facial hair + acne (women only!)

[marymk]

I have the same - facial hair mostly on chin and upper lip and acne. I'm 47 and never had the acne until about 5-7 years ago. I've had the facial hair since my twenties.

I've not been diagnosed with PCOS, but I do get ovarian cysts - usually only one or two at a time. I believe PCOS cysts come in bunches. I'm also pretty regular with my cycle and have had no problems with fertility.

I am borderline insulin resistant, which is another indicator of PCOS - so I sometimes wonder if I may indeed have it. I think it is sometimes difficult to diagnose.

I have recently been prescribed Retin A for the acne - I think it may be helping, but it takes a while. I was using Climadycin - that was working OK -then it seemed to stop.

I've also been told by my derm and gyno that the acne is probably hormone related - and will most likely clear up after menopause.

marymk

[dollymama]

I have acne and facial hair as well, but it's the coarse hair only under my chin and slightly up my jaw line. I started using Vaniqa and I have to say it really does work. It's expensive, but costco sells it for cheaper than a drugstore. It has decreased the amount of hair and actually made the hair less course, so it comes right out when I tweeze. For the acne, I take doxycyline twice p/day with food and rinse with ***** hazel and toner. I also wash with 5% benzoil peroxide (prescription strength). When I use the toner I am amazed at how much make up any soap leaves behind !

[tiggerbuddy]

Originally Posted by peachy420

Hi all...
well, i'm 26, and finally have my acne under control (retin-A + minocycline + apri bc pills). So, I thought I'd try to defeat my facial hair problem now. I have fair skin and fair hair, so electrolysis is not an option. I've been thinking about Vaniqa cream, but wonder if it can be used with Retin-A. I've also thought about Spironolactone, but wasn't sure if it really helped getting rid of facial hair. Does anyone know or have any other ideas for me? Thanks!

Well, I got up the nerve to ask my doctor about the facial hair. She immediately refered me to an endocrinologist (apppintment is on July 7) and scheduled a pelvic ultrasound to rule out ovarian masses (appointment is on July 6). So, hopefully I will have an answer of some sort by the end of this week! I'll let you guys know what I find out.

[tiggerbuddy]

Wellll, I just got back from the endocrinologist. My pelvic ultrasound looked normal, and all my lab values were normal except my thryoid (TSH) was slightly high. Soooo, I was prescribed Thyroid medication + Spironolactone (200 mg- 8 25 mg pills!) and Vaniqa cream. And for my acne, I will continue to take Apri (generic Desogen bc pills), Minocycline (I'm down to 100 mg once a day), and Avita cream (generic Retin-A). I feel like a walking pharmacy!!! Hopefully these new meds will help. I've been thinking about what I should do to remove the facial hair in the meantime. The doc said NOT to shave, but that waxing, electrolysis, or laser treatment would be good. I'm not quite ready to shell out the money for electrolysis or laser, so I was leaning towards waxing, but waxing almost your entire face seems like it would be really painful and irritating (especially since I use retin-A). Any ideas? I really can't stand the hair and don't want to wait 2-6 months to see it get better. Thanks eveyone for listening to me!!!

[tiggerbuddy]

Originally Posted by dollymama

I have acne and facial hair as well, but it's the coarse hair only under my chin and slightly up my jaw line. I started using Vaniqa and I have to say it really does work. It's expensive, but costco sells it for cheaper than a drugstore. It has decreased the amount of hair and actually made the hair less course, so it comes right out when I tweeze. For the acne, I take doxycyline twice p/day with food and rinse with ***** hazel and toner. I also wash with 5% benzoil peroxide (prescription strength). When I use the toner I am amazed at how much make up any soap leaves behind !

Hi there...
Just a question about Costco pharmacy. I checked the price on Vaniqa, and it's only $40-something (I paid $76 at Kaiser even with my insurance!). I've never filled a prescription at Costco-- how does it work? Would I have to have my Kaiser doctor write a new prescription? Thanks