Need advice

Hi, I am 18 years old . Two years ago I had gained weight and due to that had irregular periods. Then my gyno give me birth control pills for 6 months. My period was regular. I started have excessive amount of hair on face and hair getting thicker on my body as well. I started going for face wax. Now I have lost lots of weight this year, changed my diet, I eat lots of vegetables n fruits I exrcise. My tests were done for hormonol imbalance, but they were ok I didn thave any imbalance. Though I do feel because of fat cells and steriods in body, I got facial hair. I was going to go last week with my aunt to an electrologist for consultation. Well when my aunt came over she had little scars on her face. She said she has been going to this electrologist for 6 months now and and very light hair on happer lips and chin, and her electrologist said these scars and little burns will go away, but its been 6 months you know. Then at time my cousin is over from Pakistan and has also done electrolysis on womens face. And he said you should not have this type of scarring. Well this electrologist I was going to go to has been in this profession for 20 years now. I had my hopes high for her because I have gone to my dermatologist and he does tweezer electrolysis which I have heard doesnt works. I am really upset, because its just being hard for me fining right electrologist and plus I am so young I do not want any time of scarring on my face whatsoever. I have mild acne, you know that when person gets a pimple or two it likes a scar , thats enough scars to deal with on face, not burns due to electrolysis. My aunt has little scars as if her pores have been stretched out and pooked needles in them tooo much. I am of asian descent. Like I have olive complexion or little lighter than it. Hair on my side burns and under chin and on chin are thick and dark NOW. ON MY CHEEKS AND FACE THEY R BLACK BUT are still lighter than on my chin area. I live in North New Jersey. Close to New York City. You guy are professional, I need an electrologist who knows what he or she is doing, is NOT a salesperson, cares about his/her patient, and has good experience with people of my skin tone. I really do not want scarring on my face. I want to look beautiful. I have lost lots of weight, but the hair on my face its still there. I hate it. I cry, I hate myself Im depressed most of the time. Sometimes have people coming over my house and in school outside, I mean I feel embarassed when I hold conversation with other people and all my facial hair are not waxed. I want EFFECTIVE RESULTS, I can take the pain, I can be patient, but I want to see at least in the beginning initial resulats and NO scarring. So you guys give me advice and help find the RIGHT elecrologist. pleasee because I am tired of goign to the salon getting face waxed and looking ugly because of facial hair. God bless you bye.

I have a question for the people who have done electrolysis years ago. Has the hair come back?? Becuz this one girl I met at my College, she told me she had spent like 1000 on electrolysis 2 years ago and now her hair has started to come back. So please let me know how things are going with you guys. Bye now

Sahara: I am a male and I have had all my chest ,underarm and pubic hair totally removed more than 2 years ago. None has returned and I am happy with my smooth body and so is my wife.I believe if you have a good operator you should have the same results. I never complained of pain and maybe that makes the difference. If the operator reduces the current to make it more tolerable maybe those hairs are more inclined to returm. Maybe one of the electrologist that frequent this website could comment on the relationship between adjusting the machine to tolerate the patients pain and success of permanent removal of the hair.

If you let us know what part of NJ you are in, we may be able to point you in the right direction.

As for the time factor, one must have good treatment done in the correct duration, at the right frequency of visits. That will be many visits close togther at first, and few short visits far between each other in the end.

When lowering the settings for comfort, the electrologist must increase the duration of the treatment to keep effectiveness. If this can not make it better, then the only thing that can be done is to partially treat the hair so that it will come in thinner and weaker next time. I of course, am more a proponent of getting it the first time, with a full current from the start.

Bye the way, in your case, it sounds like the hair growth came from the weight gain. Anorexic weight loss will cause hair growth and so will excessive weight gain.

[ May 15, 2003, 08:51 PM: Message edited by: James W. Walker VII, CPE ]

It is NOT NORMAL for women to grow hair in locations where men usually grow hair and women do not. There are a few conditions that cause this and only a doctor can order the 2 blood tests that are needed to make a correct diagnosis.

The most common condition we electrologists see in our office is due to “polycystic ovarian syndrome” (PCOS). It is seen in 6-10% of ALL women to some degree (mild, moderate, severe, and all shades in between). Symptoms can include irregular periods (over 35 days or under 21 days), skipped periods, cessation of periods, painful periods, scanty flow, heavy flow, cessation of ovulation (infertility), acne-like skin eruptions, weight gain, and other internal symptoms that can only be seen by physical exam and ultrasound.

The disorder can be treated with birth control pills and sometimes they add a second medication. This will stop the symptoms and keep the hair from spreading to adjacent areas and from getting more hairs per sq, inch. If you gained significant weight this can be treated with a low carbohydrate diet and a medication called “Metformin”. The weight FALLS OFF.

