Facial hair

 Getting to the root of the problem.

It is estimated that 1 in 10 women suffer with excess facial hair problems (hirsutism) in the UK, with figures rising.

Hirsutism can cause embarrassment, low self esteem and interfere with social lives.

If you are one of these women you may feel anxious or even ashamed to talk to your GP about it. You may feel less of a woman because of it and worry about being judged.

Causes

There are several reasons why excess facial hair affects some women.

• Genetics can play a role with women in the same family sharing the problem.

• Medical conditions such as Poly cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) , can cause excess facial hair because of the hormone imbalances involved.

• Obesity can also lead to hormone imbalances, as does the menopause.

• Steroid based medications can also have a part to play in women seeing an increase in hair growth.

• Processed foods with artificial additives, such as preservatives and colourings will also over time cause changes to your body and cause  imbalances.

If you are concerned that an undiagnosed medical condition could be the cause of your facial hair, it is important for you to talk to your doctor.  You can ask to see a female doctor if that is more comfortable for you.

Solutions

Thankfully there are many different ways to tackle excess facial hair.

Laser hair removal is said to be effective for dark hair on a pale complexion as the laser attacks the pigment of the hair and destroys the follicle.  This treatment can lead to be permanently hair free or at  least a big reduction. The downside to this treatment is that it can be costly and you need to wait 4 weeks between treatments and shave in between.

IPL or Intense Pulsed Light treatment uses a full spectrum of light with different scattered wave lengths, this treatment can also reduce hair growth but was originally used for skin rejuvenation.

Depilatory creams are probably one of the oldest methods but can cause irritation to sensitive skin.

Growth inhibiting creams can be prescribed by your doctor. Used everyday a large reduction can be seen in re-growth.

Waxing can leave you hair free for up to 3 weeks and this can be carried out at most beauty salons quite inexpensively.

Epistick which is a relatively new gadget using a technique like threading or tweezing, will pull multiple hairs out at once and can cost as little as £2.00

Facial Epilators have had very good reviews. They look and sound like a shaver but have multiple tweezer type rotors to pull out the hairs quickly and effectively from the root, even the shortest ones. It is recommended to warm your skin first and use the epilator in small  circular motions pulling tight some areas with your free hand to get complete hair removal.  Reviews have shown that with constant use in the first month, hair growth slows down and becomes finer.  You can purchase an Emjoi Epislim for as little as £20.00.

Spearmint tea is an age old remedy for reducing the growth of facial hair and indeed excess body hair. Drinking 3 cups or more of spearmint tea in a day can reduce the level of androgen's in the body resulting in lowering free testosterone in the blood, the cause of excess hair in women.