Hello. I am a 37 year old woman with extreme facial hair. I have had this problem since my twenties and I have had numerous medical tests with the conclusion being that it is not hormonal, just heredity. I used to pluck, but it just became too time consuming. So, about 6 or 7 years ago I finally gave in and started shaving. This is emotionally debilitating, but I felt I had no other choice. I have to shave every morning and by night time, I do start to get growth.
My question is this, I am starting to think about either trying laser or electrolysis as a more permanent solution. I do not want to be throwing money away, so I definately want somthing that is going to be effective. But I also need something that will work without spending thousands and thousands of dollars, because I just don’t have that kind of money. Also, I need to obviously have my face presentable to go top work, so I would need to shave after traetments. I am fairly pale, not lily white, but light skinned with dark brown hair. The hair that grows on my face is black.
So, I would love to hear what people think.
If your hair is dark and coarse, laser hair removal may be effective at reducing the hair growth. Although, laser hair removal has been known to actually stimulate hair growth for many women who have used it for facial hair. I am actually a victim case of laser causing more hair growth.
If you do go that route and it doesn’t stimulate more hair, expect to go for touch up treatments a couple of times each year, as laser may improve the situation, but it won’t eliminate all hair growth or prevent new hair growth.
If you go this route and you become another happy victim of laser induced hair growth. Expect treatments every month or two to “mask” the problem, not actually “reduce” the problem. In these cases, laser will only make the hair situation worse and laser hair removal will give you a temporary relief of the situation. Once treatment is stopped, you will see the true damage done. Personally, I wouldn’t risk it, because my face is much hairier than before I received treatments and before it was at least more manageable.
Many people on this board have had success with treating facial hair with electrolysis. The downfall is that it takes a long time, requires quite a commitment, can also be pricey, and it can be pretty difficult to find a person with the right skill and equipment to properly get the job done. You also run the risk of skin damage (same with laser), but if done by a good electrologist and proper aftercare, this shouldn’t happen. In the end, you may need touch up treatments with electrolysis a couple of times a year too. Everyone is different and you may need more or less. (This is advice I’m giving based on the knowledge I’ve gained from people on this board, as I’ve had quite a few bad experiences with electrolysis treatments, although I do believe it works if done right).
What type of testing did you go through? Do you have excessive hair growth on other areas of your body?
Hi. I had an ultrasound for PCOS which confirmed that there were some cysts present, but because all my hormaonal blood tests came back within normal ranges and I was not and am not currently having problems with my menstral cycle, it was determined that I do not have PCOS or other hormonal issues and that this is a heredity issue as both my mother and sister have similar problems.
As far as hair elsewhere, I do have arms that are hairier than not, but they don’t bother me enough at this point to do anything about them. I have some hair that grows on my stomach and some hair that grows excessively in the small of my back.
Let me ask you, when you did the laser treatments and experienced additional facial hair as a result, what were you doing to remove the hairs prior to treatment. I ask, because I am not sure how the laser could cause more hair as I already shave off ALL the facial hair. I have to shave from my sideburn cheek area all the way to under and on my chin. Just like a man. 
So, there are no fine hairs on my face, as far as I can tell.
I too tried laser years ago on the sides of my face and back of my neck…it was a disaster…I too ended up with more of a mess after than I started with…initially, I had a lot of blond hair and some dark hairs…I had trimmed, waxed, and plucked prior to laser…initially, I thouht the laser had worked; however, slowly all the hair came back AND hair that had been blond came back dark! For the next almost 10 years, I waxed and shaved and FINALLY saw an electrologist Jan of 2010…I wish I started years ago! The first few months, I wasn’t 100% sure it was helping…I went weekly and it seemed like every week I was back to square 1…I trusted my electrologist from the start and had faith in her that it WOULD work…literally, all of the sudden I noticed a change…by July, I was able to go every other week and now I could probably go 3-4 and be fine…I went tonight after 2 weeks and where in the beginning I couldn’t count the hairs, before I went, I counted about 5 on one side and 3 on the other ( there were more, these were just the ones I saw with a magnifying mirror)…I would STRONGLY recommend speaking to an electrologist!
For the record, I am not anti laser - just on the face…I am currently undergoing laser Brazilian bikini…I am at the beginning of that journey…
I’ve read that diagnosing PCOS can be quite tricky because each case can be very different. For example, some women may show the symptoms (irregular period, adult acne, excessive hair growth, etc.), but may not show any cysts on their ultrasound. Their hormonal tests may come back within normal range or they may come back abnormal. Sometimes a saliva test will give you a better idea of what your hormones are doing.
