Social media is full of videos of women commiserating over the odd (or not-so-odd) chin hair. Videos of influencers sharing hair removal tips, or even actually plucking hairs from their chins, are all over the apps.
The posts often strike a chord with social media users who feel too embarrassed to bring up this “problem” with people in their lives, even with their doctors.
Doctors told HuffPost women shouldn’t feel ashamed to bring this up because facial hair growth can be really telling, and it can be indicative of a few health issues. Here’s what to know.
‘Normal’ facial hair in women tends to look and act a certain way.
“Sometimes, a little bit of facial hair, specifically chin hair, can be normal,” said Dr. Divya Sistla, an endocrinologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
“It’s very ethnicity dependent — certain ethnicities, for example, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean — sometimes certain populations can have a little bit of hair, and that could be normal,” she said.
Less pigmented, fuzzy (and not coarse) hair is a less concerning kind of facial hair, added Sistla.
“Normal” facial hair should also be easy to get rid of.
“If you’re removing it in a nonpermanent manner and it’s growing back, that would be expected, but if someone has had a more permanent hair removal, then it’s not expected to grow back in that way,” said Dr. Jessica Abramowitz, an endocrinologist and associate professor in the department of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Meaning, if the hair grows back after permanent hair removal, it’s worth talking to your doctor.
Facial hair in women can also be a sign of PCOS or other medical conditions.
“Usually, we worry about something called ‘terminal hair growth’ … if a woman is developing thick, coarse hair, which is usually [due to a hormonal problem], that would be more concerning,” said Sistla.
Once again, it can be normal to have the stray facial hair, but if you’re having coarse hair growth, rapid hair growth or hair growth on the belly or chest, this may not be so run-of-the-mill, Abramowitz said.
More, if it’s “accompanied by other signs like deepening voice or increasing size of the clitoris or increase in muscle growth, sometimes that can be a sign that there may be something new or abnormal that is taking place that may need evaluation,” Abramowitz said.
This could be a sign of polycystic ovary syndrome, a common hormonal disorder (abnormal periods are also associated with PCOS), or, in rare cases, a ”tumor that’s making testosterone in their adrenal gland or in their ovaries,” Abramowitz said.
While it can feel easy to ignore facial hair growth or just tweeze it, it’s important to let your doctor know if you have any of the red flag signs mentioned above.
“PCOS, it’s not just a cosmetic concern, there’s metabolic effects — there is risk of diabetes, there is risk of obesity or abnormal cholesterol,” said Sistla.
Doctors may also want to rule out issues like Cushing’s disease or certain adrenal conditions, noted Sistla. “Those are all rare.”
“The vast majority end up being either polycystic ovarian or something called idiopathic hirsutism, which is essentially, we check for all these things, and if all of it comes back negative, then we assume that we don’t have a cause that we identify. It could be something that runs in the family or, again … ethnicity dependent,” said Sistla.
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Some facial hair growth is normal for women, but coarse or quick-growing hair can be a concern.
Women may notice more facial hair as they near menopause, too.
“There can be some changes in hair growth that can occur as part of the normal peri- or post-menopausal period, especially if someone previously was on a birth control pill before, because that’s something that may have been controlling hair growth,” said Abramowitz.
Mild, unwanted hair growth isn’t concerning during the menopausal transition, but if it’s accompanied by any of the red-flag symptoms mentioned above (deepening of the voice, enlarged clitoris), you should see a doctor, Sistla said.
If you want to remove your facial hair, there are a few things to keep in mind.
While facial razors are growing in popularity, they can actually be irritating to the skin, said Abramowitz.
There are better options for facial hair removal, including waxing and threading, she said.
Or, if you want something more lasting, electrolysis or laser hair removal are good options, noted Abramowitz.
“And those can be done in cosmetic settings, those can be done in dermatology offices, and usually, best recommended to do those under that guidance [and] to have an evaluation done first,” she said.
“If you go for an evaluation in a dermatology office and they see it to be severe, they may send you to someone like an endocrinologist to have a hormonal evaluation,” Abramowitz added.
This way, the underlying reason for the hair growth can be determined and addressed.
If there is a medical cause for excess hair growth, there are often medications available to help treat the issue, said Abramowitz.
So, no, your excess facial hair isn’t just a lost cause.
If facial hair growth is bothering you, talk to your doctor and try not to feel ashamed about it.
“We want to be able to help people with this, and we want to be able to optimize people’s health and definitely how they feel about themselves, and how they feel about how they look is a part of their overall health,” Abramowitz said.
“We do believe that it is a benefit to women’s overall health to have these evaluated and treated, if needed,” she said.
