fed up of hair removing for over 20 years

plumzee · August 25, 2002, 5:51am

Hello everyone. This forum is great. I am new here…or should i say “hair”!..I suffer from pcos and have had to deal with superflous hair for most of my adult life. I’ve tried nearly all the temporary methods and electrolysis also. The latter worked well for me but was very expensive. Now, I’ve chosen to stick to waxing and threading facial hair. I dont mind shaving my arms and legs.
I’ve heard with continuous waxing, the hair grows back finer and lesser(sparser). Is this true? I also understand hair grows in a three week cycle.
Your website has been very interesting and informative. Thank you for such a wonderful and sensitive issue where we can discuss our hair problems.

[ August 24, 2002, 10:54 PM: Message edited by: plumzee ]

plumzee · August 25, 2002, 5:54am

[ August 24, 2002, 10:55 PM: Message edited by: plumzee ]

jokeemotion · August 25, 2002, 8:54am

Actually, I quite enjoy shaving my legs!!

I’ve never met anyone else who does, but I find it very theraputic…

Anyway, I’ve heard also that waxing can permanently reduce body hair. But I haven’t heard what its effect is on the face.
I’ve heard stories of guys who’ve had their legs waxed for charity, but the hair never grew back!!

And, yes, hair growth is cyclic. There’s three stages (I used to know the names, but I won’t risk a guess - I’ll probably goof! I’m sure someone will chip in…)

If you’re having electrolysis or laser, only the hairs in the ‘growth’ phase will be treated.

Andrea · August 27, 2002, 11:22am

plumzee, I’m glad the information has been helpful, and I’m glad you feel comfortable asking questions here!

If your hormone levels are under control, it’s possible that waxing will very gradually reduce the amount of hair after many years of treatment. However, there is no guarantee that this will happen, and it’s much less likely to happen for women with PCOS.

Hair growth cycles have huge variations by person and by body area. Some cycles take years (head hair), others take weeks (eyebrows) or months (most body and facial hair). That’s why it’s hard to evaluate results unless they are based on long-term observations.

marie · August 27, 2002, 11:20pm

Hello everyone I hope everyone is doing fine. I need to asked this question. I went to the doctor today (GYN) to have my annual exam. I suffer from PCOS and have all the symtoms that go along with it. My biggest concern is to get my hormones under control as soon as possible and reduce my facial hair. I discussed this with my doctor and she said the only medicine that would help me would be birth control pills. Now I don’t mind taking the pill but I can’t imagine that the pill is the only medicine that can help a women with pcos. I asked her if I should see a endocrinologist she said that I could but it probably wouldn’t make a diffence. I was so upset when I left her office I started to cry. I felt like what if the pill doesn’t work for me I have no hope.

dragonfly · August 28, 2002, 1:25am

marie, I’m so sorry that your appointment left you feeling so bad…

I don’t have PCOS, but I do have a extensive experience with dealing with different doctors in many different fields… I personally feel that the patient always has the right to a second (or third, or fourth etc.) opinion. In fact, I think it the best thing that you can do for yourself, because different doctors have different approaches and different ideas. Also, some doctors are more up to date on new treatments than others. Some are more open to “alternative” methods of treatment as well.

Hopefully someone with more knowledge about PCOS will be able to provide you with more specific information, but in the meantime, that’s my 2 cents.

jokeemotion · August 28, 2002, 8:10pm

Marie, I’m sorry you felt so bad after your appointment, too.

I certainly think you should get another opinion. I’m not a doctor, so please get professional advice.
From my understanding, the contraceptive pill will help a bit.
They all have different hormones in them, so it’s important to be prescribed the right one.

There’s two hormones in the pill, progesterone, and oestrogen (estrogen in the US). There are lots of different ‘types’ of each of those two hormones. Some have a bigger anti-androgen effect than others, so it’s important to be on the right pill for you.

But there’s more that you can do. You can take androgen diuretics. (A diuretic is a substance that flushes out another chemical from the body. Alcohol is a water diuretic - that’s why you go to the loo lots, and have a big hangover afterwards!!)

Here in the UK, the usual prescription for excess testosterone is Ciproterone Acetate (or Spironolactone) - I think in the US it’s Androcur.

I might have got those the wrong way round, and I’ve probably miss-spelt them!!

