Facial hair is an embarrassing issue for some women, while others don't give it much thought--at least until menopause, when thicker, darker hairs seems to suddenly crop up. Overall, millions of American women spend their time and money to remove everything from mustaches to fuzz. All women have facial hair--it's part of being human.
Significance
Millions of women remove their facial hair at minimum once weekly, according to grooming product manufacturer Bristol-Myers. Two in five women say that unwanted facial hair is their No. 1 beauty pet peeve, according to a 2001 survey by Yankelovich Partners, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Gillette Co. Some women just don't like facial hair at all, but according to the Mayo Clinic up to 10 percent of women in the United States have some level of the condition called hirsutism in which there's excessive male-pattern hair growth on the face and on other areas of the body.
Personal History
The amount of facial hair a woman has is determined largely by genetics. If a woman's mom or dad has lots of facial hair, she likely will, too. Heredity controls how large the skin's hair follicles are and how thick the hair is. This will not change after birth. Some ethnic groups are prone to developing thicker facial hair, including women of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and South Asian ancestry, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Time Frame
The ratio of male hormones, called androgens, to the female hormone estrogen often changes at menopause, leading to mild facial hair increases. Also, almost all women will notice at least subtle increases in facial hair at age 40 compared to age 20, due to normal skin changes that are associated with aging, according to CNN.com. Hormonal changes throughout a woman's life will affect facial hair growth. Until reaching puberty, a girl's face and body are covered with vellus hairs, which are fine and colorless, the Mayo Clinic notes. When she starts to sexually mature, androgens darken vellus hairs on certain body areas. These coarser hairs are called terminal hairs and most commonly develop under arms and in pubic areas, but can occur on the face in some women.
Hirsutism
When a woman has unwanted terminal hair growth on her face, she has hirsutism. This condition usually is caused by excess androgens or by hair follicles becoming more sensitive to androgens, according to the Mayo Clinic. The condition may be caused by polycystic ovary syndrome, which is characterized by an imbalance of sex hormones. Hirsutism may also result when a woman's adrenal glands make too much cortisol, when a woman takes cortisol-like medicines in the long term, or by drugs used to treat endometriosis. Women who have hirsutism sometimes take oral contraceptives or anti-androgen drugs to combat the unwanted facial hair, notes the Mayo Clinic.
Considerations
There are many options for removing or hiding unwanted facial hair. They include depilatories, waxing, tweezing, bleaching, electrolysis, shaving, laser hair removal or the FDA-approved prescription cream Vaniqa that's made to inhibit unwanted facial hair growth. Women need to choose wisely and explore options thoroughly, advises Paula Begoun, author of "The Original Beauty Bible." For example, depilatories can irritate the skin, so must be tested on small areas of the wrist before use. They also cannot be used on eyebrows or near eyes. Also, all hair removal options are contraindicated after laser procedures or facial peels because the skin needs up to two months to heal. Hair removal is problematic for women taking isotretinoin or using alpha hydroxy acids, beta hydroxy acids, retinoids or azelaic acid because skin will be more likely to tear or get irritated, Begoun advises.
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