Women are the most likely demographic to complain of unwanted facial hair. Women also experience an increase in facial hair because of the aging process. Most women notice a thickening and darkening of facial hair in their late 30s and early 40s. For some, the transition occurs much earlier. Although this is natural, society has deemed female facial hair cosmetically unappealing. Millions of American women strive to fit into the standard by removing unwanted facial hair each week. In fact, a typical American woman in her lifetime spends more than $10,000 on products and services that remove unwanted hair from all parts of her body, according to a 2008 Zoomerang survey.
Impact
A 2006 study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine reported that women suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome, a major cause of unwanted facial hair in women, had serious emotional and behavioral reactions to their own facial hair growth. The study authors included Michelle G. Lipton, Lorraine Sherr, Jonathan Elford, Malcolm H.A. Rustin and William J. Clayton. Seventy-five percent of the women studied experienced anxiety of clinical proportions, meaning that the symptoms met the clinical description of anxiety. Seventy-six percent of the women said that they checked their face frequently throughout the day by touch to try to discern whether their facial hair could be seen by others. Thirty percent suffered from depression and anxiety, rather than anxiety alone, as a result of unwanted facial hair.
Causes
Most of the time, unwanted facial hair happens as part of the natural aging process and hormonal changes. Most women do not truly have excessive hair growth, but the growth that they do have is cosmetically unappealing to them. Excessive hair growth, called hirsutism, affects only 5 percent to 15 percent of the female population. True hirsutism is caused by polycystic ovarian syndrome, hyperandrogenism, hypothyroidism, androgenic tumors and a few other rare conditions. Polycystic ovarian syndrome accounts for more than 70 percent of hirsutism, according to Hirsutism.com, a hirsutism and hair removal information site.
Treatments
Medical treatments for hirsutism seek to treat the underlying medical condition. Treatments include hormonal therapy, thyroid management, tumor removal and hormonal replacement through birth control. Medical tests are necessary to select a treatment option for true cases of hirsutism.
Temporary Removal
Most men and women manage unwanted facial hair by temporarily removing the hair via shaving, waxing, tweezing, depilatory cream and laser therapy. Waxing, tweezing and laser therapy pull out or destroy the hair at the root, which means smoother skin and less regrowth. Shaving and depilatory creams remove only the hair growing above the surface of the skin. The hairs grows back more quickly with these methods, so people need to perform them more often.
Permanent Removal
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved one permanent method of hair removal. Electrolysis destroys hair follicles and renders them unable to produce new hair. Electrolysis, performed by a licensed technician over the course of several visits, is the most expensive form of hair removal. Generally, electrolysis costs around $100 an hour with several hours and sessions needed to permanently clear all unwanted hair.
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