Facial hair isn't just for men. Women also grow little hairs on their cheeks, upper lip and chin. Usually these are rather fine and hardly visible. But that can change with increasing age: Many women suddenly start to have longer, darker hair, especially on their chins. Why is that?
There is a simple, biological cause behind the observation. It is normal for facial hair to sprout more over the years. With increasing age, the hormone balance changes and it can happen that the body produces more male hormones, so-called androgens. These messenger substances can stimulate hair follicles on the face, from which fine hairs have previously grown, to form thicker hair.
Mix of hormones and genes makes chin hair sprout
However, not every woman struggles with chin hair as she gets older. A certain genetic predisposition also plays a role, reports dermatologist Angela Lamb in an interview with the "New York Times". The best way to find out whether you have such a predisposition is to talk to your own mother or grandmother: If they too have developed chin hair over the years, there is a high probability that the thicker hairs will also sprout on you one day. Column
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If the hair is bothersome, women can remove it - for example with tweezers, with wax or the so-called thread technique. Worries that the hair will grow back thicker after hair removal are unfounded. It is a "myth," emphasizes the doctor.
In fact, the opposite is true: Waxing or plucking can even help reduce hair growth because hair follicles can be damaged during removal, Lamb said. Under certain circumstances, they even stop hair growth.
When to the doctor?
If an unusual amount of hair grows on the face, as well as on other parts of the body such as the abdomen, chest or inner thighs, a doctor's visit is still advisable. In such a case, doctors speak of hirsutism – i.e. dense body hair in places that are usually hairier in men. care and lifestyle
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Hirsutism can occur without any apparent cause or it can be a side effect of certain medications such as cortisone. Under certain circumstances, an underlying disease also plays a role, such as a hormone disorder or the so-called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A visit to the doctor helps in such a case to investigate the cause of the unusually strong hair growth.
Thicker hairs on the chin that appear over the years are one thing above all: completely normal.
