Sasha Pieterse is getting candid about a symptom of polycystic ovary syndrome that is reduced to a cosmetic concern.
The “Pretty Little Liars” alum partnered with Ulike to discuss her experience with unwanted hair growth and the toll of waxing and shaving.
“If you’ve ever dealt with PCOS, you know the hair growth struggle is real,” Sasha wrote on Instagram. “It’s not vanity, it’s exhausting and painful.”
Her message accompanied footage from a panel focused on redefining beauty and creating gentler options for women whose bodies do not follow what she described as the “standard playbook.”
Sasha Said Hair Removal Became Another Burden
PCOS is a hormonal condition that can cause irregular periods, acne, fertility challenges and excessive facial or body hair, also known as hirsutism. Symptoms vary.
For Sasha, conventional hair-removal routines became another source of frustration.
“Waxing, shaving, all of it just felt like another thing my body was making harder than it needed to be,” she explained in the video.
The actress has spoken publicly about living with PCOS and the misconceptions surrounding its visible symptoms. Her latest post emphasized that managing excess hair is not necessarily driven by vanity. For some women, it can involve discomfort, time, expense and unwanted attention.
Sasha also challenged the idea that those affected should simply accept the burden without seeking an option that feels manageable.
“This is for anyone who’s been told to just deal with it,” she wrote. “You don’t have to.”
She Tried the Ulike Air 10
As part of the partnership, Sasha tried Ulike’s Air 10, an at-home intense pulsed light device designed to reduce hair regrowth over time.
IPL is different from professional laser hair removal. It delivers broad-spectrum light to target pigment in the hair follicle, and results can vary according to factors including hair color, skin tone, hormonal changes and consistency of use.
Ulike equips the Air 10 with sapphire ice-cooling technology intended to make treatments feel more comfortable against the skin. Sasha said the device surprised her by making the process feel “comfortable, dread-free, quick” and “easy.”
Her comments describe her personal experience with the device rather than a treatment for PCOS itself. People managing PCOS symptoms should continue working with qualified medical professionals and follow a device’s safety instructions and skin-tone compatibility guidance.
The Conversation Went Beyond a Product Demonstration
Sasha joined representatives from the PCOS Awareness Association, Megan M Stewart, Dr. Anna Mandinova, and Jessica Matlin for a broader panel conversation.
Sasha said she was grateful to participate in a conversation that treated women’s discomfort as worthy of acknowledgment rather than dismissal. The partnership reflects a growing shift in beauty marketing toward discussing why a routine can become emotionally or physically taxing, not simply showing a polished result.
By connecting her experience with PCOS to a larger conversation about empathy and choice, Sasha made clear that hair removal should remain personal. The meaningful part was not conforming to a beauty standard, but finding an approach that made one recurring part of her condition feel less overwhelming.
