By Mariela
Updated: August 22, 2024
7 minutes
Unwanted hair on the face and the body becomes a source of continuous stress for women as it impacts their self-esteem adversely. For women’s sensitive skin, harsh and painful hair removal methods like shaving and waxing add to the stress.
Thus, hair removal creams including prescription and depilatory creams serve as a gentle and pain-free method of hair removal. While depilatory creams only remove unwanted hair from the body, prescription creams also slow down hair regrowth.
Thus, let us talk about prescription hair removal creams in this article along with their working principle, instructions to use, benefits, suitable candidates, and much more.
Table of Contents:
- Part 1: What is Prescription Hair Removal Cream?
- Part 2: Common Prescription Hair Removal Creams
- Part 3: Why to Use Prescription Hair Removal Creams?
- Part 4: How to Obtain Prescription Hair Removal Creams
- Part 5: Alternative to Prescription Hair Removal Creams
Part 1: What is Prescription Hair Removal Cream?
Below is the explanation about prescription hair removal creams.
Prescription Hair Removal Creams
Prescription hair removal creams were designed by pharmacists and dermatologists to reduce the growth of unwanted hair on the face for women suffering from hormonal disorders resulting in fast and thick hair growth on their bodies.
Commercially available in the market with the brand name “Vaniqa”, these topical creams are FDA-approved medical treatments for unwanted hair.
Their Major Ingredients with Uses
The major ingredients of Vaniqa hair removal cream are given as,
- Eflornithine
- Ceteareth
- Cetearyl alcohol
- Glyceryl stearate
- Methylparaben
- Mineral oil
- Propylparaben
- Phenoxyethanol
Most of the ingredients used in Vaniqa cream are similar to other hair removal and personal grooming products as they are used to stabilize or preserve the product.
Here the ingredient worth noticing is Eflornithine. Eflornithine is a chemical substance that was first used in medicines to treat African sleeping sickness. Currently, it is used as a hair growth reduction substance.
Mechanism of Action
Eflornithin works actively to slow down the rate of the hair growth cycle and also makes the hair grow back thinner and finer. It acts as an irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase enzymes.
Eflornithine binds to the active site of the enzyme while modifying its structure. As this enzyme plays an important role in the hair growth cycle by stimulating the hair follicles, its inhibition results in the slowing of the stages of hair growth.
Consequently, the hair growth is reduced.
Difference Between Prescription Creams and Over-the-Counter Hair Removal Creams
In contrast to eflornithine which inhibits the enzymes acting on hair follicles, depilatory creams contain salts of thioglycolic acid which dissolves the protein in the hair strands.
Thus, prescription creams reduce hair growth while depilatory creams remove unwanted hair. Furthermore, prescription creams are obtained after consultation with a dermatologist and you can get hair removal creams over-the-counter.
Lastly, the effects of depilatory creams are transient while those of prescription creams are long-lasting.
Part 2: Common Prescription Hair Removal Creams
As Vaniqa is the most commonly used FDA-cleared prescription cream for unwanted hair removal, we will use it as a reference to discuss common prescription hair removal creams.
Vaniqa Hair Removal Cream
Vaniqa is the leading prescription hair removal cream with 11 to 14% content of eflornithine in this. It is mainly formulated to be used on the face of women with dense hair growth as a result of hormonal imbalance or side effects of some medications.
How Does it Work
As we explained earlier, the main ingredient of prescription creams is eflornithine. In vaniqa, it is present in the form of hydrochloride monohydrate. So, it works exactly the same way as discussed in the mechanism of action in part 1.
Steps to Use Vaniqa
Below are the steps to use Vaniqa cream with little to no side effects.
- Get a prescription for Vaniqa after a detailed discussion with your dermatologist
- Give the instructions pamphlet a read before applying Vaniqa
- Remove the unwanted hair from the desired area of the treatment by hair removal methods like shaving, tweezing, or waxing
- Wait for 5 to 15 minutes to let the skin calm down after removing the unwanted hair from it
- Wash your face and pat it dry
- Take a small amount of cream on your fingertips and apply a thin layer of it on the area with removed hair
- Gently rub the cream into your skin until it is fully absorbed
- Wait for about 4 hours before rinsing your face
- Use this cream twice a day 8 to 12 hours apart for at least 3 to 6 months or until you achieve desired results
- Wash your hands well to remove the leftover cream
Suitable for
Vaniqa hair removal cream is only suitable to be used on the face, especially on the chin. Using it on areas like arms, legs, and intimate areas is not recommended.
