Do you have unwanted facial hair? Is constant hair removal from your eyebrows, between the brows, chin, and upper lip getting you down? Do you feel like you have to hide, "your terrible secret"? Don't worry, you are not alone!
Many women of all ages, sizes and ethnic backgrounds struggle with the removal of unwanted facial hair.
The removal of unwanted facial hair has been with us throughout the ages. The ancients used many forms of facial hair removal. Cavemen scraped hair from their faces with rocks, ancient Sumerians used tweezers, Persians and Arabians used thread, Egyptians used razors, while the Romans had their faces plucked.
Other historical forms of hair removal include the use of sugar and beeswax, as well as rough mitts or discs with which to rub the hairs off the skin.
So, what causes women to have unwanted facial hair?
It may be caused by androgen overproduction, increased sensitivity to circulating androgen's, or other endocrine and metabolic disorders, and should be properly evaluated by a professional. In most cases however, a severe underlying medical condition is not the cause of unwanted facial hair.
If you have a sudden increase in facial or body hair, your periods are infrequent, or your voice becomes deeper, consult your doctor. You may be advised to lose weight. Losing weight decreases the hormones in your body that cause hair growth. If the problem is severe, the doctor may prescribe hormonally based drugs that will help re-balance the levels of androgen's in your body.
In women at the age of menopause, facial hair tends to thicken and grow coarser. These are times of hormonal shifts in the body, and can only be considered a natural progression of events as our bodies age. However, with today's young, hair-free ideal of beauty, unwanted facial hair can be psychologically distressing to any woman, no matter what her age.
If you are pregnant or nursing, you should seek professional help before using any method of hair removal that can affect your baby, such as anything chemical or involving external sources of energy.
So what options do women have for removing unwanted facial hair? Thankfully, you have several to choose from. None of them are perfect. They all have up and down sides to them.
Shaving
Shaving is by far the most common method used to remove unwanted hair from the face. Women, however, should not use a wet razor on their face.
Shaving quickly, and temporarily removes hair painlessly and effectively from areas where it is unwanted. The results last 1-3 days, when one must shave again. It is a widespread misconception that shaving increases hair growth. That is not true. The main disadvantage to shaving with a razor includes skin irritation, cuts on the skin, ingrown hairs, and the need to shave often - sometimes daily.
Epilation
This includes plucking, waxing, threading, sugaring, and the use of mechanical devices or abrasives.
For these methods to work, the hairs must be long enough for the removal method to grasp onto the hair and remove it by the follicle.
It is unknown whether the repeated use of these methods result in reduction of long-term hair growth due to permanent matrix damage to the hair follicle. Threading is currently enjoying an increase in popularity among the Hollywood set, and salons that offer this service are cropping up in cosmopolitan areas across the U.S.
Depilitation
Chemical depilatories dissolve part of the hair shaft, and are easy to use. They are available in gels, creams, lotions, aerosols, or roll-on forms.
Depilatories may be used on the face, and they perform best when hair has a bit of length to it. Before you use a depilatory, make sure you read the manufacturers instructions carefully. Make sure you test a small site first, to make sure you don't have any chemical reactions or skin irritations before using. Do not use a depilatory on the eyebrows, or anywhere near a mucous membrane, or on broken skin.
Laser Hair Removal
With this method, lasers are used to selectively target melanin in the hair bulb and diminishes hair growth for up to about 3 months. Women with dark hair and light skin have the best success using this technique, while gray or white hair is a poor target for this type of hair removal. The cost of treatments varies, anywhere from about $75.00 to $250.00 per session.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis is a very common method of facial hair removal for women and is considered to be the only permanent hair removal method. During electrolysis an electric current is passed through a fine needle or flexible probe inserted into the skin, which destroys the follicular isthmus and lower follicle of the hair.
Unfortunately, regulation is not standardized from state to state and the success of the procedure is largely dependent upon the skill of the operator. Scarring, keloid formation, and pigment changes are possible with this method of facial hair removal.
Most women use a combination of these hair removal methods, as no one particular method is perfect. Hair removal has been with us humans since the dawn of time, and is here to stay.
Today there are many useful products that can be found to aid women in the removal of facial hair. You can find out more about these products by researching the Internet.
