overnight as far as losing the weight is concerned, but you don't want to be dealing with type 2 diabetes issues later. I also wanted to mention that taking Spirolactone is good IF you ARE NOT trying to get pregnant. It has been known to cause birth defects in some babies.

HarleyGirl93 · 01-28-2009, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnjackson

Hello, I am new to the soulcysters community but have done a lot of research on PCOS. My doctor recently prescribed a cream called Vaniqua that can be applied to the affected area. The only thing with this cream is it has to be used continually in order to work. It doesn't hurt to try it. I noticed that you mentioned taking Metformin made you sick but are you eating before you take your meds or not? I can understand your frustration, because a nurse told me years ago about taking Metformin and I didn't want too take it. The reality of it is my symptoms from PCOS worstened and now I'm 37 years old and am 80 pounds overweight. I have never been a big eater of food, sweets, or salt but because of this condition weight gain is very easy. Since I finally took the doctors advice and started taking Metformin as instructed, I have lost 12 pounds and the facial hair has become finer. This medicine doesn't work overnight as far as losing the weight is concerned, but you don't want to be dealing with type 2 diabetes issues later. I also wanted to mention that taking Spirolactone is good IF you ARE NOT trying to get pregnant. It has been known to cause birth defects in some babies.

TNJackson - all good advice! One note though, Vaniqa doesn't rid you of excess hair, but rather slows down the growth of the hair where you apply it. So you still have hair, just won't have to remove it or bleach it as frequently as you had been before using Vaniqa. You generally have to apply twice a day, and most insurance/prescription plans don't cover it (at least in my personal experience). One tube is about $80 where I live (Virginia) and lasts maybe two months with me applying to typical male-pattern facial growth areas (chin, upperlip, sideburns, and upper neck area). Likewise, Vaniqa is not recommended to take while pregnant, since the same mechanism of growth inhibition that works on your hair might inhibit the growth of a fetus, but its use during pg has not really been fully studied. Test on rodents showed that fetal abnormalities only occured when the rodents were adminstered something like 100% the dosage amount that a typical human patient would need. HTH Dianna

Deedra · 02-08-2009, 12:30 PM

Hi everyone.

I just received a birthday message today from this website and had forgotten that I had registered a while back so I could understand more about what real women go through with PCOS, since I treat so many women with facial hair. As a practicing electrologist, my main concern in reading this blog has to do with facial and body hair because I remove hair permanently for a living seven days a week. Yes, I do work shorter hours on Sunday's.

I have read the above posts and will tell you that ladies with facial hair have two choices that will help. One is electrolysis and one may be laser hair reduction. I say "may be" for laser because I have seen really good results that still required a little time with electrolysis to finish the job all the way to a common phenomenon called laser-induced hair stimulation. Those that end up with more hair than when they started with laser can be helped finally with electrolysis. So you have to weigh things for yourself, in regard to lasing your face, and be careful not to think that LHR can solve all your facial hair problems. Laser has limitations, whereas, electrolysis does not. Electrolysis can see any hair color on any skin color and can affect any structure of hair from thin to thick on the face and body. It is no longer a slow process due to the newer generation of computerized professional epilators. It is a long process only if the electrologist has not upgraded, educated herself and modernized. If an educated, skilled electrologist has the proper tools (epilator, surgical magnification and quality light source), she/he will conquer any color of hair, on any color of skin for any structure of hair.

I am a fan of laser hair reduction. Even though I can remove hair from anywhere, I do recommend laser hair reduction to my clients for underarm, bikini and lower legs. I have seen fabulous results consistently in these areas. My clients still need me in the end though because there are always a some stragglers left behind that the laser can't "see". The two modalities used in combination are awesome for the areas mentioned. However, I am not a fan of laser hair reduction on a woman's face. The only thing that would sway me on this point is if there are no competent electrologists in one's locale, then go with the proper kind of laser with a skilled laser specialist for facial hair.

I do hundreds of thousands insertions every year. Yesterday alone, I worked on a woman and we did 3,256 insertions in 5 hours and 10 minutes. Yes, these newer epilators count insertions and keep track of time, as well. She was comfortable, her skin condition was excellent and she is moving toward steadily toward getting her facial hair removed permanently. She is an example of one of my laser induced hair stimulation cases. The hair is numerous, fine and blond. She is progressing well and is getting her self-esteem back, finally.

Scarring is very rare with proper electrolysis. Scarring is not the same as pinpoint scabbing, redness and swelling. These are TEMPORARY side effects that can occur after a treatment that should resolve in minutes to seven days. The scarring cases people hear about are top heavy in cases where a person tries to perform electrolysis on themself or with a friend using home kits and in about a years time, observe pits. This does not happen with a skilled electrologist that knows how to use these better epilators. Hyperpigmentation can happen, but is due to either ones immune system or a below par electrologist using crappy epilators. Hyperpig resolves within months and the skin goes back to normal - minus the hair, of course.

So, I thought I would tell more from my side of the fence because I treat facial hair for living and I have seen a lot. When people say electrolysis would take forever, I ask them if they think 9-18 months worth of treatments is forever. The biggest change in electrolysis over the last 15 years out of it's 130 year history, has been the better computerized epilators that allow the practitioner to remove 500 to 1,000 hairs per hour, depending on the level of difficulty. Getting rid of pressing a foot switch for every hair and using the auto sensor mode speeds things up fabulously well. You PCOS'ers would very surprised at how fast this proceeds and how very quickly you are cleared of facial hair that you don't have to shave everyday. Cleared does not mean finished. You will only finish if you stick to a consistent schedule that coincides with HAIR GROWTH CYCLES and have a skilled electrologist using the best tools available. Finished means within a year to a year and a half. I might emphasize something you might already know - electrolysis (can) and laser (may) get all the hair you have presently growing today, but these proceedures cannot do anything about new hair being stimulated to grow from neighbor follicles in your lifespan. Get treated medically from within so you can perhaps limit or block the amount of NEW hair that may be ready to come forth in the future.

I don't hang out on this board too often because I am very active on another board and that takes a good amount of my time. I could have said a lot more about what I know in regard to removing hair from the face and body areas, permanently, but I would be repeating books of information that I have already written on hairtell. So if I forget to check back until my next birthday and you would like to research more about your laser and electrolysis options, you can take a look at hairtell. It is a lively, daily discussion board that many find very helpful in regard to deciding what hair removal method is best for their particular situation.

Vaniqa and temporay hair removal makes you like a hamster on wheel going nowhere - fast. Think in terms of permanent options, but choose your practitioner carefully.

Thanks everybody.

Dee

SUGA'RICAN · 08-01-2009, 04:56 AM

Any other updates from people getting laser or electrolysis?