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Eflornithine topical for Hirsutism User Reviews (Page 3)

Brand names: Vaniqa, Florexa

Eflornithine topical has an average rating of 7.2 out of 10 from a total of 101 reviews for the treatment of Hirsutism. 68% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 25% reported a negative experience.

Reviews for Eflornithine topical

  • Carwin
  • August 29, 2017

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I started this med 3 DAYS AGO!!!! I haven't shaved since. Chin and upper lip are still smooth. I was shaving daily. I was thinking surely this isn't working that quickly. For me, so far it's working! Life changing indeed!"

9 / 10
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11 Report
  • Elsasol
  • Taken for 10 years or more
  • July 31, 2017

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I have been using Vaniqa for many years and it has effectively decreased amount of my chin and lip facial hair, which formerly required painful monthly waxings. I only need to tweeze a couple of long chin hairs per month now -- easily accomplished. Very little cream required for thin, effective twice a day applications. Once had a bit of inflammation but I lowered amount of cream applied. Problem is the cost -- now $181 at Costco and more at pharmacy for a tube that lasts 3-4 months. Used to pay $50 for a tube half the size."

9 / 10
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14 Report
  • Hairy...
  • Taken for 10 years or more
  • June 20, 2016

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I have been using this cream (which my GP fought for on the NHS, UK) for about 12 years. I had always had a lot of blonde facial hair, but following menopause and stopping HRT at age 60, I began to grow a full beard, face, and neck. The dermatologist first suggested waxing, a task which my husband performed for me. This worked for a short time, after which I noticed stubble the day after waxing. I had my androgens (male hormones) checked and indeed had too many. They can be countered by estrogen, but since I have breast cancer, 8/8 estrogen positive, this was not an option. Finally, and in desperation, I begged the dermatologist for another solution, and voila! Vaniqa! I still pluck some stubborn whiskers every day, and losing weight helps."

9 / 10
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42 Report
  • Hairy...
  • Taken for 10 years or more
  • September 12, 2015

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I have been using Vaniqa for about 12 years now, and it has been amazing. I have always had dark and long peach fuzz all over my face. Vaniqa got rid of it. I do still grow a mustache and some thicker hairs on my chin, especially as I get older, but I can manage that with tweezers. It's the full-face peach fuzz that was unmanageable. Make sure you apply the Vaniqa as the last step in your facial regimen. For a while, I was putting it on first, under my other products, thinking it would work better, but then I started losing hair at the end of my left eyebrow. It took me a while to realize that when I put other lotions on over the Vaniqa, I was spreading it onto my eyebrows. Hair grew back when I was more careful."

9 / 10
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42 Report
  • irish...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • February 25, 2015

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I don't have PCOS, however, I have horrid dark and very coarse hair on my chin and under it since I was a teenager. I have to shave every day, being a woman, it is such a horrible feeling. I feel embarrassed in bright sunshine and dread the summer months. I have had laser, and it didn't work. I thought nothing would help, so I got the courage to go to my doctor, who prescribed me Vaniqa one week ago today. I don't want to jinx it, but I think it's starting to work already. I usually shave in the morning, and by nighttime in bed, I can usually feel the stubble through again, but the past few nights it's been smooth with a small bit through in the morning. It's still bumpy underneath, but it's only been a week, so I'm hoping it keeps working! Will update again soon."

9 / 10
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35 Report

Are you taking this medicine?

  • Anonymous
  • January 9, 2015

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I've suffered all my adult life with facial hair and had tried all other methods of hair removal but no good. I'd been plucking 2-3 times a day with a tweezer literally in every room and handbag. About 4 weeks ago, I went online and read about this cream and decided to give it a go. It has changed my life. In 3 weeks, the hair, though still there, is finer and there is slower growth, now only plucking every few days. I know it's early days, but felt I had to share my experience."

9 / 10
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86 Report
  • FlGrl
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • August 8, 2014

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "Life changing. Amazing. I was doubtful having tried laser two separate times. I've been using this for about 2 months and it has reduced the facial hair growth so much I am shocked. I just got my second tube. It's expensive, and my insurance would not pay for any of it, but it's worth it."

9 / 10
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100 Report
  • Emmy
  • June 16, 2014

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I have hirsutism due to polycystic ovarian syndrome. So I started using this product 5 days ago and oh my! I don't want to tempt fate but wow, it's working already. Over the past couple of days, I've seen the biggest improvement. The stubble that's growing through isn't coming in nearly as quickly and when I shave, you can barely see the little black hairs under the skin. I would normally have to shave at the very least once a day, and again if I was going out in the evening. Evening comes and my razor is still attached to my bathroom wall. I will say that I am using slightly above the recommended dosage. Sometimes three times daily, rather than two, and a slightly thicker than thin coat. I live in the UK where a 60g tube on prescription is only."

