Something I have been wondering about for a while. If you get the PCOS under control and your hormones start to normalize, do the dark, coarse chin hairs go back to being light hairs--back to normal, in other words? Or are you stuck with them (and the waxing, tweezing, etc.) for life? Anybody know?

Stuff that I've read about it indicates that it's permanent.

I deal with this, do not have pcos, my new medical doctor tested me and my hormones are normal. She said , do not know if its true, but once the weight is reduced, the facial hair will be gone...This is my main reason on weight loss, but noticed on my disabled sister is dealing with it also and she is nearly 60 yrs old.. I had facial hairs since my 30s and rely on razors.

Good luck to you.

I hate to say it, but I think it maybe. I was hoping too, when my weight got lower maybe somehow the hair would grow in less... because... you'd think when I got my weight down I'd want to feel pretty and all, but I tell ya, the hair on my face really ruins my day more often than not.

I think I may call around to see the pricing on electrolysis in my area... I'm hoping it's not too much and I can find a good person who can work fast in an hour (I think pricing goes by the hour). From what I hear that is the one permanent way to get rid of hormonal hair growth... lasers hair removal won't even work on hormonal hairs and may even make it worse!

Aw nuts.

I tried electrolysis for a while. It was extremely painful, and though they said the hair would stop growing back after a few treatments, I noticed no difference. I would never do it again.

I did electrolysis too, and it worked, while I was on the PILL! I got off the pill BAM! I turned into a man with a beard, it was disgusting. A friend of mine had a bad experience with laser years ago, and then apparently went back to try laser again, and this time it worked, I guess things have come a lot farther than they used to be in terms of laser.

I went to groupon and I found a groupon for a bunch of laser clinics. I looked up yelp reviews for each one and finally chose one. I pay $100 a month for electrolysis, but I found a groupon for $200 for 6 laser treatments. 1 treatment every 6 weeks comes out to $22 a month for 9 months.

I did the first treatment and it was a difference between night and day. I won't lie, it was PAINFUL. I wanted to cry afterwards I was in so much pain. I have tattoos and tattoos were less painful! So they do the treatment, it takes like 2 minutes, and then it looks the same, but after a few days and up to 10 days, the hairs start falling out. I started exfoliating to scrub them so they fell out, and for 4 weeks my skin was hair free (chin, sideburns, mustache), and now my second appointment is this Tuesday, and maybe 20% of the hair is back, but it's noticeable thinner. I'm not allowed to pluck or wax, so I just shave and trim, but instead of doing it daily I do it after few days but I don't really need to.

I'm so glad I did it, the clinic offered to do another spot for another $200, and I'm thinking of doing my forearms.

Oh yeah, so no, it won't get better, specially if you have been plucking, contrary to popular belief you are making it worse not better by plucking!

Why does plucking make it worse?

Well I think due to some sick twisted cruel fate, when you have a hormonal problem, plucking STRENGTHENS the hair roots....

My electrologist said if you pluck/wax while being treated,you make it harder for your electrologist/laser technician to target the hair follicles they are trying to destroy.

My old endoc said it should resolve itself. I can't speak to that since my issues are still not under control. I just tweezer/shave them off in the meanwhile. Once in a great while I'll get a facial/wax

A.

well that sucks on the electrolysis not always working 100%. I am kinda afraid of the laser too.. sounds painful.

I have also heard tweezing, and waxing too, contrary to what we are told that it reduces growth, for hormonal hair it causes more hair and cause it go in darker and thicker. Think I read it's because how it stimulates blood flow in that area and to the hair follicles... I've used an epilator on my chin and neck area all these years, I kinda wonder if it did make things worse- it sure hasn't made it better!

I've been wondering how the at home laser things work, seems like mixed review on amazon. Maybe if I find a good deal on one I'll give it a go.

I've been waxing for a while. I find that rather than making the hairs grow out darker, they grow back white at first and then get dark again. I figure this is because the pulling out of the hair traumatizes the follicle a bit, and then it recovers. It certainly does nothing to stop the growth over the long run, but my experience with electrolysis was pretty bad and I'd rather resign myself to a lifetime of waxing than do that again.

astrophe, I hope your endoc is right.

I'm not worried about it. I tweezed off all my toe hairs and a patch on my leg near my knee when I was a kid so much they never grew back. My aunt tweezed her eyebrows off. They never came back.

I figure sooner or later the chin hairs will give it up even if hormone balance doesn't get here first.

A.

I think leg, eyebrow, etc hair isn't hormonal hair growth though, so those areas will grow back sparser when you rip them out by the root for some reason. hair on the face or areas where women usually don't get thick hair growth is supposed to be different.... yeah.. I don't know, lol.. just what I've read. I use the epilator on my underarms and legs and the hair there hasn't come in thicker or darker.

I saved up all the money that I could to get laser hair removal. After just one treatment it was noticeably sparser and I"m continuing treatments. It's worth it. It changed my life.

Well, I had PCOS, hormone issues and hirsuitism when I was thin. So, I don't believe just losing weight will solve the problem for me. But, like I said I had the hormone issues before I had the weight problem. Now, if I could somehow manage to get all the hormone issues in check, maybe there would be improvement in facial hair. IDK. It is a nice thought, but it hasn't happened so far. I had a coworker with PCOS that had laser treatments and it did not help her. It all grew back and it is too expensive to keep going back again and again and again. My personal opinion is that it will come back unless your hormones are right. I think I am in perimenopause and approaching the menopause...which only complicates the hormone situation even further.