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
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