If you face hirsutism, or excess hair growth, you’re not alone. Excess hair impacts as many as 70 percent of women with PCOS and many members on myPCOSteam. Learning to live with unwanted facial and body hair can be a difficult process for women on myPCOSteam.

Excess hair, especially on the face, can make myPCOSteam members feel self-conscious. “Whenever someone talks to me I can't help but look down or away as I am extremely self-conscious,” a member commented. Another member echoed her concerns, “This body hair makes me hate myself and never want to leave the house. I got stares [when I ran errands] and a guy actually asked me if I was a male or female.” Other members comforted her, reminding her that rude comments are “on them, not you.”

Members share treatments and tips for managing PCOS-related body hair. “I have been on Metformin for a month now. It seems to be helping my issues a lot. The course black ‘man hairs’ seem to have stopped growing after I pluck them.”

Some members turn to laser hair removal or electrolysis. One myPCOSteam member suggested, “Ask some ob-gyns in your area or other doctors about a reduced rate for women with PCOS. It was still expensive, but I got about half off laser due to it being from PCOS. It’s life changing.”

Members encourage each other when they’re feeling down about facial or body hair. One member who hasn’t had much success with hair removal methods wrote, “Embrace your differences and keep your head held high 😉.” “It took me a long time to be comfortable in my own skin,” a member working towards self-acceptance wrote. “[Facial hair] still bothers me, but not nearly as much.”

Another myPCOSteam member encouraged a sense of humor, writing, “Nothing like shaving your mustache and tweezing your beard to look good. Amirite ladies? LOL. Sometimes we just have to laugh or else we’ll cry.”

Focusing on the positive helps other myPCOSteam members deal with the challenge of body hair. “The hair growth is really the thing that bothers me the most, but I guess I have to accept that this is a part of this disease,” a member wrote. “I can’t dwell on the negatives without acknowledging the positives in my life. My miracle baby will be two soon and my oldest angel will be 16 tomorrow.”

As myPCOSteam members battle self-consciousness and work towards self-acceptance, there’s comfort in connecting with other women facing the same challenge. One member reminded a teammate: “Keep your head up - we’re all in this together :).”

On myPCOSteam, the social network and online support group for those living with PCOS, members talk about a range of personal experiences and struggles. Excess hair acceptance is one of the most discussed topics.

Here are some conversations about excess hair:

• “I also have bad facial hair and excess hair on my body.” 

• “I’m having a hard time dealing with facial hair.” 

• “Facial hair is a big problem for me and it obviously upsets me that I have to shave practically every other day or I will look like a bearded lady.” 

• “I am so sick of all of this body hair.” 

Here are some question-and-answer threads about excess hair:

• Facial hair remedies? 

• How to get rid of facial hair 

• Any recommendations for facial hair loss? 

Can you relate? How have you learned to accept excess hair? Share your experiences in the comments below or on myPCOSteam.