Question:
Any of you women have excess facial and body hair?

This is a very imbarassing question. Have any of you women had excess facial and body hair before surgery and has it improved after surgery?    — [Anonymous] (posted on December 10, 2001)


December 10, 2001
I have lots of problems with excess body hair. I have polycystic ovary syndrome. One of the biggest and ugliest things of this is the hair. I have talked to others that have had wonders of success with the hair leaving as a post. I just had my surgery so I do not have a personal experience just yet but hope too and really soon!!! kimmietn
   — kimberley B.

December 10, 2001
I have tons, always have. My surgery is early next year, and it would be great of loss of THAT hair would be a side effect. You can take a drug called spironolactane....The dermatologist can rx it. I just didn't need one more drug to take. You cannot get pregnant while taking it, it has some side effects. I guess I'm at the point where I am so fat that hairy legs are the least of my worries! Best wishes.
   — [Anonymous]

December 10, 2001
Same amount of hair, but to make matters worse... now that my body is smaller, it looks like there is MORE hair because there are the same amount of hairs packed into a smaller space = look even more hairy.
   — [Anonymous]

December 10, 2001
Have you ever been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome? Hirsutism (excess facial and body hair) is one of the most visible symptoms. I have PCOS and have had hair isses since puberty. One of the main causes of the excess hair is high testosterone levels. My testosterone levels have gone from 125 to 25 since surgery...completely normal. The hair situation seems to gotten better too. Of course it is not completely gone, but seems to have improved. There are several treatments that will help. As a previous poster suggested, one of the main things you can do is get put on Spironolactone. But it is important not to get pregnant on Spiro because it can cause problems with a male fetus. There is also a cream prescription that came on the market last fall called Vaniqa. It is expensive, but does help. I've even gotten my insurance company to pay for it by getting my reproductive endocrinologist to write a letter of medical necessity. Other methods of hair removal are electrolosis and laser removal, but these methods will not work for you if you have an underlying hormonal imbalance. My suggestion is to try to find a good reproductive endocrinologist who specializes in PCOS. Best wishes and feel free to email me if you have any questions.
   — Lori B.

December 10, 2001
I am three weeks postop today and I sure hope that it gets better. The older I've gotten, I am 34, the darker my hair has become, thus more visible. I've tried bleaching the hair to lighten it up, as well as shaving and hair removal creams. God willing, this surgery tool, i.e. weight loss, will help lessen the hair growth at least somewhat. I also have PCOS so not sure if weight loss will be beneficial here. One can at least hope. Take care and God bless.
   — Karen L.

December 10, 2001
I too have pcos and much hair, especially the beard mustache deal. Also It makes the hair on my head thinner. I was taking aldactone (basically same thing as spirolacatone) and it had helped a lot. It works by blocking the testerone thereby blocking mail symptons. Unfortunately this is not it's main function. It was inititally used as a blood pressure medicine when they noticed the side effect of taking away excess hair and men cannot use it as it causes emasculation problems. The problem is after surgery my blood pressure kept going so low they had to take me off the aldactone and boom, the hair is back which is depressing. My head hair is also falling out, though from the surgery or pcos I don't know. I am hoping losing weight will help, it does some. Right now I'm a bit frustrated, but better a thin hairy woman than a fat hairless one I suppose. Good luck
   — Becky K.

December 11, 2001
Hi, I always have had darker coarser hair on idealy hair free zones! Then when I got pregnant it got worse (my doctor said it may have been due to being pregnant with a boy-therefore testosterone). I have decided to have it removed via laser. Which will cost around $1000 when it is all said and done. you have to have more than one treatment because hair grows in shifts (like 3-6 treatments I was told) but then it is gone forever. Very drastic but completely worth it. You can talk to most plastic surgeons about this.
   — M. S.

December 11, 2001
I also have PCOS and unfortunately hair is still there!!!! had my RNY back in june 01 and my hair is falling by the hand full in my head by my body hair is growing like weed just as it did before, no change whatsoever!!!!.
   — Monica J.

December 11, 2001
I do not have PCOS; but, the women in my family tend to be hirsute. We have facial hair and some have extra hairy legs. I was told that my hirsutism was hormonal and that losing weight would help. Wrong! I lost 120lbs. and I'm still using my Nair every other morning!
   — [Anonymous]

December 11, 2001
Embarrassing, schmarrassing- you have a condition you cannot be held responsible for- are we embarrassed to discuss other conditions such as diabetes? It is the result of your body doing some funky things- and it's not your fault- it does not mean you are "less a woman". You are also not alone....I am also a Hairy Cyster... here is the deal with hair- it takes a while for your body to sprout it and it takes even longer to realize that "Hey, I am lower in testosterone, I do not need to produce this anymore" so even if you have this surgery- it may take as long as two years before your body responds. Also, I do believe my Endo told me that you cannot 'ungrow' hair once it has grown- i.e. it may come in finer and lighter once your testosterone levels lower- but it will not dissappear. Many of the ladies over at my Yahoo PCOSSUPPORT group have tried Laser and they are happy with results- not so happy about price.... I myself am trying Vaniqa- and it does seem to make my face look better- but you use it in conjunction with a hair removal treatment (plucking, waxing) and it makes the hair come in finer and lighter- downside is that the minute you stop Vaniqa- it loses it's effectivness. I am saving for Laser myself- I feel Laser, with Vaniqa will be my answer- since I have blond hair and Laser doesn't always work on lighter hair- it will at least zap the dark ones, and vaniqa can handle the others...
   — Karen R.

December 11, 2001
I too agree with Lori B-H's response. It is ironic that you asked this question. I was wondering a similar thing. I am tired of having to get facial waxes. So painful on the upper lip! Ouch! Spironolactone is generic drug for Aldactone...it is also used for fluid retention...which I take diazide for that and Cozaar for B/P. I am going to discuss switching to Spiro with my PCP and I will see if it lessons the hair growth. I too will probably get the lazer treatment after weightloss is obtained from surgery tool.
   — BrendaSinger




Click Here to Return
×