BEWARE OF CHIN HAIR. IT’S JUST NOT FAIR!

Hirsutism is a term used to describe hair growth in a typically male pattern location such as the chin, upper lip, face, arms, lower abdomen, and inner thighs. Back in Barnum & Bailey’s circus heyday, the Bearded Lady was sadly suffering from hirsutism. Scary witches always have one long, coarse hair growing out of a mole on their chins. You will never see any chin hair on Glinda, the Good Witch.

When hirsutism occurs at midlife, the cause is usually due to the same hormone imbalance that is also responsible for adult acne, with estrogen on the downswing and testosterone still kicking around.

Here are 5 great ways to manage unwanted hair growth in midlife:

1. Perimenopausal women can take a continuous low-dose birth control pill or spironolactone, which is a medication that targets the hair follicle.
2. Menopausal women who take hormone therapy for their hot flashes and night sweats will also see improvement of their unwanted hair growth.
3. All women can try mechanical removal of hair by plucking, waxing, shaving, bleaching, depilatory cream, electrolysis and laser therapy
4. Old wives tell lots of tales, and here is one of my favorites:
   “If you pluck out one gray hair, more will grow back.”
   False! Only one will grow back and it will still be gray.
5. Make sure your healthcare professional rules out other causes of unwanted hair growth including diabetes, thyroid disease, and adrenal hyperplasia.

Don’t be surprised if you are also experiencing hair loss or thinning during midlife. The mechanism for this loss may have something to do with the imbalance of hormones during the menopause transition, but genetics, lifestyle choices, stress, thyroid disease and certain medications as well as the unknown play a role too.

I’d love to hear about your scary hairy issues in the comments below. I’m not afraid!