My whole life I have always had excessive body/facial hair. But now, as a 22 year old female, it has started to get a lot worse.. and a lot more obvious. Not to mention, I'm getting a lot more self conscious of it. I have fair skin and DARK hair (on my head, as well as face/body/etc.) so you could imagine, its pretty noticeable.
Before I could deal with it, but lately my confidence and self esteem has crippled. I don't like to talk closely to people, I am reluctant to getting intimate with my boyfriend, and I spend a few hours a week just removing hair from my face and body. I'm a cute girl, cute body/face, but I feel sooo ugly because of my "hairy" situation. It distracts me from school/work/social events. UGH! its just miserable.
Is there anyone out there who can relate/feels similar? Has any stories they want to share (the good bad and the ugly?) Advice? I've been reading a lot about Spironolactone and have gotten a lot of mixed reviews about it, so I'd love to hear what others have experienced with this drug. It is possibly my next step to attacking my fuzziness!!
Although I wouldn't wish this condition upon my worse enemy, I hope I'm not the only one out there who is constantly making sure my shirt isn't riding up my back (and not because I don't want people to see what color my underwear is!!!)
thanks for the support :]
The following user gives a hug of support to lula bean: SkyBlue99 (10-01-2011)
Have you been diagnosed by an endocrinologist? Have you been tested for insulin resistance? Hormones in balance?
Spironolactone has a lot of side effects. I would only use it as a last resort. It won't do anything for the hair you currently have. It may prevent additional hair from forming. You'll need electrolysis or laser to get rid of the hair you currently have.
I know exactly how you feel. I'm the same age as you and know how much of a problem it is to have this. I feel very unpretty all the time. I always have to photoshop all my pictures before I give them out. It's awful.
I unfortunately have not found a way to deal with it yet. Good luck finding something that works for you.
Have you been diagnosed by an endocrinologist? Have you been tested for insulin resistance? Hormones in balance?
Spironolactone has a lot of side effects. I would only use it as a last resort. It won't do anything for the hair you currently have. It may prevent additional hair from forming. You'll need electrolysis or laser to get rid of the hair you currently have.
Im meeting with my doc in a week to start testing to find out about that. I've heard it thins hair from medical reports as well as people. are those just rare cases?
Thanks Charlie! I'm sorry youre in the same unpleasant boat as me. I don't photoshop my pics, I really just depend on waxing... alot! But I'm definitely not a fan of having my picture taken. do you have light skin and dark hair? horrible combo!
I've been taking Spiro for about a year now, I've had no noticeable side affects. Like another poster said it won't help with the hair you already have, but it will slow the growth of new hair. I started Spiro mainly to combat acne due to PCOS.
when you say it doesnt do anything for the hair i have now, do you mean ever? or say, like, I wax my upper lip, that hair gets removed, so when it grows back it wont get lighter/finer while im on spiro? or will it, because ive removed it, and the new hair growing back gets thin?
i hope that made sense, a lot of strange grammar in there!
Right it won't take "away" the hair you already have. Like for me I get a lot of hairs on my chin area, they take a tad bit longer to grow back now, but they still grow back just like always. Supposedly it's supposed to stop new funky hair growth.
when you say it doesnt do anything for the hair i have now, do you mean ever? or say, like, I wax my upper lip, that hair gets removed, so when it grows back it wont get lighter/finer while im on spiro? or will it, because ive removed it, and the new hair growing back gets thin?
i hope that made sense, a lot of strange grammar in there!
We all have an avg. of 1000 hair follicles per sq. in. of skin. Only a small portion of those follicles are active. Hormone imbalances, hormone changes, heredity, certain medications, etc., can stimulate inactive follicles to produce new hairs. Spironolactone may (not does) prevent those inactive follicles from producing new hairs, as long as you are taking the medication. It also takes about 6 months for the medication to even work, if it's going to work. It's also something that you don't want to take for the rest of your life. The follicles that were already active before you took the medication will not stop stop producing hair unless they are destroyed by electrolysis or laser hair removal.
Waxing your upper lip, or any other facial hair (brows excluded) may actually worsen the problem, especially if you have hormone issues. Hormones are hair fertilizer. Hormones run through your blood system. When you wax or tweeze hair in an area already sensitive to male hormones, blood rushes in to repair the damaged follicle, thus bringing in more male hormones to nourish the next hair that replaces the one you pulled out.
The only time waxing gives the illusion of making hair more sparse is when you wax an area that doesn't have great blood (hair nourishment) circulation. As your get older, legs, arms, and forehead area have less blood circulation and the hair thins, even for those who never waxed.
do you have any suggestions on how to help my situation? besides laser hair removal or electrolysis? someday i'll venture into those areas but for now I cant due to finances!
hey choice, ive been looking around this website and ive noticed you have a lot of info on this topic and personal experience. it seems the best thing to do is electrolysis, and i saw you posted youve had it done. Can you share some wise words on it? like, how expensive it is, how to go about getting the right person, etc?
ive never had anyone to talk to about this (obviously, an embarassing subject) so info/support is greatly appreciated. :]
Electrolysis is effective on all colors of hair and all colors of skin. Laser is a little picky. Laser is most effective on dark, coarse hair on pale skin. For most cases of female facial hair, electrolysis is the better choice.