But don’t despair!!
I hope this has been of help.

marie · August 31, 2002, 10:40pm

Thanks for your opinions and advice Dragon Fly and Toni. I will get a second opinion and a third if I have to. Meanwhile I have decided to lose 20 pounds I think this will help me with my appearance and self-esteem. Does anyone have any advice on losing weight for a women with PCOS? Does anyone have any make-up tips for a women with PCOS. Thanks again guys.

jokeemotion · September 1, 2002, 2:10pm

Regarding make-up tips, I presume you mean to cover the dark hair shadow…?

I’ve never tried it, but I hear Dermablend is very good. It’s used to cover up all sorts of serious blemishes on people’s faces - scars, burns, port stains, those sort of things. I think some people use it to cover over the hair shadow, too.

Personally, I use Aveda concealer. I wouldn’t recommend it for large areas - I’m lucky, I only have a problem on my top lip and chin. Then I blend it in with my usual foundation.

I think you can get Aveda in most stores? I get mine at the Beauty Therapist who does my electrolysis.

You might have to go to a dermatologist to get hold of Dermablend?

Andrea · September 3, 2002, 10:50am

Hi Marie–

I’m very sorry you had such an upsetting experience at the doctor’s office. There are a number of drugs besides birth control pills which may be able to help women with PCOS.

I’m not a doctor, so this is just suggestions for further research. There’s a drug called Metformin which some women with PCOS take. From what I understand (someone jump in if I’m wrong), PCOS can also cause problems with glucose tolerance.

Weight loss and hormone control will probably go a long way to getting you hair situation stabilized. Dermablend is a good heavy cover-up make-up, and the MAC line has some heavier stuff that can be good.

Once you have your hormone and weight at a good place, you should probably consider a permanent method of hair removal if you can afford it, at least on your face. This will go a long way toward improving your self-esteem. Worry about your face over your body, especially if money is an issue–everyone sees your face. If you can’t afford a permanent method, you should epilate, which will reduce your shadows.

I also recommend you sign up with a few sites that cover PCOS. My favorite is:

PCOSupport.org

jbaker321 · September 7, 2002, 8:48am

Marie -

Your doctor is a complete idiot! PCOS is a serious condition. She should have automatically had your insulin levels and all of your hormone levels checked through blood tests. PCOS can be treated. It is most often treated with Metformin (Glucophage) if your blood tests show that you are insulin resistant. Birth Control Pills are NOT a treatment. They are only taken to MASK the problem. I suggest you see another doctor immediately (if you haven’t already). The second thing you need to do is research PCOS so you can understand what is wrong in your body. Here are some great sites that I have found really helpful in my quest for info on my PCOS:
http://www.soulcysters.com
http://pcos.freeservers.com/natural.html
http://www.fertilitext.org/p2_doctor/pcos.html
http://www.pcosupport.org

There are also wonderful books on PCOS. You can go to a book store or your local library and find tons of info.

As for losing weight, my doctor told me to cut back on carbohydrates: breads, pasta, cereals, potatoes, desserts and candies.

Andrea · September 7, 2002, 12:23pm

Tell it like it is, Jennifer!

It’s very easy to think that doctors are infallible, but having dealt with a poorly-understood medical condition myself, I can assure you that there are some really bad doctors out there.

Marie, as I mentioned before, if you’ve been diagnosed with PCOS, there are several treatment options which are frequently quite effective at managing the side effects. Jennifer’s list of links are great.

Readers, if you’re running into an unresponsive doctor in regards to PCOS (and there are plenty of them out there), you need to harness the power you have as a consumer group to get the treatment that’s right for you. Check in with the support groups Jenifer listed-- they can refer you to a doctor in your area who will take PCOS seriously and offer effective treatments in a sympathetic setting.

Jiggle · October 28, 2002, 2:04am

To add to the post below:
I also like to go on walks, which also helped a lot on my energy level. I would walk for 1 hour in the early mornings, and go to the gym in the evenings for 30 mins. - 1 hour. No, I am not physically fit! I would walk on the treadmill for 15-30 mins., then lift weights.

