Increased facial hair in women is a common complaint by numerous women. It can be a complete nightmare to treat. For some people, it is a very hard task on a daily basis, especially for working women. Let’s have to look at what causes facial hair on women.
Causes of increased facial hair in women:
- Genetics: In your family, if your mother or sisters have facial hair, then there is a high chance that even you will have it. Having dark thick hair on the face runs in the family.
- Hormonal imbalance: If you have increased facial hair, we have to rule out an underlying hormonal imbalance. If there is an increased level of testosterone in your body that can lead to thickening of hair. Thick hair appears on your upper lip area, your side locks around your nipples, on the stomach area, your abdomen and your upper thighs. If you have thick hair in this area, you may need to check your testosterone level. When the level of testosterone increase in the body along with increase facial hair, you will notice that you’re shedding your hair from the scalp. While you part your hair, you will that the partition area has become wider along with this if you have irregular menses with weight gain then you do want to check your hormones and also rule polycystic ovarian disease even increase the levels of cortisol hormone in the body can lead to increased facial hair and thinning of scalp hair.
The hormonal profile you need to check
- testosterone
- DHEAS
- FSH
- LH
- Prolactin
- TSH
- Insulin
- Cortisol
- Steroid Use: The application of steroid creams of the face is also a reason for increased facial hair. If you are using any creams that contain either betamethasone or mometasone then that can also lead to increased facial hair. Steroid creams should only be used after consulting your doctor. Never use it on your own it has to be used for a very short period only on the effective area. This could also lead to other side effects such as thinning of the skin along with facial hair.
These were the causes of facial hair in women. Now moving on to the methods of hair removal.
Methods of Facial Hair Removal
There is no safe way to completely get rid of your facial hair. Whatever measures we take will only help in reducing the growth and making it appear less but will not go away completely. However, there are other ways of removing facial hair.
- Waxing: As you all know, waxing is an application of a hot product that sticks to the skin and then, with the help of the strip, in the opposite direction to pluck the hair out. Because there is the plucking of hair your waxing it leads to an open pore, the place from which the hair comes out is open to the environment. So, this can lead to the introduction of infection. You may notice that after waxing you develop multiple red stops on your skin. If there is an immediate appearance of red spots, then that is due to the trauma caused to the skin. If these red spots appear after a day or two, then that is due to bacterial infection so, even if you do wax, you have to apply moisturiser immediately after waxing
The advantage of waxing is that you have to do it once a month, the hair tends to grow slowly and whatever hair comes back tends to be thinner over time. But the disadvantage of waxing is that it causes trauma to the skin and can lead to irritation and redness on the skin and also lead to acne irruption on the skin. I would like to et you know that no method suits everybody. If waxing suits you, you can continue doing it. I won’t say waxing is good or bad, but if waxing is irritating to the skin, then there are other methods that you can go for. If you do not develop and problem, then you can continue doing that.
- Threading: As waxing, threading is also plucked the hair out. As the hair is plucked out, the hair follicle opening remains open and there can be the introduction of infection in this opening. After threading you may develop few red spots. Always remember to apply a moisturiser immediately after threading.
The advantages and disadvantages of threading are similar to that of waxing you may need to repeat it only once a month or once every three weeks, but it can lead to acne formation and itchy lesions on the treated area.
- Bleaching: Bleaching of hair do not remove the hair but just change the colour of the hair and match your skin and it is not visible. This can be done if you have very fine thin hair, but bleach can also irritate the skin. You should stay away from bleach if you have dry skin. If you want to try out bleaching always have a patch test before using, if you can tolerate the tingling effect of bleach and there is no irritation on your skin then you can go ahead and use it.
The advantage of bleach is that it is easier to use and is fast just take 15-20 minutes. But the disadvantage is that it can cause redness and itching and irritation to the skin and sometimes leave behind dark spots.
- Hair removal creams: These are the creams where you can apply the cream and leave it for a few minutes and then wipe it off. This hair removal creams break the structure of the hair so then it can be easily wiped off. Any hair removal creams can irritate the skin, if you are new to hair removal cream always do a patch test before using it. If the cream suits you, then you can go ahead and use the cream
- Shaving and trimming: A lot of women get very scared of shaving. They feel it’s a very masculine trait and that female do not shave. There are many trimmers available in the market which are very safe to use these tend to clip the hair very close to the skin, makes your skin very smooth and if you have a lot of thin hair on your face, then you can use these trimmers. There is a common myth that shaving increases hair growth. No, it doesn’t, shaving does not increase the number of hair. Several hairs on your face are fixed, it cannot change after birth. It can only reduce but cannot increase the number of hair.
The advantages of shaving are that it does not irritate your skin, and it is safe on the skin. But the disadvantage is that the hair grows fast and you have to repeat it regularly
- Laser hair reduction: Laser hair reduction is another way to tackle increased facial hair. IT is a very popular method today you must understand how it works and who are the best candidates for laser hair reduction. As you have noticed, the word reduction and not removal. Even lasers cannot completely remove facial hair. With a laser, your hair can be reduced to 70-90% but never go away completely. The hair that grows back will be very thin and fine, will not be very visible. The best candidates for laser hair reduction are people with fair skin and dark thick hair, then will show very good results in laser hair reduction. But if you have a darker dusky complexion with fine thin hair, the laser may not be a good option for you. It may not be the best option for all types of hair. You need to take multiple sessions of laser. Usually, you will require 6-10 sessions spaced at monthly interval. You will notice a reduction in hair growth after three to four sessions.
Other related topics:
Creams for dark spots/ Dark spots removal creams by dermatologist.
