With that said, one of the physical changes that accompany estrogen hormone replacement therapy is body and facial hair thinning. Those on estrogen GAHT (both estradiol and anti-androgens and/or progesterone) can experience hair thinning on the face, chest, abdomen, legs, and arms.
Bottom line: don't count on HRT to affect facial hair, but it certainly can't hurt. Some feel that shaving is important in the early stages of treatment (and it doesn't make hair grow in thicker).
It is important to realize that estrogen usually does not cause body hair or facial hair to go away altogether. Beard hair that is present when you begin estrogen will not go away on its own. Because of this, many people on estrogen therapy choose to undergo laser treatments or electrolysis for hair removal.
Depending on your diet, lifestyle, genetics, starting weight and muscle mass; you may gain or lose weight once you begin HRT. The fat under the skin in your face will increase and shift around to give your eyes and face in general a more feminine appearance.
By supplementing your body's natural hormone levels, HRT can help you maintain a more youthful body composition. While this effect is particularly evident in men, research suggests that women can also benefit. HRT is also known to help women maintain softer, smoother skin, resulting in a younger look.
High estrogen is triggering subtle changes in your face that make you feel more beautiful to yourself, and it's making both men and women perceive you as more attractive, too, shows a 2009 study in the journal Biology Letters.
The estrogen can also help reduce excess hair. These drugs are usually a long-term solution for hirsutism. You'll most likely notice improvement after 3 to 6 months of drug therapy.
As women age, they may notice the appearance of unwanted, unsightly facial hair. During the hormone changes caused by menopause, estrogen levels decline while levels of testosterone and other androgens rise. This can result in hair growth on the face as well as excess body hair.
Hirsutism is linked to hormones called androgens. It can happen if the level of these hormones increases or if your body becomes more sensitive to them. The most common cause is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Facial hair may not appear in the first few weeks of hormone replacement therapy, and even after one month, patients may not see changes in this area. Realistically, the first signs of facial hair may begin to appear two or three months after first taking HRT and initiating other steps in the masculinization process.
In fact, by suppressing luteinizing hormone ( LH ) levels it decreases the stimulation of the theca (male-hormone producing) cells in our ovaries . Progesterone also decreases the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the male hormone that directly makes dark, coarse facial hair grow.
The only advanced technique for hair removal that can permanently remove facial hair is electrolysis. Electrolysis involves using an electric current to permanently destroy the hair follicle. If you have excessive facial hair growth, you must consult your doctor.
There's not much you can do to stop chin hairs from growing — they're just a part of being human. You do, however, have many options for removing random chin hairs if they bother you. Options for getting rid of chin hair include: tweezing.
The estrogen will keep facial hair remarkably similar to what you experience throughout your life with an adequate amount. However, many HRTs, especially synthetic hormones, underdose or overdose – particularly creams and oral supplementation.
Peach fuzz doesn't grow back thicker after you remove it. New vellus hairs may seem to be coming in thicker than they were before, but they're not. It just seems like the hairs are thicker after shaving or removing them because the top part of the new hair has to push through your skin's surface as they grow back.
Overall, you may gain or lose weight once you begin hormone therapy, depending on your diet, lifestyle, genetics and muscle mass. Your eyes and face will begin to develop a more feminine appearance as the fat under the skin increases and shifts.
Vitamin B6 and Vitamin E
Dietary supplements that contain vitamins B6 and E are also believed to help get rid of unwanted hair growth in the facial areas. For one, vitamin B6 is thought to help lower testosterone in women and inhibit prolactin hormone production.
Vitamin E: Vitamin E is not only great for skin and hair, it's great to inhibit the growth of facial hair too. Vitamin E can counter the effect of androgens and reduce testosterone levels in the body. Vitamin E can regulate the production of androgens which in turn reduces the effect of testosterone.
Most females have vellus hair on the face, but some may have more terminal chin hair. This can be due to genetics or age. Menopause can trigger more chin, neck, or facial hair. Research shows different racial groups can have different levels of androgen and resulting body and facial hair.
The oestrogen female face was consistently rated as more attractive, feminine and healthy looking. Future studies should address the nature of facial cues related to hormone levels. The current finding that oestrogen predicts facial appearance has implications for the evolutionary approach to facial attractiveness.
Feminine Face Structure
Generally speaking, men have chiseled features and larger bones, while feminine faces tend to have softer, rounder contours. For example, the brow ridge is often softer or not present in women.
After menopause, skin loses estrogen and, subsequently, estrogen receptors on skin cells such as fibroblasts… Estrogen binding those receptors is responsible for plumping the skin, stimulating the development of glycosaminoglycans, which improve hydration, and also stimulating new collagen and elastin.
However, repeated ripping of the hair from its follicle via waxing or plucking (which is essentially the same thing, when you think about it) will make hair grow back thicker, darker and coarser… and frequently, more plentiful and faster to re-grow.
"Having stray facial hairs is very common for women," says Arash Akhavan, MD, a New York City dermatologist with the Dermatology and Laser Group. "It's not uncommon for women in their mid to upper 20s to begin noticing stray hairs on their face." And usually, the number of hairs one finds tends to increase with age.
Certain hormones—specifically androgen or other "male hormones" like testosterone—can cause you to grow some thicker and darker hairs here and there if they ever get out of balance.