Now aged 60, my face is getting hairier and hairier. What was once a small patch of hair on a skin-coloured mole on my chin that was removed by electrolysis, now I have the moustache and the beard - not like the hair that my sons have, but enough to require regular removal.
I pluck. This leads to ingrown hairs and is quite painful. Also, my worsening arthritis in my hands is starting to make plucking much more difficult. I asked my GP for help and he said that it was more a job for a beauty parlour - so I went into an Ella Bache, and they told me that I needed Laser treatment - but that only works on dark hair, and about half of my horrid whiskers are white. They used to do electrolysis but say they don't now. When I asked what I might do, then, they suggested plucking and waxing. Arrggh! Help?
Anyone got any ideas? I live in Queensland, Australia.
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Hi Crowsister
What a frustrating problem. I'm familiar with it to a degree because I've been on steroids for a long time, and it causes some similar issues like facial hair.
Did your GP do any blood work? My first thought would be to rule out any medical issues, like hormonal imbalance. My second thought is yes, you could go to the salon regularly, many women do that, but you might want to consult with a dermatologist first. I'm not sure how that works where you are, whether you can just go see a specialist, but I think a dermatologist would have good information on safe and effective ways to deal with that hair.
We do have some discussion of your issue on the site: http://www.empowher.com/skin-hair-amp-nails/content/hirsutism-excess-hai.... Maybe that will help as well.
Good luck and please let us know your outcome. It will help others.
June 18, 2010 - 6:57amThis Comment
Regular blood work - because I have chronic fatigue, and also slightly protuberant eyes they always suspect thyroid. Mother and niece both had inactive thyroid, so in the family, but mine seems always OK.
I can ask my GP about a specialist, problem there is I have numerous medical problems that already cost me dearly financially - I have private Health Insurance but it never covers entirely. As I am a disability pensioner, my funds are quite limited. I am waiting for surgery to correct a double pelvic floor collapse and have to pay part of the anaesthetist's fees for that, so am watching money very closely. We have an excellent, though grossly under-funded, public system that takes a very long time to address anything, even emergencies, unfortunately. Thank you for your reply, I will look at the link you gave.
June 18, 2010 - 1:46pmHi Crowsister - As a short-term and fairly inexpensive solution you might want to try one of the creams or gels that are used to remove hair from the legs and are sold in drug stores. This would be a lot easier on your hands and could help. Good luck to you! Pat
June 18, 2010 - 4:37pmHi Crowsister,
I just joined here and saw this post but wanted to add some helpful thoughts if I may from personal experiences with the issue.
You may be interested to take a look at the studies involving the efficacy of spearmint tea with regards to hirsutism. Basically, the studies show that spearmint (and peppermint) teas prevent male hormones (androgens) in the blood stream and prevent their binding with receptors in the body. As women age and especially post-menopausal, the ratio of male:female homones changes and can cause some unpleasant side effects. Here are some links to the studies I have found on the subject:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070220012925.htm
http://www.news-medical.net/news/2007/02/21/22071.aspx
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/63458.php
Being a transgender woman myself, I have had special circumstances to try to come to understand as many natural ways to deal with this situation as possible. I have personally found that the claims appear, for at least myself, to have significant merit.
I just wanted to add my thoughts in for consideration and hope that is helpful to some!
Cheers,
Christen
May 13, 2011 - 5:59pmThank you so much for that information - certainly worth a try!
May 16, 2011 - 12:08am