[ October 27, 2002, 06:32 PM: Message edited by: Jiggle ]

Jiggle · October 28, 2002, 2:23am

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by marie:
Thanks for your opinions and advice Dragon Fly and Toni. I will get a second opinion and a third if I have to. Meanwhile I have decided to lose 20 pounds I think this will help me with my appearance and self-esteem. Does anyone have any advice on losing weight for a women with PCOS? Does anyone have any make-up tips for a women with PCOS. Thanks again guys. </blockquote>I have PCOS/NCAH plus extras, and with your question about losing weight… Yes, people with PCOS find it VERY difficult to loose weight, cause of the disease taking over their body, but… I have lost some weight! A lot of people may hate what I have to say, but it can work for most… I have tried the sugar busters, and had little success, but I hated it. (stay away from white foods, no sugar at all…)
Anyway… I started eating about anything I wanted (except sweets), just til the hunger pain went away, but not over doing it. When I wanted something sweet I ate fat-free frozen yogurt or to snack on I ate low-salted popcorn. I also made the last meal of the day to be 5pm. If you get hungry between 5pm and before you go to bed, then drink PLENTY of water/fluids. And if I had to have something to eat bad enough I went to low-salted popcorn, but not to much.
The big problem with losing weight, you have to keep it off, or by the next week you will allready have gained 5 pounds then +++.
I understand that some people don’t get home til 6 or maybe 7 in the evening. Maybe you should go on a all veggie in the evening for dinner or even a salad with fat free, lowfat, or no dressing. And during the day have something that satisfies your hunger needs.
I am not big on diet sodas, sugar free products (that can also cause cancer)… Aspartam (sp) is not what I would use at all. I am hoping some of this info is helpful to you or someone.

Pepper_Girl · January 26, 2003, 11:53am

Hi Marie,

I hope what I say will be helpful to you. I have PCOS. I am on aldactone which helps control the excess testosterone. I also use Saw Palmetto for the same reason.

You should get a good hormone work up! What is your doctor on? Check for free thyroid hormones, I’ve heard that hypothyroidism and PCOS often go hand in hand. (I have both.)

Pepper

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by marie:
Hello everyone I hope everyone is doing fine. I need to asked this question. I went to the doctor today (GYN) to have my annual exam. I suffer from PCOS and have all the symtoms that go along with it. My biggest concern is to get my hormones under control as soon as possible and reduce my facial hair. I discussed this with my doctor and she said the only medicine that would help me would be birth control pills. Now I don’t mind taking the pill but I can’t imagine that the pill is the only medicine that can help a women with pcos. I asked her if I should see a endocrinologist she said that I could but it probably wouldn’t make a diffence. I was so upset when I left her office I started to cry. I felt like what if the pill doesn’t work for me I have no hope.<hr /></blockquote>

Pepper_Girl · January 26, 2003, 12:11pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Jiggle:
 <blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by marie:
Thanks for your opinions and advice Dragon Fly and Toni. I will get a second opinion and a third if I have to. Meanwhile I have decided to lose 20 pounds I think this will help me with my appearance and self-esteem. Does anyone have any advice on losing weight for a women with PCOS? Does anyone have any make-up tips for a women with PCOS. Thanks again guys. </blockquote>I have PCOS/NCAH plus extras, and with your question about losing weight… Yes, people with PCOS find it VERY difficult to loose weight, cause of the disease taking over their body, but… I have lost some weight! A lot of people may hate what I have to say, but it can work for most… I have tried the sugar busters, and had little success, but I hated it. (stay away from white foods, no sugar at all…)
Anyway… I started eating about anything I wanted (except sweets), just til the hunger pain went away, but not over doing it. When I wanted something sweet I ate fat-free frozen yogurt or to snack on I ate low-salted popcorn. I also made the last meal of the day to be 5pm. If you get hungry between 5pm and before you go to bed, then drink PLENTY of water/fluids. And if I had to have something to eat bad enough I went to low-salted popcorn, but not to much.
The big problem with losing weight, you have to keep it off, or by the next week you will allready have gained 5 pounds then +++.
I understand that some people don’t get home til 6 or maybe 7 in the evening. Maybe you should go on a all veggie in the evening for dinner or even a salad with fat free, lowfat, or no dressing. And during the day have something that satisfies your hunger needs.
I am not big on diet sodas, sugar free products (that can also cause cancer)… Aspartam (sp) is not what I would use at all. I am hoping some of this info is helpful to you or someone.<hr /></blockquote>Different plans work for different people, so I will add what has worked for me for losing weight and keeping it off.
I have both PCOS and hypothyroidism, and find keeping the hormones under contorl is job 1. My main thrust is portion control. I eat any food I want, but watch the amount. (You know what tastes just as good as a candy bar, but has half the fat and calories? Half a candy bar.) I eat soy protien everyday, and try to include watery/fibery “negative calorie” fruits and veggies. I have eliminated “automatic” eating, like automatically getting a box of pop corn when you go to a movie, even though you aren’t hungry, just saying “yes” when someone offers you something to eat, etc. I also find some dairy fat helps. (CLA, if I recall)

