Facial Hair on Women: How do you deal with it?

Posted by ainsleigh @ainsleigh, Jul 12, 2018

I have a problem with facial hair. Have had no success finding a solution with doctors and am not able to afford electrolysis etc. Does anyone have
ideas to deal with this? Would be very appreciative for input.
Thanks!

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@mri8191

Have you ever looked into PCOS? This stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Do not let the name throw you off. The more I learn about it the more I really think it is an endocrine issue. I was diagnosed with it back in 1999 right after my daughter was born. And honestly misdiagnosed for years because there is such little understanding about it. PCOS can cause a number of issues one being hirsutism as well as obesity, infertility, ovarian enlargement or multiple cysts around your ovaries (hence the name). If you do have PCOS, one thing that has helped me with the excessive hair growth from hirsutism is spironolactone. This is also used for high blood pressure but does help with hormonal acne and reduces excess testosterone (which causes the male type hair growth), and help with hair loss from you head. The name implies this is an issue caused by your ovaries but truly the issue the doctor's see with your ovaries is a result of the syndrome. I had a hysterectomy several years ago and my surgeon informed me this will not take away my PCOS issue. So bottom line there is a hormone level issue but I am learning it is much more that just your basic estrogen and progestin levels. Excessive testosterone in women play a part, insulin plays a part, and most likely much more. So I would suggest talking to your doctor about PCOS and try to find someone who specializes in PCOS (which is not always very easy). This might help. -Beth

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Unlike other diuretics, Spironolactone is potassium-sparing. It does not get rid of potassium. It can actually cause potassium to build up in your blood. Please have your doctor check your potassium levels. Too much potassium can cause problems with your heart, such as a very slow heart beat, a thready pulse and weakness. Also, make sure the lab draws two tubes. The first one is a throw-away after the tourniquet is removed. The second one will be sent for analysis. If the lab draw is not done accurately, you could get a false-positive since potassium can leak into the blood because of the tourniquet. Good Luck!

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Hi! I have problems with increased facial hair as well, but mine is related to prednisone and Imuran. I swear I could grow a better beard than my husband if I really tried. 🙂 I pluck and use a cream from Avon for the upper lip and chin. Works very well. The rest of the face I just pluck the longer ones I see and also take a small scissors and kind of snip away. I hope you find out what is causing your problem. Take care.

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Certainly if your problem is a medical issue that can be resolved medically, great. In the meantime while you're investigating that, you might want a cosmetic fix. I saw a "hair growth inhibitor" cream on the Evine shopping channel website. I haven't tried it, but of five reviews, four said it worked and three of those gave it five out of five stars. I also recall seeing ads for a body lotion (can't remember name) that claimed it reduced hair growth--might have been a women's leg shaving cream.

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@texasduchess

Certainly if your problem is a medical issue that can be resolved medically, great. In the meantime while you're investigating that, you might want a cosmetic fix. I saw a "hair growth inhibitor" cream on the Evine shopping channel website. I haven't tried it, but of five reviews, four said it worked and three of those gave it five out of five stars. I also recall seeing ads for a body lotion (can't remember name) that claimed it reduced hair growth--might have been a women's leg shaving cream.

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Thank you Texas Duchess.
Ainsleigh

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Hi, @ainsleigh - just wanted to touch base with you on the facial hair you'd mentioned previously and see if you may have gotten any further information from your doctor on the facial hair you'd mentioned, or the head hair loss, acne and distended abdomen.

About the distended abdomen in particular, you might check out this discussion, also in the Women’s Health group on Connect:
My stomach makes me look pregnant: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/my-stomach-makes-me-look-pregnant/

Have you found a solution to the facial hair in the meantime that is working for you?

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Hi @lisalucier
Thanks for asking. Re the facial hair-it seems there is no solution to that problem. Just have to live with it I guess. As to the abdomen- all tests have been negative. The answer I am left with there appears to be diet and exercise! Oh for some magic pills!
Best wishes
Ainsleigh

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@ainsleigh

Hi @lisalucier
Thanks for asking. Re the facial hair-it seems there is no solution to that problem. Just have to live with it I guess. As to the abdomen- all tests have been negative. The answer I am left with there appears to be diet and exercise! Oh for some magic pills!
Best wishes
Ainsleigh

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@lisalucier -Hi Lisa
As there did not seem to be any answer to the facial hair problem with doctors and tests, I have continued to explore
and when looking at possible side effects of my medications found that all three that I take Ativan, Clonazepam and
Fluoxetine can cause that problem! They can cause many other things too for example small red spots on the body
(I have that too.) I think we all need to educate ourselves on the side effects of our meds. We may be in for some surprises.
Now I wonder if I could phase out my meds-will have to give it some thought and talk about it with my doctor!
Ainsleigh

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My teenage granddaughter uses an epilator to keep her bikini line looking great, and she's not even hairy... so for about $10 plus shipping I bought one for myself for chin fuzz.. It works so well that I sent one to my sister, too.. We are both well "over the hill"... but we don't care what anybody says, we're cute...

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@hotfooted

My teenage granddaughter uses an epilator to keep her bikini line looking great, and she's not even hairy... so for about $10 plus shipping I bought one for myself for chin fuzz.. It works so well that I sent one to my sister, too.. We are both well "over the hill"... but we don't care what anybody says, we're cute...

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Hi @hotfooted thank you for sharing! Does your sister like it as well?

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@hotfooted

My teenage granddaughter uses an epilator to keep her bikini line looking great, and she's not even hairy... so for about $10 plus shipping I bought one for myself for chin fuzz.. It works so well that I sent one to my sister, too.. We are both well "over the hill"... but we don't care what anybody says, we're cute...

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Hi, @hotfooted - I wanted to let you know I moved your post with the tip on using an epilator for chin fuzz to this discussion, "Facial Hair on Women," as I thought the members who've been part of talking about facial hair before might be interested in your experiences and want to chat with you about it.

I also wanted to invite a few other members who have talked about facial hair on Connect here or elsewhere to return or join this conversation, like @jbmall @kimh @ainsleigh @mri8191 @mrlncrvn @dntsass01 @texasduchess @gailfaith @cbs61752.

Is the chin hair something that you've developed more recently, @hotfooted, or that has been something you've wanted to work on for some time? Does the hair removal hurt at all?

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