It pushes relentlessly back to the edge of the face. A dermatologist reveals why this popular chin hair occurs spontaneously and explains how to get rid of it if it becomes a problem.
“Every woman you know is fighting a lifelong battle with one chin hair.” This tweet of the American actress, published on August 22, has gathered tens of thousands of “likes” on the social network, causing general sympathy. In the comments, many netizens have thus en masse expressed their anger at this hair that keeps popping up in all its glory and always in the same place that one swears they got rid of it a month ago.
“This hair always has the same tensile strength as a steel cable,” complained one on Twitter. “I was hoping that eventually, if I plucked it enough times, the follicle would give up and die. But no,” laments another. “How does he grow two inches overnight?” one asks in vain.
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First, “it is completely normal for a woman to have hair on her face,” recalls the doctor and dermatologist known by the pseudonym “Dermato Dray”, the author of which. Make peace with your skin (Larus Publications). “In every pore of the skin there is a fluffy hair inside a follicle, except for the palms of the hands and feet. They can be more or less thick depending on the person. In some it is barely visible, blonde and very thin. In others, it is darker with a larger diameter.
Hormonal cause
What determines this very precise location and diameter of the hair is above all genetics, but not only. Hormones also play a crucial role. “Women all have androgen hormones, which are the equivalent of ‘male hormones,’ and specifically testosterone,” continues Dermato Dray. “Underlying hair benefits from this influx of testosterone into the bloodstream, and if you already have a genetic background that tends to produce thick hair, it’s more likely to appear on hormone-dependent areas like the chin, upper lip, cheeks.”
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Moreover, the expert notes that it is quite “rare” that only one appears on the chin. “Sure, sometimes there’s one that sticks out below, but it doesn’t have to be the same one we shaved a few weeks ago,” he clarifies.
While it can occur at any age, chin hair appears more after a certain age. “Naturally, after menopause, the hormonal balance becomes unbalanced and skews in favor of androgens. From the age of 50, therefore, it is normal to have more and more hair on the face,” adds the dermatologist.
The same phenomenon of facial hair can occur in certain specific cases of hyperandrogenism (excess androgens circulating in the blood). “For example, in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, or those taking the pill that is not adapted to the androgenic climate,” warns Dermato Dray.
Feminine complex
Even if this tweet humorously invokes the term “battle” against this stubborn capillary, nothing obliges to get rid of it. On the other hand, “if it becomes embarrassing or if it presents a complication, you can completely remove the hair with tweezers. It’s not dangerous and won’t stimulate the hair,” assures Dermato Dray; “You can also cut it with a small nail clipper, which also won’t increase the diameter of the hair.” To get rid of it forever, the laser method is especially effective, only on the condition that the hair is not white.
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“Facial hair removal is generally a very strict requirement for women. This is half of my patients who require laser hair removal,” reveals the doctor, who notes a particular increase in interest in the lower face after the end of wearing the mandatory mask.
Source: Le Figaro