Also, note that vaniqa reduces unwanted hair growth gradually for several months instead of stopping it completely. So, you will see your hair growth rate return to normal as soon as you stop using Vaniqa.
Part 3: Why to Use Prescription Hair Removal Creams?
Here are the conditions where the use of prescription hair removal creams can prove to be beneficial.
Hirsutism
Hirsutism is associated with excessive and fast hair growth in different areas of the body including the face. While hair growth in other areas of the body might not be affected by eflornithine-containing creams, they work efficiently to reduce unwanted hair on the face.
Furthermore, frequent use of other hair removal methods on sensitive skin can irritate the skin. The use of prescription creams along with other hair removal methods reduces the frequency of shaving and waxing as it slows down hair growth.
Hormonal Disorders
One of the major symptoms of hormonal disorders like PCOS and adrenal diseases is the presence of coarse, thick, and dark hair on the face. Medical guidelines on the symptomatic treatment of such diseases recommend using prescription creams to get rid of such hair.
Unwanted Hair
You might not have hirsutism or hormonal disorders yet have annoying facial hair. Regardless of the causes of unwanted facial hair growth, Vaniqa and other prescription creams with eflornithine can help you inhibit the enzymes involved in the hair growth cycle and thus slow it down.
Therefore, any woman who wants to make her facial hair grow slower, thinner, and lighter can use eflornithine-containing prescription creams.
Part 4: How to Obtain Prescription Hair Removal Creams?
As the name shows, prescription creams are obtained with a prescription by a doctor. Thus, you need a dermatologist consultation to obtain prescription hair removal cream. For this, go to a dermatologist, and explain the condition of your facial hair, any underlying disease, and your expectations. Then the dermatologist will determine if using vaniqa is suitable for you as it might not be compatible with,
- Pregnant or breastfeeding ladies
- Ladies with hypersensitivity to eflornithine
- Certain herbal medications and drugs
- Severely acne-prone skin
If you do not have any of the conditions mentioned above, you can get vaniqa. The doctor will also tell you the right dose, method, and technique to use Vaniqa.
Furthermore, the cost of Vaniqa hair removal cream is not covered by insurance in many cases. This is because vaniqa is a cosmetic treatment and most cosmetic treatments are not covered by insurance in the USA.
Part 5: Alternative to Prescription Hair Removal Creams
There are two important points to note about prescription creams; first, these creams only slow down hair growth when used in combination with other hair removal methods and do not actually remove hair, and second, the effects of such creams only last as long as you use them.
So, here are the two alternatives to prescription hair removal creams.
Over-the-counter depilatory Hair Removal Creams
Prescription creams are insufficient for women with the main goal of removing unwanted body and facial hair painlessly rather than merely slowing down its growth. Over-the-counter depilatory creams like Nair and Veet are a preferred choice of hair removal for such women.
These creams slowly dissolve the hair strands allowing the hair to be removed in one wipe. However, remember that the results of depilatory creams are transient and only last for 3 to 7 days.
IPL Hair Removal
If you are looking for a hair removal method that won’t only remove the unwanted hair from your body and face but also minimize the growth, IPL hair removal proves to be the ultimate choice. IPL hair removal devices like Ulike Air 10 IPL hair removal handset give out a beam of light that is absorbed into the hair.
After absorption, it reaches the hair follicles where it kills the follicle. Consequently, hair growth is significantly reduced. This way, you can achieve 99% hairlessness within a few months. Also, note that results of IPL last for up to 6 months after completion of the treatment.
Conclusion
Vaniqa cream is a prescription hair removal cream with eflornithine as the main ingredient. Eflornithine inhibits the enzymes involved in the hair growth cycle while reducing the rate of hair growth. Recommended for conditions like hirsutism, PCOS, and hormonal disorders, vaniqa can be obtained after consultation with a dermatologist.
Also, it is associated with side effects like allergies making the consultation an essential step in obtaining it. Therefore, talk to your doctor before using Vaniqa and also use it as per instructions for the best results. Lastly, you might want to try prescription cream alternatives like IPL hair removal.
