Vaniqa (Elfornithine) – Facial Hair

Vaniqa is a prescription cream for women used to slow down the growth of unwanted facial hair. The cream works by inhibiting enzymes found in the hair follicles required for the hair to grow.

Vaniqa has been clinically proven to reduce the growth of unwanted facial hair and has been approved by the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration).

How to use

Vaniqa is applied twice a day, every day, with at least 8 hours between each application, or as directed by your doctor.  Vaniqa should be applied on clean skin, after cleansing but before applying moisturiser, sunscreen or cosmetics.

Apply a thin layer of cream on the target areas of the face and any adjacent areas under the chin, rubbing gently and thoroughly into the skin.

Do not wash the treated areas for at least 4 hours after application.

As the effect of using Vaniqa is not immediate you will need to continue your normal method of hair removal.  Vaniqa is not a depilatory cream and will not permanently remove hair.  It’s effect is to slow the rate of hair growth and improve the appearance where it is applied.

You should expect to see an improvement between 4-8 weeks.  If there is no noticeable improvement after 6 months, you are advised to stop using Vaniqa.

If you stop using Vaniqa, after 8 weeks you should expect to see hair growth return to the same condition as before treatment was started.

Precautions

Vaniqa should not be used: –

• If you are allergic to any of the ingredients
• On children younger than 12 years old
• If you are pregnant or breast feeding (speak to your doctor first)

There have been no clinical trials on pregnant or breast-feeding women, so it is not known whether any negative side effects are passed on to babies as a result of using Vaniqa.

When consulting your doctor about obtaining a prescription for Vaniqa, provide full information about any allergies you have and any other medication, supplements and treatment you are receiving.

Always read the patient information leaflet in full before starting to use Vaniqa

Side Effects

Using Vaniqa may cause: –

• Acne
• Temporary redness

Less common side effects are: –

• Stinging
• Burning
• Tingling
• Hair bumps
• Irritation
• Swelling lips

Other rare side effects experienced are: –

• Indigestion
• Dizziness

If side effects continue, or cause you concern, speak to you doctor.

Allergies to Vaniqa

Vaniqa contains the following ingredients: –

Anhydrous eflornithine hydrochloride as eflornithine hydrochloride monohydrate; ceteareth-20; cetearyl alcohol; dimethicone; glyceryl stearate; methylparaben; mineral oil; PEG-100 stearate; phenoxyethanol; propylparaben; stearyl alcohol; and water.

If you are aware of an allergy to any of these ingredients, do not use Vaniqa.

Interactions with other medicines

There are no known drug interactions with Vaniqa (elfornithine).