Very Early Vaniqa Review

[Guest KimberlyF]

I've been on this stuff for less than a week and I gotta say...OMG THIS STUFF IS AMAZING. Ok...I don't know if you can tell or not but it's working pretty well for me anyway A few things to keep in mind. It only works in about 60% of genetic women and I was one of the people in the YMMV column who's facial hair really started to significantly slow down and change and become a bit spotty after starting HRT which is not the norm, I hear.

I started this stuff Fri night. And I'm using WAY too much of the tube, but the review I read was very helpful and it said you'll use too much early on.

Anyway a little about me. I was one of the first people in my HS to shave. Growing facial hair was never a problem for me. But my skin is very sensitive and I could never do it every day. I've tried every trick I've ever read and I'd try it and think wow that was amazing how painless that technique worked, maybe this time? Yet it always ends up making my face almost raw after a few days of it.

I shaved Thurs night before the first application and I was a bit excited so I ripped my face up pretty good on the lower neck. Oh well, not the first time but maybe getting near the last

Sat night, I was looking in the mirror closely to get a good idea of where I stood after 2 days of not shaving, then I shaved again. Because of Thurs, my neck was still kinda raw so I took extra care and it took a while but I got it done.

Last night I looked in the mirror again and it seemed a whole lot smaller after two nights than the previous time. The HRT has also had the effect of getting rid of lots of the black hairs and so it looks a whole lot like pepper. You can see the little black hairs in a field of white ones standing out pretty easily. There seemed to be less of them. This had to be in my mind. I know this is what I wanted, but less than a week???

Well, I shaved again last night, and 9 hours later it literally looks like I just shaved when I looked in the mirror this morning. I was blown away. Again, I'm using way too much. But this stuff as a lot of meds wasn't invented as one of the reasons it's used now. It was taken internally in greater dosages than what's in the tube I'm using over weeks, daily. So the risk of side effects and stuff like that I'd put in the pretty min category other than the obvious skin irritations/allergic reactions etc that are possible with any creams.

Anyway, this was the review I read that helped me with the application:

http://www.tsroadmap.com/physical/hair/vaniqa.html

Maybe if my results continue I'll post a before and after pic after a month of using it?

Kim

[Guest sarah f]

Kim that is wonderful that it is working for you. I hope it continues to only get better from here.

[Guest MonikaC]

Kim, that is wonderful. When I saw the commercial I was super excited until it said it was for women only. I didn't think it would work for those born with a male body. I would love to see some before and after pics when and if you want to share.

Monika

[Guest KimberlyF]

Drugs can only legally claim what the study was done on. I don't think estradiol was ever tested on male bodied people but it has been prescribed to a few for prostate cancer and a few other reasons . But if you read the pamphlet that comes w/it it talks as if 100% of the users are female bodied.

Again though, for some reason it's not effective on 100% of the women who try it, but based on my research it has worked on numerous TS women so I dont think birth sex is the deciding factor if it's gonna work or not.

Kim

[Guest therisa]

Interesting, Kimberly, as I have similar problem with my facial hair, but didn't start shaving until 17, here. I have noticed a dramatic decrease in my facial growth. Going from shaving 2/day to every second day. Otherwise, I have raw hamburger for a face. Have to check to see, if this is offered here, in Canada and what the cost of a tube is. Next is getting my doc to write a prescription out for it. Thanks for sharing this info.

therisa

[Guest KimberlyF]

Therisa,

I got my script filled by a Canadian pharmacy cause the price was awesome, so I'm gonna say it's avail there

If you do get a script, let me know and I can tell you where I got mine the cheapest!

Kim

[Guest miss kindheart]

I used Vaniqa for awhile before i did laser, and it sure is good stuff

The most important thing to remember about it is to make sure your face is clean b4 you put in on.

if your face is moist it will take very little, more is not better.

Of course once you stop using it your hair starts growing again like B4.

vanna

[Guest Guest_SL]

I've had trouble shaving period, since I was about thirty. Before then, I had a fairly light beard and not much of a problem.

I need to look into this stuff.

SL

[Guest ~Brenda~]

Vaniqa requires a prescription from a doctor. This indicates that certain preconditions must be met before a doctor will prescribe Vaniqa. From what I have read (so far) by this ointment is that it is prescribed to natal women who ave excessive hair on their face. Keep in mind that drugs like these always have risks.

