Generic Name: eflornithine
Brand Name: Vaniqa topical
Drug Reviews Drug and Medication User Reviews
I had this cream years ago,But...I applied too much and now the skin on my upper lip has faded,it looks like I have a mustache,I am mixed race so it's noticeable,help
I was in the original drug trial for this medication over 20 years ago. I remember it worked well and wanted to try it again. I'm now in my mid-50's and really need it due to menopause/hot flash meds. Well, the price is outrageous with no guarantee it will work. Its was under $100 back then. Now over $200. Anyway, with no alternative except tweezing, waxing etc I decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately, after using it for 2 months it only works for me in a few spots. So far very little/no difference on my upper lip and that's the worst spot! Still have waaay too many course, stiff dark and grey hair/stubble and need to tweeze or shave them away. Not sure if the product has changed over the years, although I know have, I'm very disappointed in the results. I need to find something to prevent my turning into a hairy old man!
I very rarely post reviews but read so many while deciding whether to try Vaniqa that I wanted to share my experience in the hope it helps others. I also noted when reading reviews that people felt the product had changed in the past few years and wasn’t as effective, so hopefully reading a recent review from 2022 is also helpful. If you are considering whether to try this product I would say absolutely give it a go. I have been using it twice a day for 7 weeks and have seen a significant reduction in facial hair growth in the past couple of weeks (don’t expect instant results, it takes a few weeks to see a change). I’m a 40 year old woman with mild Pcos and while my facial hair growth issues have never been severe, in the past 5 or so years I have had increased hair growth on my chin and neck some of which were very coarse and dark. Tweezing caused ingrowing hairs and spots and trying to treat the problem with several months of electrolysis (I had a treatment every week to 10 days) didn’t have any real impact on the re-growth but did irritate and mark my skin. Using Vaniqua has allowed me to take a break from electrolysis and my skin in those areas has had the chance to heal and is looking the best it has looked for months. I still get the odd hair but they are much thinner and slower growing than before - in the past few weeks I’ve had none of the really coarse black hairs that are so unsightly and were affecting my confidence. The big downside to Vaniqa is the cost and I wish it was cheaper - I am in the UK and a 60g tube cost my £90. Based on usage so far I think one tube will last me about three months. However, electrolysis over a similar period would cost me at least twice as much so the cost is worth it for me. I was prescribed Vaniqa at a private gp appointment and didn’t attempt to get it on the NHS and in any event I understand it is not available for free on the NHS. I haven’t had any side effects save for the odd small spot but nothing compared to the spots and irritation I experienced from both ingrowing hairs and electrolysis (I had a very experienced beautician who specialises in electrolysis but my skin didn’t react well to it - but I know some people have real success with electrolysis). Overall, my experience so far has been overwhelmingly positive and it is a huge relief not to have to spend ages studying my face and plucking every day or to feel self conscious about the state of my skin in public. Definitely worth a try if you can make the cost work for you. Good luck!
I have been using this for 5 months now and haven’t seen change, I am a dark skinned women and have very curly hair..I still have to use an electric shaver daily unfortunately for the price I was expecting a big difference wish I could get my $250 back
After 6months of twice a day use, I have not had any results. My facial hair is the same.
Age 72, thick facial hair since age 14; over 1 hour/day of attempts to control from ages 14-65, slowdown due to exhaustion. Vaniqa helped significantly. TIP: to avoid getting acne from it, apply a thin coat of salicyclic acid lotion first -- up to half an hour before, or immediately before, makes no difference. Oddly, it doesn't seem to block the good effects of the Vaniqa at all (tho' it would be worth it to me if it did).
I still get some hair growth on my upper lip and chin just not as much. However I am now experiencing some hair thinning on my head. I’m going to stop using Vaniqua for 3-6 months to see if it makes a difference. I’ll explore laser hair removal for my lip and chin in the meantime.
I’ve been using Vaniqa for about a month and a half, and I can already notice the difference it’s made. I’ve previously done laser which was very expensive but managed the hair growth... it’s been a few years now and my hair on face and neck started to return at the speed it used to before laser, if I shaved in the morning, I’d start having hair growth by the end of the day or next morning. It was really affecting me emotionally that I’d have to shave every day which would make my skin very sensitive and irritated. With Vaniqa, my hair growth now starts to come back 2-3 days later which gives me a break and time to heal my skin in between. I’ve also noticed my skin is looking the best it has ever looked, a lot of my acne has stopped with only one spot at a time, my hyper pigmentation has also dramatically stopped. My skin is looking the clearest it ever has as an adult, I feel confident going without make up. The only flag would be that you need to watch your skin care routine, I’ve found it has made my skin drier and there was one incident where I broke out with a rash and flakey skin under my eye. I also put that down to me using a skin care routine that has lots of actives. So I recommend after cleansing and toning, use a facial mist then apply the Vaniqa, wait 5-10 mins, mist the non creamed face and apply hyaluronic acid, and a non active eye cream and face cream + lots of sun cream!