Your ultrasound shows some cysts present and your hair growth has been worsening over the years – sometimes that can be enough to diagnose someone with PCOS (from what I’ve read). Although you are having a regular cycle, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are ovulating each time, which in turn, can cause the cyst. It is something worth doing a bit more research on for yourself.
As for hair growth, I can relate to your situation, because these are also some of my problem areas. I actually shave my whole body, aside from my upper back, because it is too ridiculous trying to contort my body to reach that area. But trust me; I probably would if I could!
Prior to having laser treatment on my face, I usually shaved the area. I started shaving the sides of my face around the age of sixteen. At this time, the hairs were fine, but slightly pigmented and long. Shaving did well to take care of the problem, although I would have to do it daily to avoid the prickly feeling. Around the age of twenty-two (about six months or so after getting off of birth control), I started developing sporadic chin hairs and some of the hairs along the sides of my face darkened a bit. I continued to shave the area, tweezed the darker hairs, and covered it up with makeup, until I could afford laser hair removal. Then I had a couple of laser treatments and that is when I noticed the situation had gotten much, much worse.
As for your situation, it is possible that laser could help or possible that it could make it worse. A picture of your situation might help us give you better advice. If your hair is as dark and coarse as a male beard, then laser would probably give you a good chance of a reduction. Otherwise, I personally wouldn’t risk it.
Thank you both for your input. I am very grateful to hear what anyone thinks. That’s interesting about the
PCOS, I didn’t know that. I did see two different doctors regarding this, and one was an endocrinologist. But, since I do have a few of the other classic signs (excessive weight around hip area and deep voice) maybe it would be worth getting a third opinion.
I do feel that all the hair on my face is dark and course. If left untouched, I could grow a better beard than my husband. I will try to get some pics. But, like I said, it must be shaved and covered in makeup everyday to even pretend to be presentable.
PCOS is a complex monster. There are differing criteria in obtaining a diagnosis for PCOS. The most common symptoms that cause women to lose self-esteem are too much hair growth in all the wrong places (up to 70%), acne (up to 35%), and loss of scalp hair (up to 35%). Up to 90% of women have menstrual problems. Up to seventy- five percent do not ovulate and up to 70% are obese.
Source: 2011 edition of Medifocus. www.Medifocus.com
When did you notice the deepening of your voice? Did you tell the endocrinologist this?
For your hirsutism, your doctor can measure the hair growth by using something called the Ferriman-Gallway system where they score areas. If there are eight or more areas with too much hair, then you have hirsutism.
A skilled, modern electrologist can put a lot of the hair away for good. Pick an area that bothers you the most and focus. You can begin electrolysis while you are trying to get a diagnosis.
A medical history, physical exam, lab tests and a transvaginal ultrasound to discover if there are any cysts, should be considered. If there are 12 or more follicles on the ovaries greater that 2mm or less than 9mm in diameter that can be one part of the puzzle solved in diagnosing PCOS. There is a lot more to this, but my point is, this is complex and your doctor will know what to do and how to interpret data.
If you are overweight, get serious about bringing the weight down in a healthy way. Join a support group if you have to. Weight loss is key feature here. It is crucial for success. Get serious about exercise. Your doctor may want to prescribe medication. Even if you don’t have PCOS, the first two are worth considering while you are attacking the hair with electrolysis.
Many women are put on birth control pills. Yasmin is one of the favorites because it reduces the free testosterone and the male sex hormones. It helps to regulate your menstrual cycle if you are irregular.
There are attempts to use alternative medicine for PCOS, but there are no studies to prove the efficacy or safety of these therapies. We need rigorous clinical trials for nutritional supplements used for treating PCOS, so nothing has been approved by the FDA, specifically for PCOS.
Your quality of life is at issue, too. There is a lot of emotional distress with having too much hair and messed up skin. It is a femininity issue. It is a romantic satisfaction issue. It is a social activity issue. It is a mental health issue, so you must seek help and move forward in small and not so small steps to do something about too much hair in all the wrong places. Permanent hair removal, with electrolysis and a skilled, modern electrologist is a big step that you can take. I define a skilled, modern electrologist as one who continues her/his education, invests in a modern setup so she/he can steadily and speedily remove the hair without too much skin reaction.
Enough said! I’m tired.
