Electrolysis for PCOS Facial Hair Growth

One of the many unlucky symptoms we get as women with PCOS is unfortunately unwanted hair growth on the face, neck, and chest area. If you are anything like me, you have spent WAY too much time crying over this and are ready for long lasting solutions instead of worrying about when you are going to shave, wax, or tweeze next.

In this blog, you are going to learn all about why electrolysis is the better option for PCOS than laser, what not to do with hormonal hair growth, pros/cons of electrolysis and my personal journey with electrolysis as a functional dietitian with PCOS.

What is PCOS?

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is hormonal disorder that affects around 7% of females leaving them with symptoms like facial hair growth, hair loss on the scalp, irregular menstrual cycles, weight gain, acne, infertility, and in some cases even cyst growth on the ovaries.

PCOS is the overproduction of androgens (like DHEA, testosterone, etc.) and can cause the imbalance of other sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone. These androgens are commonly referred to as “male hormones”, but women do produce them just in lower levels. We need them for many biological processes including muscle growth, bone density support, and so much more.

Research shows PCOS can have many different causative factors including insulin resistance, genetic risk, environmental toxin overload, dysbiosis of the gut, and more.

It is super important to note that before considering any form of permanent hair removal that you need to have your hormones monitored and back into range or heading back in the right direction. The reason for this is because your hair removal results wont be as effective if hormone levels are still increased as this is what drives the hair growth to happen in the first place. 

Why Choose Electrolysis Over Other Hair Removal Methods?

I spent many hours researching the best form of permanent hair removal when I was ready to start the next phase of this journey to manage my symptoms. I ultimately decided laser was not the best option here simply due to the fact that laser works on a full section of the body at one time where electrolysis works on one individual hair follicle at one time.

The reason this is so important when it comes to hormonal hair growth is due to the different hair types we have growing. Vellus hair (which is commonly referred to as peach fuzz) and terminal hair (which are the darker, coarse hairs we often see in PCOS) should not be treated the same. If you pluck, wax, or laser a vellus (peach fuzz) hair and you have higher androgen levels, you are risking this hair now growing back darker/coarser. This is why laser is not the best option. If you are doing a section of your face that only has a few dark hairs and the laser removes all hairs in the area (including peach fuzz hairs), you are risking these peach fuzz hairs now turning terminal and growing back darker and thicker. This is a process you do NOT want to go through that I have seen many women with PCOS make this mistake. PCOS permanent hair removal takes significant time to work. It is not just a one session and done type of treatment. For this reason, electrolysis is the best form of permanent hair removal once hormones are under control.

You can see before/after my latest electrolysis session at Bloom Esthetic Studio in Orlando Florida here. If you are local to the area and looking for electrolysis, click HERE.

*full disclaimer - this is 10 months into treatments for me which is why there wasn't many hairs to start with*

My Opinion on Electrolysis Pros/Cons

Cons

• Time
• Permanent Hair Removal for PCOS takes time. I would expect to spend at least a year maybe even longer to FULLY get rid of all your dark hairs. I am currently on month 10 and mine is now almost completely gone. This is with me going pretty consistently every 2 to 3 weeks.
• Pain 
• Yes it can be painful. I wouldn’t consider myself someone with a high tolerance for pain, but there are certain spots that hurt more than others (like chin for example since it is closer to bone). Overall, it really is manageable. You can also communicate with your electrologist to turn down the heat to make it slightly more comfortable for you. The more hydrated you are the easier the hairs pull out FYI! I do NOT recommend going during your period or even the week before as you will be more sensitive during this time. And just in my own experience numbing cream did not work. My electrologist says this is due to numbing cream only working on the superficial skin not actually deep enough to where the needle is going.
• Cost
• Cost varies depending on how many hairs you have and how quick your electrologist is as you are billed by 15 minute increments. My first sessions were closer to a little over an hour costing me around $100 and now with less hairs I can be done in 15 minutes and it costs closer to $40. With going every two weeks it can get pricey so plan accordingly.
• Sessions can be long at first
• As mentioned above, session length depends on the amount of hair so it can be over an hour to begin with and all you can do is lay there. Pro tip - find an electrologist who is fun to talk to to make it go quicker! 

Pros

• Results come quick!
• After my first session, I remember I didn’t have to even think about how I needed to get rid of hair before my next social event. Does the hair come back before next session? Yes, it does but much slower growth. Also, you can still shave (NOT TWEEZE OR WAX) between appointments. The relief that comes with this is amazing!! I haven’t cried over facial hair growth once since starting my electrolysis journey.
• Confidence back
• Going off my last point, the confidence that comes back when you start to get back into your feminine energy after dealing with facial hair growth is AMAZING.
• Hairs get lighter over time
• My dark coarse hairs are now very light and all almost gone which is how you know it is effective!
• No more shaving between appointments
• Once you get to a certain point (I started to be able to do this around month 4) you don’t even have to shave or do anything to remove hair between appointments because it is already so minimal which is so nice to see this progress.

Overall, I cannot recommend electrolysis enough to anyone struggling with PCOS hair growth. It is literally LIFE CHANGING. Don’t be scared to try a few different electrologists if you feel like you can’t find the right fit! There are some really good and passionate ones out there, but get those hormones under control first!

I hope you found this blog to be helpful as this topic is a big passion of mine!

Till next time

Kaitlyn Haley, MS, CNS, LDN

The Detox Dietitian