Dealing with Unwanted Facial Hair

More usually it is men who grow facial hair following the onset of puberty, normally in their late teens. However, women may also develop facial hair, particularly after menopause. Normally, women's facial hair is limited to eyebrows and vellus hair. (Vellus hair is short, fine, light-coloured hair found over most of the body and its function is to provide a system of thermal insulation and cooling.) Occasionally, women develop excessive hairiness and this phenomenon is known as hirsutism, and is usually a sign of hormonal imbalance. Social stigma associated with female facial hair means that the majority of women remove their unwanted facial hair.

Hirsutism can be a symptom of a serious medical condition and may indicate an increased level of male hormones. Sometimes it is an increase in the level of insulin which causes the production of increased levels of male hormone. Other medical conditions which may lead to an increase in these hormone levels include: polycystic ovary syndrome; tumours in the ovaries or adrenal gland; obesity; etc.

It is therefore important to attempt to have the cause of hirsutism diagnosed rather than simply remove the unwanted facial hair. Diagnosis can be made from a blood test and the condition can be treated medically leading to a reduction in the symptom of facial hair growth. Because the hair's life cycle lasts approximately six months long, treatments can take this long to be effective so should be started as soon as possible.

There are a number of other hair-removal methods which may be used to treat hirsutism, such as shaving, waxing, threading, depilatory creams or bleaching. However, these methods are all temporary. Electrolysis is a permanent facial hair removal system where small electrical shocks are injected into each hair follicle through a needle, killing the hair root and preventing re-growth. Laser hair removal involves a light being directed at the hair which is absorbed by the dark pigment, resulting in the destruction of the hair follicle. The hair removal becomes permanent after several sessions.

However, not all women want to get rid of their body hair. Jessica Burton who describes herself as "a feminist, menstrual and bisexual activist, gender terrorist and cyclist" began Hairy Awarey - a consciousness-raising campaign to illustrate that women are in fact hairy, always have been and shouldn't hide it.