Thanks dfahey for the info. As I mentioned before, I had a transvaginal ultrasound and there were enough cysts present for my doctor at the time to send me to an endocrinologist to have further testing. He tested my hormones and declared they were normal. And he asked about my menstral cycles, which have been consistant and normal now for over ten years, and declared that I did not have PCOS, that my problem was heredity. I sought a second opinion, had more hormone tests and was told the same thing. I have since had a third round of hormone tests and those came back within normal ranges as well. So, this is what the doctors are telling me. I am “normal” and there is nothing medically to be done. Yet, I feel, whether it is a hederdity issue or not, it is NOT NORMAL for a woman to be able to grow a beard. There has to be some reason for it!
As far as my deep voice, I have had this voice for as long as I can rememember. And I have heard that dropping weight can help, to which I did drop over 60 pounds a few years ago, and it did not effect the hair issue one tiny little bit. So, perhaps it is heredity and not hormaones as my doctors have said. I just don’t know. It’s just such an overwhelming problem, that I feel hopeless to ever have a solution.
So, I have been considering laser or electrolysis, but I don’t want it to be a waste of time and money if my problem really is PCOS after all. I am just so confused…
Some of the PCOS was directed at everyone in general. It does sound like you are in good medical hands and it is so smart of you to have pursued the medical side in order to find a cause. It is true that a lot of women are very normal and healthy even though they develop hair patterns and structures that distress them greatly.
You can still pursue laser and electrolysis. The mission to disable hair follicles is good because you are born with a set number and it is good to start the project of eliminating hair growth in those follicles. Focus on one area at time. Come here for suggestions. Submit pictures. Consult with practitioners so they can see and advise you in real time. It will be okay. It just takes a good plan.
Okay, So I took a couple lof photos of hair growth at 24 hrs. Hope these will help. Thanks so much, i appreciate all the feedback! 
I would DEFINITELY go the electrolysis route! Good luck, let us know what you decide!
Thank you for the quality pictures. To me, this is not a large amount of hair to remove. It would take me 3-5 hours to get you a first clearance, meaning you would come in with the hair as seen in the pictures and you would leave without the hair seen in the pictures. I like this approach because it makes you feel good about yourself. I would ask to see you in three or four weeks again to clear any new hair that comes to the surface. This is the plan we would keep for about four to six months and then we would spread it out to 4-6 weeks. You would be 90% finished by month 12, but you still need shorter treatments for about 6-12 more months perhaps. This is what you can expect if your internal hormonal environment is stable. If you have something going on internally, then we would just have keep treating hairs until things calm down.
My strategy is one example of how to approach a problem like yours with electrolysis. An electrologist in your locale may want to do another strategy. As you get your consults, you will see how we electrologists are all different, but we do have one sameness - we “kill” hair.
Perhaps a laser specialist would like to comment if they are reading hairtell and give their opinion of your pictures.
In addition to the above CEH, I just would like to ask if you consume diet drinks with artificial sweeteners?
Many of your darker hairs were similar to the hairs I had growing on my chin when I had first started laser. I had hairs that were a bit finer and lighter along my jawline and those reacted to laser as well. The problem – although they reacted to laser and the area would be smooth and hairless for a few weeks, the hair did come back and along with it came more hair and even darker, coarser hairs. Eventually, it got to the point where I was going more frequently and the last few treatments weren’t as effective as the first three treatments. I felt I was draining my pocketbook and paying them to give me a beard!
I have no doubt that laser would react to these hairs, but I couldn’t tell you whether or not it would end up reducing or stimulating more hair for you. You could always patch test an area and have it treated a couple of times and then wait to see what happens. That would be the safe route to go. Or you could do your research and find a good electrologist in your area. Finding someone good is the hard part. Patience is right up there too! Either way, I hope you find what you need here to make the right choice!
Thank you all so much for the feedback. I also, would love to hear what someone experienced with doing laser treatments thinks of the images. But hearing what has been said so far, I think I may begin exploring my electrolysis options.
As far as the artificial sweeteners go, I hate diet soda and actually steer clear of soda in general. Also, I am suspicious of artifical sweeteners, so I try not to consume too much of them.
Happy to hear that. There has been some research about artificial sweeteners and hair growth, so I was just curious.
Dee, is there any reason besides money that you would space it out 3-4 weeks then 4-6 weeks? I had a full clearance with mine the first time I went, but continued every week for about 6 months…now I am every 2 weeks, but could go longer if I choose- also, the time she works on my face has significantly reduced…the reason I go every week is because I am very insecure about the regrowth (I know it is there and I can’t help touching and picking it which was making a mess out of my skin)…I suppose what I am trying to understand is - Is there a benefit to spacing it out longer, rather than going for shorter times more frequently?
Not if you are a picker, and self conscious as well. Your electrologist is probably aware of this, and has adjusted your schedule accordingly.