This medication is not a depilatory, but rather appears to retard hair growth to improve the condition and the appearance of some consumers. You will likely need to continue using a hair removal method (e.g., shaving, plucking) in conjunction with Vaniqa. It will usually take 2 months of treatment before you see if it works or not. If you stop taking Vaniqa, your hair may come back to previous levels within 2 months after stopping.

Statements like the one above are a kind of back pedaling to claim that not only will it not work for everyone, why it works for some is unclear.

If you want permanent hair removal than only electrolysis (or laser) will suffice. I know that many people use Nair and/or this product (and possibly others), but I will say this...

Skilled use of a razor can overcome all hair issues (although only temporary) and can hold you until a permanent solution is realized.

Using a razor with soap and water is safe and guaranteed

Be safe, my loves

Love

Brenda

[Guest KimberlyF]

Vaniqa requires a prescription from a doctor. This indicates that certain preconditions must be met before a doctor will prescribe Vaniqa. From what I have read (so far) by this ointment is that it is prescribed to natal women who ave excessive hair on their face. Keep in mind that drugs like these always have risks. There are risks of perm scaring from electrolysis and lasers too-in the interest of full disclosure. And there are bigger risks involved in Spiro and Estradiol....and who were these drugs made for??? Oh that's right, natal women. We should start to point that out on every HRT thread.

Statements like the one above are a kind of back pedaling to claim that not only will it not work for everyone, why it works for some is unclear.

Statements like the above are for legal reasons. Kinda like irons tell you to remove your pants before using the iron so Vaniqa Inc. is covered in all cases. From people I've talked to-again, like on one of my previous posts on this subject I got this prescribed from a LGBT clinic where they see an average of 7 new TSs a week I've been told-if it works there will be a stray hair or two you will have to pluck with tweezers, just like the average natal woman. Not the thing that's gonna get you clocked, but is going to annoy the hell out of you when you see yourself in the mirror. If they didn't mention that, they could get sued. Full disclosure. Anyone have any links from a laser/electrolysis site saying they provide a perm solution to hair removal after X number of visits they could link to? I'll wait. Most of them provide outs in their descriptions if you read them. The old dormant hair bit kind covers everything, doesn't it???

If you want permanent hair removal than only electrolysis (or laser) will suffice. I do wonder why some people don't post on every laser thread pointing out that the only FDA approved perm hair removal treatment is electrolysis and laser isn't considered a perm solution...they describe it as hair reduction not removal in most cases. There are plenty of people who have to go back yearly for one or two 'maintenance treatments' for their life. I know that many people use Nair and/or this product (and possibly others), but I will say this...

Skilled use of a razor can overcome all hair issues (although only temporary) and can hold you until a permanent solution is realized.

Using a razor with soap and water is safe and guaranteed

Be safe, my loves

Love

Brenda

Do I think these posts continue to be slightly out of line. Hmmm...let me think about it and I'll get back to you. It is an FDA approved method to reduce the growth of facial hair.

Kim

[MaryEllen]

I have personally tried Vaniqa and it didn't work. It does say that it will work for some but not for others so it was no big surprise when it didn't. User and buyer beware.

MaryEllen

[Guest KimberlyF]

Here was a pic taken this morning. It's been 11 days of using the product. I've never had anything other than t-blockers and estradiol prior which did slow the growth a bit. But you can see areas on the neck where there is already bare spots. There are a few on my cheeks and the spacing between the black hairs is greater over the whole face. It's hard to really tell in this pic. But you can also see the redness on the lower neck. That's from the last time I shaved which was 3 days ago, on Friday. It's hard to tell on a 2-D shot like that how long exactly the hair is, but I'd put it at maybe slightly shorter than what would have been regular 5 O'Clock shadow for me in the past. Might be a combo of the hairs growing slower combined with the illusion because there are less black hairs. Not sure. Maybe I'll do another shot in a week or two.

