PCOS Hair Removal

What is PCOS?

PCOS is a very common hormone problem for women of childbearing age. References to PCOS go back as far as the ancient Egyptian papyri and show up repeatedly in ancient Greek and Hebrew literature as well as the medieval and Renaissance periods. Today, according to the CDC, PCOS is one of the most common causes of female infertility, affecting 6% to 12% (as many as 5 million) of US women of reproductive age. Sometimes symptoms are clear, and sometimes they are less obvious. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) cannot be cured, but the symptoms can be managed. If you are one of the millions of women living with PCOS, your symptoms and your story may be very different from others, and you know that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Every day may feel different for you, and your own PCOS experience may be vastly different from that of another woman with PCOS. At The Vertical Wellness Spa, we support women with not only permanent hair removal but also hormonal imbalance management wellness practices. Alison has worked with hundreds of women suffering from PCOS over the years, and is committed to helping all clients feel seen and supported at The Vertical Wellness Spa.

Symptoms of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

PCOS has a number of symptoms, including:

• Missing periods or having fewer than eight periods a year. 
• Irregular periods: periods may come every 21 days or more, while some PCOS patients may stop having menstrual periods at all. 
• Hirsutism or excessive hair on the face, chin or other parts of the body where men usually have hair. Hirsutism affects up to 70% of women with PCOS. 
• Acne on the face, chest and upper back. 
• Hair loss in the scalp area. 
• Darkening of the skin along the neck creases, in the groin and beneath the breasts. 
• Skin tags in the underarms and neck area.
• As with any health condition, please seek medical attention for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Your symptoms can be vague or mimic symptoms of other conditions, so PCOS can go undiagnosed for a while. There’s no single test for it, but a physical exam, ultrasound, and blood tests can help diagnose PCOS.

Who is Vulnerable to PCOS?

Women of every race and ethnicity can have PCOS. It’s common for women to find out they have PCOS when they have trouble getting pregnant, but it often begins soon after the first menstrual period, as young as age 11 or 12. It can also develop in the 20s or 30s.
High levels of insulin can cause PCOS. Insulin is a hormone that controls how food is changed into energy. If you’re experiencing insulin resistance, cells don’t respond normally to insulin and blood-insulin levels rise. This can occur in those who are overweight or obese, those with unhealthy eating habits, those who don’t practice enough physical activity and those with a hereditary history of type 2 diabetes. Accordingly, there are close links between obesity and PCOS. The majority of women with PCOS (38%-88%) are either overweight or obese.

PCOS and Unwanted Hair

PCOS is a medical condition with a lot of unfortunate side effects for women. Hair follicles all over the body start misfiring, causing facial hair growth, hair loss on the scalp, and unwanted hair growth on many areas of the body. Removing stubborn hormonal hair can be a significant endeavor. Many women with PCOS turn to laser hair removal. However, this approach can often exacerbate the problem, as scattershot laser treatment is known to activate other follicles and cause a recurring issue inadvertently. Importantly, laser is not a truly permanent hair removal method. Although the procedure is often touted as a form of “permanent” hair removal, laser treatment only reduces the number of unwanted hairs in a given area. It doesn’t get rid of unwanted hairs completely.

Electrolysis is a preferable solution to laser treatments, as it precisely targets problem follicles and permanently eliminates their ability to grow hair. Electrolysis is a hair removal treatment that involves a fine probe being inserted into hair follicles and then passing an electric charge through the surrounding cells. By targeting the hair follicle, electrolysis is suited for all types of hair and skin. Electrolysis gets rid of thin, thick and coarse hair. Your hair removal plan will have to be customized according to your body and desired results. Permanent hair removal by electrolysis is the only FDA-approved method of permanent hair removal. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health and is the regulating body for medical devices.