Vlog: Third Treatment

Treatment number three was kind of business-as-usual.  A couple of weeks ago I noticed more hair growing in on my chin, so hopefully the laser got all that.

Lately I haven't been feeling too well--I just reached the deadline on a huge project and the lack of sleep left me open to infection I guess, so I've been run-down and sniffly and fatigued.  So I didn't ask the technician too much, I'm not sure if the laser intensity went up again, or anything else I wanted to know about.

I didn't even feel too positive after the treatment was over, because the one thing I asked was whether people who go through the initial 5-6 treatments have to come back for touch-ups forever.  The answer was "yes."  And I think it was "yes" because she was thinking of people with hormonal vulnerability, whose skin is going to be constantly bombarded with hormones.  But if you've got pills to help with that, do you still have to have laser treatments in perpetuity?  Why is it said that laser hair removal can be permanent?  And why does the technician think the effects of my old laser treatments are still helping?  I'm rather confused, and because I'm also sick, it's making me a little sad.

But it's not a mood that will last, I know.  I'm looking forward to this new growth falling out anyway, and now I've been recommended Vaniqa so I have something new to seriously think about.  I've never paid it much mind before because it doesn't get rid of hair, it just slows it down, and my sights have always been on getting rid of the hair.  The technician has tried it herself and she thinks it might be worth it for me--it might mean laser hair removal treatments spaced farther apart.  But I know it has some side-effects like break-outs and redness and irritation, and my skin is doing so well right now with less hair and gentler shaving.

Here's the video itself, and don't worry about my low energy.  I'm already getting much more sleep so I'll be feeling better soon!

Update on Second Laser Treatment

Nothing's happened that is worthy of making a vlog.  There haven’t been any huge shedding “events” this time around.  Starting the day after the laser treatment I usually lost a couple of hairs a day.  Impatient, I started gently pulling with tweezers to see if any were ready to let go, and a lot of them were.  I still have some stubborn areas on the sides of my chin, but I never had the guts to imagine that I would ever come so far as to only have to shave my chin every morning.  It feels quite miraculous.

The picture is some hyper-pigmentation I noticed a day or two after the session.  I was told it could be a possible side-effect but I didn’t really know what to look for because, to me, they just look like dark freckles... or food on your face.  ;)  They faded within the first couple of weeks. 

I do have a few dark hairs still growing along my jaw, but I trim those instead of shaving the areas completely.  This has allowed all the blond vellus hair we all normally have to grow back, and it is... weird.  When you’re hirsute, I think it is so much easier to be ashamed of all your body hair, normal and abnormal.  I catch sight of it in the sunlight when I look in the mirror in the morning, and a part of me is thrilled to see it, while another part still wishes to hide it.  The emotions are proving to be more difficult to change than the physical symptoms of being hirsute.

But despite the self consciousness that is going to take a while to leave behind, every morning is exciting, because the process of hiding my hair is far less stressful.  I can keep my shave gentle, which means I have less redness to cover up.  In fact, I haven’t had much opportunity to take a picture of what is left on my chin because I don’t have to give my face a break from shaving.

I’m still trying to learn all I can about hair growth in general and how six sessions of laser hair removal could have worked, yet afterward still allow me to grow a full beard.    This is the current mystery, and I hope to find a way to make sense of my experience, for myself and for you guys.

Also, I really want to thank you all for your patience!  Between the psychological turmoil of the laser treatments, a huge year-long project coming to its conclusion, and all the amazing messages I've been receiving from ladies who have stumbled upon the vlog, it's been extra difficult coming up with relevant posts for the blog right now.  Even keeping up with all the notes and questions has been a challenge--but a happy one!  :)

'Zine Call for Submissions

Armpits 4 August is probably best known for organizing a "Movember-like" event for a PCOS charity in summertime.

But they've just announced on Facebook that they're putting together a zine to further raise money for the charity.  They're asking for submissions in the form of art, poetry, and prose about PCOS and body hair.  This sounds like a really cool project, and it's most successful if they get as many contributions as possible.  I'm trying to think up something to send.  I hope you will, too!

Submissions are due April 30th. 

Vlog: Second Treatment

Well, here we are at treatment number two!



And I am happy to sum up the video for those who aren’t comfortable watching me talk.  (Maybe it’s just me who hates watching myself talk.)

The laser technician was pleased with my progress, in fact she said (and this isn’t in the video) that my sideburns look “pretty much fine.”  She increased the laser’s intensity and did some of my stubborn chin hairs a couple of times.

What surprised me, though, was that she said I may only need to come in on an “as-needed” basis now.  I’m still trying to get my head ‘round this.  She thinks that the series of treatments I did eight years ago might have permanently damaged at least some of my follicles, because she doesn’t see much of a new hair cycle starting.  Normally it takes several rounds of laser to start seeing a noticeable reduction, because we’re killing off active cycles each time.  But as it had only been one treatment and no new hair coming in to replace it, perhaps the old treatment really did make an impact.

And, now that I’m on medication, I don’t have testosterone stimulating new dark cycles.  I may not need six treatments after all.

But I’ve scheduled an appointment in six weeks, just so I have one, and if I find I don’t have any hair to laser by then, I’ll cancel it.  I really can’t imagine it.  It’s frightening to think this may actually work.  Will anyone read a blog about hirsutism by an ex-bearded lady?

I also mentioned in the video that after my laser treatment I went right over to visit my cousin, who had just had her wisdom teeth out.  I muscled past my own embarrassment--I know I would need some cheering up if I ever had to have dental surgery.  So I talked to her about my issues a little, and she had never noticed but she was not startled or horrified by the news.  She told me about some of her own cosmetic concerns, and it was a great bonding moment.

That’s the first time I’ve told anyone in my family that I’m hirsute, besides my mother, and it was anti-climactic and an all-around relief.  And now I know someone who can use the products I’ve tried that don’t work for me.

Why does it get easier to tell people your problems once they’ve been taken care of?

Well, let’s see what falls out in a couple of weeks...

Vlog: I'm Shedding!

I had to do a vlog update, because I am ridiculously excited about all the hairs falling out of my chin.  This is something that is supposed to happen, but has only happened to me once, in my final laser treatment eight years ago.  To experience this after the first treatment is a shock, and hopefully a promising precedent.

I also talk a bit about my downtime after the first treatment, which ended up being emotional, not physical.




The video contains new pictures of my chin post-shedding, as well as the washcloth, but as always, for those of you that can't or don't wish to view the video:

This was my washcloth from the day after the treatment.  Just a few hairs, but you can see how damaged they are.  We got 'em good!

The second photo is my washcloth from thirteen days later.  It is covered with little hairs with burned little bulbs at their bases from my chin and neck.  This was when I started to get excited.  A little too excited, as you'll see in the next picture.  I exfoliated my epidermis right off in places, trying to get as many hairs to shed as possible!




On the left you can see my chin sporting a couple of days' growth as per usual with the Spiro and Diane.  On the right is also with a couple of days' growth.  The hair you can still see is all that's left of the really coarse dark stuff right now.  These patches are not likely to shed as they are probably in the intermediate or resting phase of growth, which the laser cannot damage.  The hairs coming out on the washcloth were in the active growth phase, which tell me how many hair follicles we took out in that treatment.

Whether they'll stay out remains to be seen, but this is already beyond my expectations.  It absolutely had to be shared with you guys!  :)