What causes unwanted facial hair? Who has unwanted facial hair? Ways to manage unwanted facial hair.

What Causes Unwanted Facial Hair?

Except for your lips, palms of your hands, and soles of your feet, your entire body is covered with hair follicles. On most areas of the body, hair is "peach fuzz" - thin, fine hair that is called "vellus" hair. On the head, eyebrows, underarms, and pubic areas, the female body has thick, darker hair that is called "terminal" hair.

All women have hair follicles below the skin surfaces of their face. Hair follicles are tiny openings in the skin where hair is produced. There are millions of hair follicles covering the human body, and the number of follicles each person has is set at birth.

Facial hair growth is completely normal and natural. The color and thickness of naturally growing hair is mostly determined by heredity. If the women in your family have dense, dark, facial hair growth, you may as well.

The Aging Process and Hair Growth
Another reason facial hair may begin to grow in women is the natural aging process. Every woman has a normal amount of male hormones (called "androgens") in her body. As women age, the body produces more of these androgens which may cause an increase in hair growth on the chin, upper cheeks or neck area.

Underlying Medical Conditions and Hair Growth
Though heredity or age causes most UFH, some facial hair growth can be linked to an underlying medical condition that can cause an increase in androgen production, in turn causing UFH. One cause of excess androgens in the body is obesity. Fat retains androgen, so the more overweight a person is, the more androgen is kept in the body, potentially causing some male-patterned hair growth. Other medical causes for excessive hair growth can be polycystic ovary syndrome, or hormonal fluctuations due to pregnancy or menopause.

It's important to find a doctor to talk to if you notice any unusual or excessive hair growth.