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Does Vaniqa Hair Removal Cream for the Face Work?

Vaniqa is one of the most popular brands of hair removal cream on the market, and NAIR's fiercest competitor. If you're considering these hair removal creams as a means of getting rid of facial hair, here's everything you need to know about Vaniqa Hair Removal Cream for Your Face.

What is Vaniqa and How Does it Work?

Vaniqa is the brand name on the cream made from eflornithine, one of the first topical drugs used to get rid of hair--specifically around the chin and face.

It's a cream made with women in mind, and should ONLY be used on the face and chin. It will not remove hair completely, but is designed only to slow hair growth.

The chemical components in the cream block the production of an enzyme named ornithine decarboxylase--or ODC. In order for your skin to produce new hair cells, it needs this ODC enzyme in order to produce the polyamines that cause rapid cell growth. Without the enzyme, your skin is unable to produce the new cells. The Vaniqa cream helps to block the ODC enzyme, thereby slowing the growth of hair strands.

The cream was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in July 2000, making it one of the first-approved drugs to use for hair removal of the face and chin.

How you can Be Certain it Works?

In a number of studies, more than 600 participants used the eflornithine cream to remove facial hair. The cream was applied twice per day over the course of 24 weeks.

At the end of the test period, 70% of those applying the chemical cream showed signs of hair reduction, compared to just 41% of those using the placebo. Not only was overall hair presence reduced, but hair growth rate was also reduced by as much as 35%.

What You Need to Know

As with all drugs and chemical treatments, there ARE side effects of using Vaniqa for your hair and chin. Some of the side effects include:

  • Red skin
  • Tingling
  • Burning sensation
  • Stinging
  • Itching

Less common side effects include:-

  • Acne
  • Folliculitis

In case of an allergic reaction to the cream, some people have experienced:

  • Rash
  • Swelling
  • Dizziness
  • Breathing difficulties

If any of the more serious side effects present themselves, get to a doctor immediately.  

It's important to consult your dermatologist before trying the cream. There is a risk that you will be allergic to the chemicals in the cream, or it will have a negative interaction with some other medicine or topical treatment you are using.

If you have cuts, sores, or wounds on your face, it's best to avoid using Vaniqa in those areas. Pregnant and nursing mothers should avoid using the cream as well!

Real Review - What People are Saying about Vaniqa Cream

Here are some of the user reviews we have found online:

Positive Reviews

  • It helps to slow the growth of facial hair. It doesn't stop the growth, but slows it down. No side effects. [2]
  • I found the hairs are much less course and dark [2]
  • Has slowed my hair grown considerably and as a result improved my confidence no end. You have to get into a routine of applying it twice daily, and it does sting a little bit - but I'm not complaining, it's changed my life. [2]
  • I have been using Vaniqa for just over a week and I can already see a massive improvement. I have very dark facial hair which I have to pluck daily and always had a dark shadow. I am so pleased to say that so far so good, the shadow is disappearing and the hair that's growing back is finer and no where near as dark! [2]
  • I have had immediate results with Vaniqa, reducing coarse hairs on my chin and all hair on upper lip. I also noticed a big reduction in whiteheads and ingrown hairs on my chin. [3]

Negative Reviews

  • It did help but it is too expensive to keep using
  • Not really working but still using
  • For me, this medication worked everywhere but on my facial hair.  It was definitely systemic for as I noticed no hair growth in areas of my body previously hairy, but no change in my facial hair [3]
  • I took it for 2 months but stopped. Just felt annoyed putting it on my upper lip, and then worrying if I drink or eat something, I may be actually eating this medication somehow [2]
  • The pharmacy info that comes with the product does not tell you that one of the side effects is hair loss on the head. Pay close attention to your scalp. If you start seeing more scalp than you used to stop using the product. After 2 months of of using vaniqua my scalp started turning bright red in areas and it felt like someone was standing over me trying to lift me off of the ground by my hair. [4]

As you can see, there is a lot of good to Vaniqa, but there are the occasional complaints. Understanding this will help you to know exactly what to expect when you start using it to deal with the hair on your face and chin.

Resources

http://www.medicinenet.com/eflornithine/article.htm [2] http://www.dailystrength.org/treatments/Vaniqa [3] http://www.drugs.com/comments/eflornithine-topical/vaniqa.html [4] http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drugreview-19859-Vaniqa+topical.aspx?drugid=19859&drugname=Vaniqa+topical&conditionFilter=-500

Paul
 

I'm a computer science graduate, have a passion for self development and created this site as a side project due to the lack of complete, understandable, helpful and truthful information about hair removal available online.

  • Avatar Minerxstore says:

    Thank you for sharing the most important information about Vaniqa hair removal cream with us. Vaniqa is also known as Eflornithine. It deals with chemical included in the follicles and also blocks the enzyme, these two factors are important for hair growth in the skin surfaces. Vaniqa basically removes such two factors to remove hairs as well as helps to reduces the growth of the unwanted and s facial hairs.

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