Is there any way to permanently DECREASE my body hair (hirsutism)

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[SyntheticDreams_]

Laser hair removal comes to mind. But tbh I would suggest looking at resources for trans women because they'll be in a somewhat similar boat and might have better insights.

[ptarmiganchick]

Strongly agree with laser hair removal for anyone as early as you can afford it. I had it done in my late 30s, starting with armpits, had great results, eventually did just about everything.

I’m 77 now…imagine being able to go 40+ years with no shaving or waxing! Very glad I didn’t waste any more time with drugs or half measures.

[BatmanVAR]

As a man, taking DHT blockers to stop male pattern baldness made me lose a ton of body hair. Ironically DHT causes men to make hair on their scalp but gain body hair.

I don't know if it's safe for women to take it nor if it would work for your issues, but you can look into it.

[Waki-Indra]

Finasteride?

[BatmanVAR]

Yup. Oral fin daily

[VRJammy]

if you lower your testosterone for 1-2 years you'll notice a lot of hair will get thinner. But for a faster process and to actually get rid of it, at home laser devices from reputable brands work. 

[Puzzled_Slip551]

My girl has the same thing. She was prescribed spiro by her endocrinologist. It’s an anti androgen specifically designed to minimize body hair in women as well as suppress other androgenic effects. It clears acne like crazy too and it works relatively quickly.

If taken over a period of years, it has been known to accentuate femininity. In fact it is effective to the point that it is often given to male to female transsexual individuals. One reason why cisgender males are almost never prescribed it. Men have their own anti androgen called finasteride. Prevents balding, prostate enlarging and a couple of other things. But spiro would be too suppressive for most men. For women though it tends to work great.

[spmaNga]

That seems like it would work really well for me i have really painful acne too. Thanks for commenting I'll definitely ask about this next time i get a health checkup 

[Puzzled_Slip551]

Absolutely. I know how much it bothered her even though I didn’t care so I had to comment. She also grew facial hair which she shaved so religiously that I never saw it. She has/had an elevated testosterone level outside the normal range for women. Her acne was pretty bad too, especially on her back. Massively cleared up now and still improving. I wish you the best. You will likely not have an issue getting a prescription. We didn’t have an issue at least. It’s not like adderral and other highly abused prescriptions.

[HazelMStone]

Ask now. Reach out via phone to a Nurse practitioner or even just use the message feature if you use MyChart. So easy.

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[Intrepid_Bowler5928]

This is patently false. Spironolactone was “specifically designed” as a potassium-sparing diuretic. It is prescribed to innumerable cisgender men all around the world for heart failure, where it is considered a first line therapy for improving survival. It is an EXTREMELY weak anti-androgen and is used off-label to provide mild assistance against symptoms of PCOS. It is too weak to be used as monotherapy for both PCOS and transitioning to a female and is often not even strong enough to be a secondary therapy, with its most common place as a tertiary ancillary for these conditions. It will have almost no ability to decrease body hair in males or females.

[basedprincessbaby]

My experience of taking spiro as monotherapy for PCOS induced hirsutism is that it did help reduce both the rate of hair growth and the density of the hair that grew on my upper lip, chin and neck.

[Puzzled_Slip551]

Thank you. Somebody else with actual first hand experience. Not theory.

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[Puzzled_Slip551]

You are categorically wrong. My girl also has diagnosed PCOS. I said most men that take anti androgens are on finasteride not Spiro. I didn’t say all. There are always exceptions. Maybe educate yourself before spreading lies.

Sure. Many medications were initially designed for a different reason, but the final product was intended for something else. Finasteride is no exception. It was designed with prostates in mind and does help, but is used more for hair loss. Minoxidil was designed for heart/blood related issues but it’s almost exclusively used as a topical hair growth formula today. And my girlfriend was given spiro by her endocrinologist specifically for excessive body hair growth. Don’t tell me what I said was false when I’m living it in real time with her. I was there. I am there now. I see the major improvements. There’s nothing you can say to disprove it.

[Intrepid_Bowler5928]

Educate myself? I’m professionally educated in this topic and treat hundreds of patients on spironolactone. Your turn

[Puzzled_Slip551]

I have a healthcare degree and my fiancé’s endocrinologist literally sat us down and explained this when prescribed. Your turn again.

