As women age, there’s one benefit that most embrace: the hair under their arms and on their legs stops growing. Unfortunately, there’s something else that happens that’s not so welcomed: growing hair on the chin. As women get closer to menopause, the balance of hormones in their bodies shifts and they begin producing more male-type hormones known as androgen. These androgen can transform the kinds of hair follicles that women typically have on their faces — ones that produce short, thin, light hair known as peach fuzz — into follicles that make thicker, darker hair. As for why some women sprout these hairs and others don’t, it comes down to genetics. If you’re growing unwanted hair and your mother, sister or grandmother did, too, it’s a good sign that this kind of hair growth runs in the family. There are many safe ways to remove unwanted facial hair, including tweezing, shaving, waxing, or using depilatory creams. If you’re worried that those techniques might cause your hair to grow back darker and thicker, you can relax. In fact, the opposite can happen. Waxing and tweezing can reduce hair growth, because some hair follicles get damaged in the removal process and stop producing hair. If you want to remove unwanted hair permanently, there’s also laser hair removal or electrolysis. Both are performed by a doctor or aesthetician and both procedures are safe for all skin and hair types. These processes aren’t cheap, ranging from $150 to $4,000, depending on the area and time involved. The best and cheapest way for most women to get rid of unwanted hair is to spend a nominal amount on a good hair trimmer and commit to a monthly “weed whacking” session.
