Worried you’re getting whiskers? Stop eating white bread
... and other surprising solutions for unladylike hairs on your face
NOBODY l i kes t heir reflection first thing in the morning, and I’m no exception. but the other day I took one look at myself in the mirror and recoiled.
There, smack bang in the middle of my chin, a long black hair had seemingly sprouted overnight, right where the whole world could see it. Tweezers did the job — but I know that next week another will emerge. Then another.
Since I hit the menopause last year at the age of 49, my facial hair seems to have taken on a life and mind of its own. I can almost cope with the hot flushes and mood swings. but something about having to pluck stubborn, wiry hairs f rom my f ace every day l eaves my confidence in tatters.
by contrast, my eyebrows, once lush and thick, are now sparse and weedy apart from a single black, wiry hair that sticks out, denis Healey- l i ke, f rom mid-brow.
And don’t get me started on my newly sprouting sideburns and nasal hair. It’s bad enough getting older without this facial fluff playing havoc with my selfesteem. but what can be done about the menopausal hair explosion that seems to take place everywhere except on your head? I decided to investigate.
ZAP YOUR CHIN SMOOTH DURING the menopause, oestrogen levels fall and increased male hormones — known collectively as androgens — stimulate facial hair growth, especially on the chin.
The occasional one can be plucked. don’t panic — they won’t grow back thicker, that’s just a myth. but if you’re short of time or particularly hairy you can invest in an epilator, which will pull out large numbers of hairs at once by grasping each hair and dragging it out. both braun and Philips do a basic model for £29.99; the results last for up to three weeks.
Waxing and hair removal creams also work but dr Susan Mayou, a Londonbased dermatologist, recommends laser treatment for a more lasting solution.
‘It works by targeting the root of the hair, heating it up and destroying the hair follicle,’ she says. ‘To reach hairs in all the phases of their cycle of growth, you may need between four and ten treatments — it varies from client to client. The time between treatments is normally between a month and two months. Hair doesn’t all grow at the same time — some of it “rests” — so the gaps between treatments allow this resting hair to become active.’
but this treatment won’t work for every middle-aged woman, as the laser can’t identify white or grey hair. If this is you, dr Mayou suggests trying electrolysis.
Performed in beauty salons, this involves inserting a small needle into the hair follicle, then passing an electric current through it to destroy the hair bulb and stop it growing back.
This is the most effective method of removal but is fairly uncomfortable (it feels as if your face is being pinged with an elastic band) and very time-consuming. The number of treatments you need varies — according to the british Institute and Association of Electrolysis, each client will have a different density of hair growth.
You will need to have regular appointments, probably once a week for between six months and a year.
Electrolysis is not cheap, either — each 15-minute session costs between £15 and £20. It is vital, as with all these procedures, to find a properly trained practitioner and a certified clinic.
SCRAPE AWAY FUZZ MOST of us have barely visible fine hair on our faces that can hardly be seen and is sometimes referred to as ‘peach fuzz’ because it resembles the skin of the fruit.
According to skincare expert dr david Jack, the existence of this hair is entirely normal, but during the menopause, it often becomes more noticeable.
He says: ‘Hair can thicken and darken thanks to f l uctuating hormones, and grow i n areas where normally only men get it, such as in front of the ears.’
If you have a lot of hair growth, a procedure called dermaplaning — available in most High Street beauty s al ons — can work miracles on the cheek area. It uses a sharp blade to get to get rid of excess hair and exfoliate at the same time, removing dead cells and l eaving the skin l ooking smooth and glowing for about a month. It costs between £100 and £200 a session.
Another option i s cold wax strips, available from pharmacies and supermarkets. Similar to the warm variety you get in salons but gentler on the skin, these are a way to rid yourself of excess cheek hair. You place a strip on the skin and pull it off as quickly as you can. Hair takes between two and three weeks to grow back. Veet Face wax strips (£5) are particularly effective, I’ve found.
bleaching creams, which usually cost about £4, are also available in pharmacies. They can be painted on dark hairs and l eft for five to ten minutes to lighten the hairs and make them less visible.
Vaniqa, available only on prescription, is a cream containing a dr u g called eflornithine, which can slow facial hair growth. It works in the follicle by interfering with an enzyme that hair needs to grow.
If you prefer a more natural approach, dr Navin Taneja, director of the National Skin Centre, advises drinking spearmint tea twice a day. While this won’t remove hair, it apparently reduces androgens and so leads to less hair growth.
A diet low in white carbohydrates, such as white bread, can also help to reduce hair growth. This is because high glycaemic foods raise blood sugar, which in turn increases insulin levels. raised insulin is responsible for the production of too many androgens.
A NOSE FOR PAIN NOSE hair is an embarrassing fact of life as we get older and can be eye-wateringly painful to pluck. but at least it serves a purpose, attracting particles of inhaled dirt and preventing them reaching our airways.
‘Nose hair tends to grow more with age,’ says dr david Jack. ‘ but i s thought to be l ess hormonally affected than hair elsewhere on the face.’
Nad’s nose wax, available from boots (£ 12.99), allows you to remove nose hair easily using a wax applicator which you stick up your nostril, leave for 90 seconds and yank out. ouch.
EXTEND YOUR BROWS WELL-DEFINED eyebrows frame the face and can make us look ten years younger. but as we age our eyebrows — even thick, dark ones — can become thin and lose their pigment, appearing sparse and colourless. due to falling oestrogen l evels and raised androgens around the menopause, many women lose hair from their heads and eyebrows.
Luckily, i t’s easy to draw i n eyebrows with a pencil or have a salon tint them to make them darker. For a longer- term solution, try a semi-permanent tattoo that lasts between one and three years but fades over time. A top-up will be needed after six to 15 months.
The treatment takes about two hours, requires a topical anaesthetic and costs around £295. It can be done in beauty clinics but make sure you choose a properly trained technician.
If you really mean business, then go for eyebrow extensions. This is a salon treatment i n which synthetic hairs are glued on to existing fine hairs or the skin, then shaped. They last for two to three weeks and cost about £30, then a further £15 for refills.
For speedier regrowth and a thicker look, dr Nick Lowe, a consultant dermatologist, recommends using Lumigen eye drops on the eyelids and lashes — you will need to see your dermatologist to get a prescription, and it typically costs £19.99 for 300ml. ‘It was originally used for patients suffering f rom glaucoma,’ he explains, ‘ but it was found to make the lashes and brow more luxuriant and thick.’
KEEP EARS IN TRIM SOME unfortunate women get hair in their ears. The important thing is never to pluck this — you can damage the delicate ear canal by causing small nicks that lead to infection, so use grooming scissors with rounded tips and a good mirror.
Much better, end essential for very thick hair, is a trimmer, which normally costs about £10. It has a special attachment for nose and ear hair — borrow your man’s, i f necessary. but don’t tell him. A woman must have some secrets, after all.