Hair today
Question
I have excess body hair on my face, stomach and breasts. Although some of it is blonde, some of it is quite dark. I'm getting more and more self-conscious of it, especially of the hair on my face. I think it's too light for laser removal and I've tried bleaching but it didn't really do much.
I've heard that polycystic ovary syndrome causes excess hair and irregular periods. My periods are really irregular so I was wondering if I might have it. Is there anything I can do? I feel like I can't get close to anyone because of it.
Answer
It's understandable that this could affect your confidence, but try to remember that hardly anyone is completely happy with their body. Having excess hair on the face and body is more common than you may think and is estimated to affect about 5-10% of all women.
Although irregular periods are one of the possible symptoms of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) they are by no means the only one. It might be a good idea to have a chat with your local doctor (GP) about your situation because, sometimes, underlying hormonal problems can account for excess body and facial hair. It might feel difficult or embarrassing to see a doctor about this sort of thing but if that's how you feel, try to remember that your GP will be used to examining patients worried about excess hair and will look at yours as just another ordinary part of your body.
There are a number of different methods of hair removal, depending on the extent of the growth. Before making a decision about a particular treatment it would be worthwhile for you to speak to a recognised practitioner. Please don't feel embarrassed, an experienced practitioner will have seen it all before and they are used to dealing sensitively with what many people find is a very distressing problem. It might also be useful for you to contact the British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology, an association for professional beauty therapists.
Updated: 06/06/2011
Question answered by bss
