Hello everybody,
Congratulations on creating such an interesting site. That’s one of the reasons I love Internet: it has made our lives much easier in many ways since we can talk and share our problems.
My mother had a hair growth issue. She never knew if she had PCOS. She just had a lot of hair: mainly facial. This was an issue that really affected her life, her mind and everybody around her.
When I was little I remember how she would shave. Every day. At that time I thought it was something normal. When I grew up I realized, it wasn’t. And I also realized, how devastating was living with such condition.
I started to have hair slowly slowly in my teenage years. I used to have fair hair on my legs and feet, then my face. At 13, somebody made a remark about the hairs on my feet. I didn’t really know what was the point of that (he was roughly my same age)but I started to be conscious about my hair and I started to think I would have to take care of it or I would end up shaving… and I didn’t want that. So, I did some waxing and the hairs started to come darker and thicker (Why do we have to touch the hairs in the first place?)I even waxed my arms - it was the first and the last time I did it - I was starting to get hairier.
Luckily, my boyfriend didn’t mind I was hairy. It was only the other people, the ones who would stare at my chin or my upper lip, the ones who would make me feel uncomfortable. At 19 I started to have electrolysis. It was so painful!! The endocrinologist said I had hormonal unbalance, my DHEA was very high and they prescribed me the pill and another medicine. I was starting to get fatter. And the fatter I was getting, the hairier I was becoming.
This wouldn’t stop. I would have to do painful electrolysis sessions for a very long time: 15 years until now. It solves the problem for a while… but my hair keeps on coming back. And now, I have the scars of all these years under the needle. For a moment, I thought of the idea of laser. But I don’t want to have anything shaved. And they don’t guarantee anything, apart from having to spend more money.
In the recent years, they finally found out I was suffering from PCOS.
My symptoms are:
Fast growth of hair.
Facial hair.
Irregular or inexistent menstruations.
Mood swings (very bad PMS. Problem is I don’t know when I have the period, so I don’t know the mood swing is hormonal-related)
Head thinning hair.
Tendency to get fat even if I was eating quite healthily.
I found out the links with diabetes and tried to eat even healthier and I lost almost 20 pounds, my mood improved, and also my self esteem.
I know this is forever. I haven’t had any kids, yet and I’m scared of passing all this onto them. I realized I have more and more scars and this is not improving. After some time, the hair goes back again. I have never shaved my face and I hope I won’t have to do it. I live with some facial hair. And hair in my arms. People don’t make comments about neither of them. I try to keep my face under control but I know my “moustache” is visible if people come very near. I don’t really mind much. I don’t work in a facing public environment, so I can get away with it.
I consider myself as lucky because I know it could have been much worse. I consider myself as lucky because I have the chance to fight the hair, even if it’s painful and scarry and it comes back over and over, and it’s expensive. I consider myself as lucky because I don’t feel the pressure of the people on me.
I have been feeling bad because I don’t think doctors have completely understood what means being hairy. Nevertheless, I feel lucky because this hasn’t been a big issue in my life and I have been able to live with it.