Why you Have Excess Facial Hair? How to Solve the Problem?
All women, and men have facial and body hair. However, there is a difference between normal hair growth on your face, and abnormal. The main difference is that your normal facial hair is usually very fine and light in color. If it grows thick, coarse, and dark in color, it can become embarrassing, especially for women. At this point, you definitely want to find a way of removing it.
What is the main cause of excess facial hair?
There are a variety of reasons why women might have excess facial hair. However, one of the main causes is higher than normal levels of male hormones in the body. Hormone imbalance is the cause for many conditions in women, and excess hair is one of them as well.
What is a hormonal imbalance? We have to take a look at hormones to explain it. Male hormones are called androgens, and the most famous or well-known among them is testosterone. This hormone is involved in the development of deepening of the voice and production of sperm in men.
Now, all women produce some testosterone. However, higher than normal levels may increase the sex drive, but also affect the menstrual cycle and produce excess facial and body hair.
Why do women sometimes have higher than usual levels of male hormones? The most common cause in premenopausal women is polycystic ovary syndrome, which is a common condition. It causes cysts to grow around the edge of the ovaries. In addition to excess hair growth, polycystic ovary syndrome can also cause weight gain, irregular periods, acne, and other conditions.
Women that have gone through menopause, usually have higher levels of male hormones just because of the menopause. Hormone imbalance is common in women going through menopause as the body adjusts its levels of hormones. In some cases, you might be left with an unusually high amount of testosterone.
Are there other causes?
Of course, there are other causes of excess facial hair growth. But that is a small number of cases. Here are some other causes of dark hair on your face:
- Medications, for example, minoxidil (taken for high blood pressure), and others like anabolic steroids, cyclosporine, and testosterone when taken due to testosterone deficiency
- Being overweight or obese
- Ovarian tumor
- Adrenal gland disorders, including adrenal cancer, adrenal tumors, Cushing’s disease, or congenital adrenal hyperplasia (the last one is a hereditary condition affecting adrenal glands that produce sex hormones)
How can you treat excess facial hair?
You can find many best facial hair removal products on the market. It is just a matter of choice which method you want to try. Here is a quick breakdown of all the methods you can use to remove facial hair.
- Shaving – a quick and easy to do method, but one that allows hair to regrowth rather quickly. You might end up shaving every three or four days
- Waxing – more effective facial removal method if done regularly. However, the downside is that it is more painful, and can cause redness
- Bleaching – if you want to lighten your dark hairs and make them less noticeable
- Laser hair removal – a method in which powerful beams of light are used to destroy hair. One of the most popular permanent hair removal methods, as the results can last up to six months
- Hair removal creams, many of which can be bought over the counter, and reduce hair growth by affecting enzymes in the hair follicle
- Electrolysis – method in which electricity is used to destroy hair cells and remove hair permanently. Requires many treatments over a long period of time
What is normal and what it is not?
When it comes to excessive body hair, sometimes it can be challenging to make a difference in what it is normal and what it is not. Women have fine hair all over the body, including the face. Now, some women might notice thicker and darker hair on the stomach, chin, and chest.
According to a study in 2011, you can easily determine whether you have excess hair on your body. You have to look at hair growth on the chin, upper abdomen, and lower abdomen. Each of the areas is given a score of 0 to 4. Here is the scores breakdown:
- No hair growth – 0
- Fine hair growth or a few stray hairs – 1
- Thicker, and more consistent hair growth – 2
- Very thick, consistent hair growth – 3
- Male pattern hair growth – 4
After that, you have to collect the score, and if it is greater than 8, it means you have excessive hair growth on your body.
What is the outlook for unwanted hair?
You have to remember that taking care of unwanted and excessive hair on your body, including the face is a long-term challenge. Women usually respond well to treatment if the cause is a hormonal imbalance. However, the hair can grow back if hormones go out of sync again.
Depending on the cause of hair growth and treatment, in some cases, it may become a lifelong commitment. You will have to be wary of your hormones and other causes of excess facial hair.