9 / 10
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80 Report
  • Lowri
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • August 15, 2021

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I have PCOS and like Sandy further down the reviews I am shocked at how much some women have to pay for this treatment! I am so lucky to to be Welsh for many reasons, one of which is NHS Wales. As a single working mother I would struggle to justify paying so much for something for myself so I am beyond grateful that NHS Wales provides this treatment at no cost. I haven't been using it for long (9 days) but already I can see a huge difference in growth rate. Before I would have to shave every morning but now it's down to every 3 days. I am confident that the growth rate will continue to slow and hopeful that it will halt altogether. I will check back in a few weeks with an update. For now it's 8/10 just for the simple fact that I don't know what my end results with the treatment will be."

8 / 10
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2 Report
  • boring
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • July 1, 2021

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "Wanted to share a tip for other sufferers. I'm 72: I've had significant chin hair since I was 14. For most of my life I spent an hour a day plucking. In my fifties, I got it down to 45 minutes, plus depilatory for the finer hairs every 2-3 days. I first got Vaniqa when it was still new, & it's been a relief, since I no longer have the energy I once did. It helps a lot if you use it every day, it helps some even if you use it only every 3 days. However, I quickly discovered that it gives me acne -- at least one bump for every application. So before I put it on, I apply a layer of salicylic acid lotion, cheap from CVS. Interestingly, it doesn't seem to effect how well the Vaniqa works at all. About the price. Yes, it's a fortune, but one tube lasts me about a year."

8 / 10
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14 Report
  • Adi
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • April 21, 2020

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I have recently started applying Vaniqa (3weeks now) to my chin since PCOS has affected me greatly in unwanted hair growth. I am only writing to you now because I truly believe in this product, the redness from plucking is almost gone since there hasn't been much need for plucking as much. I do still pluck every day unfortunately but not to the extreme amount I was at one point. By far Vaniqa is the only thing that has helped, I have been on spirolactone, birth control, plucking and even bleaching."

8 / 10
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17 Report
  • Kay...
  • January 8, 2020

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "Today marks exactly one month for me on Vaniqa. I read a lot of reviews, so I promised myself I would come back and write one. Long story short, it DOES make a difference. I didn't notice results in days, like I saw a few people say, took a good 3 weeks. But I went from shaving my face (upper lip, sides of face, chin, and parts of the neck) DAILY, to being able to go 3, maybe 4 days without shaving. Although I can FEEL some hair when I go this long, the hair is never long enough to be visible. It has cut down on the razor burn on my neck tremendously. It is definitely pricey - $130 for one bottle, but I have enough for one more month, if not 1.5/2 more months left in there. So that makes it a little more manageable to afford, no way could I do $130 every month. I had a bit of mild stinging the first 2/3 weeks, but nothing unbearable and it went away. My hair is black and coarse, and it worked for me! I was skeptical but glad I tried it. Plan to come back in another month and update."

8 / 10
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117 Report
  • Jen
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • July 27, 2019

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I have been using Vaniqa for just over 4 weeks now. I was plucking my upper lip/chin/neck every single day. This was causing my skin in these areas to be red, irritated, and PIH on my upper lip. As you can imagine, my self-esteem was affected negatively. In the 4 weeks, I can see a major difference in not only the frequency of having to remove hair, but the hair itself. The hair comes in finer, lighter, and easier to remove. I now pluck once every 1-2 weeks. I use it with Meladerm on my upper lip for the hyperpigmentation. I have not noticed any scalp hair loss - the only side effect I have experienced is small acne in the area where I apply it, but that was only in the beginning. It works, you just have to be patient! The only reason I give it 8 stars is because of the price. It's not covered with my insurance. It's a shame that this company charges so much for a medicine that helps women seeking an answer for a very embarrassing condition when they are the only company to make it."

8 / 10
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75 Report
  • Dachs...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 9, 2017

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "Because of PCOS my chin hairs were getting to the point they were dark and long and I swear if I didn't pluck every other day I would have a full beard. "

8 / 10
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8 Report
  • Dapper
  • February 24, 2016

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I've been using the generic, Eflora, which has the same active ingredient. I have dark coarse hair on parts of my face. My upper lip isn't too bad (manageable, mostly just dark fine hairs), but my chin is horrible. If I shaved, it really had to be twice a day, and even after shaving, my skin could still feel prickly. The left side was inexplicably worse than the right. I started noticing results on the thinner and/or slower-growing hair first... Two weeks: Start seeing results with hair between eyebrows and on upper lip (these areas weren't too bad). Four weeks: Start seeing results all over, including chin. Eight weeks: Still improving, growth extremely slowed except for the left side of chin. The left side of chin is slowing, just not as much."

