PCOS Question...

Joannie30
Joannie30 Posts: 415 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I suffer from PCOS and a particularly awful symptom of this is facial hair growth. While mine is not as excessive as i've seen in some very extreme cases, it is quite bad, and bad enough to make me feel thoroughly AWFUL about myself. :sad:

I have been reading about the effects of drinking Spearmint tea on this and have read that it can really help. Does anyone have any experience of this? Also does it need to be pure spearmint tea or will an infusion of green tea/spearmint work also?

Thanks!
Jx

Replies

  • meycay
    meycay Posts: 29
    Bump... cause I wanna know too. : )
  • helpmelose2011
    helpmelose2011 Posts: 125 Member
    I suffer from this too - its horrible ( i feel like everyone notices yet never says anything) I'd love to know if this works!!
  • helpmelose2011
    helpmelose2011 Posts: 125 Member
    Ok I found this @ http://hairremoval.about.com/b/2011/10/28/spearmint-tea-for-excess-body-and-facial-hair-hirsutism.htm and thought I'd share it!

    (taken from the comments at the bottom)

    Just wanted to give you an update on my hair reduction after drinking spearmint tea.

    I have been drinking it now for about 2.5 months and i have certainly noticed it slow down my facial hair growth. I still get laser, but the hair doesnt grow back as much as it used to.

    So now im wondering, does this slow down the hair growth of all your body (so your head hair as well) or just hormonal hair like facial hair? I have not yet tested my Androgen levels, i will report back once i test it.

    But i did read in another blog that i should increase my intake so now i drink about 4 tea bags per day.

    One thing i do need to mention is that your emotional state also plays a large part in this. I know the first month i had good progress with it. the second month i was going through a bad break up, and the progress wasn’t so great. Now going into the third month, im very happy emotionally and i can see the hair is reduced considerably as well.

    So ladies, get happy to see progress!
  • Joannie30
    Joannie30 Posts: 415 Member
    I suffer from this too - its horrible ( i feel like everyone notices yet never says anything) I'd love to know if this works!!

    I feel like that too. My fiance tells me he can only notice it sometimes but not a great deal, but still it does make me feel absolutely awful about myself, because i notice it ALL THE TIME!

    :sad:
  • bkandisjj29
    bkandisjj29 Posts: 172
    I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2003. My upper lip hair would get so dark! I am an esthetician, so I began to wax it. It always grows back lighter. It has never been as dark as before I waxed. And it grows back softly too, not like when you shave something, and it grows back spiky.
  • sarahp86
    sarahp86 Posts: 692 Member
    I'd love to know if it works because I'm sick of it now! Maybe try post it in the PCOS cysters group? Loads of ladies there the same as us
  • Joannie30
    Joannie30 Posts: 415 Member
    I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2003. My upper lip hair would get so dark! I am an esthetician, so I began to wax it. It always grows back lighter. It has never been as dark as before I waxed. And it grows back softly too, not like when you shave something, and it grows back spiky.

    I bleach mine once or twice a week and tweeze any stubborn ones. I'd never shave cos i know that it would end up a lot worse. I'm hoping the tea thing works to reduce the testosterone and in turn that will at least decrease the hair growth.
  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member
    I had not heard of this, but I researched a little online, and it seems to be backed up by real clinical research. Something new to try!
  • angelasmith230
    angelasmith230 Posts: 70 Member
    I suffer from PCOS as well.. although the hair growth is minimal and just a small area it still makes me very self conscious.

    I have been getting electrolysis for the past 8 months or so.. I was told it would take about 12 months of treatment for the hair to be gone completely. It has definitely been decreasing and the hair grows back so fine now that it is barely noticeable.

    I heard that waxing or plucking could cause even more hair growth but I'm not sure if it's true or not. Hopefully when I get back down to a normal weight along with the electrolysis treatments the hair growth will subside.
  • Joannie30
    Joannie30 Posts: 415 Member
    I suffer from PCOS as well.. although the hair growth is minimal and just a small area it still makes me very self conscious.

    I have been getting electrolysis for the past 8 months or so.. I was told it would take about 12 months of treatment for the hair to be gone completely. It has definitely been decreasing and the hair grows back so fine now that it is barely noticeable.

    I heard that waxing or plucking could cause even more hair growth but I'm not sure if it's true or not. Hopefully when I get back down to a normal weight along with the electrolysis treatments the hair growth will subside.

    Is your electrolysis treatment expensive?
  • creative1981
    creative1981 Posts: 182 Member
    I have PCOS and just wax at the moment. It doesn't increase hair or make it any thicker. The spearment tea sounds interesting though.
  • netchik
    netchik Posts: 587 Member
    D-Chiro-Inositol helps with hirsutism. I've seen marked decreases since I've been taking it, and I'm a chronic sufferer. I used to spend 2 hours every sunday night tidying up my face. I have that down to a half hour now. hair is lighter, softer and finer. Haven't heard the Spearmint tea thing, but the poster who says "It' works (oh and I get electrolysis too)..." I'm thinking sticking a needle into each follicle is the one making the dramatic effect.

    Good luck with the spearmint thing. I will have a read and see if I can add it to my regimine.
  • Lobster1987
    Lobster1987 Posts: 492 Member
    The only thing that I've noticed that helped was laser treatments. I used to have a super hairy back/chest and I had a bunch of laser treatments on them, as well as my face. I hardly have any on my back and chest. A few scragglers here and there but the laser works very well. On my face, I had like 6 treatments back in high school that significantly reduced it, but I am still shaving every day before work. I would like to get laser on my face again when I can afford it.
  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member


    Is your electrolysis treatment expensive?

    Can't speak for the OP, but my electrolysis treatments were $75 an hour. I did (wait for it) about 150 hours. the time needed depends on the severity of the problem.

    Wish I could get laser, which would have been cheaper for me. However, laser doesn't work on red hair.
  • helpmelose2011
    helpmelose2011 Posts: 125 Member
    The only thing that I've noticed that helped was laser treatments. I used to have a super hairy back/chest and I had a bunch of laser treatments on them, as well as my face. I hardly have any on my back and chest. A few scragglers here and there but the laser works very well. On my face, I had like 6 treatments back in high school that significantly reduced it, but I am still shaving every day before work. I would like to get laser on my face again when I can afford it.

    I have to do the shaving thing too! Electrolysis didnt work for me and was very very expensive. Waxing hurts to bad and misses alot the first go so it's like ripping off flesh after that!
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