by

Marie Davis

So, you've finally had your transplant. The day that you awaited for so very long had come at last. All your anxiety, fears and concerns seem to have faded and now you look forward to the rest of your life.

You have settled into the routine of checking for signs of rejection, taking your medication and watching your body change. The first thing I noticed was the swelling of my face due to the prednisone. This is often called a "moon face." Then there was the hair, hair, everywhere! I used to refer to myself as a baby koala. I can remember looking down and seeing my cheekbones and thinking I needed a good shave. Where was this additional hair coming from anyway? I was accustomed to having hairy arms and legs and eyebrows that I had to tweeze frequently, but this was ridiculous. I later learned that one of the side effects of Cyclosporine is extra hair growth. Oh well, life goes on.

Since my transplant some ten years ago, I have adopted the attitude of changing what I could and accepting what I could not. With this in mind, I would frequently ask my dermatologist about different ways of treating my unwanted hair.

The least expensive method was to do nothing and just accept it. Well, I was not willing to do this as people would frequently stare at my face and arms, and I felt self conscious about it.

There was also the possibility of having it removed through laser treatments; unfortunately, only a few dermatologists do this and it is usually expensive and not covered by insurance. And it is not a permanent treatment, although the technology is improving and the results are becoming more long-lasting than they were even a year or two ago.

Another option was to have it removed through waxing. As you can imagine, this treatment is somewhat painful, and again, not permanent. This treatment can be done in a salon or at home. I initially chose to use over the counter waxing removal kits because I had concerns about the cleanliness of the salon instruments and risk for infection. However, I stopped using this method early on because, quite frankly, I had been through enough painful experiences and you probably have too.

 So, through trial and error and a sense of humor, I have developed ways to realistically respond to the hair, hair, everywhere. My game plan is dermatologist-approved, economically affordable, and most importantly, easy to maintain. I would suggest that you work with a dermatologist who has experience with immunosuppressive medications. He/she can help you maintain your skin at its healthiest.

Facial Hair

One way to cope with the facial hair is to bleach your face with facial bleach. Joleen's is one of the more popular brands. Just follow the instructions on the box and use it as frequently as you and your dermatologist feel appropriate. I personally remove the hair around my mouth (mustache) and nose using tweezers. You may want to consider having your stylist remove this hair by waxing. My dermatologist told me that the traditional Oriental culture accepts facial hair shaving by women.

Eyebrows

Another great challenge for me were my eyebrows. As a child I looked like Groucho Marx so I had begun "tweezing" my eyebrows at the early age of twelve or thirteen. Because of the prednisone, they turned jet black and grew even more rapidly. What's a girl to do? So, one day I tried "highlighting" my eyebrows with facial bleach. Don't try this. My eyebrows looked like the fur of a calico cat. Although it was quite funny, I still had jet black eyebrows to deal with.

My stylist came to the rescue. She showed me by trimming my eyebrows it visually lightened their appearance. Then I became even braver and had her dye them the color of my hair. This has now become part of my haircut routine. You might also find it helpful to talk with a makeup artist to help you shape your eyebrows. I must admit that maintaining my eyebrows is somewhat time consuming as I use tweezers daily to keep them nicely shaped.

I was so self conscious about my arm hair that I felt it was long enough to braid. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating, but you get the point. I tried using bleach on my arm hair; however, the color only lasted about one week. And, I thought it looked a little strange that I had brown hair, black eyebrows and blond arm hair.

Even the middle school students who I work with questioned the difference. I told them it was genetics.

One day I was getting my hair cut and my stylist was using the trimmers to trim the hair on the back of my neck. (Don't worry, I won't waste your time discussing neck hair.) And I thought if she could use them there, why couldn't I use them on my arms.

So I talked with my dermatologist and with his blessings and my stylist's instructions, I purchased a Conair Home Barber Set. She showed me how to trim my hair by angling the trimmers in the opposite direction of my arm hair. I can remember the first time I trimmed my hair. In some ways I felt like a lamb having its wool coat shaved. It made me feel very feminine. Today, I trim my arm hair about twice a month in the summer and once a month in the winter. I find that I am much more confident about wearing short sleeve dresses and it only takes about five minutes.

I also grew hair on my hands and fingers. I tried bleaching and even tweezing. Again, the bleaching only lasted about one week and the tweezing hurt. Ouch! Plus my nephrologist was concerned about developing an infection from all the tweezing. So one day I got the brainy idea to shave my hand and finger hair. My dermatologist gave me the go-ahead, and I have found that shaving about once a week keeps my hands feeling soft.

I hope this article has given you some ideas as to how you can better manage the hair, hair everywhere. Although I sometimes feel that maintaining my body hair is a part-time job, I know it has helped me to feel better about myself. Good luck!

1. Talk with your doctors about any side effects you may be experiencing

2. Always take your medication as directed

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
I would like to thank William A. Horn, MD for his valuable medical advice and Carolyn H. McGrory, MS, RN for her editorial review.

This article appears on TransWeb by permission of the author, Marie Davis. Copyright 1999. Comments are welcome.

Last modified: 11 May 2000