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Facial hair - the bare facts

If you're one of many women suffering from unsightly facial hair, you don't have to live with it. Here are some options for removing it

Women often have unwanted facial hair that appears on the upper lip, chin and sides of the face. Before deciding on the proper removal method, however, you should first determine that the cause of the hair growth is not down to hormones. If you are experiencing abnormal hair growth on these specific areas of the face or if the hair is very thick, you might have a hormonal imbalance. Also, during pregnancy and while taking hormone replacement therapy, unwanted facial hair often crops up or growth is accelerated. Most doctors advise waiting until your hormones settle down to begin treatment. Otherwise, the hair continues to be stimulated by the hormones and treatment isn't as effective.

Once you see your physician, he or she can recommend a removal regimen. There are several different options available.

Tweezing: Some women choose to tweeze unwanted hairs, but this isn't an ideal solution because repeated plucking can cause irritation of the hair follicle and, on darker-skinned women, may result in scarring. Also, hair will grow back thicker and stiffer once it's plucked. Unless you have just a few stray hairs that occasionally pop up, avoid tweezing unwanted hair.

Depilatory creams: These creams dissolve hair at the base of the follicle. They are ideal for widespread areas like the legs, but can be problematic when used on the face because they irritate the skin and often don't remove all of the hair. On the plus side, depilatory creams are relatively inexpensive. On average, results will last for one to two weeks before you'll need a top-up.

Waxing: This is one of the most popular solutions for hair removal. Generally, it's an effective method to remove hair on the upper lip and fine hair on the sides of the face, but it's not recommended for the chin area where hair tends to be more coarse. Waxing may also be problematic for darker-skinned women, who sometimes experience discoloration due to irritation and inflammation. Depending on the type of hair you have, waxing results should last from two to six weeks.

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