I remember the first time I noticed a real chin hair — not the blonde peach-fuzz kind of hair, but a coarse, dark, rogue hair! I instinctually grabbed my tweezers and plucked it in horror (a dangerous approach because you should almost never tweeze). Truth be told, bristly chin hair in women is more common than most of us would like to admit, so you should never feel embarrassed or abnormal if you have this issue.
Why unwanted chin hair happens
When women go through pregnancy, menopause and health issues like PCOS — we often see stiffer, darker body hair show up in atypical spots. The most common culprit? Hormones! Usually, the greater your hormonal imbalance, the more severe your unwanted hair pattern. Things like age, genetics, and even medications and vaccines can also affect hair growth. Some stray hair is completely normal, but when it’s more than an occasional unwanted strand, it could be a sign of something more significant.
Hair can sometimes indicate a health problem
If you’ve ever noticed chin hair on your mother or grandmother and are seeing the same thing around the same age, there is probably no cause for alarm. If, however, you’re noticing more unwanted hair paired with some other unusual symptoms — like irregular periods, trouble losing weight, infertility, and/or just not feeling like yourself — it is a good idea to talk it over with your doctor who may be able to prevent it from getting worse.
The best (and worst) methods for removing chin hair
If you’re reading this blog post, you may already be experiencing unwanted chin hair. Earlier, I mentioned that you should almost never tweeze. There are two good reasons for this. First, when you pull the hair by the root, the next hair comes back stronger and thicker. Also, by plucking the hair, you may be activating dormant hair follicles in the area that would otherwise never grow — so you end up with more and more unwanted hair over time. If you have unwanted hair right now, here’s what you should do:
Short-term, if you have hair that’s driving you crazy, we strongly suggest shaving (or trimming). Cutting the hair with a razor or scissors will not cause your hair to come back thicker, and it will not stimulate new hair growth in the area. So, shave without fear — as often as you need to.
If you’re ready for a more permanent solution, electrolysis is your best option for getting rid of even the most prickly chin hair. Unlike laser, electrolysis is the only 100% permanent form of hair removal recognized by the FDA, and it works universally on all hair and skin types (welcome news for people with lightly colored hair or darker skin tones who are often not a good candidates for laser).
Also, chin hair is deep hair — a depth we can comfortably reach with electrolysis to destroy the germinative cells that grow hair. Laser, however, is limited in how deep it can reach, which is often the reason laser doesn’t work well on the deeply rooted hair in the underarm and bikini areas too.
We have plenty of clients that have had laser on their chins only to have it grow back! With electrolysis, we can get rid of your deepest, most stubborn hair once and for all!
Goodbye hair, goodbye hyperpigmentation and acne too!
If permanently getting rid of your chin hair isn’t enough to make you book your appointment with Prickly Pear right now, we want you to know that when the hair goes, the dark spots and blemishes often disappear too, leaving you with nothing but a clean, beautiful chin line!
We hope to see you in the salon very soon!