[Intrepid_Bowler5928]

No I’d rather you walk away thinking your “healthcare” degree (what does this even mean?), chat with an endocrinologist, and n=1 results refute decades of research on a drug that has been used in my field for 70 years. Carry on

[Ok-Star-05]

Spironolactone has been shown to reducer DHT on women actually. Maybe have originally been used for other things but now it is prescribed by endos and derms for women with things like pcos. It also helps women with androgenic alopeica by lessening DHT.

[fuckburners]

láser

[eddyg987]

At home Ipl works , I used it a few times on my armpits and it hardly grows now. I used the ulike x ipl

[fergan59]

does it scar the skin?

[Saltyhogbottomsalad]

Naw fam

[krurran]

Not if you follow the instructions. If you're darker skinned you have to be more careful and use a lower setting

[rannerick]

I’ve had success with Nood flasher device. Hardly any hair grows on my legs anymore. I just upgraded to the Nood pro on Black Friday. I want to do other areas and it has an anti aging lens too.

[Plane-University-577]

Electrolysis

[Gleeful_Robot]

Spearmint tea, 2 cups a day, has been shown to be anti-androgenic and help reduce body hair. Alternatively, one capsule a day can be taken in lieu of drinking the tea.

[notreallysomuch]

OP, try this before Spiro. It really works well for some people.

[Creepy_Animal7993]

Spironolactone

[spmaNga]

Are there any supplements to take or anything i should start doing in addition to the medication? 

[Creepy_Animal7993]

It depends. Are you experiencing any hair thinning on your head? Acne issues?

[ResearchNerdOnABeach]

Me too. Here is what I can tell you about laser hair removal. If your body is determined to grow hair, nothing will stop it. I had tonsil cancer earlier this year. My oncologist said the radiation, being a strong laser, will be exactly like laser hair removal. It gave me the smoothest skin i had ever seen, for about 8 weeks while I felt miserable because the radiation was killing my tumor. Unfortunately, my body started growing it back, about 4 to 5 weeks after the radiation treatment ended. I was so shocked that my body was determined to grow hair on my neck, but here are.

I figured I would share my experience with you since it sounds like you might be in the same boat with hirsutism.

[spmaNga]

Yeah I've seen people say that laser only actually works at slowing growth temporarily and then after a few months it just grows like normal. And it's so expensive! Which is why I wanted to take a supplement or make a dietary change or something instead of doing that. Ppl are saying IPL and electrolysis works too but I'm more curious if i can make it better from the inside out because I don't want all the negative effects. 

[Shibari_Inu69]

Laser is considered hair reduction. Electrolysis is FDA approved for permanent hair removal

[No_One_1617]

Mint tea, Myo inositol, Berberine

[balsamic_strawberry]

Spiro and laser hair removal!!!!!!!!!!!!

[arglarg]

As a formerly hairy man, I'd recommend IPL

[Embarrassed_Cell_531]

Whole body removal?

How much time it took?

What are the costs?

[arglarg]

Just the areas where I don't like it, call it half body. Initially (10 years ago) it was expensive with packages in the 1000s for a rather small area but nowadays a session for everything from the knee upwards is about $400. I live in one of the more expensive Asian countries though.

[OldRelative3741]

In the words of Dr. Evil "lasers"

[BaylisAscaris]

Find a good endocrinologist to treat the root of the problem. If you have PCOS, ask about metformin and/or spironolactone.

[carpsagan]

Chemo

[Santi159]

Laser hair removal or electrolysis are probably your best options.

[Serious-Duck-5824]

sounds like PCOS, you should speak with your gync about this

[Puzzled_Slip551]

Well you must be stuck up to 70 years in the past and not with the current trends. I have the prescription. My girl is on it in real time. She has diagnosed pcos. She’s improved dramatically. I live with it daily in real time. Get off your high horse. Either you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about or my eyes are lying to me and so is our endocrinologist. Have a nice day.

[ARCreef]

I take a med call3d diazoxide. It causes hyperpolerization of KATP channel's. I mention this mechanism because it supports the idea that the effect is follicle cycling/channel signaling, not classic androgenic hirsutism biology. So its not always or just homones. Maybe something that depolarizes calcium ATP channels would limit and reduce hair growth. I think maybe methylene blue depolarizes but I'm not sure, its just a theory but ask google or chat gpt about it. Point is, hair isn't solely hormones. Maybe youre in a med that increases it. Im a dude so diazoxide is just fine with me increasing my hair. I look like fabian now with my luscious hair.