Does anyone ever feel completely alone?

[laskalicky]

Hi, I am 24, soon to be 25, and I have to shave everyday. I try not to let it get me down but when I look in the mirror & thats all I see, I feel very depressed. I don't have anyone I can talk to about this. My boyfriend of 2 yrs & my ex boyfriend are the only people that even know that I have to shave. Going to work can be extremley uncomfortable cuz I'm a housekeeper so I can work up quite a sweat so I put my hair up & all I think about is how horrible my face looks!! I have had 2 lhr treatments (one last July & 1 in Feb 09) but since I'm not on any meds cuz I have no insurance it probably was a waste of money. The results were so great though!!

I was also wondering if anyone has had any results with exfoliating, somehow?
I have noticed that after I shave most of the hairs I still see are hiding just below the skin. I thought maybe if I exfoliated first I'd get a closer shave? Any tips would be great!!

[Mariela]

Don't feel alone! Share it with as many people as you can. I know this sounds weird but, you will get a lot of good points:

* if people know, you feel less self concious about it
* You will find that more people than you think suffer from the same (hence, you will be no longer alone)
* telling others, will help you accept it yourself and find out it is not as bad

It is a terrible thing with PCOS, I have found it throughout my life, the hardest thing to handle is the facial hair, but there isn't much you can do.

If you want to get your hormones under control go see a dr that will help you and then you can invest on some more laser therapy.

Otherwise, I have started *this might sound a bit harsh literally* using the braun silk epil on my face every 2-3 days. It helps a lot and I feel that my facial hair is controlable. Also a lot of the shaving/plucking bumps have diminished considerably.

My face is overall softer and smoother and I have started using my hair up again!

Hope this helps a little.

[dollface1982]

Don't feel alone. There are sooo many of us on here having to deal with the same things. A lot of the girls get the lhr as you have but I do understand the money issue. I get down about the hair thing as well. It doesn't make me feel like a woman at all but my boyfriend is very understanding and he comforts me through it all. I love him for that and it keeps me going strong. Feed into your boyfriend's support and it will make u feel sooo much better. HTH!!! Smile!!!

[joyblack]

Hi, I am 24, soon to be 25, and I have to shave everyday. I try not to let it get me down but when I look in the mirror & thats all I see, I feel very depressed. I don't have anyone I can talk to about this. My boyfriend of 2 yrs & my ex boyfriend are the only people that even know that I have to shave. Going to work can be extremley uncomfortable cuz I'm a housekeeper so I can work up quite a sweat so I put my hair up & all I think about is how horrible my face looks!! I have had 2 lhr treatments (one last July & 1 in Feb 09) but since I'm not on any meds cuz I have no insurance it probably was a waste of money. The results were so great though!!

I was also wondering if anyone has had any results with exfoliating, somehow?
I have noticed that after I shave most of the hairs I still see are hiding just below the skin. I thought maybe if I exfoliated first I'd get a closer shave? Any tips would be great!!

Don't let it get you down. Millions of women shave -- I've been shaving since I was 13 and every day since I was 15.

For me the answer has been to accept that I have male-type facial hair and to use a men's-type electric razor -- a Philips Norelco with rotary heads.

My only hint is, whatever sort of way you shave, wet or electric, be sure to use a razor designed for men because it's designed to deal with male-type beard growth rather than leg and underarm hair.

[rsmithdestin]

I know exactly how you feel hun! This is a horrible disease. This is what I find that helps me the most. Shave while you are in the shower for some reason I get a much closer shave and use a man's razor. Women's razor's just don't cut it for me.

[Paola]

Don't let it get you down. Millions of women shave -- I've been shaving since I was 13 and every day since I was 15.

For me the answer has been to accept that I have male-type facial hair and to use a men's-type electric razor -- a Philips Norelco with rotary heads.

My only hint is, whatever sort of way you shave, wet or electric, be sure to use a razor designed for men because it's designed to deal with male-type beard growth rather than leg and underarm hair.

You've been shaving since you were 13 ? Has your doctor checked you for other conditions as well ? PCOS is not the only thing that can cause hirsutism, as I'm now learning myself.

[joyblack]

You've been shaving since you were 13 ? Has your doctor checked you for other conditions as well ? PCOS is not the only thing that can cause hirsutism, as I'm now learning myself.

You're right -- there are other possible reasons for hirsutism. I've been checked for all the more obvious other reasons. But since I have the long fourth finger ("male" pattern) that indicates high testosterone exposure in fetal life and I suppose that it should be no surprise that I have hirsutism.

Yes, it was quite a shock to find a mustache growing when even most of the boys of my age didn't have one. So one evening after school I "borrowed" my father's electric razor and shaved it off. And of course got comments the next morning -- from girls. Sure, shaving my mustache felt a very "masculine" thing to do, but it was such a nice feeling to have a bare upper lip. By the time I was 15 I was shaving every day.

However, even though my breasts didn't develop normally and my periods weren't as regular or as frequent as most women's, I've been able to have children without any great difficulty, so I've never really felt the need for any treatment of any sort -- I reckoned that the treatment might be worse than the problem :-(

[Paola]

You're right -- there are other possible reasons for hirsutism. I've been checked for all the more obvious other reasons. But since I have the long fourth finger ("male" pattern) that indicates high testosterone exposure in fetal life and I suppose that it should be no surprise that I have hirsutism.

