Are birth control pills effective to reduce hair?

Hair Removal Methods Prescription oral medications
#1

I have went to see my doctor and she said that she thinks that my escess hair is hereditary… I know that know one in my family is as hairy as me! And anyways, that doesn’t rectify my problem. So I wanted to know if BCP’s are even slightly effective to reduce excess hair, or oily skin and maybe sweating (I don’t know if it’s just me but I sweat a lot!). I also have very bad menstrual cramps so it could be useful for that too!

A bit about myself, I am 17, a girl, I have long darkish hair all over my body (it’s too thin for laser but I don’t want to do electrolysis for all of my body!). My legs, armpits, treasure trail, pubic are all SUPER thick.

If anyone has tried BCP, could you tell your experience and what it did for you (if it worked or not).

Thanks a lot!

#2

Hi,
well i have heaps of excess hair :frowning: im from middle eastern background, so its sorta herditary, but i also have PCOS too as i had heaps of acne, my periods were regular BUT i had the WORST cramps. So the doctor put me on the Yasmine pill and i have been on it for quite a while now and have completely got rid of my acne and no more period pain YAY but i dont think it has helped with the hair! :S so i guess gota try the electrolysis, but even with that im worried if i do it then i get off the pill my hair will grow back. SOO CONFUSING well i hope that helps :slight_smile:

#3

Well, it can reduce the amount of hair that will grow in the future, but won’t help with the hair you already have. From what I heard, the pills are not that effective. In order to see some improvement, you have to take them for at least 6-12 months… And the effect (if any) lasts only while you are taking them.

#4

You should see an Endocrinologist specialist specifically to figure out if it’s anything other than heriditary growth. Although, hormonal issues can be hereditary too.

Some birth control pills can control the growth for some women. It really varies and you won’t know until you try them if it’ll do anything for you. And they help with preventing future growth. You still need electrolysis to remove what’s already there.

#5

I’ve been taking Ocella - the generic version of Yasmin. Now this birth control it supposed to control hair growth. For me it’s been the opposite. It has increased the rate my hair growth at and also has made it a bit denser. I can barely find anyone else experiencing this. The biggest problem people seem to have is alopecia - losing hair while on this pill. Altough, it does say on birth control pills on the side effects it lists most excessive hair growth and loss of hair as side effects.

#6

Any hormonal change can cause unwanted hair growth.

#7

It may not be the pill. How old are you? It may be your regular hormones and would have grown in regardless of what you took.

#8

Just thought I’d add I’ve been using BCP for 2 1/2 years and have noticed no change in the amount of hair that I have.

Although it may not be related to the pill, hair that used to be baby fine hair has become darker and a little bit thicker in some areas like stomach and uppper arms.

#9

How old are you? New hair is often just the result of your body developing new hair due to age. Most people develop hair into their late 20s.

The pill doesn’t necessarily do anything for the hair. For some people certain types like Yasmin can regulate specific hormones to control new growth somewhat, but in others it has the opposite effect. Hormonal therapies produce different reactions in different people.

#10

The process of starting or stopping use of BCP’s can cause unwanted hair growth, as would anything that produced a change in hormonal levels. That is why some people are sensitive to MSG, Artificial sweeteners and other additives.