26 year old with Hypothyroid, Facial Hair, Acne (not PCOS).

[tiggerbuddy]

Hi all...
A little background on me: I'm a 26 year old female with fair skin and fair hair. Luckily the hair on my face is fair as well. Aside from being acne prone (currently I'm using Minocycline, Apri birth control pills, and retin-a), the facial hair is my only problem. Sooo, I recently went to my doc, who referred me to an endocrinologist. I had a pelvic ultrasound done to check for polycystic ovaries, but everything was normal. I had blood drawn, and all my lab values (even all the hormones) were normal except my Thyroid (TSH) was 4.1. I guess this is considered in the normal range, but some say that anything over 3 is high. SOOOO, I was prescribed thyroid medicine (50 mcg) + Spironolactone (200 mg) and Vaniqa cream.

Onto my questions:
1) has anyone tried Vaniqa or Spiro? How'd they work? How long did it take to see results?
2) Can you use Vaniqa and Retin-A together? For now, I'm just going to use the Vaniqa in the morning and Retin-A at night until I get a clear answer.
3) What should I do to remove my hair in the meantime?? The doc said NOT to shave, but thought that waxing, electrolysis, or laser would be good. I'm worried about waxing almost my entire face though- it seems like it would be painful and irritating. Also, I've heard electrolysis won't work if you have fair hair.

Any input on my situation? I'd appreciate any advice Thank you!!!

[tattoogirl]

Onto my questions:
1) has anyone tried Vaniqa or Spiro? How'd they work? How long did it take to see results?
2) Can you use Vaniqa and Retin-A together? For now, I'm just going to use the Vaniqa in the morning and Retin-A at night until I get a clear answer.

I used Vaniqa and I'm not sure if it worked. It doesn't get rid of the hair you have, guess it just slows new growth. I would be careful mixing it with retin-A, I know I have mixed it with other anti-acne medications and it totally burned my face, and my skin isn't that sensitive. Perhaps alternating days with the meds would help any irritation. I also was on Spirolactone, which is actually a high blood pressure medicine that helps with acne by lowering testosterone levels. It makes you feel really tired and light-headed (me at least). But after about 1-2 weeks it lessens. I wasn't on it that long because I got pregnant. And boy did my skin get bad! HORMONES....UGGGHHH .
Bella

[HarajukuGurl2005]

i was on spiro a bit for oily skin, and it worked like a charm. but do ur researh on spiro. i didnt like the potential side effects. i wonder if saw palmetto is a better alternative.

[tiggerbuddy]

what are the potential side effects?