FOR many men across East Yorkshire, the razors were out in force as the beginning of December marked the end of Movember.
However, for one Hull woman, who grew her facial hair to raise money and awareness of polycystic ovary syndrome, the challenge has marked the beginning of her new-found confidence.
Sick of stares in the street and hurtful comments, Sarah O'Neill, 29, decided to ditch her razors and hair-removal cream to raise awareness of polycystic ovary syndrome, side effects of which include weight gain and facial hair.
In doing so, she has raised £900 for charity.
Sarah, of Bransholme, said: "I decided to do this because I wanted people to understand I'm not trying to be a man and that my facial hair is something that can't be helped.
"The amount of money raised is fantastic. I am so pleased.
"I spoke to my partner's work colleague the other night and he was saying that I have raised more than most men who have been doing the challenge.
"I think the novelty factor has a lot to do with the amount of money I have raised.
"People say I have been incredibly brave, but all I have done is not shave for a month. It is people's support that has got me through – they have been absolutely fantastic.
"People have shared their stories with me, fellow sufferers who have been through what I have and felt alone.
"A lot of them have said they don't think they would be able to do what I have done.
"It's not such a taboo subject now for the people that have seen my story."
Sarah, who lives with her partner Tina Briggs, 25, was diagnosed with her condition in 2006 after suffering many of the symptoms related to the condition.
Sarah, who is an account manager for a kitchen and beds company, says she often gets people looking at her, wondering why she has facial hair.
This caused her a lot of upset and distress but, following the Movember challenge, she has changed her outlook on life.
"There was a delivery guy at work who was staring at my face during the challenge," Sarah said.
"In the end, I told him what I had been doing and I think he felt rather uncomfortable.
"Doing this, though, has given me more confidence and has stopped me feeling embarrassed.
"From a personal point of view, it has been very liberating and made me feel much better about myself."
Sarah's normal ritual is to use hair-removal cream prescribed by doctors to get rid of most of the hair.
She does this about once a week, using tweezers to get rid of stray hairs inbetween cream treatments.
Having never gone a week without shaving, Sarah found the Movember experience very daunting at first.
She said: "Now Movember has finished, I am going to shave some of the hair away, but I am thinking of keeping the moustache.
"This has definitely made me feel less self-conscious.
"People have been so generous and I would like to thank everyone who has donated to my cause."
Sarah's partner Tina, whom she is engaged to, supported her decision to take part in Movember.
The couple, who have been together since 2011, recorded videos of Sarah explaining how she was feeling during the challenge to help those who also suffer with polycystic ovary syndrome.
Tina said: "She is so amazingly brave and I am very proud of her."
