Hormonally influenced hair growth behaves differently than typical body hair. It is often denser, darker, more persistent, and resistant to temporary methods. Understanding its patterns is essential to achieving permanent resolution.
Hormonally influenced hair growth behaves differently than typical body hair. It is often denser, darker, more persistent, and resistant to temporary methods. Understanding its patterns is essential to achieving permanent resolution.
What is Hormonal Hair?
Hormonal hair growth is driven by fluctuations or sensitivities in androgen levels. While androgens are present in all bodies, certain conditions can increase follicular response, leading to coarser or more visible hair in areas such as the face, chin, neck, chest, abdomen, or jawline.
Common triggers include:
✧ Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS), formerly Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
✧ Puberty, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause and menopause hormonal shifts
✧ Health conditions like, thyroid disease, Cushing’s syndrome, Congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
✧ Certain medications
✧ Genetic predisposition
✧ Prior laser hair removal treatments that stimulated growth
Why Hormonal Hair Requires a Structured Approach
Hormonally influenced follicles tend to:
▸ Produce thicker terminal hairs
▸ Reactivate more readily
▸ Appear in clusters
▸ Require consistent scheduling
Permanent removal requires, proper insertions, regularly timed treatments aligned with growth cycles », skin integrity preservation, long-term planning
Temporary methods may reduce visibility, but they do not disable the follicle. Electrolysis permanently destroys the individual hair follicle.
Hirsutism.
Hormonal hair often follows male-pattern distribution and may feel sudden or progressive. This is a condition that results in dark coarse hairs on the body where ‘men’ typically grow hair like the face, chest, and back. ‘Male-patterned’ hair growth arises from an increased presence of androgens, primarily testosterone, in the body and this increase can be triggered by medications, obesity, family history and ancestry. Hirsutism causes psychological and social problems in women, so it is important to diagnose and treat.
Hormonal
Hair Triggers
-
For individuals with Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS), facial hair & upper torso hair growth is one of the most distressing symptoms. Hormonal management may slow growth over time, but existing follicles must still be permanently treated.
The most common symptoms of PMOS are:
Irregular periods
Heavy bleeding
Insulin resistance
Weight gain or difficulty losing weight
Excess facial or body hair growth
Acne & oily skin
Fertility challenges
Fatigue
Anxiety and depression
-
Pregnancy also influences the hair’s growth cycle. People often make the mistake of attributing hair thickening during pregnancy with more and faster hair growth, but actually, higher levels of estrogen is produced in the second or third trimester of pregnancy prolonging the growth, or anagen, phase. When the anagen phase timeline is extended, there is less shedding than usual thus making the hair thicker.
Unfortunately, the body also increases the production of androgens which can lead to a faster growth rate of body and facial hair. Since there aren't any studies that validate the safety of electrolysis on the baby, it’s recommend you avoid electrolysis while pregnant and consider temporary hair removal methods ». If you do choose to get electrolysis while pregnant, consult your doctor first and stay away from the galvanic and blend modalities.
Women often lose a significant amount of hair after childbirth once estrogen levels return to normal, post-partum hair loss, and the “doping effect” on hair growth comes to an end. This will apply to unwanted facial and body hair as well so hang in there, three to six months after childbirth most of your unwanted hair will shed naturally.
-
An increase in facial and body hair above the norm for the age, sex and race of an individual is called hypertrichosis. There are many methods available for those who want to get rid of these newly sprouted hairs, but electrolysis is still the only way to removal them permanently.
To manage your menopause symptoms, including thinning hair, eat well, drink lots of water, exercise, reduce stress, and speak to your physician about taking natural supplements.
Many women have unpleasant symptoms during menopause, including hot flashes, mood swings, and insomnia. These symptoms are a result of a drop in estrogen and progesterone levels but, a decrease in these hormones results in an increased production of androgens, the male hormone.
Androgens shrink hair follicles, resulting in hair loss on the head; inversely, these hormones can also cause more hair to grow on the face. Therefore, some menopausal women develop light, soft facial hair ‘peach fuzz’ and small sprouts of hair on the chin.
Electrolysis is an effective way to manage these sudden bursts of hair growth while going through menopause.
-
Some drugs can change the hormone levels in your body thus triggering abnormal facial or body hair growth. The following medications can cause hirsutism:
Anabolic steroids - boosts boost muscle mass, performance, endurance & shortens recovery time between workouts
Testosterone - male hormone
Glucocorticoids - fights inflammation
Cyclosporine (Sandimmune®) - treats psoriasis, severe rheumatoid arthritis, and organ rejection after a transplant
Minoxidil (Loniten®, Rogaine®) - treats hair-thinning
Danazol (Danocrine®) - treats endometriosis
Phenytoin (Dilantin®) - treats seizures/convulsions
Related Links: