[cagirl]

Hi everyone, new poster here. I am a 32-year-old woman and am wondering if anyone here has tried Vaniqa, and if so, if you had good results. Here's my story in a nutshell. When I was in my young teens, (13, 14) I had very fine, blonde hair on my neck and under my chin. In retrospect, it really wasn't bad at all. It was baby fine, light blonde hair on young skin, so I don't think it was that noticeable. But, it was long - long enough to grasp and tug on. My sister used to make fun of me because of it. So, I tried shaving. I don't remember this being a frequent thing - I think I just wanted to shorten the hair and did it occasionally. When I was 17, I noticed a tiny patch (about the size of a dime, or even smaller) of coarse hair on the right side of my chin. I felt it before I could see it. It was such a tiny patch that I could "buff" it away with an emery board. I don't know if it was related to the earlier hair or not. But, with time, it spread. I don't know if this had anything to do with my efforts to remove it, or if it would have spread by itself. I had to start shaving it. By now, 15 years later, it is still somewhat localized, and on the right side of my face, but it has spread so that it is probably a 3" x 2" area, or maybe 3" x 3". It's on and under my chin. Because it's really only on one side of my face (though under my chin it has begun to spread to the other side) I do wonder if there is a hormonal imbalance. I recently got up the courage to mention it to my doctor but she dismissed it. I am otherwise very un-hairy. It's not in a male pattern, but it IS dark (some hairs are light blonde but very thick, others are black and very tihick.) I don't show clinical signs of PCOS (like insulin resistance, etc.) Soon I will be tested for other hormonal issues, but what seems weird is that the hair on the rest of my body and even the rest of my face is fine and blonde. I have no mustache or long sideburns, either.

In any case, I succeeded in getting a prescription for Vaniqa, the topical hair inhibitor cream. You apply it twice a day after hair removal, and should see good results (finer, lighter hair) in 8 weeks or so. Insurance did not cover it, and it was $89.99 USD for a small 30g tube.

Has anyone has SUCCESS with this product? Like significant reduction in hair over time, even without laser hair removal, etc.? I am probably going to do laser hair removal as I have read that the two things in concert are very effective for most women. I would have done it years ago, but I have been so embarrassed by this problem that I didn't even want to bring it to the attention of a laser technician. (That is also why I never mentioned it to a doctor.)

Although the problem is somewhat localized, the hair is DARK and THICK. The area is large enough now that it can be very noticeable. I have to rush to get up every morning to take care of things so that my husband won't notice... and I get a shadow by the end of the day and take pains to cover it up with makeup. It really dominates my life right now.

[Guest]

Hello

Dont be too stressed... maybe you can try it at (edited), I found my answers there.. hairs from my chin have never been my problem anymore

I have heard about "Vaniqa" from a friend but then i dont know if it does work...she said she didnt get to try it but she knows about it...

[Brittanywrd]

You are lucky you have blonde hair. Even though yours is longer in some spots, when you remove it you won't get any shadow. I do know laser hair removal is only for fine dark hairs so I hope this creme works for you because I need to figure out something for me. I am 24 and have dealt with the same issue that spread in twenties, but I have darker hair. I have tried five laser treatments and it sadly didn't change anything. I still have hair popping up. I need to go to the Dr. to figure it out aswell. I suggest you don't let your Dr. push it off it it bothers you enough.

[cagirl]

No no, if you read my whole post, the hair started out blonde, when I was a teenager, but is now mostly THICK and DARK. So there is a shadow. Fortunately it is localized to the chin and under the chin (not all over my face) but it's bad. I'm very curious to see how much Vaniqa will thin it out. I'll probably give it 6 weeks and then look at laser hair removal.

[cagirl]

Another reason I have hope that Vaniqa will work is that it is FDA-approved and only available by prescription. My belief that that will have any bearing on its effectiveness may just reflect my naivete about the approval process. But, I do know that for it to be FDA-approved it has to be safe when used as directed, and also be able to live up to its claims for a significant chunk of users, when used as directed.

I even used to use Jergens shave-minimizing lotion (made for body) on my face, and that did work somewhat. I used it twice a day and saw that the hair was finer and didn't grow as fast. That hair problem was still bad, but I hope that if even an OTC lotion like that can have an effect, Vaniqa can. I stopped using the Jergens because it is very greasy and has a strong chemical scent (somewhat like a sunless tanning lotion) and so it wasn't good for my face.

I am using the Vaniqa religiously, twice a day, rubbing it in, letting it dry, and then even avoiding that area with other moisturizers (though you can supposedly apply other moisturizers over it once it is dry.) I also use a powdered mineral foundation, so I don't have to worry about a liquid foundation somehow mixing with the Vaniqa and reducing the effectiveness.

So, if this doesn't work, at least I will know it's not because I didn't apply it properly. I do sometimes wonder if the people who complain it had no effect didn't apply it twice a day, every day, let it dry before applying anything over it, etc.. I did read one testimonial where the person made it last longer by applying it over wet skin (which helps thin it so it can spread over a larger surface.) That is sure to reduce its effectiveness.

[Guest]

Sure there CA girl... go ahead... just be careful and do as directed...as they say "persistence is the key to achieve good results"

[p3375]

CG
I understand the embarrisment re: hair, but if you read posts on this forum you'll see you are not alone with this problem. Glad you're checking out the possibility of hormone imballance, that's likely the cause of the hair growth.

Re: Vaniqua - sorry to say it does not appear to be a great fix. To sum up what I've read: "Expensive and relitavely ineffective". Please post a follow-up re: your own results.

P

[valesolove]

I have been using Vaniqa now for 6 weeks. The reduction in facial hair being problematic has been remarkable! I find myself hardly having to pluck hairs anymore, which has dramatically improved the quality of my life.