Please help me with my skin problems caused by excess hair...

[HairyMary18]

Recently diagnosed with PCOS which has caused me to have excess facial hair (basically a beard) for the last few years.
Only treatment option available is to go on the contraceptive pill but I am reluctant to do this as we will be ttc soon.
I've had laser hair removal which didn't work, bought a lumea prestige but returned it as it had no effect, tried waxing/epilating/threading but the hair is too course. Used to pluck daily but it was very time consuming and left me with ingrown hairs.
The only thing left to try was to shave, which I now do daily with a fresh blade in the shower using a shaving oil.
This means my chin is constantly irritated and I'm left with little razor bumps as the stubble is constantly growing back through.
I feel I cover the redness and 5 o clock shadow up well with makeup but the texture issues make me really self conscious.

I wondered if anyone could offer me any advice on products I could use to prevent the shaving bumps? I've thought about acids but the skin on my chin is very sensitive and I wouldn't want to make it worse. I use a cleanser in the shower before shaving and a post shave balm afterwards. (I might as well be a man! )

@FlugTheJug would you mind sending me the cream? Although I don't have a diagnosis of PCOS, I have significant hair growth on my chin and pluck every day. I'd like to try the cream before buying it/asking for it to be prescribed.

It’s really expensive but biologique recherche P50 is amazing. Use it 4-5 times a week on neck/chin/upper lip and the ingrown hairs will be a thing of the past. A bottle lasts me about 9-12 months

@FreeButtonBee is it the moisturiser or the cleanser or the ultra repair cream that you use?

I am in the same position. Pcos since my teenage years, off all hormonal contraceptives as ttc (no luck, trying to lose weight but it’s very slow) and finding my facial hair is worse than ever. I’ve been shaving but skin had been awful and irritated. I’m fairly new to this forum, it’s a relief knowing I’m not the only one who has this issue. I’ve got a Lumea and I’m using using it regularly. I’ve had the laser on the nhs but it was a long time ago and the hair has returned. Reading with interest.

Skin doctors “hair no more”

It’s a hair inhibitor spray - but it also calms and soothes after hair removal.

I use a combination of shaving, the skin doctors and a Lumea.

The skin doctors your supposed to use every day for a fortnight then every week after.

It’s not a total solution but does reduce the texture you get from shaving and there is (for me) a reduction in hair appeareance - it doesn’t seem to be as coarse - still black though 🤨

I recently managed a two week holiday and was able to go barefaced in the day just shaving and using the skin doctors in the morning (didn’t want to risk the lumea in the suitcase)

@JanetandJohn500 of course I don't mind

Please private message me your address

@JanetandJohn500 of course I don't mind

Please private message me your address

@Whateveryouwish I know what you mean, it makes me feel I’m slightly less of a freak knowing I’m not the only one!
Good luck with the ttc- I have a daughter but had a couple of miscarriages before conceiving her. The only thing I did differently was to take inositol daily which is said to improve ovulation rates and egg quality so I’d def recommend.

www.superdrug.com/Toiletries/Female-Hair-Removal/Female-Razors/Wilkinson-Sword-Intuition-Blade-Variety-pack/p/725561?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAjwyqTqBRAyEiwA8K_4O4SBwRzR4NSZYJiCrV1Jf4_KNfhZCUxoqWYohxNocHfCu8I_PlmWTRoC1xQQAvD_BwE

This razor but the green sort for sensitive skin. You can do it in the shower without a mirror and the blades stay sharp for ages.

Splash with cold water afterwards.

Use Sudocrem which will soothe and take the redness out of your skin. Put some on at night too.

Laser, 6 sessions isn't enough. I went monthly for 18 months to 2 years, then went back after 6-9 months for a year or two and now top up every 2-3 years with 2-3 visits and it's all pretty much under control. Quite a few areas now have never grown back. My skin is now lovely and blemish free and I look younger than I did 10 years ago.
If I could have afforded one at the time I'd have got a Lumea and spent the time and money I spent tweezering out/shaving off/waxing on lasering and Lumea. I think you do have to blast with laser regularly and over a long period of time for it to go completely.

For shaving my face I use the B.Men range from superdrug. The shaving cream and then the balm afterwards. It leaves my face nice and soft and smooth

Years ago I used a home method of electrolysis. It consisted of a wand and needle which was placed in the follicle. It worked. I can't find details of a similar thing now. Does anyone know of this type of thing being sold now, please? I think I will post this, also, on Gransnet because imagine some of the older ladies on there may know of the gadget I am talking about.

Could you wax? Hurts a bit but I find it's thinned my hair (bikini) and doesn't irritate like shaving

Could you wax? Hurts a bit but I find it's thinned my hair (bikini) and doesn't irritate like shaving

@AquaPris no as I said in my op, I’ve tried waxing, epilating and threading but the hair is too coarse. It literally just doesn’t get picked up so I have to go over the same area a few times which makes my skin more irritated and the hair remains.

@Ariela At what point of you having monthly laser sessions did you notice an improvement in the hair growth? I’ve had 16 sessions in total and saw no difference at all so wasn’t prepared to waste any more money on it!

Have you also asked your doctor about other supplements for PCOS support like CoQ10?

The BHA cleanser works because it gently exfoliates. So if it is too expensive, any gentle exfoliator will work to stop the bumps.

Are you cleansing before shaving to remove makeup?

Id try and shave when you have makeup free face like in morning. You really want to keep natural oils and not cleanse them away before shaving because that can cause irritation. So you’d just rinse your face with warm water to soften hair & open pores, shave and then cleanse with moisturising cleanser. Use exfoliating cleanser in evening before bed (do not shave and use exfoliating cleanser at same time because shaving also exfoliates and that can cause irritation)

Sounds like you have sensitive skin as well as PCOS.

Do try threading. DH has v sensitive skin and used to get awful rash before he switched to a safety razor-the old fashioned kind with a disposable blade. Takes a bit of practice but is much gentler (and cheaper!)

@HairyMary18 that’s great you have a daughter! Delighted for you! Thanks for that tip. I’ve never heard of it so will definitely look into that! Thank you!

I don't have Pcos (as far as I know) but I do have extremely bad facial hair - jawline, neck, chin. Thick, dark and extremely coarse. I tried to wax it - disaster. I then was forced to shave it (twice daily!) and am now trying The Smoothskin Muse ipl. All pretty irritating to the skin. But I have found putting a good dollop of Sudocrem on all the areas affected every night, like an overnight moisturiser, calms any irritation and no ingrowing hairs.

Also I two step oil cleanse (shaving with the second cream cleanser step) and find this better than a shaving gel. La Roche Posay also do a B5 calming balm ( cheapest on Amazon , £10 for 100ml) which is excellent and lighter than sudocrem for daytime treatment.

Appreciate this is an old thread so likely won't be seen but I'd really love to talk with you on how your skin was affected by electrolysis? I have some anxiety about the procedure and have had some sessions I had no idea this could happen

I had exactly the same problem until I switched my daily moisturiser to l’oreal hydra genius for dry & sensitive skin coupled with a hyaluronic acid serum. These two combined completely sorted out years of dried out skin and bumps from shaving.