What Causes Coarse Chin Hair?

Coarse chin hair on a women’s face is probably the most common type of unwanted hair. It can occur at any stage of life from puberty through long past menopause.

Most of the time it is a mistake and a waste of time to look for causes for coarse chin hair.

Although it’s undesirable, coarse chin hair on the faces of most women is entirely normal. When I suffered from unwanted hair I constantly searched for reasons I was so hairy. In the back of my head I wondered (hoped) I had a hormone imbalance so the cure would be to pop a pill and the hair would go away.

When I went to see a doctor during that time I’d always throw in the question, “and what about this hair?” Thankfully no one had a solution for me so I didn’t end up on any androgen-blocking medications like Spironolactone that I see on the charts of a number of ladies with normal peri- and post-menopausal hair growth. I remember someone told me I had a higher than average level of testosterone.

Good grief. Looking back I know that was a very careless and statement and, thankfully, I didn’t put much stock in it. I had a feeling I was normal, I just wanted to know how to get rid of the hair.

Hair growth on a woman’s face generally grows in a particular pattern. One will sprout on the chin. Then you’ll have 2 or 3 on the chin and jawline, and maybe a few on the neck too. Of course you’ll start tweezing them and that will stimulate new growth. It can take years to get to a point where it feels like it’s out of control.

In contrast, if you have an hormonal imbalance in your body caused by something like PCOS you’re going to see a greater amount of hair in a shorter period, and you will often have other issues with weight, acne, hair loss or problems with menstruation. If you think your coarse chin hair might be caused by an underlying medical problem, you can find out more detailed information about symptomshere.

Medications That Can Cause Development Of Coarse Chin Hair On Women

Coarse chin hair, or excess facial hair in general, can be caused by medications containing steroids (birth control pills can fall into this category) or cortisone which affect the androgen levels in the body and, thus, can stimulate hair growth. Another class of drugs called vasodilators contribute to excess hair growth although it is not related to any androgen mechanism.
The number of conditions that are treatable by these medications are too numerous to discuss here but they range from glaucoma, arthritis and depression to lupus, hypertension and vitiligo. If you suspect your excess hair growth might be caused by medication then it’s best to consult your doctor about whether it’s a temporary or permanent condition. Hypertrichosis (excess hair) caused by medications can appear both on the face and on body.

Coarse Chin Hair Cures

Coarse hair growth rarely, if ever, clears up on its own. If your hair growth is a side effect of medication then stopping the medication (if possible) might improve the situation if the excess body hair occurred on your arms, legs or torso. Facial hair growth is almost always more stubborn even if it’s caused by a temporary prescription medication.

Obviously, since this is an electrolysis blog I’m going to tell you that electrolysis can clear up your excess hair permanently (I’m not biased, I am speaking the truth!). Unfortunately there is no ideal short term solution for unwanted hair. For many people both waxing and shaving can irritate the skin and cause ingrowns and bumps. Tweezing is the most common temporary solution but it does have long term consequences, including skin damage and stimulating new hair growth.

As proof that electrolysis does indeed work I should tell you that I used to tweeze my legs, YES MY LEGS!, because I could never get a smooth wax or shave. First, I reduced the hair on my legs and I was able to start shaving them twice a week. Prior to that I was always stubbly even right after shaving. Now I don’t even have to shave and I can probably count the hairs I have left on my legs (but I’d really have to work to find them!).

Well, this has been a very long post and all I really wanted to say is: Most female facial hair is normal. You are not an oddity. It’s very common to have coarse hair on your face at some point in your life.