8 / 10
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47 Report
  • Bearded...
  • July 24, 2015

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I had very coarse dark facial hair on dark skin and was constantly self-waxing under my chin. If I went 2 weeks without waxing, I felt as if I had a beard. After burning my skin several times with hot wax on my face, I turned to shaving. Now shaving had the hair back within 48 hours and was causing hair bumps. Embarrassed but determined, I finally asked my Dr. for help, and after a short time with Vaniqa... WOW, it's working! I noticed results after 2 weeks! I suggest plucking the area if it's your face to remove hair from the shaft. Ladies, I DON'T recommend shaving since you're just cutting the hair, not removing it. I use a small amount 2 times a day. The hair that is growing back is much finer, and I am plucking very few coarse hairs."

8 / 10
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51 Report
  • cheese
  • January 11, 2014

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I have PCOS, and so I have a great amount of upper lip hair and on my chin. Instead of pulling 20 chin hairs a day, I pull about 4-5 if I use the product 2 times per day. I have also noticed over the past 3 months that the hair on my head has been falling out, so I backed off on using this product to 1 time per day. I continue to lose a number of hairs from my head every day. I know if I back off to using Vaniqa once every other day, my chin and lip hair will increase, so not sure what to do."

8 / 10
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46 Report
  • Anonymous
  • December 17, 2011

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I have had immediate results with Vaniqa, reducing coarse hairs on my chin and all hair on my upper lip. I also noticed a big reduction in whiteheads and ingrown hairs on my chin. Because I also have had moderate hair loss with thinning on my entire head, I reduced application to once every day. I still had hair coming out on brushing, so now down to once every other day."

8 / 10
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49 Report
  • deser...
  • September 20, 2009

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "Loving Vaniqa so far! Some details on my facial hair situation. I don't have PCOS, yet have severe facial hair issues (full beard if I let it go, especially around chin and on neck). Spent thousands of dollars on laser hair removal, and as soon as I stopped getting the laser treatments, the hair all came back, worse than before. Using Nair or Veet only worked for the soft hair on my cheeks, irritated my skin horribly, and didn't do ANYTHING for the prickly chin and neck hair. I've never been brave enough to shave (except my mustache area), for fear of even worse beard-effect. Waxing didn't touch the problem. Vaniqa, after about 4 weeks of faithful twice a day use, has significantly slowed the growth. Now pluck a few minutes a day only!"

8 / 10
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130 Report
  • Grand...
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • February 21, 2018

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I used Vaniqa for a very long time, but I still had some hairs that were resistant to it. It has priced itself out of my fixed income range. Personally, I believe it is ridiculous for a company to charge $197.00 for a 4 oz. tube of medication. That is just plain highway robbery when they know they are the only one out there. I have something new I am using that is much cheaper! After all this time, it seems a generic is due!"

7 / 10
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20 Report
  • Kajal
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • November 16, 2020

"I have chin hair dark and coarse. I start doing laser, end up having more hair on my face nearer treated area. Visit Gynaecologist provide me with hormone therapy to control PCOS and ask to go laser. But I decided to end up waxing my face still so depress due to more hair than before. Now my dermatologist suggest me elfora/elyn now I'm using it. Lets see what this brings to me. Hoping for best. Some hair already shedded out in 5 days."

6 / 10
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3 Report
  • Amnesty
  • September 6, 2017

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "I've used it on and off, and I definitely see slowed hair growth. The only problem I have is that it slows growth, it doesn't remove. This results in hair coming out "just a little bit", i.e., very, very short hairs, which are not so much seen as felt. And they're very hard to remove because so short (and I only use Tweezerman!) It actually takes me longer to pluck the short stunted growth hairs than the full grown hairs. Oh, well. I'm hoping that once I do get them, they won't grow back and I'll be on my way to a smooth chin!!"

6 / 10
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9 Report
  • Hairy...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • May 13, 2016

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "Having been using this on and off since I've bought it. I don't know if it's only me but it has made my overall skin VERY dry. I'm not complaining since I have naturally oily skin. However it is extremely tight-feeling and unusual. It also stings ALOT if you have removed hair on the day ie threading. I haven't noticed a difference on the thickness of my hair or any decrease in growth. After trading such positive reviews I do hope it works for myself and other women out there suffering! Really do wish this is the "miracle" cream it has been labelled since it was super expensive here in the UK"

5 / 10
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15 Report
  • skept...
  • November 10, 2015

"After reading all the reviews, there are a good number of them that sound the same (mentioning it is pricey but worth it, and that it works right away), and I wonder if this is company reviews rather than women like me."

5 / 10
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7 Report
  • Newyo...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • June 11, 2019

Vaniqa (eflornithine) "Vaniqa worked great for a few years. Recently there was a long period (months) when you couldn't get it. Now its back but it doesn't work as well. Very disappointed."

4 / 10
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18 Report

Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.

Learn more about Hirsutism

Symptoms and treatments