The proper doctor to see is an ENDOCRINOLOGIST. If you live near a big medical center do not waste time with a local doc. Go right to the medical center as they see a lot of this and know exactly how to handle this problem. Also most of the docs will be female and they will be more empathic to you. Do not waste time as some of these symptoms can be a marker for very serious problems that are easy for a competent doctor to handle.

There is no pill that makes hair fall out, however, a good electrologist can remove the hair permanently. The longer you wait to get treatment…the more hair you will have and the more expensive it will be. If you have a diagnosable and treatable disorder it is covered by insurance as the hair is one of multiple symptoms seen in this disorder. You do not need ALL of the symptoms for a doctor to make a correct diagnosis. Usually they do it with 2 blood tests but these MUST be drawn between 8-9 AM. We make these hormones between 4-8 AM, therefore, the most reliable results are seen when the blood is taken in the AM for reliability.

NEVER call an insurance company to ask if they cover this as they will always say, “NO”. There is a correct way to do this and I can guide you through this. First you MUST get a diagnosis from a doctor not an electrologist.

Hi, I live in North New Jersey. Am here in Bayonne-next Jersey City.

ok, I have already gone to the endrocologist, he has done all my tests they were all ok. I dont have any of those disease. Took birth control pills for 6 months already. But I do really believe I have gotten facial hair because of weight gain. Just gonna be eating healthy , thats all I can do. But I do want to go to a good electrologist so I get rid of this problem. Everyday its getting worse Im getting darker n thicker hair everytime I go for a face wax.

SAHARA;
Hi, I am no expert here, just learning myself. But I did want to encourage you too look at some of the postings on electrolysis and laser. You might be interested in the laser procedures. Also wanted to let you know that you can ease your problem alot by having either treatment started as soon as you can. Self esteem has no price tag and I would go into debt if I had to for my laser treatments :grin: I too had my doctor test me and the tests came back showing I do not suffer from a hormone disorder of any kind. I have had a weight problem for years going up and down in weight and the excess hair keeps on growing!! Fustrating isn’t it? My mom and most of her sisters also have “excessive” face and body hair so I do believe it’s genetic as well. I thought nothing would help my growing problem until I had my first laser treatment 3 weeks ago and I can’t believe the results so far— big difference (I have level 3 skin which is slightly olive toned and course black hair) I can go in public and not be worried if I have stubble!!! Hopefully it will only get better from here.
Good Luck and hang in there!! I am sure someone here will be able to help you find a good practioner and help you along the way :smile:

bebba

Hi, no I do not want to go for laser treat. I want to go for electrolysis, I am too yougn for this and am tired. Tommorow I have to go again to the facialist for face wax. I am pakistani and you know people with my skin color, not too dark or light am in the middle so maybe laser won’t work for me and it might not last long. My mother , well she hardly has hair on her face or body. She never ewven plucked her eyebrows she didnt need too. My sister, she too has hardly facial hair on her face, ye she waxes her upper lip and pucks her eyebrows and thats it. I just want that I go to a good electtrologist who knows whats his doing, I pay whatever to get rid of the hair but I would want to go to an operator who cares for his patients. And thats what I need in help from the professionals on this message board as well as you peoples advices, which has been helpful. Yes I have gone through this message board. But I would like someone here in New Jersey -North New Jersey where it can be easy for me to go every week.

You may have to visit a few electrologists before you find one you like. Consults are usually free but you will get a chance to see the professionalism of the office and the person.

NY has no licensing program for electrologists, therefore, you can open an office tomorrow with what you know from reading this (which is minimal). NJ recently started licensing, therefore, virtually ALL electrologists were “grandfathered” in to the system as they had no requirements in NJ either. The same is true for Pennsylvania. The training of electrologists on a nationwide basis is atrocious and has to be improved. The states that have requirements vary widely from one state to another. From 50 hours of training to 1100 hours of supervised training is only an idea of how varied the training is. This is why there are so many poor electrologists in practice.

Have enjoyed reading this site for sometime and finally just had to register so I could respond to the information about NJ liscening and the original poster. It has been a 20 year effort to attain liscening in NJ. As of today, I am not aware that it has finally happened, although I know it is quite close to becoming a reality. Do not seek out a liscened electrolgist in NJ as none are licenced yet. Looking for a CPE might be a start. I am about 1 1/4 hours south of you which is not convient for you. But, I do have some suggestions for you if you’d like to contact me using this email.hairsgone@yahoo.com

Hi guys, I will contact u hairgone. First I just want to say thanks guys for your suggestions , you guys are hoenst and very helpful. Ok I know that I should go to many electrologists in my area and get consulation with them. But now the thing is this, I go for face wax plus have mild acne, and because of waxing I am getitng little very small indented scars on my face pluss the scars I get from acne. If I go to different eletrologists , and lets say I feel he/she is good but when he/she starts treating my face and I get those scars. I will be really upset because I am already dealing with scars. I cant afford any more, yes temporary ones sometimes its ok. Thats why anyone who is in New Jersey in Northern area and NYC and has gone to an electrologist, gotten good results then let me know. Andrea and Mr. Walker you guys help out with this too. I am very depressed, and I hate my face soo much. I was using kalo inhibitor, but it did not work. And am taking ayurvedic medicine to regulate my periods, it was helpful. ITs herbal medicine. Got it from Magicofayurveda.com. I consulted doctor by email telling her everything. There arent no side effects associated wth this medicine.

