Laser hair removal for PCOS and hormonal hair growth

For many women, unwanted facial and body hair is not cosmetic in origin but hormonal, most commonly from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), where elevated androgens drive coarse hair growth on the face, chest, and abdomen.

Laser helps, but with an asterisk. It reduces the hair that exists, yet the underlying hormonal drive keeps stimulating new follicles, so results fade faster than in non-hormonal patients and ongoing maintenance is the rule. The better outcomes come from combining laser with medical management of the hormones, often spironolactone or a combined contraceptive prescribed by a physician, so the body produces fewer new coarse hairs for the laser to chase.

This is why a dermatologist treating hirsutism will often look beyond the laser to the cause. Treating the hair without addressing the hormones is a frustrating, expensive loop. Patients who pursue both the medical and the laser side together get durable control; those who rely on laser alone tend to feel like they are bailing a boat with a hole in it.

Related reading: Laser hair removal on dark skin: what changed and How laser hair removal actually works.