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PCOS and excess facial hair

Posted , 5 users are following.

lola31066
lola31066

Hi ladies,

I've suffered with PCOS and the various symptons for around 14 years now and although I managed to successfully treat my severe acne (thank gosh it worked and never returned other than the odd spot), my periods are on track thankfully, but the one thing I hate is excess facial hair.

I have tried laser hair removal (didn't work) and waxing is the only thing I have found to mantain it... however I now can not be bothered to keep up with it now... I am lucky as I have blonde hair and am fair so the excess hair is light.

I am currently on two types of medication for this and have been for a few years now..

Can I ask if other people suffer the same as me and what they do about it? I hate it, it's so depressing sad

1 like, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • masha17
    masha17 lola31066

    Posted

    I hear you... I've never had acne, I have a few spots from time to time, mostly when I don't watch what I eat. My periods have always been more or less regular. 

    Excesive facial hair is the worst thing for me about the PCOS. I'm sorry to hear that the laser treatments didn't work. Maybe it's because you're blond? I've done only two so far since september and I can see that there are fewer hair. I still have a lot, but I see progress. I hope I'm not deluding myself. The sessions I had a few years ago were a wase of money since they were poorly executed.

    I've never taken any meds against hirsutism. I was afraid it would mess up my already messed up hormones. The only thing that was ever proposed to me is the pill anyhow. 

    I know this may sound crazy but I even stopped eating meat for fear of ingesting all the hormones the animals are given. I have't eaten dairy for a very long time, because where I live organic is expensive, and ordinary products are filled with all kinds of artificial stuff.

    I must say that I saw no improvement in that department. I haven't stuck to GI diet for long enough to say if it has some effect on unwated hair. 

    I feel overall better when I pay attention to my weight, but it has no visibe influence on my facial hair.

    I've noticed that I easily gain weight (especially when I eat certaincarbs on regular basis, even in very small portions,  like bread, pasta, rice even if it's brown rice, gluten-free). I feel best when I eat a lot of vegetables, reasonable amounts of fruit, and protein. 

    I sometimes feel so low as the probles not only seems unfixable, but unmanagable as well... but... than I get up and try something new.

    I'll give GI index diet a try. I'm lucky I don't eat sweets wink

    Hang in there!

     

     

    • lola31066
      lola31066 masha17

      Posted

      Thanks so much for your reply! I try to stay away from carbs, but have found I'm guilty of eating too many carbs, sweets, sugar latley so need to cut it right out again. Have thought about cutting out certain meat like chicken etc due to the hormones injected into it but I guess I need to work on that too.

      It's just so annoying as I have had to deal with it for so long and no matter how many times I do to the Doc, it never ever helps.

      Good luck with the laser treatments, I really hope it works for you. Just keep in mind because you have PCOS, once you stop the treatments the hair may grow back again sad I am on two types of medication but one is spirolactane - the lady that did my laser treatments suggested I go on (she had PCOS) and said it helped her alot being on it combined with the laser treatment..

      smile

    • masha17
      masha17 lola31066

      Posted

      Thanx smile 

      Good thing to cut out chicken. I notices worsening when I reintroduced chicken into my diet. I've never tried eating only organic, so I can't say if there's any difference.

      Hope spirolactane will work, fingers crossed smile

  • Dotcon
    Dotcon lola31066

    Posted

    Hello Iola.I couldn't agree with you more. Excess facial hair is really,really depressing. I've had PCOS for over 50 years~I know. It was undiagnosed until fairly recently~so,I suppose ignorance was bliss. Have had most of the symptoms,but the facial hair is something I've never been able to control. I've not tried laser. Used to use a removing cream years ago and I bleached them. But was able to pluck them up until about 10 years ago. They've  became extremely coarse and seem to  grow back overnight. Now on my chin as well as my upper lip. Think since the menopause it's made them worse. I'm sorry if I sound like a defeatist,but I think the problem is unfixable and yes,Masha it does make you feel really low at times. Doctors can't really do much about it and I think that is why they don't know how to treat the many symptoms. About 5 "specialists" could be  needed    (dermatologist,endocrinologist,gynaecologist.dietician psychologist) if you suffered from all the symptoms of this horrible complaint ,PCOS. Best wishes Dorothy
    • lola31066
      lola31066 Dotcon

