Beauty

Medically reviewed by Elizabeth Liotta, M.D.

Have you looked in the mirror lately and noticed some facial hair you haven’t seen before? Or maybe that one recurring chin hair is now five recurring chin hairs? “Most women have some degree of facial hair, and genetics and hormonal fluctuations can play a role in how visible and dense that facial hair is,” said Maya K. Thosani, M.D., FAAD, a double board-certified dermatologist and owner of Modern Dermatology.

As we get older, hormone shifts can cause hair growth on areas like the upper lip, chin and jawline. As many as 1 in 10 women will develop hirsutism, a condition that results in excessive growth of dark or coarse hair on a woman’s face, back or chest. Most of the time, facial hair is just a cosmetic issue, but if you suddenly find yourself with more or darker facial hair, you should check in with your healthcare provider.

The good news is that unwanted facial hair is easy to remove, and there are several safe options for women to choose from. Here’s what you need to know about the different ways to get rid of unwanted facial hair.

Waxing

Waxing involves applying hard or soft wax to the skin to remove the hair from the follicle. With soft wax, a strip is applied over top of the hair and then ripped off, taking the hair with it. Hard wax adheres to the hair shaft on its own and is applied without a strip and pulled off directly off by hand. Both methods allow an esthetician to dab wax onto the specific areas they want to remove hair from, as opposed to a broader area. Hair must be between one-fourth to three-fourths of an inch to be removed, and it grows back in about three to six weeks.

The precision and speed are a plus for many women, and waxing is less painful than threading. You can also wax yourself at home with a DIY kit, which makes it more affordable too. Thosani warned that some people may find they are sensitive to the wax material themselves and can have rare allergic reactions. Waxing isn’t recommended if you have sensitive skin or skin that’s easily sunburned, have an allergy to any of the ingredients in the wax, or have taken a medication called isotretinoin within the last six months.

Threading

Threading, which is performed by a certified esthetician, involves pulling a cotton thread along unwanted hairs and removing them from the follicle. According to Brendan Camp, M.D., a double board-certified dermatologist with Medical Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery in New York, this is also a precise method to get rid of facial hair. “It is natural and hygienic because it only involves a thread that is discarded after use,” he explained. Hairs grow back in about four weeks, and this method is ideal for people with dry or sensitive skin that might otherwise be irritated by waxing.

Laser hair removal

Laser hair removal uses a laser to destroy the hair follicle root, which means that specific hair can’t grow back. To stop facial hair growth, you may need six to eight treatments, four to six weeks apart. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, laser hair removal tends to work best for patients with light-colored skin and dark-colored hair, because the pigment of the hair absorbs the light from the laser. When enough sessions are performed, laser hair removal is permanent on most areas of the body. This isn’t true for the face, though, because hormones may encourage future hair growth down the line. Laser hair removal isn’t cheap, either. It’s one of the more expensive methods of removing hair.

Sugaring

Sugaring is a way to get rid of facial hair using a paste made of lemon, water and sugar. The paste is applied to hair in the opposite direction of the growth and, once it dries, it’s removed by short, flicking motions that pull the hair in the direction that it grows, which removes the hair from the follicle.

The sugaring process is similar to waxing, but it can remove shorter hairs than waxing can — an eight to a quarter-inch of hair, as opposed to one-fourth to three-fourths of an inch — and can be a gentler alternative to waxing. The hair takes four to six weeks to grow back.

Chemical hair depilatories (such as Nair/Veet)

Hair removal creams dissolve the hair above and just below the surface of the skin. They can cause skin irritation and chemical burns if not used exactly as instructed. And results don’t last much longer than shaving. “While easy, convenient and inexpensive to use, depilatory creams only last two to five days until hairs grow back, depending on the area treated,” Thosani said. If you’re going to try a depilatory cream for the first time, be sure to test a small area on your body before applying the cream to larger parts of your body or your face to make sure it doesn’t irritate your skin.

