How do you deal with an increase in body hair?

Question

I just found out that people who have Polycystic Ovaries can have an increase in body hair, with the pattern of a male. This is freaking me out. I have been diagnosed, and I am having the weight gain...how do I make sure I don't get an increase in hair?? And, if I do...how does a woman get rid of it?

Is shaving, waxing, tweezing and depilatories the only options? Is there not a pill? How do drag queens do it ? lol

Answer 1

Hi! I have PCOS, and have been blessed (ARGH!) with the increased hair growth. So here's the scoop... IF you end up with the symptom (and not all PCOSers do), the method by which you choose to remove hair is up to you, whatever you are most comfortable with. There is no way to prevent it from happening, if it's going to happen it will. You may be one of the lucky ones that doesn't experience this symptom.

Many women choose to just simply shave, some wax, some use cream hair removers, laser, etc. There is also a drug spirolactane (I'm not sure that I spelled that right), that is said to help level out the androgrens (male-like hormones) and would thus reduce the hair growth. Drugs are not an overnight fix, they take months to see any dramatic results.

Personally, I tweeze the few "stray" hairs, shave where needed, use creams and waxes when I feel that it is necessary. It's really not as horrible as it sounds, and as long as you stay on top of things no one will know that you have these... hairs.

I have found the following website very helpful since my diagnosis, there's a message board, and the women there are VERY knowledgeable. www.soulcysters.com

It's really not as scary as it all sounds when you are first diagnosed. Having PCOS means making some lifestyle choices, but nothing really drastic. Please don't get stressed out about the diagnosis, just inform yourself about the syndrome, and how you can help yourself to remain healthy.

Answer 2

Beauty Tips: Hair Where?
With JENELLE CLEARY

Get out the secret stash of razors, waxes and creams - it is time to defuzz!

Before you start grimacing in pain, we'll give you a brief rundown of the ins and outs of the hair-removal regime.

Shaving: The easiest, most pain-free and cheapest option is quite self-explanatory but the downfall is that regrowth happens almost immediately. Shaving is best for the larger regions of the body such as legs and underarms. Just lather up in shaving cream and away you go. Never dry-shave.

Depilatory cream: Fabulous option if you don't have sensitive skin and can cope with a fairly pongy smell wafting through your bathroom.

These creams work by dissolving the hair shaft and basically 'melting' the hair away.

This option is perfect for the legs, bikini line or face, just keep it away from anywhere near your eyes. It is quick (usually around seven minutes) and some new formulas are disguising the potent smell.

Tweezing: Very cool option for the face - especially the eyebrows. Tweezing involves pulling the hair out by the roots, one by one. If you are worried about the ouch factor then some teething jel can help numb the area and investing in a good pair of sharp tweezers is a must.

Try the Tweezerman range. (Tip: To sharpen and clean old tweezers, run then through an old emery board.)

Waxing: Waxing offers you great results that last two to six weeks - but the downfall is clearly the pain. If you winch at the thought of ripping a Band-Aid off then waxing isn't for you.

You can wax any bodily region provided that the hair is 0.5cm to 1cm long. For great results visit a beautician (check the cleanliness of the salon) and if you can contort yourself into various positions there are some great home waxing kits available.

Answer 3

After reading your last question and this one, it sounds like you have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). It doesn't necessarily mean you have polycystic ovaries. Like someone said, you could have some of the common symptoms, including excess hair.

Your best treatment is going to be to treat the PCOS. The correct treatment for this is a low carb or diabetic diet, exercise, and using an insulin sensitizing drug such as metformin. THis will help you lose weight and it will help minimize all of your PCOS symptoms. I highly recommend visiting http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-bhpcos to ask all your PCOS questions.

If you are looking for some general info about PCOS, check out http://pcos.itgo.com/. It's a very informative site about PCOS: symptoms, treatment, etc. Good luck.

Answer 4

You'll probably find this is hormone-related. I've had many health problems caused by severe hormone imbalances. I was treated by a kinesiologist, and everything is much better now, including the excess hair I had. Any natural medicine practitioner, such as a naturopath or homeopath, should be able to help you quite easily.
Good luck :)

Answer 5

female hormones will keep it under control, like birth control pills but the appropriate one has to be prescribed by a doctor. get rid of the cysts as soon as possible. Good luck and get well soon

Answer 6

wax that stuff!! Or, you can get lazer hair removal done, I think it costs quite a bit, but it's supposed to take care of it.

Answer 7

Shave...shave..shave

Answer 8

if u get hair on ur face use hair removal cream least once a week depending how quick ur hair grows

Answer 9

ye s it is some bad matter we can relif if from it to use some Madison Ag homeopathic

Answer 10

it is said waxingoften tends to reduce hair growth