Why do We Have Body Hair? - Causes of Unwanted Body Hair in Women

With the onset of puberty, a young girl experiences hormonal changes in her body leading to various physical changes. In addition to developing sexual traits, a young girl can also experience growth of pubic hair, facial hair and body hair.

The unwanted body hair can be annoying for a young girl, who just steps into adulthood. After a girl becomes mature, these unwanted hairs continue to grow throughout her whole life. Most of the women use various hair removal methods to get rid of their facial or body hair.

Women are conscious about the growth of their body hair, which is considered as an undesired trait. The majority of women use a simple method of hair removal such as shaving to get rid of these unwanted and annoying hairs. These unwanted hairs can grow in any part of the body such as legs, underarms, face, around nipples, back or elsewhere.

The growth of unwanted hairs around body parts such as underarms, pubic area and face is normal; however, hair growth in any other part of a woman’s body can be annoying for them as well as others, especially if they have to expose some hairy part of their body.

About androgen and how its abnormal production can lead to unwanted hair growth

Androgen is a hormone that is found in both male and female body. In males, its production is more as compared to females. In women, androgens are produced by ovaries, adrenal glands and fat cells and get converted into estrogen, which is their main sex hormone.

Androgens play a great role in a young girl’s body during the onset of puberty. It stimulates the hair growth around pubic area and underarms, in addition to regulating other functions. However, the excess amount of androgens in the body can often lead to increased hair growth problems around inappropriate areas such as chin or upper lip. This problem is commonly known as hirsutism.

How menopause and polycystic ovary syndrome are responsible for excess facial hair?

Most of the women often face abnormal hair growth problem. The excess amount of androgens in their body can be one of the reasons for this abnormal growth of unwanted hair. Some women have high levels of a form of testosterone, known as free testosterones, which lead to problems like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This problem can cause irregular menstrual periods, infertility, blood sugar disorders, acne and increased hair growth.

High levels of androgens in the body or hyperandrogenism can also occur due to other factors such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia, ovarian tumour, and other adrenal abnormalities. If the levels of androgens are low in a female body, it can be a problem as well and often leads to various sexual dysfunctions such as low sexual desire, fatigue and other problems.

Women use various methods of hair removal to get rid of their unwanted body hair. One of the common methods often used by the majority of women is waxing. It is a good method for hair removal but not completely free of side effects. Let’s discuss some side effects of waxing.

What are the side effects of waxing?

Although waxing can be used for hair removal, it decreases the suppleness and elasticity of the skin. Some other side effects of waxing are wrinkle formation, irritation, redness, skin rashes, skin infection, allergic reactions and the growth of ingrown hairs.

The growth of ingrown hairs can be annoying because these hairs remain on the skin even after using a suitable hair removal method. As a result, the unwanted hair grows again and again. However, you can slow down the growth of ingrown hair with the help of some effective creams that are available on the market. You can also find these creams from various reliable online stores.

Removing Facial Hair
Author of this article provides information on different unwanted hair and hair removal related issues