Plucking/Tweezing

You can use tweezers to pluck out unwanted facial hair. When you pluck the correct way, it removes the entire follicle and hairs can take two to six weeks to grow back. This method can be painful, though. And, according to at least one study, if you pluck a lot of hairs from the same area, it can cause regrowth. Therefore, it may be best to pull one or two stray hairs every now and then and leave any large areas for other methods.

Electrolysis

With electrolysis, a trained technician inserts a thin wire into the hair follicle under the surface of the skin. An electric current then moves down the wire to the bottom of the follicle, destroying the hair root. “The follicle damage prevents hair from growing and causes the existing hair to fall out,” Thosani said. Electrolysis is very precise, time-consuming and costly. The benefit is that it can be done for any hair color and skin combination, and often is the only option for permanent hair removal of lighter or white facial hair.

Natural remedies

A Google search will put you face-to-face with many natural remedies to get rid of facial hair. “Many of these [natural options] involve creating some sort of adherent material that clings to the hairs enough to pull them out at the root when applied and removed creatively,” Thosani said. “Some natural remedies involve allergenic compounds and can cause a rash, so always use caution when trying an at-home natural remedy.”

What to know before removing facial hair

• Some hair removal methods can make your skin sensitive to the sun or can cause irritation, redness and inflammation — especially if you have sensitive skin or conditions like eczema, rosacea or psoriasis.

• Some procedures may require you to use sun protective measures like hats, sunglasses and SPF afterward, and others, like laser hair removal, may require you to stay out of the sun for at least two weeks.

• People with darker skin tones may be at risk of hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin) after facial hair removal. This can be a particular concern for women with certain medical conditions like melasma or a history of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

• There can be a risk of infection with any hair removal method that breaks the skin, such as waxing, threading or electrolysis. In addition, check with your healthcare provider before beginning any hair removal treatment, especially if you:
  • Have diabetes
  • Have cancer
  • Have melasma
  • Have a history of long-term steroid use
  • Are pregnant/nursing
  • Have thinning or fragile skin
  • Have epilepsy
  • Use tretinoin or other topical skin medications
  • Have permanent makeup

Check with your dermatologist before any type of hair removal treatment to make sure it’s a good option for you.

Stick to the pros

If you’re not performing your own facial hair removal, remember to always seek out treatments from licensed and trained professionals, like a licensed esthetician or board-certified dermatologists.

April Wilson is no stranger to making her own mark. “My journey started at a young age in the Army, where women are typically overlooked and outnumbered, but I established myself as an independent badass with life experience,” she explained. Still, she couldn’t predict where her own health journey and self-taught design and production of ostomy bag covers would lead her. “I never thought this hobby would turn into a business that I love,” she said. “My platform is all about female empowerment and changing the stigmas.”

Around the world, women are more present and powerful in business than ever before. In the U.S. alone, women started 49% of new businesses in 2021, a big jump from 28% in 2019.

This is great news, but it’s only part of the story.

While women are starting more businesses, they still don’t go after or receive as much funding as men. In 2022, women-only teams received less than 2% of venture capital (VC) funding, compared to 80% of men-only teams — even though women-led businesses tend to reach higher valuations, faster.

The reality is that women are underappreciated in many aspects of society. In healthcare, women face discrimination and obstacles to proper care, from having their concerns dismissed to being blamed for their own health problems. This is particularly true for younger women, women of color and women with lower incomes.

As women gain more ground in the healthcare industry (one of the top industries for women-owned businesses), they’re creating huge shifts. Not only do these badass women impact the business world, they’re also improving the health resources and care that women receive. In honor of all the women creating products and services to better our lives, here are a few women-owned companies you should know about.

AnaOno

After Dana Donofree had a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, she couldn’t find a bra that fit her changed body. She felt like breast cancer had reduced her from a woman to a diagnosis. “It never dawned on me that I was now a walking, talking medical device,” she said. “It was a constant reminder that I was different now.”

So Donofree went to work: She used her experience in fashion design to create her own line of bras, and AnaOno was born. “I was able to focus my creative attention on something bigger than myself, trying to get the best fit possible for all different chest types that are a result of cancer treatment and surgery,” she said.

