At first we notice the hair growth. It's worse for some than others and if you find your case is particularly bad, you should do some research into hyerandrogenism. Every PCOS gal is different, but one thing is certain, we just have to be good groomers. My husband isn't even aware of all the maintenance I do to myself, and he doesn't have to fully know. But a set of tweezers and a magnifying mirror go a long way. If it is so defeating, I came across a lot of blogs that recommend laser hair removal. I would strongly recommend this if you are one of those women with the full on black mustache or beard.
Luckily, I only suffer from minor problems under my chin and on my belly button. About 10 minutes of plucking once a week or every other week takes care of that.
The truth is, hair growth is easy to take care of .... what makes us cry is the hair loss.
Hair loss is depressing, if not completely crushing. You tell yourself that it isn't that bad, that no one notices. Last week someone commented on how thick my hair was ... it gave me hope that I was doing well.
I noticed the loss for the first time when I was 18. My husband, then boyfriend, first noticed when I was 19. He said that I was looking a little thinner on top .... and he was right.
I immediately went and got some Rogain for Women and put it on religiously. Unfortunately, it didn't work at all, no matter how much I wanted it to. ... Then I gave up telling myself that when I was 30 I'd just go in to Bosley and get a transplant.
You can research more on the specifics of hair loss for PCOSers, but here's the short story ....
We lose hair the same way men do. For most women, there are many different factors that cause hair loss, but fortunately for us ... I know it doesn't seem like it ... we lose hair like men. We have higher levels of testosterone whose byproduct is DHT. DHT chokes off circulation to our hair and causes it to thin out ... and eventually fall out. However, the hair on the sides of our head and the back of our heads aren't sensitive to DHT. Because of that, hair can be transplanted from those areas to the tops of our heads for a permanent solution.
However, because of the cost of such procedures, we should try to skirt that cost with preventative treatment. The only difference between Rogain for Women and Rogain for Men is the medication content. They don't want women using the men's brands because it is absorbed through the skin causing hair growth in other places. But guess what .... we have PCOS so that is already a problem we deal with!
Since Rogain didn't work for me, I am trying some other products right now and I will post the results down the road. Right now I just bought Joico Clinicure Kit Natural Advanced Thinning Hair Solutions because it was recommended by Amy at PCOSDiva. I'm hoping it works. If anyone has another method that's working for them, let me know, I'll try anything.
I have spent a great deal of time researching hair transplants and there is a new technology out there that all of us PCOSers should know about. It's called a FUE-NEOGRAFT. The traditional transplant is where they cut a one centimeter by 7 in strip out of the back of your head and staple the wound closed. Then they remove the hairs one by one and move them to the top of your head. You are left with a severe scar that hopefully your hair will cover ... but sometimes it doesn't. Recovery is long and painful ... but now with the FUE/NEOGRAFT there is no need to cut the strip out.
It works by using a vacuum. They place the needle around a hair and suck it out root and all. Then the put the needle in the location they want the hair to go and then use reverse vacuuming to put it in. Bosley doesn't have this technology yet, in Atlanta at least, but other places do like HRS in Atlanta. It's cheaper and the recovery time is reduced! Not only that, there isn't a scar. Can't beat that!!
I have spent a great deal of time researching hair transplants and there is a new technology out there that all of us PCOSers should know about. It's called a FUE-NEOGRAFT. The traditional transplant is where they cut a one centimeter by 7 in strip out of the back of your head and staple the wound closed. Then they remove the hairs one by one and move them to the top of your head. You are left with a severe scar that hopefully your hair will cover ... but sometimes it doesn't. Recovery is long and painful ... but now with the FUE/NEOGRAFT there is no need to cut the strip out.
It works by using a vacuum. They place the needle around a hair and suck it out root and all. Then the put the needle in the location they want the hair to go and then use reverse vacuuming to put it in. Bosley doesn't have this technology yet, in Atlanta at least, but other places do like HRS in Atlanta. It's cheaper and the recovery time is reduced! Not only that, there isn't a scar. Can't beat that!!
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