Woman with hairy faces? Is it normal?

[Toothpastey]

So I know that facial hair in women is normal, but how do you know when it’s too much?

I’ve had period troubles and have been asked before about if I get excess hair but I don’t know what amount is normal and what is excess!

I have patches of hair on my chin and side burns, not normal fuzzy hair it’s proper hairs, aswell as my sideburns, on patches down my neck, and on my chests/breasts area and all around my belly button.

once I remove the hair it grows back so quickly- its stubbley after 12 hours and regrowing by the next day. I’ve tried all sorts of hair removal methods and nothing lasts

ive attached a photo of the patches of hair on my chin (as obviously I don’t want to attach photos of anywhere else!) but that’s what it’s like on all the other areas too. I had the hair removed yesterday morning but it’s already grown in.

when is it normal and when is it not?!

It’s excessive

May we’ll be PCOS

Go see your GP,

Some lifestyle changes help eg eating low carb ish and maintaining a healthy weight

taking the pill can help

Laser treatment or electrolysis will remove it. Laser is easier.

@HoneyFlowers

Have you tried laser? It got rid of hair permanently for me. Electrolysis works too but terribly slow.

If you can I would get laser treatment,even if new hairs do arrive, you can treat again before they build up - it’s going to be an awful lot easier to manage than lots of hair

I used to have excess facial hair plus a couple of other PCOS symptoms (very regular and painless periods, though) but nothing was ever actually diagnosed. A low-carb diet and intermittent fasting (4 hour eating window) on 6 out of 7 days a week as well as keeping my blood sugar as stable as possible has sorted all of these symptoms within just 8 weeks. For example I had to wax my upper lip every few weeks but now it's pretty much fuzz-free.

I'm not saying it's a miracle cure for everyone, but insulin spikes do play a major role when it comes to hormon imbalances and it's a safe, cheap and easy thing anyone can try. Check out Ben Bikman, Jason Fung and Jesse Inchauspe for some really useful info and tips.

Pcos can’t be discounted by blood tests alone, a uterine scan would help better diagnose.

you have all the symptoms but they can be interlinked with other issues, I have pcos and an underactive thyroid for example.

endocrine issues is where you’re looking at, read up all you can before deciding your best path for medication, gps are quick to help get you on the pill abs that’s that, the pill made me worse!

if you’re ttc or will one day be trying then you’ll want to shout louder as they are slow to help then too. If you find your struggling then ask for help before the golden time of trying for a year as you may need extra help.

pcos and the likes are a bitch but there are things you can do to help. Weight loss, following a keto diet and metformin all make things easier for me.

@SummerInSun in my case, my ovaries have been scanned to death doing 4 rounds of IVF and how my ovaries respond to IVF stims hormones has conclusively ruled out PCOS. Sometimes, women just have hairy chins! Society doesn’t like it as it doesn't fit the preferred image of femininity but there it is…

Try a Philips Lumea. I have PCOS and they say it doesn't work on women with PCOS but I tried it anyway and it has got rid of 90% of my hair. And it is sort of permanent as long as I redo it every six months or so.

Just to say op I had blood tests at the doctors for pcos and they all came back normal - once I was referred to the fertility clinic at the hospital and they did a scan it showed my ovaries were very much polycystic. That along with irregular periods and horrendous acne was enough to diagnose it

Not everyone with PCOS will have issues with their ovaries. It's possible to have the syndrome and not polycystic ovaries. Again, all points to a huge lack of understanding even by lots of medical professionals for a condition affecting 10% of the female population.

It's not normal to have that amount of facial hair.
Please go back to a GP one who is understanding, or female.
Explain your issue.
Demand they help you.
Don't leave it to get worse because it will.

How do you carry your weight? Excessively in your tummy?
How is the hair on your head at the front?

I also looked at your skin and thought PCOS.

Also the GP tends to diagnose PCOS with 2/3 of the checks they do. My scans always look borderline, but everything else aligns, so I was diagnosed.
My PCOS is quite severe. Very thick large amount of facial hair, very thin hair on my head, that resembles male pattern baldness. Periods missing for upto 6 months at a time. Insulin resistant, carry most of my weight on lower tummy. Low amount of breast tissue,

Worst thing I ever did was let them minimise my pcos.

Yes I have spent hundreds in laser and many appointments, but it all eventually returns.

Yours wouldn't be defined as normal no

I would have thought close to zero facial hair was normal for a woman. Now I am in my 50s I get a couple of very fine hairs near my lip, I tweeze them out say once every month or so. At your age, I would expect next to nothing and I also thought PCOS.

I have the same problem (worse than you I think) and it’s frustrating as it’s the only unusually hairy part of me! Might be pcos, never had the test. I get a wax every 5 weeks or so which works for me. Electrolysis didn’t. May consider laser if there’s a suitable one.

See GP for PCOS. I think electrolysis is the only thing that will help that. I had electrolysis a lot at Uni, now only needed twice a year.

Looks like my hair. Mine is worse since my baby (on my chest too, upsettingly). I had tests a few years back and they said it was all normal. I may go back again. I don't think there is much in the way of treatment, but I'll echo pp who mentioned insulin resistance and low carb diet. I also had gestational diabetes with my baby, interestingly. Does all point to insulin. Good luck either way, you're not alone x

Sorry. I haven't read the full thread, but just wanted to advise you to speak to your GP about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). I had an internal scan of my ovaries, where they found cysts, and I have very heavy periods and was putting on weight. I don't have excess hair, but it is a common symptom of PCOS in some sufferers. I had blood tests to rule out other things (e.g. thyroid issues). Take care, OP.