The best moment for Donofree was when she invited her young survivor friends over to fit the initial prototypes. It was a profound, nerve-wracking experience. “I worried that my designs would fall short,” she said. “But the silhouettes were totally chest inclusive and fit those of us with and without our breasts.”

Ten years later, AnaOno has added more products to their specialty wear, including pocketed mastectomy bras, reconstruction bras, radiation therapy bras and post-surgery loungewear. “It is the stories of our community that keep me going, because it’s more than just a bra,” Donofree said. “It’s a piece of you.”

Bosom Buddy

When Jennifer Gibbons learned about her increased genetic chance of developing breast cancer, she decided to get a preventive double mastectomy. After surgery, wearing a seat belt was so uncomfortable that driving became difficult. Her mother-in-law, Carolyn Gibbons, who is an active member of the sewing community, developed a seat belt cushion to solve the problem.

Soon Jennifer, Carolyn and friends were creating and donating the cushions to other women who needed them.

That’s when they asked the quilting company ByAnnie about using their Soft and Stable product, which helps strengthen and stabilize sewn pieces. As a result, the team at ByAnnie developed the official Bosom Buddy pattern so more women can access and create these seat belt cushions. After all, post-surgery life isn’t just about surviving — it’s about getting where you want to go in life and thriving along the way.

KILI Medical Drain Carrier

By 2013, Cinde Dolphin was an experienced veteran of the surgical process. As a result of multiple cancer diagnoses, she was about to have her ninth surgery and she knew she’d be dealing with medical drains during recovery. The standard pins or clips provided by hospitals never worked well, so Dolphin brought a canvas apron with pockets to help her manage her drains.

The hospital team was so impressed by her idea that they encouraged her to develop a washable version they could use at the hospital. By the beginning of 2014, Dolphin had a prototype that was tested by patients and received great reviews. Fast forward to today and the KILI Medical Drain Carrier is now used in multiple hospitals and sold online. Dolphin’s mission to help women regain independence and mobility after surgery comes with the added benefit of helping them feel more comfortable in their own skin.

Headcovers Unlimited

When Carol Galland was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40, she thought she’d have plenty of options for dealing with chemo-induced hair loss. After all, as a professional hair stylist, she had the industry knowledge and connections. But that wasn’t the case. At the time, she couldn’t find attractive, comfortable head coverings or wigs that fit well and felt natural. She called on her experience as a stylist and a cancer survivor and worked with her daughter Danielle Galland-Yates to create Headcovers Unlimited, which creates wigs and headwear options for women with cancer.

After Carol passed away in 2009, Danielle continued to honor her mother’s legacy through the company. Motivated by her own experience, her mother’s life and a desire to help other women facing cancer, she now designs head coverings that are comfortable and flattering. She gets her ideas from solving problems that women share with her and spotting colors, textures and unique ideas she can bring into the design process.

That Girl with the Bag

April Wilson was 20 years old when she became very ill while serving in the Army. She was sent home from Iraq and ultimately diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, which she managed for years until getting a permanent ileostomy bag. The ostomy world was overwhelming at first, April explained. Ostomy bag covers helped her confidence increase, but she wasn’t pleased with the quality. “They didn’t really fit well or last more than a few washes,” she said. So she taught herself how to sew and started making her own custom-designed covers. “After a while, my friends and family convinced me to start selling them to help others feel as confident as I do.”

Through her shop on Etsy, April sells comfortable and beautiful covers for ostomy bags to promote body positivity and fight stigma and limits. “I live out loud! I want to show everyone that having an ostomy isn’t the end,” she said. “I know when I send out a package that someone is ready to live their life to the fullest and fight for their confidence.”

As more women find their power and channel their creativity into creating these missing solutions, women everywhere benefit. Women supporting women doesn’t make a ripple — it makes a wave. “I feel so grateful that I am still here to pursue my dream while supporting and impacting others just like me,” Donofree said. “Giving back confidence and empowerment is worth all the hard work that goes into starting and building a business.”