Yes, it was quite a shock to find a mustache growing when even most of the boys of my age didn't have one. So one evening after school I "borrowed" my father's electric razor and shaved it off. And of course got comments the next morning -- from girls. Sure, shaving my mustache felt a very "masculine" thing to do, but it was such a nice feeling to have a bare upper lip. By the time I was 15 I was shaving every day.

However, even though my breasts didn't develop normally and my periods weren't as regular or as frequent as most women's, I've been able to have children without any great difficulty, so I've never really felt the need for any treatment of any sort -- I reckoned that the treatment might be worse than the problem :-(

What are the other tests that you've had done ?

I've never heard that a long fourth finger means high testosterone exposure in fetal life.

In any event, high testosterone isn't something that we should live with or just accept, it clearly indicates that something is wrong.

Most women deal with mild hirsutism, but to shave every day, especially starting at such a young age is not something you should just simply accept.
Just to be on the safe side, I would investigate further to make sure that it isn't something more serious.

[rainbowfish]

A long fourth finger indicates Testosterone exposure in the womb? That sounds bizarre to me. It just doesn't sound right, who came up with that?

[KatCarney]

A long fourth finger indicates Testosterone exposure in the womb? That sounds bizarre to me. It just doesn't sound right, who came up with that?

From the Research Articles forum:

http://www.soulcysters.net/women-pol...ghlight=finger

[joyblack]

In any event, high testosterone isn't something that we should live with or just accept, it clearly indicates that something is wrong.

High testosterone indicates that something is different from the norm. Whether something's actually wrong is a matter of interpretation.

Most women deal with mild hirsutism, but to shave every day, especially starting at such a young age is not something you should just simply accept.
Just to be on the safe side, I would investigate further to make sure that it isn't something more serious.

I agree with the investigation suggestion. However, I can't say that having to shave every day -- and I was shaving every day from the time I was 15 -- has really indicated anything that has spoiled my life. I've married and I've had kids. The fact that I've had male-type beard growth and body hair hasn't really done me any harm other than causing me a lot of distress and worry as a teenager -- but that was because I thought no guy would want a girl who was flat-chested and had to shave every day, like a guy. But I was wrong on that count, anyway.

A long fourth finger indicates Testosterone exposure in the womb? That sounds bizarre to me. It just doesn't sound right, who came up with that?

If you Google on "digit ratio" (including the quotes) you should find plenty. In a nutshell, it's just that the relative lengths of fingers is something that is established at the same stage in fetal life as certain areas of the body can be sensitized to respond to possible exposure to testosterone in later life. If your ring fingers are longer than your index fingers it's very likely that if you're exposed to testosterone in adult life your body will respond to it by growing hair in the areas where hair characteristically grows in males -- such as the beard area.

[KatCarney]

If you Google on "digit ratio" (including the quotes) you should find plenty. .

There's also a link one post up that discusses this in relation to pcos.

[kristen09]

Exfoliating would help remove some dead skin, but I'm not sure if it would necessarily help with shaving. I find I get the best shave either in the shower after having the hot water beating down my face for a few minutes, or if I have a wash cloth soaked with warm water held to my face for a few minutes. The warm water opens up the pores, and it softens the hair, and I find it leads to a smoother shave. I read this long ago about shaving the legs, and it's worked well with my face, the times I'm able to do this.

[Paola]

High testosterone indicates that something is different from the norm. Whether something's actually wrong is a matter of interpretation.

I agree with the investigation suggestion. However, I can't say that having to shave every day -- and I was shaving every day from the time I was 15 -- has really indicated anything that has spoiled my life. I've married and I've had kids. The fact that I've had male-type beard growth and body hair hasn't really done me any harm other than causing me a lot of distress and worry as a teenager -- but that was because I thought no guy would want a girl who was flat-chested and had to shave every day, like a guy. But I was wrong on that count, anyway.

If you Google on "digit ratio" (including the quotes) you should find plenty. In a nutshell, it's just that the relative lengths of fingers is something that is established at the same stage in fetal life as certain areas of the body can be sensitized to respond to possible exposure to testosterone in later life. If your ring fingers are longer than your index fingers it's very likely that if you're exposed to testosterone in adult life your body will respond to it by growing hair in the areas where hair characteristically grows in males -- such as the beard area.

Shaving every day at such a young age is normal according to you ?
Yes, something is wrong, it's a hormone imbalance, which is sort of why we're on this website.

That's fine that your situation didn't scar you emotionally and you had a happy life, but not everyone can say the same, which again is why most of us are here.

Everyone knows that a hormonal imbalance, if left untreated can lead to a host of problems, and getting treated right away is important in order to avoid any future problems.
If only I was treated properly years ago, I wouldn't be at the advanced stage of PCOS that I'm in right now.

As far as the long finger theory, does it include the feet as well ?
Because my mother and sister's forth toe are both longer, it's quite noticible as well......my fingers and toes are all normal though.

[SUGA'RICAN]

I'm also with you on this, dont feel alone. I started to check this website last week and know I check it everyday to get more and more information. I can't wait to go back to the US and deal with this problem. I dod laser and i think it worked great! Now, I'm stuck leaving my hair down. I miss my curl being all up and nice.. just with no worries. I wil keep posting as son as i get back in few months.

I have a routine and take me up to 3O mins... yuupp .