Since most electrologists offer free consultations and sample treatments, it should not cost you anything other than time and travel to see a bunch of them in your area to figure out who is good and who is not worth a second appointment. Even if you did have to pay, it would not be for the consultation, it would only be for, say, a 15 minute treatment.

When you do find the perfect person for you in your area, please post the contact info and a review of that electrologist in the Professional Electrologist Referral Section.

</font><blockquote><font size=“1” face=“Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif”>quote:</font><hr /><font size=“2” face=“Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif”>Originally posted by Sahara:
<strong>Hi, I live in North New Jersey. Am here in Bayonne-next Jersey City.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size=“2” face=“Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif”>wow, I too am from bayonne. I have a very similiar problem, chin, neck, and sideburn, and irregular periods but I’m only 16 though. I am looking for electrolysis here. I think the european salon on broadway, like 18th st does elctrolysis. but I would feel uncomfortable about going so close to home… I am really embarrased by this. I don’t know what my hair growth is caused from. I was never very overweight, at most maybe 20lbs. my family does not have facial hair. my oldest sister had very slight sideburns but thats it.

my doctor said i may have PCOS, but then ran some blood tests and said “everything is ok” I really do not feel confident in her. I don’t trust them at all. my mom will not work with me to fix this.
the money is a big issue for me, or I would go with laser. I found this referral site:

web page

also
this one is for transvestites I do not know if any of those listings perform on females… and all the posts are old. I didnt not try to call yet.

[ September 06, 2003, 01:14 PM: Message edited by: victoria ]

Hi Vitoria, its nice to see someone on the board from your hometown Bayonne. I have been going to the Europeon Day Spa for about a year now, for a face wax. They are good in waxing n all, but I doubt they do electrolysis. They have done laser-Epilight, but I do not think its for me since I dont have very light skin, laser is not permanent, and there can be chances of hypermigmentation. There is an electrologist in Caldwell, New Jersey, Next to Newark, its about 35 minutes away from here. Here is the info-name of the electrologist is Kathy Zuckerman, phone # 973-403-0118. She is She is a Certified Professional Electrologist who graduated from the Ocean County College program and equipment is state of the art and office quite professional. Also there is Fino Gior in New York, he also has his own website with info, I dont have address to that but you can type in aj.com and type in Fino Gior, and there will be his website, click on it to get the number. I havent relly gone to an electrologist yet, but will soon end of this month. Take care bye

hi, her is the website for Fino Gior, he is real good. www.electrolysisinformation.com. And yeh do not just look at the money, get someone thats good enough to do a good job, because lets say if there is a electrologist that does a bad job on peoples face, gives them cabbing and scarring nd burns, well these burns might not ever go away, and your paying less to this electrologoist. Just an example, you know.

wait here is the website again www.electrolysisinformation.com

Sahara or James, I was going to go to Fino for some work have you had work done by his sons or the other electrologist at his place. Are they just as efficent as Fino?

Hi Sahara,
If your hormonal results came back okay and you have acne and hair growth and regular periods, then you are genetically very sensitive to testoster. The endocrinologist should have diagnosed you with “idiopathic hirsutism” if you hair growth is not caused by a health disorder, hormonal imbalance, or PCOS. Idiopathic hirsutism is due to normal levels of testosterone in your system, however, you are just more sensitive to testosterone. Testosterone causes increased hair growth and acne. I have this exact same problem. I took Diane 35 which contains cyproterone acetate (strong anti-anogen). The most potent testosterone blocker is cyproterone acetate. However, it is not approved in the US, but you can order it from Canada online. Diane 35 is a birth control pill and a testosterone blocker.

Also, you may have gotten increased hair growth from taking birth control pills. Most birth control pills contain testosterone. Check to see the level of testosterone in the birth control pill you took. There are many different types of birth control pills on the market, ranging from low levels of testosterone to high levels of testosterone. Therefore, if you are still using this pill, immediately discontinue using it. And, if you still require a birth control pill to regulate you periods, try Yasmin. Yasmin is a birth control pill that is available in the US that does not contain any testosterone. Hope this helps!

I also forgot to add that you should stop waxing your face because you will make the hairs grow back coarser. If you can, just trim the hair until you can get them removed by electrolysis. Plucking, waxing, or threading hair increased blood supply to the hair follicle which makes the hair grow back faster and coarser. From what you’ve said, I think your facial hair is getting worse over time because you are waxing your face. If you stop waxing, and only do electrolysis, you will see permanent results over time.