PCOS, skincare and shaving rash

[TeaFiend25]

I, unfortunately, suffer from PCOS. As part of that I have to shave my face at least once daily. It’s awful and leaves me with a terrible shaving rash on my neck and chin that never goes away. 😞I feel so self conscious and hate the way I look. Any tips on keeping the shaving rash at bay? I can’t use any other hair removal method as it just doesn’t work or I have to have a beard in between sessions. I also can’t afford laser etc. thank you!

Have you tried laser hair removal ? I have pcos and this honestly changed my life.

Unfortunately I really can’t afford it.

I use the facial attachment on my epilator. It hurts like fuck the first few times, but doesn't have to be done every day.
There was the initial outlay, but I don't spend money on razors anymore.

If it's really bad you can get it on the NHS.

But I managed to get a Groupon voucher for £30 for was 6 sessions.

@IstayedForTheFeminism thank you! Which epilator is this? :)

NHS don’t fund this in my area unfortunately.

My 20 Yr old daughter has been diagnosed with PCOS she has severe hair growth on her thighs and buttocks other areas too but these areas are causin her severe distress..she cries everyday...she doesn't want to be alive..feels like a man...I don't know how to help her..can anyone give me advice...Dr's don't really seem to care. She's so distressed all the time

If laser isn’t an option then after shaving try Skin Doctors Ingrow Go Lotion. Before I had laser and electrolysis all over my body I used to use this as I would get razer bumps after shaving as my hair is dark and coarse.

Even if you can’t get laser removal in your area (which i think is very unfair), your GP should be able to prescribe cream that slows & thins the growth. I think it’s expensive to prescribe but be firm about how this is affecting your mental health, your relationships, your life in general.

I was lucky and did get a course of laser on the NHS which helped a bit. I didn’t cure it. I also bought a Phillips Lumea but that hasn’t stopped the growth completely and I still have to shave every day

When my face gets irritated, I use a few drops of rosehip oil and a thin layer of sudocrem which really helps my skin heal.

It totally sucks and I feel for you.

Sorry for the delay. I didn't see this. It's a Braun Silk Epil. Possibly the 7, but I'm not 100% sure on that.

I tried IPL and found it not that helpful tbh. It worked for the peach fuzz but not the moustache or the wiry bristle on my jaw line.

Waxing and plucking makes me spotty, especially as plucking is just never ending. Really feel your pain.

A few friends swear by facial hair removal cream but I find it harsh on my skin.

What sort of razor are you using?'I have an electric one which is great but disposables give me spots.

Also make sure you're cleaning it (note to self ) my skin is bad anyway these days but nip and fab face pads twice a day have really helped that.

I keep looking at the No No but reviews are mixed and I don't understand it.

Gosh, I reeeeally can relate to this thread. I had laser removal on my upper lip but my body's gone crazy now and I now have to wax my face, chin, jaw... I get these really thick and long hairs along the jaw and under the jaw -which effing drives me crazy because I can't see them when I look in the mirror and when I finally do I just wonder how long they've bloody been there.
I can't do it now because I'm sick (so the dermatologist told me to bugger off) but in the future my plan is give the hair on my face/ neck the middle finger through electrolysis. I'm worried that laser wouldn't be enough as they're back on the lip -after about 5-ish years- so next time the plan is to go to a dermatologist and burn them the motherf*ckers (and send them to hell).
Right now I'm using wax strips and then I use sudocrem or aloe vera, I get a rash too that goes away after using Mercurochrome Colourless Antiseptic Spray.
Like nother pp I think getting that Braun epilator's a good thing too. Don't make my mistake and get another brand. I have a Philips and it's not all that tbh.
I had an ultrasound and it was all fine and dandy. How were you all dignosed?

Are epilators painful AF though? I have one (admittedly not a very flash one) and it's just agony. Also it's the same as threading/ waxing in that it's very hard on sensitive skin. (Though I've heard epilating gets better.)

Epilating my chin is painful. Doing my neck brings tears to my eyes so I don't very often. I hardly feel it on my legs.

@Oceanus I was diagnosed after a blood test.

Are you shaving against the grain? If so try going with

La Roche Posay Cicaplast b5 cream (the normal one, not the hand cream) is good for chapped or generally irritated skin. I'm getting electrolysis at the moment & the woman at the salon encouraged me to buy a Dermalogica serum at £50+ a tube & gave me some free samples to bring home, but TBH the LRP is just as effective. And much cheaper. Although electrolysis is pricey, slow & not very comfortable.

I briefly tried hair removal cream when I was much younger. It didn't remove all the hair but it did a great job of causing big open sores on my face.

@KarenR71
I am so terribly sorry to hear about what your daughter is going through, and it’s shocking that she’s being ignored.
It sounds like you have already seen multiple doctors, but please try again, and stress how much this is affecting her mental health and day to day life.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos/treatment/#:~:text=If%20you%20have%20unwanted%20hair,some%20parts%20of%20the%20UK.

I'm getting electrolysis. It's working. So expensive though! I know I'm lucky to be able to do it!

I think if you can lose some weight that someone's helps!

Thank you...her mental health wasn't good before anyway this has just made it worse...just wish I cud tell her there is an answer in time and that she won't be like this forever..

@KarenR71 laser. These years of hers are not worth wasting. Some clinics offer payment plans to spread the cost. Often offers on groupon too

@TeaFiend25 Whats your weight and diet like? My symptoms increase with weight massively. If I gained just a stone my cycle packs up completely.

You need a new razor every day if you don’t already do this & a shaving cream/oil. There is a cream on the nhs for reducing hair growth called Vanquis or something like that.

Can you go on the combined contraceptive pill? Not the progesterone only ones though because they can make us worse. It gave me cystic acne. Dianettes marvellous for pcos.

@suzyscat I don't epilate my face because my current epilator (Philips) bloody sucks! But I used to epilate my upper lip when I had a Braun. You're going to laugh at me but my biggest issue wasn't the pain, it was the noise. I realised the moment it went near my face I was in pain, even though I hadn't touched the skin yet. So, this is the funny part, I listened to music with headphones when I did it.
If you have a good epilator it'll hurt more at first, because hair's pulled from the root but over time, it's true, it gets much much easier.
I know people who use ice packs before, to numb the skin, and I've also tried a spray that numbs the skin too but that was ages ago and don't remember the name.
Threading wouldn't work for me, because they're not great at it where I am, they don't pull hair from the root so, even in the brows, it'll be back in a few days, as though I'd shaved. I wax with cold strips wish doesn't hurt much (the trick it pulling it at once not bit by bit). My skin's too sensitive for hot wax.
@PrestatynPirate I didn't get round to talking about prices with the doc as she told me to get lost and comeback when I'm better! Exactly how does it work? Is it a couple of inches per session? I'm terribly curious about it. Laser was a waste of money for me, so electrolysis is pricey but I'm looking at it as a one off.
@IstayedForTheFeminism I saw a nutritionist and straight off the bat she said it looked like PCOS (also because of my swollen ankles), but all my hormones cameback ok, though I've never ever been this hairy, ever, and it keeps getting worse. A few months ago I saw my face in good light and my whole cheeks were covered, that's when I started waxing my face.

bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/eflornithine/#indications-and-dose Vaniqa cream from gp.