Hirsutism and my journey as I navigated through my challenges with hirsutism, I also had to tackle issues related to hyperpigmentation, which added another layer to my journey.
What is Hirsutism? Hirsutism is severe hair growth in women mostly on the face and neck. I found out that I have a high level of testosterone, which was mostly the cause of my excessive facial hair growth. The first signs of Hirsutism began to show when I was halfway out of High School. One day I just noticed random hairs were popping up on the lower side of my face.
My mom had a small amount of hairs that grew on her face and so did my sister. My mom told me that she would just pull them out, so that’s what I did and it worked for a while. For whatever reason, my facial hair was much more severe compared to my mom and sister. The hair growth on my face got worse probably at age 20. At this time the hair growth spreaded to both sides of my neck area, occasionally leaving patches that looked similar to hyperpigmentation.
I started shaving my face and I felt so embarrassed shaving in front of my boyfriend at the time (now husband). He didn’t want me to feel that way but I did. As a woman, growing facial hair made me feel just absolutely terrible inside. I wasn’t making enough money to try to treat the facial hair, so the only thing I did for years was shave, and get my face and neck waxed at nail salons. It wasn’t until I was 26 that I was able to afford laser, and age 31 when I tried Electrolysis for the first time.
My Personal Experience with Laser Hair Removal vs. Electrolysis.
Laser Hair Removal for Hirsutism
I’m going to get to the point and be blunt. Laser Hair Removal does not work if you have a lot of facial hair. I did laser for a year and my facial hair still grew as normal after the year. This method had no effect on my facial hair whatsoever. That’s not to say that it couldn’t work for you or others, it just didn’t work for me. I do feel that people with a lot of facial hair growth won’t benefit from laser, especially if hyperpigmentation concerns exist.
Electrolysis for Hirsutism
This method of hair removal worked! Electrolysis stings a little more than laser but it works. I saw the facial hair starting to thin out, and some areas where I had major hair growth, the hair just never came back at all. It took about 4 sessions to actually see a change in hair growth.
In the above photo on the left, I did recently shave but the dark spots on my face and neck is where the facial hairs would grow. You can still see a little hair in that area. The dark spots were a result of razor bumps and plucking over the years, contributing to hyperpigmentation.
I met another patient at the facility I went to here in Atlanta called Mishaels Electrolysis Center LLC, who told me it took them a year for the hair to completely stop growing. For me it took almost two years. Now that sounds crazy, but if you are serious about combating that facial hair, you’re going to have to dedicate yourself to the appointments. I desperately wanted to rid myself of my facial hair. The Electrolysis procedure was the only method that worked for me.
A sterile teeny tiny needle is inserted in the hair follicle where the hair follicle is destroyed. The needle is probably about the same size as the hair itself. The little needle is hooked to a small machine where an electric current is applied to the root of the hair through the tiny needle. The hair is then removed without pulling. If you have stubborn hairs like me, then that same hair follicle will need to be repeatedly reinserted to get that hair follicle good.
Does Electrolysis Hurt?
If we’re being honest, it does hurt. You won’t see any blood or anything but it hurts, I’m not gonna lie. On a scale of 1-10 for me I would say it would probably be a 5. The office I went to did allow people to squeeze those stress balls in between sessions.
Turmeric: Helping with Hyperpigmentation on the Skin
Facial hair has impacted hyperpigmentation to my face, which adds another layer to the story. I tackled (and still tackling) dark spots on my neck and chin due to hair and razor bumps. Turmeric soaps worked wonders for me. This type of soap tends to be hard to find in stores so I only buy turmeric soaps from Esty shops. I also like that the Esty shops provide homemade soaps. My hyperpigmentation isn’t completely gone but it is much better.