Woman to Woman: Facial Hair Removal

(WSVN) -- We spend hours in the beauty salon making it look good.

Spend hundreds of dollars styling it like super models and movie stars.

But what happens when it's not the hair on your head you're worried about?

"I have been trying to get rid of facial hair since I was 15 years old," says Ann Marie Penderleith, who has been struggling with excess facial hair.

Her problems began after she developed an ovarian cyst during high school and doctors put her on birth control.

"I just started shaving, and I had hair on my face, basically, really bad. I mean, you know, all on the sides, up under my chin, my lip, you name it I had it," she recalls. "I remember I used to sit in the mirror for hours and just pick and pick and pick, and when I was done I'd have a bloody face and crying."

Like Ann Marie, 41 million women in the U.S. suffer from unwanted facial hair.

Shaving, waxing, and tweezing help, but they're not permanent solutions.

And because the problem is so visual, women often get teased and go through self-esteem issues.

"The emotional distress that comes along with all this unwanted hair is incredible," says Dr. Randy Miller, a board-certified plastic surgeon. "It affects them not only personally, but professionally, in every aspect of their life."

Ann Marie says, "To be honest with you, I didn't go off to a four -year school the first time around, the way I should have, because I was embarrassed because I had the facial hair."

But not for long.

With the help of Dr. Miller, Ann Marie is hoping to get rid of the extra hair permanently.

And to do that, she had to take a drastic step... Ann Marie had to let her hair grow out.

"There were mornings when I woke up going, 'I cannot believe that I have to walk out of the house like this.'" she says.

But in just four treatments, Ann Marie would see permanent results.

On this day, we caught up with her for her last laser procedure.

Less than half an hour later, Ann Marie is finished -- take a look at her before, and here she is after.

The facial hair is gone and now she has a new outlook on life.

"It could almost bring me to tears because I really didn't think there was resolution," she says.

"She is a new person," says Dr. Miller. "She is bubbly, and she's happy."

"When you look better, you feel better, period," affirms Ann Marie. "It's that simple."

Ann Marie is still working fulltime, but is actually back at school earning her college degree.

If you are interested in the procedure, make sure to do your homework and go to a board certified doctor.

Contact: bcanals@wsvn.com

Dr. Randy Miller/Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

http://www.millerplasticsurgery.com

305-377-1700

Museum Tower, Penthouse

150 West Flagler Street

Miami, FL 33130