hi, im new to this site, and i…umm…really dont know what to do about my situation, im lost.
please help…
<3 sussie
Hi sussie ,
can you explain your situation a bit more? Maybe we can help if we know a little bit more.
Thanks…
well.
Im 21, i started getting hairy at an early age, and now its just getting much worse: i have hair all over my face, i have a nearly nonexistant forehead…well…im covered with hairs. I got my lower back and my belly done with the rubby laser about three months ago. I was told that i shouldnt expect too much from the first treatment. I have hyperpigmentation spots all over my belly and lower back now,they are pretty obvious. so now i have a hairy back/belly with spots- and my skin itches so much…i guess because of how the hair came in… i was taking oral contraceptives, and i think maybe they were helping, because as soon as i stopped taking them (ran out of $), the hairs on my chin that had been treated with electrolosis becan to grow again. I dont go out anymore, only to work, even there i feel so uncomfortable having others even look at my hands. I really dont know what to do. Im thinking i should start by going to see an endocrinologist toget some tests done as soon as i get some money. I reallydont know waht to do,it seems so hopeless. its like i will never really be able to live a normal life. its so depressing.
Hi Sussie,
I know how you feel… you are not the only one that has gone through this. It isn’t easy and it plain sucks. No person should have to deal with this, no person ever asked to deal with this, but here we are, forced to deal with it.
I went through electrolysis and my hair grew back too… and I was on the pill, but… I am different then you and I think you are very smart to go see an endocrinologist to see if there is an underlying issue. Hormone pills, such as birth control, may help you. I know there is another pill that can help stop the growth of hair… spinaloctrone if I am not mistaken.
Right now I am trying laser hair removal, and I plan on talking to my doctor to see if something like spinaloctrone will help me. I saw some doctors as the Mayo Clinic about 9 years ago and they did so tests and saw that the chemicals in my body were not balanced and that can cause a lot of problems, including hair growth in undesirable places. It’s something that happens during puberty when none of us would really ever think about it. (I can tell you if I ever have a daughter I will think about it for her) They said that there are things they could have done during that time that could have possibly helped. But I am not going to dwell on that… I am going to work on it now and see if there is anything I can do.
I am hoping that hormone medication and laser hair removal will be the answer. I have only had my first treatment and won’t be done with all my treatments for over a year, but I will come back here and post my results. I think that’s the hardest thing, finding someone that has done it completely and can tell you there experience. That’s the people I really want to hear from.
The #1 thing I want to stress to people, especially women, is that hair in places like your face or lower back or what not is not normal and it may not disappear with laser hair removal alone. I really think, in order to fully get rid of it, some sort of hormone treatment is needed.
As for you Sussie, I would see if there is a doctor that will take you on as a patient and set up a payment plan for you, so you could start this now. I don’t see why they wouldn’t do that for you. Otherwise, I would look into getting some sort of insurance. It’s not going to be cheap, and it’s going to take a long time… patience and persistence is what you need to keep in mind. I wish I had when I was 18 and saw those doctors; I may have been in a better situation today.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Clamb37
Hi sussie,
I’m really sorry to hear that you are not happy with your first treatment of LHR.
I would definitely agree that you should see a doctor to test for hormone imbalances and insulin resistance. I went to my family practice doctor and had several tests done for hormones and insulin resistance, all came out normal. Although I do need to check the stats to see if I am close to the abnormal range. I am guessing, though, that with all my allergies and hyper-sensitivity, I am just more sensitive to the normal hormones that I have. Very very annoying!
As for the laser you are being treated with, I would recommend asking if the clinic you go to has a different one or try to find a place that has something else.
It seems to me like the Ruby is an older laser and it has a much shorter wavelength than the newer lasers that are out now, like the NdYag. Ruby has wavelength of 694 nm, Yag has wavelength of 1064 nm. The other lasers are Long-Pulse Alexandrite which has a wavelength of 755 nm and Diode Lasers with 810 nm.
I am being treated with a NdYag (Sciton Image) and have had my dark, thick, coarse hair removed from my chin and underarms. I have had dark, thin hair removed from my upper lip and abdomen. It has been a little over 3 months and I am currently pretty bare in these areas. I have a few more treatments to go and should be done by November.
Although many people mention that the Yag is for darker skin, I have a skin type of 2 - 3 depending on tan and I am being treated just fine witht the Yag. My dermatologist uses this one laser on all of his patients, so I can say that so far I recommend it. Of course, time will tell, but I will be sure to keep everyone updated.
I also read at the site below about the possiblity of skin discoloration with the Ruby. In case the link I pasted is censored, I went ahead and pasted the info here, too.
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http://www.hairfacts.com/medpubs/rubymed.html
Although side effects are generally rare, [32] skin discoloration rates have been reported from 1% to 10%, with darkening being more common and often taking several months to resolve [33]. Histological evidence shows that darker skin has higher side effects, especially hypopigmentation [34]
Preheating or precooling the skin before treatment may help reduce side effects. [35, 36] Lower fluences have been observed to cause higher rates of double hairs as regrowth. [37] As with electrolysis, there is a chance of isomorphic phenomena like trauma-induced lesions, [38] and, patients should avoid sun following treatment to avoid significant and persistent pigment changes to the skin lasting several months. [39]
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Best of luck to you and keep us updated on your journey.
Hugs
thank you for your help and support.
I guess I never really could talk to anybody about this. It really feels good to know that someone else might understand.
I will try to do as you say, go to the doctor, I may just have a second job by next week, and I will also look for a practicioner that uses the YAG laser.
Thank you very much for your advice,
<3 sussie
[ July 27, 2004, 06:16 PM: Message edited by: sussie ]
Hi sussie!
I know what you mean. Who can talk about this issue? It’s terrible that we are so ashamed of this problem and don’t really have anyone we can turn to who would understand.
I too am glad that there are forums out there with people who are going through the same thing. It’s so nice to know that we do have people we can lean on!
So, thanks everyone!!!
Dear Sussie,
Please read very carefully the site: ElectrolysisInformation.com and if you have further questions let us know !
Fino Gior
Hi Sussie:
I can also empathize with you. Both my sister and I are hairier than most women and to top it off our hair is nearly black. So, the hair is quite visible against our skin.
In addition to the over growth of bodily hair, I also had irregular periods. Eventually, an OBGYN diagonsed my problem to an imbalance of hormones. Whether or not this contributed to an over growth of body hair or not is not clear since my sister is fine and I am not, yet we both have an excessive amount of hair, she more than me.
Electroylsis didn’t work for me either, but I attribute it to the technician. Her vision was failing her and in all reality, she really should retire from the business.
I also had experiences with two lasers, one worked great (Nd:Yag 1064 laser named CoolGLIDE) while the other burned my skin and there was a lot of regrowth associated with it (GentleLASE PLUS).
Please do not give up hope. With every new day there are better hair removal lasers on the rise. If you read my new post, Palomar will be releasing a laser that targets hair cells verses hair color, so it will be great on light and white colored hairs as well as dark ones!
Hang in there, you are NOT alone!
Hugs,
Junie