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply and sorry to hear you also go through it and have done for so long. Its very depressing/embrassing thing to have that's for sure. And it's nice to be able to talk to someone (my friends, family and bf don't know). I've since stopped waxing and I know hope the hair/peach fuzz doesn't grow back too long sad if it does I'll have no choice to start waxing again.. sad
  • r15
    r15 lola31066

    Posted

    Hey, I also am one of the many that agree with this being one of the worst symptoms. I'm tanned with dark hair so I feel it's noticeable. I get a good few on my cheeks, I wouldn't mind so much but they come thick and dark and come back so quickly. I  use a hair removal disk, only on the area the hair is, god help if I done a different part and hair grew back there! I also get a few on my chin which I pluck. I'm considering buying a Philips home IPL to help me out, I've read about them for months and months and I think that may be my best option as I have to maintain this with the disk and tweezers nearly everyday and I don't want anything that may make it worse or the area of hair bigger. It's so embarressing and really depressing. I've not noticed a difference in the hair when I do and don't eat certain foods.

    Doctors are almost useless as they don't know much about this so don't and can't actually do much about it. They try and Palm us off with the easiest thing that doesn't work because our condition isn't that important. They've got no idea what we go through!

    I've always had lovely clear skin but since this my skin isn't that bad, I do get spots, mainly small with the odd big one but not acne. I've not done anything about this other then use face scrubs. Spotscaernt really top of my worries. 

    • lola31066
      lola31066 r15

      Posted

      Hey sorry you have to go through this too! As you have dark hair then i think the IPL would definitely benefit you. Have you had an IPL treatment before? If not you should go for one to get some advice. I totally agree doctors are useless and dont no how to handle the subject. In the end after many visits I was the one that approached my doctor and said I have pcos and after tests sure enough i was right, since then I've just done research as to what medication to be on...

      Wish you all the best and hope IPL works for you smile

    • lola31066
      lola31066 r15

      Posted

      Hey sorry you have to go through this too! As you have dark hair then i think the IPL would definitely benefit you. Have you had an IPL treatment before? If not you should go for one to get some advice. I totally agree doctors are useless and dont no how to handle the subject. In the end after many visits I was the one that approached my doctor and said I have pcos and after tests sure enough i was right, since then I've just done research as to what medication to be on...

      Wish you all the best and hope IPL works for you smile

    • Catherine2405
      Catherine2405 lola31066

      Posted

      Hi

      I bought a Philips lumea about 18months ago and was the best thing I ever did. I had got to point of being constantly embarrassed by dark facial hair, it would grow back in the middle of the day, or I would have missed it when I checking in the morning. I made sure I had tweezers everywhere I went!! I used it every other day on lip, chin, jaw line and random patch on my chest and noticed the difference within 4-6 weeks. They don't recommend you use it more than once a week but I never was great with following instructions. I am almost hair free in those areas now. Still the odd stray hair, but I target that when it appears and also when I remember I just do a quick zap.  I am 34, dark hair and fair skin so perfect type for it...wish I had got this when I was 24!! Unfortunately IPL really doesn't work well on fair hair which was part of my impetus to buy it before I started to go grey as would have been too late then.

      I don't know anyone else who has used it to know if I am a one off? They are quite expensive so maybe worth checking if your skin type is right first.  I agree it's one of the most depressing PCOS symptoms. 

      I have started to drink peppermint tea which is supposedly good as an anti androgen, also geranium oil and clary sage oil on its way to help balance oestrogen/anxiety .... Not tried those before but got to be worth a go!

    • r15
      r15 lola31066

      Posted

      No I haven't, I never had a reason to and I think it's to expensive per session.

      Yes I did too I saw a locum who was a Gyno and she pretty much laughed at me and said they'll be nothing wrong with me, I stuck to my guns and got the scan I wanted..she was wrong. Overall I've had 4 scans now and when I was diagnosed my actual gp said to me you've got pco and sent me on my way! I'm always reading up about thing I can do ecrc but I'm trying to stay off google, it makes my worries worse.

      Thanks, good luck to you to.

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