Female facial hair (also known as facial hirsutism) is when a woman gets excessive growth of thick, dark hair on areas of the face such as the upper lip and chin. Excess female facial hair is though to affect anything from 5 – 10% of women who have not experienced the menopause, increasing to up to 75% after menopause.
Unwanted facial hair is more common in women with dark hair, particularly those from Southern Asia and Europe, and can run in the family. Causes of female facial hair can include hormonal changes (such as the menopause), polycystic ovaries, and side effects of medicines.
Facial hirsutism is normally caused by an excess of, or increased sensitivity to, androgens (male sex hormones) in premenopausal women. In the majority of cases this is caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which causes symptoms of irregular periods, weight gain and acne. In less than a quarter of women, the cause of excess unwanted facial hair the cause of hirsutism is unclear. This is known as idiopathic hirsutism.
Women who have experienced the menopause are more likely to experience unwanted facial hair due to changing hormones. Oestrogen levels can decrease during this time and testosterone (an androgen) can increase causing growth of facial hair.