Marilyn R. Richardson, MD, FACOG

It would be unusual to have such tightness and fragility only 2 years after menopause.  While it's possible and even likely that Thermiva treatments will help, it would be best to have a thorough evaluation by your gynecologist to determine the cause of the condition BEFORE embarking on an expensive course of treatment such a Thermiva.

From your picture it appears that your skin and dark hair are reflective of an ethnicity with at least slightly curly and coarse hair.  The curl prevents the hair from growing straight out of the follicle when it is trying to regrow after it is shaving, or in this case waxing. The newly grown hair burrows under the skin and causes a "shaving bump" or "folliculitis".  The hair is not ON the bump but is WITHIN the bump. These can be resolved with a laser treatment of appropriate wavelength.  Prevention of future occurrences will be not to remove the hair so close.

WHile progesterone can certainly be helpful in regulating menstrual cycles in women with PCOS, high dosess somewhat could potentially worsen acne because the chemical structure of the molecule is similar to testosterone.

With an adequate local topical anesthetic the treatment should be only mildly uncomfortable - essentially painless.

The Q-switched Yag laser has been found to be very safe on skin of color - especially if skin testing is done prior to facial use. The laser provides cooling of the skin both before and after the laser penetrates; allowing the laser energy to penetrate the pigmented hair follicle without damage to the surface skin.  Multiple treatments are required since only actively growing hairs are susceptible during each treatment.