So, I have a random question for any of you ladies out there that have suffered with PCOS or facial hair prior to surgery. I've tried EVERYTHING for this stupid facial hair growth. I'm now just back to plucking every other day. Doctors aren't sure if it's ACTUALLY PCOS (I have an upcoming appointment with a specialist.) or if it's just a hormonal imbalance due to the extreme obesity. Either way, even after losing my first 125lbs naturally, I've not seen much change...Although I'm still incredibly overweight, my cycle is finally getting some sort of regularity and ultrasounds have never actually showed any cysts on the ovaries. I have the sleeve done next month, yay!

I tell you all of that to see if any ladies struggled with facial hair prior to weight loss and have you seen any improvement once you lost weight? My doctors are hopeful this will be the case, but meanwhile I'm still stuck here in front of the mirror every other day trying to keep the 5 o'clock shadow at bay!

Usually once the hair grows, it's permanent. Waxing can reduce it over time because waxing damages the follicles, but the only way to truly remove it permanently is electrolysis. I have PCOS and have been growing facial hair since I was 13. I have shaved and/or waxed/plucked for over 30 years.

Sorry I don't have a magic bullet for it; I hate the stubble too.

Surely there must be a society,on this Great Big World that finds a woman with a slight mustache or chin hairs extremely sexy. I ask this on behave of me and all my PCOS sisters. My own Mama's was so bad her family joked little baby ?me wouldn't know which parent was the ?mommy. I was not dumb as they planned ---Mama was the one with the milk!

I have one word for you: LASERS! Better than electrolysis, way more effective! I did it about 8 years ago and within 4 treatments everything was GONE. I go back about once a year to do a touch-up cycle, and it is absolutely worth it. I was so thrilled that I also lasered my legs; my leg hair was so thick and coarse that even when I shaved it, you could see the stubble through the top layers of skin like ground pepper sprinkled on my shins, but I haven't even touched up on it in years and I have maybe four hairs that come in very thin.

I'm in the same maybe-PCOS boat as you are, with all the symptoms except the actual damn cysts. When I finally snapped and started the lasers it was because I wasn't just irritated by shaving, I was getting a ridiculous number of ingrown hairs no matter what I did. And though I really hate to say it: I think my facial hair's come back a little stronger than it used to post-op. But maybe that's just my body temporarily freaking out, I don't know! And I'm going to zap it back into oblivion soon.

One caveat: laser works best on dark hair and light skin. As a Translucent-American with very dark hair, this made me pretty much the ideal candidate; I can't say if Irish redheads or dark-haired Kenyans would have the same luck. For them, electrolysis might be the better bet. I know some groups don't mention that up front, so buyer beware.

Thanks for the testimony, it certainly is something to look into, wish I had dark hair, I am one of those Celtic Redheads,So laser might not be perfect for me but it is good info.

I second the laser recommendation. I bought an at home laser hair remover and I absolutely love it.

Which one did you get? I had a tria didn't notice any difference and did it for about a year

OOHHH at home laser! Which one did you get?????

I've struggled with the same issue since age 20 (now 31 yrs old). I've tried electrolysis (ouch) and laser hair removal. Laser hair removal did work (for a while). I had about 6 treatments and saw maybe a 50% reduction in hair growth, but it only lasted for a few months. I've lost about 100 lbs after RNY, but the issue is still pervasive. I still grow a FULL beard but the hair is not as coarse.

I've read that spironolactone and metformin can help. If you prefer something natural: 3 cups of spearmint tea a day has been show to be somewhat effective in slowing facial hair growth. I'm now using Vaniqa, still the first week.

Maybe a combination treatment will help you see good results? Spiro+ Metformin+ spearmint tea+ Vaniqa+ laser or electrolysis?

Any ideas on laser cost? It's a decently sized area on my face...Most of it now, ugh! Also, how much pain/healing is associated with it? I tried the electrolysis once, problem wasn't the pain but the cost, time and the healing afterwards. The hairs are highly visible on my face for the most part, but it's literally hair by hair. We did small patches all over my face and the next day I looked like a teenager with the worst case of acne ever! It took about a month before my skin returned to normal and I was told by the lady that did it, it would take treating every single hair at least twice sometimes 3-4 times before the hair follicle was completely dead. In the hour we did the first treatment, we no where near touched the tip of the iceberg. This would have literally been months and months of treatments and healing cycles and way more money than I had to invest! I sort of gave up looking into these types of treatments, feeling like if electrolysis didn't work, laser probably wouldn't either. If you all say it works, I'm willing to reconsider!!

