Facial hair

[Colour_art2]

Hello everyone I have just joined this page so bare with me.

I was diagnosed with pcos when I was a teenager, facial hair has always been a problem for me but the last couple of years it has got worse. I started to have my face waxed but it had to reach a certain length before it would work properly. I have this done every 3 weeks, however it grows back within a week but I have to wait. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow as I have been doing a little research and there is something called dianette which apparently helps slow the excess body hair down. Has anyone tried this? has it worked for you? Is there anything else aswel/instead of this.

[Hols969]

Dianette does help but won't be instant - yasmin is a good alternative. It will slow down the growth, also ask for vaniqa as this is a cream that slows it down further (but is expensive so your GP won't mention it to you). Other option is a facial epilator so you can do it more often (in the shower makes it less painful), as hair grows at different speeds it may make it easier to do it when you want.

I had laser about 5 years ago (15 sessions and then maintenance now) and it has improved my life considerably which sounds daft really but I no longer get the 5 o'clock shadow. You do have to shave for 6 weeks prior to laser to get the best possible results but it was so worth it (expensive but worth it). SK:N are doing discounts at the moment if you have pcos so may be worth finding out, 6 sessions would make a huge difference (they used to do interest free credit too). They sell vaniqa as well (its like £100 a small tube) so they suggest using it in conjunction with laser.

[Colour_art2 in reply to Hols969]

Thank you for your reply, they couldn't give me anything at the doctors because of my weight! I hate the fact they say this for everything as they know with pcos it's harder to lose weight. They are printing a certificate off for me to prove I have pcos as my mom said some places give laser at a reduced price. Will defiantly be looking into it

[tasha-jayne5]

Hi there,

Sorry to hear this, unfortunately us 'cysters' struggle with too much insulin which also means more testosterone (hence the hair, acne etc).

There is medication but I don't know that much about it but personally I changed my diet.

Dairy has a huge influence on this as it has IGF1 in it (insulin growth factor 1) and unfortunately other food products too. By cutting out dairy (and gluten) my spots and hair vanished within a couple of weeks, my periods came back to normal and I got pregnant within 3 months.

Take a look at pcosdietsupport.com for all the info, Tarryn is amazing, you can sign up and get her starter pack and emails for free. There is so much information on her website, it changed my life. Also look at deliciouslyella.com for pcos friendly recipes (although she's vegan too so I just add meat into the meals).

Good luck x

[Colour_art2 in reply to tasha-jayne5]

Thank you for your reply I will defiantly take a look at those websites, I had no idea dairy and glutton had something to do with the hair growth! Congratulations about getting pregnant I have been trying for 5 years now and still no luck. Been on tablets too but they made me so depressed I have to come off them on the second cycle

[k_pressy]

Hi there Am new to the forum but I saw your post and wanted to have some input as I have been trying medication for a couple of years now.

My excess hair is very bad, to the point that I can shave it and it is already growing back through quite substantially the next day. Shaving = not a good option, however like you I find the breaks between waxing are very difficult as the hair still grows back through quickly but you have to have a break from the waxing.

The first medication I was put on for my PCOS was Dianette, and I found this was great at keeping the excess hair and spots away. However, it affected my mood quite badly when I had to take the weeks break, and also my weight and the fact that I had migraines put me at high risk for getting blood clots, so it was decided that I would be taken off of this. Shame, really, as it was only since coming off of those that the hirsutism and spots have really appeared.

Next the doctors tried me on Vaniqa cream. I used this religiously twice a day as instructed and nothing happened! There was no slowing or reduction in hair growth. If anyone else has used Vaniqa, could you tell me how long it was until you saw any effects from it please?

The doctors then put me on to metformin, which is usually used for diabetics to help with the absorption of insulin (I am not diabetic, the metformin is purely for the PCOS). As of yet I haven't noticed a change and have been taking these for a few months now. But I will persevere as the doctor said it can take around 6 months for them to make any difference.

Last week I went back to the doctors because there was no change to the hair and spots, but I had lost over a stone in weight (thank you relationship break-up diet!!) so I wanted to try some form of contraceptive pill again. The doctor wouldn't put me back on to Dianette because of the migraines, but they have given me a POP (progestogen-only pill) to try, Cerelle. I have only been on this since last Wednesday so time will tell, and i'll post any updates that I can.

I hope this can be of some help to you, if you ever want to chat feel free to pop me a message

Kirstie

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