What Causes Facial Hair in Women?
Women who suffer from excessive facial hair can find the condition to be extremely distressing. Apart from the effects it has on one’s confidence and self-esteem, it can be a difficult condition to manage. The attempts to identify the cause of excess facial hair and the steps taken to remove it don’t come without a personal cost. According to a 2006 British study, women with facial hair spend on average 104 minutes a week managing it.
Two-thirds of the women in the study said they continually check their facial hair in mirrors and three-quarters said they continually check by touching it. This problem is one faced by millions of women. So understanding the cause behind it is important.
What is Normal Facial Hair ?
Before speaking about the causes of facial hair, it’s helpful to explain what ‘normal’ facial hair is. Hair on the face is referred to as vellus hair. It is soft, fine, generally colorless, and usually short. A few stray chin hairs or hairs on the upper lip is considered normal. But many women who don’t have hirsutism and who don’t have a medical condition may still consider their hairs “excessive.” What one woman might consider an acceptable amount of facial hair might be completely unacceptable to another. So ‘normal’ hair growth might be in the eye of the beholder.
To see how you compare to other women, you can use the Ferriman-Gallwey scale. The Ferriman-Gallwey scale is a visual scale that categorizes the difference between normal hair growth and hirsutism. It is the most widely recognized scoring method used by doctors to help patients figure out if they have normal versus excessive hair growth. A total score less than 8 is considered normal, a score of 8 to 15 indicates mild hirsutism, and a score greater than 15 indicates moderate or severe hirsutism. You can look at this scale online for free or take our quiz.
Why Some Women Develop Excessive Facial Hair
The excess hair growth in a male pattern is also called Hirsutism. In most cases, the culprit is an excess of the hormones called androgens, often also referred to as “male” hormones. The most well-known androgen is testosterone. Your hair follicles in areas such as the chin, face, chest, arms and legs and the pubic area are sensitive to androgen levels. So if you have high androgen levels, they can “switch” the hair type from the tiny vellus hair to the darker, coarser terminal hair, which can be much more noticeable.
But where does the excess androgen come from? There are a number of underlying conditions, such the most common one, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a chronic hormonal condition that affects 10% of women of reproductive age, and has other symptoms such as irregular menstruation, acne, hair loss, weight gain, anxiety and depression.
Other causes of hirsutism are:
- Cushing’s syndrome –the production of too much cortisol hormone
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia -the abnormal production of steroid hormones
- Medications -some medications like anabolic steroids can cause hirsutism
- Tumors –a rare cause of hirsutism. Hormone-secreting tumors in the ovaries or adrenal glands may produce too androgens
- Genetics -hirsutism is more frequent in Hispanic and Mediterranean women and less frequent in Asian or African women. If there is a family history of hirsutism, this will also increase the chances of developing it
As you can see, there are some quite serious conditions that can cause Hirsutism, or excess hair growth. This is why it’s important to talk to your doctor about it, as they can find out the underlying condition and suggest you treatment options for it.
Treatment for Excess Facial Hair
Depending on the underlying cause, your doctor may suggest medications for you to take. For example, if you have been diagnosed with PCOS, your doctor might recommend medications such as an oral contraceptive pill or spironolactone (an anti-androgen medication). These medications on their own might be successful at combating hair growth. But you may also want to look into other methods for hair removal.
Treatment methods for hair removal vary from simple techniques like plucking and waxing to more complicated methods like laser hair removal. It’s important to remember that the only method known to remove hair permanently is electrolysis. But although it is categorized as a method of permanent hair removal, it is very dependent on the skill of the operator. All other techniques result in hair reduction or hair minimization.
Hair reduction techniques
Below are a number of different hair removal methods that might be helpful:
Plucking, shaving, waxing and tweezing
These are temporary hair removal methods. While offering quick results, techniques such as tweezing or waxing can cause skin irritation. A benefit to using these methods is the price point. These are comparatively cheap options and immediate results are seen.
Creams
Creams like Vaniqa use a chemical enzyme to help stop hair growth. As per the instructions, Vaniqa is applied twice daily to the face and signs of improvement are seen after 4-8 weeks of treatment. Burning, a tingling sensation and acne are some of the reported side effects. If the cream is stopped, hair growth will return.
Depilatory hair removal creams use chemicals to break the protein bonds of hair. These creams work within minutes and results are seen right away. Like other hair removal processes, this technique is not permanent and hair grows back within days.
Electrolysis
In electrolysis, the hair follicle is targeted directly with chemical or heat energy. Following this, a thin probe is inserted into the hair follicle and the hair is removed. Most areas of the body including the face can be treated with electrolysis. However the process can be slow and may require several treatment sessions to destroy the follicles.
If you’re considering electrolysis, be sure to have it carried out at a reputable agency with skilled operators.
Lasers / Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
Laser treatments or IPL may be used on the face of large areas of the body. Both laser and IPL work on the same principle. Light energy is absorbed by areas of high pigment such as hairs. Once heated, the hair follicles are damaged. This slows hair growth significantly.
Conclusion
Women who feel like they have too much facial hair may not necessarily suffer from hirsutism or PCOS. But if in doubt, it is always best to see a healthcare professional to make sure that all medical causes of hirsutism have been excluded.
