Removing Female Facial Hair

There are three types of hair that grow on our bodies at different stages of life. While still inside the womb, a baby grows protective hair called lanugo. Shortly after birth, our bodies develop vellus, which is a very light hair, and we continue to grow that hair over our entire body for the rest of our lives. And then there is the terminal, or androgenic, hair that appears during puberty. Terminal hair is brought on by changes in hormone levels in the body. It is more coarse and long than vellus and is found in armpits, the pubic region, the chin and beard region, and on the scalp. Women have lesser amounts of androgens in their bodies than do men, so they typically grown less terminal hair.

But what if you are a woman and find that you have facial hair growing where you don't want it to grow? Perhaps you find facial hair unsightly and want to remove it. There are several methods for removing facial hair:

• Tweeze. Most women tweeze their brows, but you can also tweeze other facial hair. When you pluck a hair with tweezers, you pluck it from the root and, thus, it takes longer to regrow. However, if you've quite a bit of facial hair, tweezing can be an arduous task.
• Shave. While you can shave facial hair, it will regrow rapidly since you are not removing the hair from the root. When the hair regrows, you wind up with hair stubble and possibly skin irritations from using a razor on delicate facial skin.
• Waxing. Use cold or hot wax to pull facial hair from the root. Waxing is a preferred hair removal method for many women since the results typically last four to six weeks. However, the act of ripping the was away from skin may cause irritated skin in some instances.
• Depilatories. You can find depilatories in several forms; gels, creams, and lotions. They alter the hair structure and soften it for easy removal from the root. And, just as with waxing, depilatories only need to be used every four to six weeks. There is a chance of an allergic reaction to the chemicals in depilatories, so make sure that you test a small area of skin first.
• Laser. Only performed by a licensed professional, laser hair removal is time consuming and comes with a hefty price tag. Some laser hair removal ads describe it as being a permanent solution, but oftentimes the hair will regrow.
• Electrolysis. Although, like laser hair removal, electrolysis can be expensive, it is considered permanent. During the procedure, an electrical current is used to destroy the hair root. Over several sessions, hair follicles are permanently destroyed, and hair will not grow again.

Whatever method you choose to remove unwanted facial hair, make sure that your skin is in good shape before you begin. Never remove facial hair from sunburned skin, and if you have acne or facial wounds, allow them to heal before using chemicals or wax on your face.

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