Kim

[Guest KimberlyF]

OK...So it hasn't officially been a month, but it's been 29 days. Once again I've gone 3 days without shaving. Even every 3 days it's more shaving than I've done in my life. You can see with the bumps on my neck. This, along with pain was one of my major concerns with laser. The way sunburn and other things have damaged my skin more than most people over the years I just didn't think it would work and if it did I figured the pain would be higher than the norm. One of the reasons I've always said this is a very personal journey and everyone needs to do their research and know of all the options avail instead of just having tunnel vision.

Anyway since I'm still in male mode I think shortly I'll be able to shave much less often which will allow my neck to heal. I'm really only shaving so much now to make the medication stretch. It goes on better and less without a beard.

So anyway remember the camera adds 10 pounds and it went right to my neck.

Now after 3 days you see a whole lot less black hair and the ones there aren't as long. And it's hard to tell in that pic but I took like 10 and couldn't get a good one. That's really not an easy shot with an auto focus camera. The last one I took at 11 days of using it I did during the day time and there was natural light behind me. Anyway...like I said, less black hairs and they're shorter. I'm also still on the first tube after 29 days. I have no idea how I got that to last But considering that I have it down now how to use it the next one will last much longer than a month cause I easily used way too much the first few weeks.

Kim

[MaryEllen]

I'm happy that it's working for you. You appear to be one of the very few fortunate ones. I've tried it and it didn't work. The cost and the fact that you have to use it forever or the hair grows back was enough to discourage me. Personally, I'd stay with electrolysis.

MaryEllen

[Guest KimberlyF]

The way message boards have always worked for me, and I've been an Admin/mod on a few over the years, is when you are talking about board issues, you almost wear the Pope infallibility hat and there should be a certain amount of respect both given and taken...well we should always do our best to treat everyone with respect but emotions are a pregnant dog

But then when a Mod/Admin posts on a subject they take off the infallibility Pope hat and are just like any other poster. Do the same respect and their opinions are worth no more or less. On to this post

I'm happy that it's working for you. You appear to be one of the very few fortunate ones. I've tried it and it didn't work. The cost and the fact that you have to use it forever or the hair grows back was enough to discourage me. Personally, I'd stay with electrolysis.

MaryEllen

Respectfully, there have been 3 people on this thread who have posted about using this product as of this date. It has worked on 2 of 3. The paperwork says about 60%. I was upfront about that in my OP. I have never hid that fact. 2/3 is 66%. I'd guess it works on a small majority rather than a fortunate few. And I'd be willing to bet 10 years from now it's perm in the vast majority of the beard area even though they didn't make that claim. They're not gonna pay for a 10 year study and they'd want you to use it for life. But the hairs on your head that DHT have blocked from growing start to die after a certain amount of time not growing.

Here was the other review here:

I used Vaniqa for awhile before i did laser, and it sure is good stuff

The most important thing to remember about it is to make sure your face is clean b4 you put in on.

if your face is moist it will take very little, more is not better.

Of course once you stop using it your hair starts growing again like B4.

vanna

Kim

[MaryEllen]

You are entitled to your opinion and if it works for you, that's great. I, however, stand by mine.

Yes, the words of an admin/moderator are law. If you want respect, you have to also respect opinions from others. Please do keep that in mind.

MaryEllen

[Guest Elizabeth K]

Sometimes - as a moderator - it's best to NOT post on a TOPIC. I avoided this one - mainly because I don't know anything about it.

I do get antsy though, when discussing prescription drugs in detail (I assume it's prescription). I think Bernii said it best - your DOCTOR should advise you, not people on the forum. Also, like Mary Ellen says, 'buyer beware!'

BUT this topic does bring the product to people's attention, so that is good. It's the 'what I say is gospel' attitude that I see so often, that makes me concerned, especially in PUBLIC forum...

Just me.

Lizzy

[Guest Isabella_Anne]

Drugs can only legally claim what the study was done on. I don't think estradiol was ever tested on male bodied people but it has been prescribed to a few for prostate cancer and a few other reasons . But if you read the pamphlet that comes w/it it talks as if 100% of the users are female bodied.

Again though, for some reason it's not effective on 100% of the women who try it, but based on my research it has worked on numerous TS women so I dont think birth sex is the deciding factor if it's gonna work or not.

Kim

Maybe if they claimed it worked on men also the shaving industry would have a cow and business would decline. I don't know many me who love to shave everyday. I think I will inquire with my doc. worth a shot anyway.

Isabella