Get Rid of Female Facial Hair

Facial hair is natural, even on females, but it can be embarrassing. If you feel insecure about your facial hair, read this article to learn how to remove it.

10 Second Summary

  • Use a quick method, such as: tweezing, bleaching, waxing, or threading. More ↓
  • Consider a more permanent method, such as laser, electrolysis, or prescription creams. ↓
  • Ask your doctor about recommended treatments, along with their associated risks. ↓

Steps

Quick Methods

  1. Try tweezing. Tweezing, or pulling the hair out with tweezers, is a cheap and effective way to remove hair from any area on the face. The major downsides are only that it is time-consuming and somewhat painful, especially in sensitive areas.
  2. Try an epilator. An Epilator is a device, usually priced between $30-100, which works by pulling out multiple hairs at once. While effective, fast, and relatively inexpensive, it can be painful the first few times it’s used. Like with waxing, however, the pain lessens over time as you become used to the sensation.
  3. Try dyeing the hair. Often referred to as “bleaching”, this is the practice of dyeing the hair to be the same or a similar color to the skin tone. This makes it less noticeable. What color you choose will be based on your skin tone and special kits can often be purchased for the face.
  4. Try a chemical depilatory. This is any one of a number of creams, lotions, and similar products which use a chemical process to "melt" the hair. These are cheap, easy to use, and generally pain-free. However, they can cause chemical burns if used incorrectly and the effects generally last only a week.
  5. Try waxing. Waxing is one of the more common ways to remove facial hair. The cost of the procedure will depend upon what part of your face you have waxed, but it is generally not too expensive. The effects will usually last a few weeks but the procedure is painful. It can also result in ingrown hairs.[1]
  6. Try threading. The pain of waxing and the expense of an epilator not for you? Threading is an easy way to remove hair from your brows, lip, or face in general. This method is simple to learn, easy to do, relatively painless, and doesn't require any tools. All you need is some string! You can also go in to a salon for professional threading, but only if you really want to.
  7. Try trimming. If you are worried about your eyebrows more than other facial hair, consider trimming the hair rather than removing it. Trimming the eyebrows can make them appear less thick and dark and is easy and cheap to do yourself at home.
  8. Shave sparingly. You can, of course, also shave any facial hair which bothers you. While it is not true that shaving will make hair grow back thicker or darker, shaving will often cause shaving bumps and is most likely to cause ingrown hairs so use shaving sparingly or with appropriate precautions.[2]

More Permanent Methods

  1. Consider laser hair removal. This process uses light pulses to destroy the root of the hair. It doesn’t automatically remove the hair but does cause it to fall out over time. It works best for those with dark hair and light skin and getting it otherwise is very difficult or impossible. It costs several hundred dollars and touch-ups will be needed once a year. It does significantly reduce the appearance of hair, however.
  2. Consider electrolysis. This is the only hair removal method currently certified by the FDA as being permanent. It is done by inserting a very small needle into the skin and destroying the cell which cause hair growth. It is very effective and is similar to the cost of laser hair removal. There are 2 types of electrolysis that can cause scarring (Thermolysis and The Blend) and are not recommended for those with darker skin tones (as they are at greater risk of scarring). However, there is one type of electrolysis that is not associated with scarring (as there is no heat in the process) called Galvanic which is suitable for all skin types. [3]
  3. Try prescription creams. There is a prescription cream which will work very similarly to the depilatories above. While it is not usually able permanently remove hair on its own, there is some evidence that it can occasionally produce this effect. However, since it is usually considered an elective treatment, the cream may not be covered under your medical insurance.
  4. Try hormone treatments or oral contraceptives. If your hair thickness and color are hormone-based (only your doctor can determine this), you may be able to return the hair to normal by using hormone treatments or oral contraceptives (which also regulate the hormones). Consult with your doctor about your options and condition.

Consult With Your Doctor

  1. Ask your doctor about recommended treatments. When you determine that you would like to remove or reduce your facial hair, consider consulting with your physician. They should be able to recommend and discuss various options, as well as provide warnings regarding the risks.
  2. Consult about associated risks. Each of the above procedures has associated risks. Before undergoing any, it is a good idea to consult with your doctor about those associated health risks. For example, electrolysis cannot be used if you have a pacemaker.
  3. Consider underlying health conditions. You and your doctor will also need to consider underlying health conditions. There are a number of conditions, some benign and easy to treat while others can be more worrying, which can cause more hair growth or hair growth in unusual areas.
    • Hormone fluxes, which can cause changes like these, are associated with age (making young teen girls and older women more prone to this problem).
    • Hair changes can also be caused by tumors in the glands which control hormones or in response to pregnancy or certain medications.
    • Look out for other symptoms associated with hormone disorders (like irregular periods, weight gain, acne, or hair loss). Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormone condition that affects up to 10% of women and is a cause of unwanted hair (also known as hirsutism). Medicines used in the treatment of PCOS can significantly improve excess hair problems.

Tips

  • Many of the painful methods which work by pulling out the hair will become less painful with time.
  • If you're young, wait it out. When your hormones calm down the hair will likely disappear (or become less visible) on its own.
  • Know that makeup won't fix it. Make-up will not cover hairs, and will patch around it, so should be avoided in areas with hair, as it will only make it more noticeable. Make-up should be worn in areas where you do not have facial hair, to distract focus. For example, hairs on the upper lip, natural lipstick, and a smokey eye.
  • If you are young, ask your mum. She will definitely understand your problem with these hair and will do something.

Warnings

  • Any one of these methods presents a certain risk for ingrown hairs. These can potentially become infected, cause scarring, or any other number of problems. Do what you can to avoid ingrown hairs and deal with them if they become a problem.

Things You'll Need

  • Thread, beautician's wax, or tweezers
  • Facial hair bleaching product
  • Facial hair removal cream
  • Moisturiser
  • Conditioner
  • Assorted make-up
  • Dianette

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/01/facial-hair-removal_n_944886.html
  2. ↑ http://www.aafp.org/afp/2002/1115/p1913.html
  3. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/beauty/hair-removal/for-women-only-best-options-for-hair-removal?page=1

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