Electrolysis prices vary greatly. Most electrologist charge for the amount of time each treatment lasts. From what I see online, an hour can be anwhere from $40-$120. 15 minute treatments seem to be running $20-$30. Laser prices are usually per area. I personally wouldn't let the price be one of the top 3 reasons for choosing a particular electrologist. Training requirements vary from state to state. I believe there are still 16 states that still do not regulate electrolysis. Because it's a small profession, it can be difficult to find the information online. If you tell me what state you are in, I can tell you the requirements. Skill and equipment are important, as are sterilization and sanitation. Because electrolysis requires several treatments on a weekly or bi-weekly basis in the beginning, you also want an electrologist that you feel comfortable with. You need someone you can communicate your concerns with and not be afraid of her reaction.
Most electrologist offer free consultations. It usually includes a case history, explanation of the process and aftercare procedures, and a sample treatment. Most people are red after the treatment, but show no signs the next day. Others with sensitive skin may have some minor irritation. This should always be discussed with the electrologist because she can make adjustments.
Newer computerized, digital epilators are the best. But the equipment is only as good as the person operating it. A great electrologist with an older analog epilator is a better choice over an unskilled electrologist with great equipment. This is why, if possible, you should have as many consultations as possible.
Permanent hair removal is a journey. Hair doesn't grow over night, and we can't get rid of it over night. You just want to make sure you take the right path and don't have to backtrack too often. You're starting off in the right direction by researching it first.
Something you should always remember is, you are far from being the only one with this problem. It's considered a taboo subject, and before the Internet existed, no one had conversations about their unwanted hair. Never be embarrassed to show your doctor or your electrologist how much hair you have. You will never shock them.
As far as temporary methods go, any type of removal by tweezing, waxing, threading, those epilator gadgets are the worst choice. What you do to the root of the hair, the portion under the skin, effects how it grows. So, electrolysis and laser destroys the follicle. Pulling the hair out strengthens it. What you do above the skin will not change the hair. Shaving, clipping, bleaching and depilatories all have their pros and cons, but do not change the structure of the hair.
Have you been diagnosed with a hormone imbalance or PCOS? Is that why you were interested in spironolactone?
There's still so much to tell you, but since this is getting really long, I'll wait until you ask specific questions.
I'm not diagnosed with PCOS although it's something Ive been meaning to get to my doctor to start testing for it. Ive discussed it with her and I just need to make a follow up appointment but with school, I just have to wait until I have some time to get over there.
I live in california, and I've seen quite a few hair removal places, one right down the street from my house and its been there for as long as I can remember. Do you think my doctor or an endocronologist could possibly refer me to a good place?
I guess youve more or less answered my specific questions. Its just a matter of pursuing it now! I've been waxing my upper lip for over a year now, so does that mean I have less of a chance of electrolysis working on me?
I definitely think electrolysis is the way to go, it is just a scary name so ive been avoiding it!!! The price range doesnt sound too bad though, I thought it was would be a lot more. Do you know how many sessions one area takes on average? And how long it takes for a small area, like upper lip?
And yeah! Thank god for the internet! Ive seriously been dealing with this problem allllll my life, allll alone. I don't know anyone who is as fury as me and its totally embarassing. Its nice to ask questions and get feelings off my chest. Its actually been really helpful just to talk about it and realize I'm not the only one!
It's very possible your doctor may know of an electrologist to refer you to.
Electrolysis will work on everyone. Having waxed prior to electrolysis may mean a few additional treatments, but it will still work.
The name is scary. There are 3 different modalities of electrolysis, galvanic, blend, and thermolysis. Microflash thermolysis using digital, computerized equipment is showing to be the quickest and most efficient method. All methods are only as good as the electrologist.
Without seeing exactly how much hair you have, and knowing if there is an underlying cause, it's hard to predict how many or how long it will take for you to obtain the desired results. Because of the different growth phases, the very minimum amount of time, in a perfect world would be 9 months. Because we don't live in a perfect world, I would say at least 18-24 months, and then if it's shorter, all the better!
Because the upper lip is such a small area, it's easy to over treat and treatments should not be done more than 30 minutes over a 7 day period. If using microflash thermolysis, a lot of hair can be removed in 30 minutes.
Ugh, I have the exact same problem... it's disturbing. I'm also 22 and it's been a problem since I was like 15 or so. I tried taking birth control pills since some help reduce hair growth... it didn't work.
I went to a doctor thinking maybe I have a hormone problem. He tested everything and it all came back "normal."
I don't know what to do about it either... it's awful but I think I just have to learn to live with it.
Do the women in your family have a lot of excess hair?
If not, you should really consider seeing an endocrinologist. You could have a problem with your adrenal glands or another endocrine problem. It would be a good idea to have your hormones tested too.
Hirsutism can be caused by many things. Here are a few:
There is a prescription cream that can help you in the meantime - Vaniqua. It takes about 3 months to work and it costs about $80 for a tube of it (your insurance may pay for it but most wont).
hirsutism. definitely a 'hair problem' 