Exercise is helpful, I find yoga is best, the “aerobic breathing” exercises are good, too, as well as just putting on some music and getting down.

breathing exercise sites (I have no connection to any of them, and am posting them for infomation only)

http://www.thebodyflex.com
http://www.oxycise.com
http://www.oxygenzoo.com/

Pepper

offbroadway · August 9, 2003, 6:40pm

Losing weight is hard but here’s how I’ve lost a lot of weight:

Lost 30 lbs on the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet…was quite easy to follow.
Then I sort of let things slide and gained back nine lbs. without even being too bad…so I went back on my diet and didn’t lose much at all which freaked me out totally.
I decided I needed to shock my body and went on the Atkins diet…it is working.
I’ve lost the weight I gained but more importantly I feel so much better and have lost tons of inches.
As many of you might know, PCOS tends to make you gain in the middle section…I had quite the potbelly thing happening and funny enough on Atkins that’s the first place it leaves you.

On other diets I would start losing on the boobs and out extremities first, but not on Atkins…I’m losing the pot belly…have lost 2 inches off that one measurement alone in the past six weeks…my clothes are bagging in the front section…this has NEVER been the case.
I’m very encouraged and will continue on this diet because I feel so good.
I was even able to get off my addiction to caffeine by going on this diet…I never thought that would happen either…I was addicted to the stuff, now I don’t drink it at all.

Just in case you don’t know Atkins is not that strict diet that you may have heard about many years ago, it’s only the first two weeks that are strict, then you slowly add back veges and fruits, all the good stuff you know you should be eating anyways.
My hormone doctor gave me the go ahead for it and was quite impressed with my progress so I encourage you all to try it.

Kathy

Harvey_Grove_LE_CPE · August 17, 2003, 7:35am

PCOS is a hormone disorder that causes the body to lose the ability to convert the testosterone made in the ovaries to estrogen. That is the cause of the estrogen decline and the presence of extra male hormone. If you are gaining weight in the middle (apple shape) you probably also have insulin resistance, however, there are patients who are slim as a rail who also have PCOS. The usual treatment is hormone replacement that is the same as is found in birth control pills. They are not used for birth control but the hormones in them are the right “mix” and it is easier to take and cheaper to buy them this way. Your medical insurance will pay for this ONLY if your doctor writes a letter stating this is medically necessary for you (birth control is a convenience not a disease that is why insurance companies do not pay for them unless the doctor explains it is medically neccesary you are NOT taking them for birth control). Doctors write these letters all the time and he will be glad to do it. If not …get another doctor because he is not helping you.

Once it is established you have a diagnosable and treatable disorder the insurance company will pay for your electrology treatments. They will balk but other companies have paid, therefore, there is INDUSTRY PRECEDENT for this. I have been paid by many companies for my patients. They love to take the money in but hate to give it out. Hair in this disease is a symptom therefore they have to pay to treat it. They will try to delay or deny paying by claiming the hair is “cosmetic” and not covered. The only hair removal that is “cosmetic” is eyebrows, underarms, and bikini line. Once you get them to pay for your medication you are more than halfway home.

Remember… you are NOT taking “birth control” pills…you are taking hormonal treatment to control a hormone problem that makes you infertile, causes irregular periods and grows hair, among other symptoms. If it works for you to control conception … that is NOT why you are taking them and they only know what your doctor tells them.

The drug used in Europe is CYPROTERONE. It has NOT been released in this country because of associated LIVER TOXICITY that doctors “forget” to tell patients. It is an anti-androgen but is no better than any we have here. All anti-androgens can cause genital malformation in male embryos and they should NOT be given to ANY woman of child bearing age as some of them will get pregnant because they will not give up sex. Even if she does not ovulate for a while she may ovulate unexpectedly at indeterminate intervals. With PCOS it is unpredictable.