Why is there hair growing on my chin?
The other day, a friend of mine told me she had an excellent post idea for Silver & Grace, and I was free to use her story.
Seems my friend was closely examining her face in the mirror (don’t we all), and discovered a very black hair right above her lip. Very noticeable because she’s blond.
To her dismay it was quite long, which made her wonder how long it had been sitting there for all the world to see.
At this point in the story telling, my friend leaned in close to me and whispered:
“And it was really curly … just like a pubic hair!”
When I stopped howling with laughter, I shared a similar story.
One day, I was closely examining my face in the mirror (don’t we all), and tried to brush off an eye lash from my chin. Only it wouldn’t brush off, because the hair was actually growing out of my chin. It was very long, and I also wondered how long it had been sitting there for all the world to see.
I came to the conclusion that it was not there the night before, and that it simply grew that fast. But now I’m even more diligent about closely examining my face in the mirror, because I don’t want to be caught with long hairs dripping off my chin.
Where is this facial hair coming from?
We all have facial hair, but it is fine and basically invisible. Men, on the other hand, have coarser, darker facial hair. The type of facial hair is determined by a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The higher the DHT, the coarser and darker the hair.
A higher estrogen to testosterone ratio keeps the levels of DHT low. However, as our estrogen levels drop in peri-menopause and menopause the DHT levels increase.
Where are these hairs likely to show up?
Stray hairs show up on the chin, like my example, and the moustache area like my friend. As well, the jaw line is quite common. But, they can also grow on the cheeks and forehead.
Can we prevent facial hair growth?
The trick, as with alleviating all menopausal symptoms, is keeping our hormones balanced:
- limit sugar intake
- eat lots of veggies, fruits and whole grains
- get plenty of exercise
- reduce stress
- keep weight level within a healthy range
How do we get rid of the hair?
I immediately grabbed the tweezers, as I am sure my friend did. However, it was single hair, and it was a single incident.
For more aggressive hair growth you have the following options:
- bleach
- depilatory creams
- wax
- creams formulated to reduce DHT production
- laser treatment
- electrolysis
You can talk to your doctor about options for keeping your estrogen and progesterone balanced, such as using a topical progesterone cream. You also want to make sure the facial hair is not related to some other factor, such as thyroid disease.
Don’t panic. We aren’t turning into the Bearded Lady. While shocking to discover hair growing where it shouldn’t be, if we maintain a healthy balanced lifestyle, they should just pop up on the rare occasion.
And when they do, they seem to make for some pretty funny stories!
Your turn:
- Do you have a funny facial hair story to share?
- What methods do you use to get rid of unwanted facial hair?
Suggested reading:
Why am I getting unwanted facial hair at age 41?
Facial hair – the bare facts
Post-Menopause Facial Hair
I never understood those old ladies who have mustaches. My grandma had one. (I think everyone has a grandma who had one).
It’s only a few dozen hairs. For God Sakes, HOW COME you don’t pluck those out?
Is it because at that age, they just no longer give a shit about their appearance?
Or maybe it’s a violation of some Double-Secret Probation Old-Lady Code (??)
Ladies, you tell me.
Every once in a while I’ll notice a long, wiry hair growing out of my neck about ONE INCH long, for crying out loud. The comb-over won’t hide it, so I pluck it while I shudder in disgust! Almost seems as if it’s watching and laughing at me.
And it comes back,too well… sneaks back, more accurately. I watch for it, checking often in the mirror and, nothing. Then, one day I wake up and there it is! That’s when I wonder how long it’s been there and how many people have seen it. I wonder if that’s why so many ladies wear those pretty neck scarves.
I use a product call Zain that is made by a friend of mine for her own business. It’s a natural sugaring system and the only product I’ve found that works for me. My “extra” hair is very fine, blond hair and hard to get a grip — ha, ha — but I suppose it’s better than having curly black hair.
@Friar… I’d blame the family of those elderly ladies with the moustaches. Here’s the thing: either their eyesight is not what it used to be and they don’t see the hair, or they’ve got the shakes and are tired of poking themselves with the tweezers. It’s the responsibility of those youngins to remove the hair. I bet you wish YOU’D thought of that for your grandmother’s sake
@DeepFriar – I can’t say really. My grandmothers were always ‘made up’. They didn’t go to salons and stuff, but they always had their hair done nicely, and their faces ‘powdered’. But then I read Davina’s response to you, and I think she nailed it. Seems it’s all YOUR fault *grin*
@Davina – comb over … you are too funny. Okay, so it’s not just me. These hairs do grow at some mutant speed.
Yes these hairs DO grow at a mutant speed! I was thinking that after I’d commented. Like… how come I don’t see it when it’s at least a half inch? Why does it just magically appear overnight and wave at me in the bathroom breezes? *she shrugs*. If I’d known what this aging thing was like, I would have had more compassion for my mother and grandmother.
Hi Eliza,
I wondered when you would get to this topic. No wild hairs yet, just a trace of facial fuzz that wasn’t there before. I don’t mind a lot of what happens as we age, but scary hairiness is too weird!
Being olive-skinned, I tan easily. Nevertheless, I often wondered why in the world my upper lip tanned so much more than the rest of my face. …until the moment I was sans contact lenses (all the better for close-up clarity), was looking in the mirror while coincidentally standing in the ray of sunshine that came through the window. OMG, it was a MUSTACHE! And no one had been kind enough to tell me. (Maybe they couldn’t see, either?) Please. It’s akin to have an unzipped zipper. Embarrassing. People, please please please tell us these things! My solution is to periodically stand in the sun with my mirror and tweezers—and have tissues handy for when I sneeze. (Why does tweezing trigger sneezing?)
@Lori – yes, funny eh? I can accept curves that weren’t there before and wrinkles. But facial hair? NOOOO!
@Julie – ‘unzipped zipper ‘ LOL It’s true, eh?