Dealing with excess hair has been tough on me-physically and mentally. There have been several ways that I have tried to control it over the years with varying results.
In this post, I will be talking more about my hirsutism and giving my review of a product I recently tried for the condition.
My PCOS diagnosis
Since I do not have a popular blog by any means, no one who might see this post will know my back story. Because of this, I will start off by talking about how I came to get a PCOS diagnosis.
When I was around 11 years old, I started getting horrible acne and oily skin. It was mainly on my forehead at first, then eventually it was just all over the place. It was really embarrassing because none of my friends seemed to have acne.
In hopes of controlling my acne, I was prescribed several different things. A couple of them worked, a couple of them did not work. I had to keep taking/using something though because my skin was so bad.
At 14 years old, I started developing hair on my upper lip. I didn’t really notice it at first until my mother pointed it out and said that I needed to get that area waxed. This was another embarrassing thing for me!
All of the acne, oiliness and excess hair continued on past high school. It wasn’t until I was about 21 years old that I found out about PCOS. I realized that my symptoms aligned with that diagnosis. I was ashamed that I could have something like that so I decided to stop thinking about it.
I was given Spironolactone for the acne and hirsutism but was not given a PCOS diagnosis with it due to there being a series of tests that needed to be done first.
At 23 years old, my hairiness got worse. This made me decide it was time to go in for an official diagnosis.
I had to have four different appointments (gynecologist and endocrinologist) that included two consultations, blood tests, an ultrasound and a cortisol level check. My blood test results were all normal but my ultrasound showed cysts all over my ovaries and I met the other characteristic criteria (hirsutism and acne).
I stopped taking Spironolactone shortly after my diagnosis because I felt it wasn’t really doing much for me. From there, I just tried to control my acne with various skin care products and got my upper lip waxed once a month.
My hirsutism now
After I got pregnant and gave birth, my hirsutism came back with a vengeance (did not grow face/neck hair during pregnancy) and has kept getting worse. Because of the severity of it, I have been shaving instead of getting it all waxed and plucked off.
For a while I could still get away with shaving once a day or once every other day. Unfortunately though, for the past four years I have had to shave my face/neck twice a day. Since the pandemic happened and because I stay home all the time, I sometimes will go a day without shaving because no one but my immediate family will see me.
The hair that I get shows up on my chin, upper lip, jaw line and neck. In true hirsutism form, the hairs are coarse and noticeable. They are there in the morning and then they pop up again in the evening.
The razors I have been using
For quite a while I was using a women’s facial hair remover. It looks like a little vibrator but it did work well! What made me stop using it was the fact that my hirsutism got worse and it could no longer get the hairs very well.
I was really hesitant at first to start using a razor. This is because I know the burn and bumps they can leave on the body. It is not something I want on my face either!
After mulling it over, I decided to start using razors despite the burn risk. The excess hairs were really bothering me and I wanted something that could get them off. I wanted to use a separate razor for my face than I use for my body so I started using the Schick razors that I have pictured above only for that area.
I was nervous the first time I used one of the razors. After just moving it careful over the hairs though, I realized that I could indeed get them off without getting razor burn.
Success!
I have been using the razors ever since then. The only thing that I don’t like about them is that it doesn’t seem like it can pick up the really fine hairs on my upper lip that are left over after shaving the coarse ones off.
Am I annoyed that I have to shave my face? Yes, of course I am. I don’t like that I grow hair in these places and sometimes I get really down about it. Fortunately, I know how to manage it and it is not like people are going to be seeing me up close (except for my immediate family) for the foreseeable future.
Hair removal product review
So, I did try a new hair removal product recently. It was the Hydro Silk Touch-Up razor picture above. Although the other razors I talked about work great, I just wanted to try these out and see if they work for the fine hairs that get left over on my face.
I am happy to say that they really did get rid of the fine hairs! I used it all over my face which made it really smooth afterwards. It was unable to get the coarse hairs but I wasn’t really expecting it to.
The one thing I will say about these is that you can’t let the razors’ “cute” look fool you. They may be able to cut you if you are not careful with them. Just glide them gently across your face and you will be fine!
I highly recommend this product for anyone that has a bit of peach fuzz on their face they are looking to get rid of on a regular basis.
Hirsutism can really suck
Most people who deal with hirsutism don’t like it and have problems embracing it (some can though!). The fortunate thing is that the condition can be managed in various ways. I am glad that I found the Schick razors as they are cheap and effective for me to use.
If you deal with excess hairs like I do, how do you handle them?
Thanks for reading!
#hairremoval #shaving #razor #hirsutism #PCOS #hormonalproblems #Schickproducts #face
