In Reply to: Re: Acne and hair growth under the chin. posted by starr on September 08, 1999 at 14:30:05:
: : Hi!
: : My name is Stacey, and I've been taking spironolactone for about 1 1/2 years for polycystic
: : ovaries and the effects thereof, to include a high testosterone level, facial hair and erractic
: : menses. I've never had a problem with acne. Anyway, my endocrinologist suggested that I
: : take birth controls pills in conjunction with this drug. About 6 months later, I experienced
: : trouble breathing and was urged by my doctor to go to the nearest emergency room. After
: : several hours of testing, I was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism, which are blood clots in
: : the lungs. I was immediately checked into the hospital and was started on a heparin IV
: : (blood thinner). I was in the hospital for 8 days, completely unable to get out of bed, even to
: : go to the bathroom or take a shower because the doctors were afraid that the clots would
: : travel to my heart (heart attack) or to my brain (stroke). This was the result of the medicines
: : I had been taking, which was a rare instance. If you take birth control pills, you will see that it
: : states on the package that blood clots are a possible side effect, but I was told that it usually
: : only happens to women who have taken the pill for years and years without a break. I might
: : just be particularly suceptible to disorders of the lungs, which makes sense since two of my
: : brothers and sisters have asthma, and my older sister has sarcoidosis. Nevertheless, I was
: : taken off of the birth control pill when I was admitted to the hospital, but was still given
: : aldactone. After 1 1/2 years, I feel that an alternate means is necessary to help remove my
: : facial hair. Right now, nothing else will adequately help but shaving, and doing this every day
: : causes razor bumps. I do have an appointment with my endocrinologist next week, so I'll ask
: : her what I should do. I've thought about laser skin surgery, but I don't where to inquire about
: : this procedure in the Washington DC metropolitan area. If anyone else out there has this
: : problem and has found a solution, please let me know. Thanks for listening!
: : Stacey
: : P.S. I was told by my endocrinologist that taking spironolactone while pregnant could cause
: : abnomalties in the fetus, especially if you are carrying a male child. It blocks your levels of
: : testosterone as well as the baby's, so your male child could possess more "effiminate" traits.
: : I was told that this is rare, but it has happened.
: Hi, I too have excessive facial hair. I've been on the birth control pill for years and it did nothing to stop the hair. Now I've been taking 100 mg of spironolactone for the past month twice daily. I recently started taking 4 of them instead of 2. I'm very surprised that this drug is working. I was waxing every 2-3 days and now I'm waxing every 2-3 weeks.
I am sooo glad to have found this site, as I too suffer from ingrown hairs on the chin area ONLY with no extra growth anywhere else. This is hard to say the least, more so when you are a female. I had my hormone levels all tested as it was suggested to do so, and they were ot above and/or below which would indicate as to why. Meanwhile I am as will desiring to have a child, but WANT to get this "problem" undr control first! I thankfully have a wonderful mate, as I have gone through severe depression with this, "having male hair that NOTHING covers, helps to get rid of and so forth. I have done tons of research as I was a prisoner of my home as well, but when life forces us to go out there, had to deal with the presure and anxiety of doing so. I urge every single female here and whomever is told via this site, not to use over the counter products that promise to be permanent removers. As of to date there is NOTHING that is said to do so. Plucking, tweezing, waxing, any of those roll on, creams that state it removes ALL cause partial uprooting of the hair folicles that in affect cause the blood to be stimulated in said folicles, which causes the hairs to become darker, thicker, wisker like and NOTHING lightens them, not even bleaches as they only perhaps lighten the tips of hairs, cause as all products skin irratations and again, have one sooo upset. I am on spironolcatone to prevent any further hair continuing to grow via the chin area and face. I am also having Laser done, as electrolysis is not as one might think, it takes forever, as only a few if even of the hairs can be removed at once, making one have to continue going, paying and taking th risks of being scarred via even an expert, and still ending up with hair being and staying. Laser does not promise to permanently remove, but depending on where the hair is that one wants removed, the texture, courseness of hair, and the amount, it can do a better, faster job than any of the products out there to date. It works best on females who are light skined with dark hair, as the laser needs to see the hair in order to be able to zap it. With the first "treatment" one will notice it right away. There is a bit of welling and maybe some redness, but that goes away within hours for most and makeup can be applied without any problems, etc..Again depending on what stage the stupid hair folicles are in, one might have to go back for other treatments, to get the ones that were not taken prior, and most laser techs state that for females, chin hair problems usually call for one to three treatments. Now mind one, some hairs come back, however they are thinner, lighter and not wisker like, more so they blend in with the hair one already has. I am sooo excited about this as I have had this hair chin problem for the past two years, trying any and everything to rid myself of it, always getting more depressed once realizing NOTHING worked. I have put off (for now) getting pregnant, as I want this taken care of first, so I can even be able to go for a walk with a baby without it being a big major ordeal as I know that it would be. My hair problem more than likely via doctors was caused via stress I went through via the loss of my only child, causing hormone hell, then going back to normal but leaving this terrible "gift" of facial chin hairs like wiskers, ohhh goody! There are laser centers in every single state and the net is a great place to find them all. Infact in doing the research for my state, I discovered that not only do laser centers offer this but alot of the dermatologists offices are having their nurses, medical assistants and selves trained and certified with laser as well making it easier to find laser available in closer areas to ones home. As for the cost, it is more times than not, NOT covered via insurance (how stupid!!!) as it is considered a vanity thing, yeah right!!! Anyhow I went to bat for ME, my self esteem, my husband's life as he too is affected via me, my life as it does affect all aspects of a female's life. It is a health issue when it causes the quality of one's life to be different via depression, anxiety, the whole stressful production one most go through in order to just walk out one's door daily. Sorry that this has been soooo long but I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT this is to me, so naturally I know that I cannot be the only on that feels this strongly about it, hence all that I have found I want others to know as NONE OF US should have to be subjected (no matter what the cause) to having this type of stress added on to what life already dishes out daily to all anyway. I now have hope, can smile, am sooo excited about being able to not have this much longer and getting out there living as I have sooo desired to do if not for the hair problem. I wish every single one here and out there great success no matter as to why they have the problem of excess hair!!!!!