How common is female facial hair? (2023)

How common is female facial hair?

It's fairly common and affects between 5 to 10 percent of women. The main difference between more typical hair on a woman's body and face (often referred to as “peach fuzz”) and hair caused by hirsutism is the texture.

It is uncommon for women to have visible facial hair. “Excessive” hair on a woman's face has a name: hirsutism. Often, but not always, it is linked to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), an endocrine disorder experienced by one in five women and female-assigned people of reproductive age.

While all women have fine, light hair covering their faces and bodies, for some women this hair can be thicker, coarser and more visible – but why? We spoke to dermatologist Dr Stefanie Williams at the launch of the Philips Lumea, where she told us that there are a variety of factors behind female facial hair.

Everyone has hair on their chin and this is perfectly normal. We all have vellus follicles that produce very fine, tiny light-colored hair that is often referred to as “peach fuzz”.

The growth of chin hair in females is fairly common, but in some cases, it can be a sign of hormonal imbalances. Hirsutism is the medical term for female hair growth in places where men usually have hair. The growth of chin hair is an example of hirsutism.

However, repeated ripping of the hair from its follicle via waxing or plucking (which is essentially the same thing, when you think about it) will make hair grow back thicker, darker and coarser… and frequently, more plentiful and faster to re-grow.

It is most common or normal for women to have fine facial hair on the outer corners of the upper lip and also on the chin. This normal facial hair is best described as peach fuzz.

Among women respondents, 1 in 5 said that they don't pay much attention to their facial hair or that they hardly tend to it. Meanwhile, 40% of men answered that when getting intimate, a woman's facial hair is the first thing they noticed.

Facial shaving in women is more common than you might think. It's done to remove vellus and terminal hairs from the cheeks, chin, upper lip, and side burn areas. Facial shaving also provides mechanical exfoliation, which can help skin look brighter and cleaner.

As you age, your body and face also lose hair. Women's remaining facial hair may get coarser, most often on the chin and around the lips. Men may grow longer and coarser eyebrow, ear, and nose hair. Contact your health care provider if you have sudden hair loss.

Why shouldn't you pluck your chin hair?

Although plucking away unwanted face and body hair is convenient, it's typically pretty harmful. Plucking or tweezing is time consuming and only invasive if removed in the wrong direction which can deform and tear the hair follicle. Tweezing hair grows back the same as sugaring if pulled from the root.

Men grow beards because the hair follicles on their jaw are stimulated by the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is produced from testosterone. Women have the same number of follicle cells on their faces as men, but these are less sensitive to DHT, and females also have lower testosterone levels to begin with.

Women normally produce low levels of male hormones (androgens). If your body makes too much of this hormone, you may have unwanted hair growth. In most cases, the exact cause is never known. The condition often runs in families.

“During puberty, hormonal changes influence the conversion of lighter vellus hair into thicker, pigmented hair called terminal hair.” Typically, terminal hair is usually found on the scalp, pubic region, armpits, and beards — but it can sometimes grow on women's chins, too, Doktor says.

Shaving and depilatories only cut hair down to the skin's surface. So, if you want to get rid of those whiskers, methods like plucking, waxing and threading are best because pulling hairs from their root traumatizes the follicle and slows, if not eliminates, regrowth.

“Chin hair results from a combination of genetics and hormones,” says Hadley King, M.D., board-certified dermatologist at New York's SKINNEY Medspa. It's our male hormones (called androgens), as well as our overall hormonal balance, that stimulate growth of chin hair, she explains.

In a pinch, could you just shave it? Excitingly simple answer: Yes. "Shaving is fine," says dermatologist Ranella Hirsh, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Boston University School of Medicine. "Most women don't like it because the results are so ephemeral.

Pubic hair removal is common — approximately 80 percent of women ages 18 to 65 report they remove some or all of their pubic hair.

All of this pain despite the fact that, for the most part, women's facial hair is entirely normal. There are, however, some medical conditions which can cause moderate or severe hirsutism, the most likely of which is polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, which accounts for 72-82% of all cases.

What causes a woman to grow facial hair?

Hirsutism is linked to hormones called androgens. It can happen if the level of these hormones increases or if your body becomes more sensitive to them. The most common cause is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This is a condition affecting the ovaries that can also cause symptoms such as acne and irregular periods.

All of this pain despite the fact that, for the most part, women's facial hair is entirely normal. There are, however, some medical conditions which can cause moderate or severe hirsutism, the most likely of which is polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, which accounts for 72-82% of all cases.

Hirsutism is excess hair growth on the body or face. For women, the hair may grow in areas where men often have a lot of hair, but women often don't. This includes the upper lip, chin, chest, and back. It's caused by an excess of male hormones called androgens.

So what about women and extra hair growth? Because they don't produce as much testosterone as men, their transition into the world of hairier body parts is not as drastic, though it still occurs. Around the time of menopause when hormone changes are taking place, women will often develop more noticeable facial hair.

For most women, this occurs sometime between the ages of 44 and 55. When your ovaries stop producing estrogen and progesterone—two hormones key to menstruating—this is when you go into menopause. Estrogen and progesterone also happen to be linked to your hair's health, including its growth.