5 minutes ago, memyselfandirene said:

I've struggled with the same issue since age 20 (now 31 yrs old). I've tried electrolysis (ouch) and laser hair removal. Laser hair removal did work (for a while). I had about 6 treatments and saw maybe a 50% reduction in Hair growth, but it only lasted for a few months. I've lost about 100 lbs after RNY, but the issue is still pervasive. I still grow a FULL beard but the hair is not as coarse.

I've read that spironolactone and metformin can help. If you prefer something natural: 3 cups of spearmint tea a day has been show to be somewhat effective in slowing facial hair growth. I'm now using Vaniqa, still the first week.

Maybe a combination treatment will help you see good results? Spiro+ Metformin+ spearmint tea+ Vaniqa+ laser or electrolysis?

I tried Spironolactone, but because my blood pressure was always really good I couldn't get the dose high enough to be effective for hair growth without dropping my BP waaaay too low. Metformin never helped, just gave me (TMI warning) terrible diarrhea.

I have done lasers at the dermatologist's office (stronger lasers) and have been doing my lip, chin and jaw line. I have been going for almost a year and am still fighting hair growth. I was told my hair follicles are very deep so it will take longer. I am also an ideal candidate - fair skin, very dark hair. Oh, lasers do not work on hair that has already turned white. Those babies I will be plucking forever.

I have PCOS, and struggle with excess hair on my face. I have not noticed any extra areas popping up, like I would prior to surgery. However, the existing hair has not changed. the only difference may be that it grows slower. I may only have to take care of it every 3-4 days vs. every other day. I have a friend who does laser treatments, and has said that she had good results. Not perfect though. She said it feels similar to getting a tattoo, but that it gets better. She said in the beginning, as the hair is longer/thicker it hurts worse. She told me the biggest draw back is that you have to let the hair grow out for them to laser it. What's WORSE is that....then it continues to "fall out" essentially after the treatments, so the hair gets super long and unsightly before its gone. She didn't seem to have much redness or irritation afterwards, but she always did it when she had the afternoon off work.

14 minutes ago, TakingBackChrissy said:

Metformin never helped, just gave me (TMI warning) terrible diarrhea.

Me too girl, I actually put this on my allergy list because it was so bad. And I never felt like it did anything for my PCOS.

Gahhh! Ladies!! When will we ever have a GOOD solution to this *seemingly* simple problem?? I think I'm gonna look more into the laser solution...I think with laser I guess it's about managing the expectations. I don't need it to be perfectly smooth, I just need to stop having 5 o'clock shadow, lol!

Which one did you get? I had a tria didn't notice any difference and did it for about a year

I bought the Bella Flash by Silk’n from Costco. I like it.

Finally, a topic near and dear to my heart. I'm a neurotic femme (cis female) who doesn't want facial hair at all. I have snow white skin and thick dark brown hair and I have been fighting this fight since I first had a job to pay for solutions.

This is the regimen that works for me.

Electrolysis with someone I trust.

I got a little emotional lift out of it like a tattoo. You DO NOT have to grow out the hair. You shave before you come in. It takes a bit to fall out, and you can remove it then too.

10 or so treatments on my face. Sideburns are gone but the white hairs need to be plucked.

6 treatments on my pits and it's gone.

6 on my bikini line and gone.

6 on my underarms and I pluck a hair once every few months.

I've had 4 treatments on my full legs. I will need more. I rarely shave ever. Heaven

Shaving

I shave my upper lip and jaw line once a week. Very feminine, I know. I use a Venus Razor and Aveeno shaving cream after exfoliating. I like to wash my face with the Clarisonic brush to lift the hairs first.

Plucking

Plucking your face is risky, you can get a big gouge with pointy tweezers. What feels like a lot of hair on my fingers is usually just one hair. I prefer Rubis Perforated Stainless Steel Tweezer #135, available on Amazon.

___

Since I'm not spending time shaving, except my face once a week, this seems easy to me. Did it hurt? Yes. I take a painkiller before lasering. It also helps to have a relationship with a place you trust and you can get package deals. Most will negotiate.

Other Methods

Electrolysis

What is this jive? I probably had 20 treatments on my face with lots of different people, but because I pluck, it will never really work. I think it's on the outs and for me, laser was a night and day difference.

Waxing

I don't have experience with it.

So yeah, I hate the hair, I pay out the b*tt to remove it, but I am happy with my routine.

Edited October 21, 20187 yr by JessLess