Hi,
I've been on prednisolone for about 6 months now and have got facial hair because of it. I just wondered if anyone who got this has found anything to remove it permanently. I don't want to shave. I also wonder will this stop when I taper off steroids. Am now on 7mg. Am very upset about this as it knocks my confidence. They're fair hairs but I notice them. Thanks in advance for replies.
Hello there. I just plucked the chin hairs and the worst of the moustache hairs. For the side burns I just grew my hair longer (when I had it). I never shaved as that is the road to a five o’clock shadow and removal creams were to much for my Pred sensitive skin. Under 10mg it slowly started to go, so I expect yours will too. It’s rubbish isn’t it?
Thank you for your reply. So are you saying the sideburns disappeared by themselves? It's soft and fair but too much of it for electrolysis I would think. I will do electrolysis on chin and lip areas. It sure is a pain on top of all our pains!😓
Oh yes, it all went away naturally as the dose reduced. It was all black hair too and the coarse hairs turned to fuzz and then the fuzz gradually thinned to nothing. The few coarse chin hairs I have are now post menopausal type and I pluck those. My skin was too affected by Pred to do anything like electrolysis.
I didn’t have a major problem just some very fine downy hair which l whipped off with an epilator, following Chemo when my hair attempted to grow back l developed a very peachy like down on my face & l had it removed by Threading then just an occasional re thread but no particular problems with it now but then l don’t have a full head of hair anymore either.....
Certainly don’t shave it, if it’s a large area, Threading or an Epilator & if it grows back it’ll be much softer.
Thanks for your reply. It is soft but I just don't like it. I just want rid. It may be vanity but I just want my old (young) face back!!😓
Hi there. I have naturally blonde hair and have been on steroids for 2years. I've found that above 10mg I develop fine 'peach fuzz' down the side of my face, but as it's blonde, it's not too visible (sometimes if the sunlight catches it, it can look more obvious though) I personally have been happy to leave it. I know from a dermatologist friend, once you start messing around with shaving, epilating, waxing, etc there can often be a tendency for these procedures to aggravate the hair follicles, sometimes leading to darker regrowth and further issues.
Before I had to increase my steroid dose because of a flare (I tapered down to 2.5mg) all the 'peach fuzz' disappeared. It only began to return above 10mg. I know it will disappear again as the dose diminishes so not too concerned.
Your situation may mean the new hair growth is more evident than mine and if you feel uncomfortable then you may want to take some action, but I would always say that if this isn't the case, then just leave it.
I also have more arm hair too that coincides with higher doses. Again, it's noticeable, but blonde, so I just leave it.
I would be "happy" to leave it if I thought it would disappear when I'm off the steroids. I really hope that is in 6 months max. I'm on 7 now. Perhaps it will start disappearing as I go down further. Thanks. That gives me hope.
If you have PMR there is no guarantee you will be entirely off pred in 6 months. YOu are not reducing relentlessly to zero - you are looking for the lowest dose that manages the PMR symptoms. Not the same thing at all.
My inflammation has come right down and my rheumatologist says it is under control. I do have other pains but she says those pains are not PMR.
Yes, the inflammation has come down and your markers may be low as a result - but that is at a dose of 7mg which is enough to combat all the inflammation created by the ongoing autoimmune process each day. It might be a different matter at 2mg - or even at 6mg. If you don't believe me, try asking the question as a new thread when everyone will see it.
I only say it because so many people, including some doctors, think you take pred, get rid of the inflammation and get off pred. The creation of inflammation goes on as long as the underlying a/i disorder is active, new inflammation will be created. As long as you clear it out every day with pred you will feel OK and the symptoms and markers will show little. But stop the pred and leave the inflammation and it will build up again - just like a dripping tap will fill a bucket and eventually overflow unless you scoop some out of the bucket at intervals. Not a few patients get off pred after being OK at 1mg for months - but in a couple of months the symptoms reappear. The cause of the PMR was still there but at a very low level.
Thank you. I will bear that in mind.
Just to add to PMRpro's comments. I tapered down relatively quickly to 2.5mg and learned the hard way that racing to get off steroids was definitely not the right way, and in fact led to me probably now having to be on them longer than I probably would have been because I then ended up increasing them back to 15mg+. I'm now tapering VERY slowly so I don't drop below the dose necessary to mop up my inflammation. It's a slow process...but needs to be!
Thank you. I hope your next taper is successful.
~Please tell me MrsNails what does threading actually do other than pull the hairs out? They will grow back when you do this won't they?
I have a complexion like a peach - all yellow & fury 
. I snip with fine nozzle hair cutting scissors - bit like mowing the lawn but it comes back dam it ~
The only really permanent way is lasering - but it works best for dark hair.
~Too true - I have had this done at least half a dozen times - she did think I did have some thinning spots from treatment but think I've been relieved of my money somehow ~
An epilator probably costs a bit more than a session at a salon - but it is a one-off expenditure. Unless you splash out on this one - and I have no idea if it really IS better:
amazon.it/Braun-Silk-expert...
(it may come up in Italian, don't know, But you can switch to English)
I can't think of much to add to this article - and I've been using one for over 25 years!
cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-...
~Thank you PMRpro for this indepth look at epilating - I always thought it was a shaver & going to do more homework at the best Braun to source in NZ.
Are you fair and if so have the hairs stayed fair or have they darkened over the 25 years?
No, I was dark haired but am now white 
No, I don't think my hairs changed to a darker colour - but it doesn't matter with the epilator, they're gone! I don't need it as much now - pred has actually made other hair growth weaker.
Why does the colour of the hair affect the results?
"The basic principle is that the pigment of the hair, but not the pigment of the skin, should absorb the light. The laser should damage only the hair follicle while avoiding damage to the skin. Therefore, a contrast between hair and skin color — dark hair and light skin — results in the best outcomes."
They claim newer technology will work on lighter hair - no idea if that is true.
Thank you so much for all that information.
What l found was it was almost like a ‘One Off’ & the fuzz didn’t return everywhere (that was post Chemo) the hair was like Lanugo (like the hair on some baby’s when they are born) as it’s ‘New Hair’
Threading - “In threading, a thin cotton or polyester thread is doubled, then twisted. It is then rolled over areas of unwanted hair, plucking the hair at the follicle level. Unlike tweezing, where single hairs are pulled out one at a time, threading can remove short rows of hair.”
~Hmmm sounds painful altho its probably quick~
3yrs into my PMR journey, peach fuzz came almost overnight and at 7.5mg has not diminished. I wish it would migrate to my head where my once thick brown locks have been reduced to thin ,sparse but slightly curly greyish thatch.
Is threading painful?
Threading, is very rhythmic & if you concentrate on that l found l didn’t notice, l always made sure l’d taken my pain meds (l was/am in other pain) but there’s an ‘Old Wives/Beauticians Tale’ eating a banana can help it feel less painful 😉 relaxing helps as does being warm & comfortable.
Up until Lockdown l had my eyebrows threaded regularly & l really miss getting them done! You could book in for a short session to begin with & see how it goes.....
Hi, yes, I had the same problem & like you I’m fair, so it was mostly like peach fuzz but with some longer hairs, but not something I’d ever had in the past. On the worst bits I used facial wax strips which helped, & thankfully as I lowered my dose the hair stopped being so obvious!
Thanks.
Hi
Ive been on pred for 6 months and I've got the fuzz on my face. I've got fair skin it shows up more in sun. I'm hoping when I reduce dosage it will stop. Understand exactly how your feeling.
I used an epilator regularly when mine was really bad on one form of steroid - it wasn't only quite a lot, it was dark as well!! I've been totally white since I was 40!!! There are now special ones made for facial peach fluff/'staches but I use my 25 year old original Braun, bit nippy the first few times, just like waxing, but they work for short and fine hair of any length whereas waxing requires a certain length of hair to work.
The stiffer, more bristly chin hairs get dealt with with a good old-fashioned tweezers.
I know it may have improved now but I did try electrolysis years ago and the only positive was for the therapist's income! It didn't make the slightest difference in strength of growth and cost a small fortune.
The only thing I can safely use is the cream called Nair - the one specially for face - I get it from from Boots and it doesn’t cost much. I’m down to 5-6mg Pred now but the hairy face is still a problem - hence my username...
I'm on 10mg not got any facial hair but have noticed my arms from elbow to hands have got darker and thicker
Yes one of my arms seems to have longer hairs than the other! They will probably bother me more in the summer time. I wonder will they disappear as we taper down.
I had peach fuzz and used the epilator a couple of times. The peach fuzz wasn't that bad and disappeared around the 5 mg reduction. So, you probably won't have to wait for the 0 mg dose to see it gone. I looked at it as the lesser side effect as I was more concerned with being pain free.
Thank you.
Yes I have the peach fuzz but I must say it hasn’t really worried me. The other thing though that I have noticed is I don’t have to shave under my arms, my legs or the bikini area- hair just doesn’t seem to grow there anymore which is a huge plus for me. It used to take me forever to get ready to go swimming etc. 💐
Thank you all for replying. It was of great help. Have any of you heard of vaniqa cream? . It's meant to slow the growth of hairs on your face...
I look like a peach! I just pluck the longer ones and have a quick go over with a razor.
This is one good thing about having to wear face masks, nobody can see your hairy face when your out😀
So much weight gain, moonface and facial hair
Hair dye when on steroids for GCA
Hair loss from prednisone?
Hair thinning on steroids
has any one noticed a problem with their hair since having PMR and being on steroids.