I have dark, coarse hair on my upper lip, chin, and neck area due to PCOS. I was prescribed Vaniqa by my dermatologist and have been using it for just over 4 weeks now. I was plucking and/or shaving these areas every single day, for at least 20 minutes a day, as waxing is not an option for me (I'm not willing to let the hair grow out enough to do it). This was causing my skin in these areas to be red, irritated, as well as covered with follicle bumps, and Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation on my upper lip, resulting in a mustache-like shadow. As you can imagine, my self esteem was affected very negatively because of this. I can honestly say in the 4 weeks since starting Vaniqa, I can see a major difference in not only the frequency of having to remove hair, but the hair itself. I feel the hair comes in finer, lighter, and easier to remove. I now only have to pluck once every 1-2 weeks, and it now takes less than 5 minutes. This has helped with the redness and skin irritation in these areas significantly, and my skin in these areas has never looked better. I use it in conjunction with Meladerm on my upper lip for the hyperpigmentation and have had no issues with that. The Meladerm continues to fade the hyperpigmentation while the Vaniqa gets rid of the hair. I have not noticed any scalp hair loss like some have said - the only side effect I have experienced is small, acne like bumps in the area where I apply the Vaniqa cream, but that was only in the beginning when first starting it and I don't really have issues with that now. I would absolutely recommend this medicine for any woman experiencing excess facial hair, as it does work, you just have to be patient and keep applying twice a day as it says. The only reason I give it 8 stars is because of the price. Personally, it's not covered with my insurance as it is deemed to be a cosmetic medicine, and from what I've seen that seems to be the case for most people. It's a shame that this company charges so much.
I have used this for 5 years now and I’m quite happy. I’m also wondering about the side affects. I have a bump on the sole of my foot (Plantar Fibroma) and I wonder if this is from the cream. Probably not but I will stop for awhile to check my symptoms.
I've been using Vaniqa cream for 5 months. In Australia, my health insurance gives a rebate of 35% of the $110 cost. One tube lasts 5 months. It works after 3 wks. Facial hair almost disappears
This product has worked like a charm for me. Completely controls hair growth with no side effects. I've had no skin rashes or other issues whatsoever.
Price of this drug is now out of my reach.
This drug did what it was intended to do. After 5-6 weeks of twice daily applications, my unwanted chin hair had turned to slow growing peach fuzz, barely visible. Unfortunately, I was also sprouting big, ugly, painful red bumps along my jaw line and under my lower lip. I stopped using the Vaniqa, but the bumps persisted for several weeks afterwards. I'm a senior with no prior history of acne or other facial skin disturbance. Now my skin is back to its normal state, but so is the unwanted hair. So I've gone back to tweezing. if your skin doesn't break out, great; otherwise, forget it.
I have used Vaniqua for over 5 years. It is expensive and not covered by insurance. It doesn't seem to work for me, but I'm afraid to stop using it it case it is having some minimal effect. It may work for some. It is a big, expensive disappointment for me.
Hi everyone, I just started using this cream. I can't really give a full review, as of yet. I am hoping I can give a great review in a few weeks/months. I do however have a question for the other women who have used this. Did you shave the area prior to using the cream? If so, did you start getting little white "bumps" on the area? I am getting married in October and need this hairy chin and neck GONE!! Any hope? Thank you,
I was at the end of my rope with facial hair increasing and I was becoming depressed by it. I remembered that I had heard about Vanilqa and thought it was time to give it a try.Nothing else gave me relief. My skin was even becoming distorted from tweezing and shaving. I looked horrible! I have my first tube of Vaniqa and have been using it for about 2 months. I am AMAZED. It has slowed down facial hair growth about 90% and has affected the density of hair about 99%. The few hairs now that grow are so thin and almost not visible that I am a happy woman now! It truly is life-changing and I can be social again. I regret my inherited genetics but now Vaniqa allows me to deal with it so easily. I will gladly cut out some other expenses to afford this purchase every 6-8 months or so! I wish everyone good luck with this product!
I started using Vaniqa in 2005, only using around my mouth. I have been without it from time to time, mainly because of the cost. Always so glad to start using it again as I can really tell the difference without it. Vaniqa saves me time everyday as I don't always have to puck and when I do there are only a few sparce hairs.
Save your money. I used it for two months and it really had no effect on hair growth. And, the big reason I wanted to take it was that plucking has a side effect of causing ingrown hairs and sores around them. These got worse, so I stopped using the Vaniqa. What a waste of $160, wish they gave a money back guarantee!
Within around 2 days after beginning this treatment I developed blistering and redness and eventually the blisters broke and produced a clear liquid. I feel this is a cream developed for those with very robust facial skin. Just because you have strong hairs, doesn't mean that the underlying skin is not sensitive. To my great dismay, as this did appear to deter the strong growth, I am unable to use this.