If you have a lot of hair on your chin or experience increased hair growth suddenly, it could be a sign of a hormonal imbalance. Excess body hair in unusual places or chin hair that's accompanied by other symptoms should prompt a visit to your doctor to find the cause.
For women, the hair may grow in areas where men often have a lot of hair, but women often don't. This includes the upper lip, chin, chest, and back. It's caused by an excess of male hormones called androgens. All women naturally produce small amounts of androgens.
But if you start to notice excessive facial hair growth that's dark and coarse, it might mean you have abnormally high levels of androgen hormones, or an increased sensitivity in your hair follicles even to normal levels of androgen hormones, explains Minisha Sood, MD, endocrinologist in New York City.
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.
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.
Hirsutism (HUR-soot-iz-um) is a condition in women that results in excessive growth of dark or coarse hair in a male-like pattern — face, chest and back. With hirsutism, extra hair growth often arises from excess male hormones (androgens), primarily testosterone.
Hirsutism is the excessive growth of facial or body hair on women. Hirsutism and unwanted PCOS facial hair are very common with polycystic ovary syndrome. Hirsutism can be seen as coarse, dark hair that may appear on the face, chest, abdomen, back, upper arms, or upper legs.
The short answer is yes – stress can affect facial hair growth, indeed not just upon the face, but also elsewhere on the body in places that you would not 'normally' expect to see it.
“Plucking or tweezing is not the preferred method of hair removal as recommended by dermatologists,” Dr. Lertzman said. “There are other techniques – both at-home and in a dermatologist's office – that are safe and effective when it comes to removing unwanted hair from the face.”
Magnesium, Zinc, and Copper: Magnesium, zinc, and copper can also help in the prevention of facial hair by decreasing the effect of testosterone. Magnesium can be taken in through foods like soybeans, whole grains, seeds, nuts etc. Zinc is found in pumpkin seeds, peanuts, dark chocolate etc.
Few foods might help you to get rid of facial hair: Sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, garlic, peaches, oats, dried fruits, barley, mung beans, lentils, and rice bran may help increase the estrogen (hormone) levels in the body and reduce unwanted facial hair naturally.
Facial hair growth is largely propelled by testosterone, a hormone. Testosterone levels can vary.
"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.
It's common for women to find out they have PCOS when they have trouble getting pregnant, but it often begins soon after the first menstrual period, as young as age 11 or 12. It can also develop in the 20s or 30s.
Some women only experience menstrual problems or are unable to conceive, or both. Common symptoms of PCOS include: irregular periods or no periods at all. difficulty getting pregnant (because of irregular ovulation or no ovulation)
Electrolysis or laser can remove any hair remaining after hormone therapy. Because it usually is not possible to cure the hormonal problem that causes hirsutism, ongoing medical treatment is required to manage it. Hirsutism will frequently return if medical treatment is stopped.
Strength training significantly changes body composition, which lowers high levels of androgens in females [3]. For a general prescription, strength train 2 to 3 times a week with a rest day or two in between sessions to allow for all the beneficial adaptations to take place.
While estrogen can help thin hair, it cannot completely reverse facial and body hair growth. Many trans women and other transgender people know all too well about how time-consuming daily grooming routines can be, so thankfully, there are alternative options available.
Thus, out of shaving and plucking facial hair, shaving is better. But even shaving is not recommended because skin on your face is extremely delicate and soft. Comparatively waxing and laser hair removal are the best ways to get rid of facial hair.
No — shaving hair doesn't change its thickness, color or rate of growth. Shaving facial or body hair gives the hair a blunt tip. The tip might feel coarse or "stubbly" for a time as it grows out. During this phase, the hair might be more noticeable and perhaps appear darker or thicker.
If you want to eliminate chin hairs permanently, you might consider laser hair removal or electrolysis, Dr. Lamb said, which both work by damaging the hair follicle so it stops producing hair.
It's our male hormones (called androgens), as well as our overall hormonal balance, that stimulate growth of chin hair, she explains. Depending on how sensitive your hair follicles are to these hormones, you may sprout more or less of them.