hormonal hair growth

Menopausal hair growth

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As women enter menopause, many find themselves sprouting new hair in some rather unwanted places. The most common area is on the chin, but this new hair can appear anywhere, including on the breasts, shoulders or back.

The reason why this happens, is not a new supply of testosterone, but because of the body’s decline in estrogen production during and after menopause. The existing testosterone that all women naturally have binds to the receptors on the follicles that used to be occupied by estrogen, which in turn, triggers androgenic hair growth. If a woman chooses to undergo hormone replacement therapy (consult your doctor), body hair can diminish to the pre-menopausal state, but, once facial hair starts growing, the only way to get rid of that facial hair permanently is through electrolysis.

At Emancipated Electrolysis LLC, we understand the insecurity this new hair brings women and we are here to help you with it. Often it can be discretely dealt with in just a few 15 minute long sessions if someone is undergoing hormone replacement, or with a regularly monthly session to treat new hair as they start to grow if they have opted not to. For more information about permanent hair removal or to book an appointment, contact us at hairinfo@EmancipatedElectrolysis.com or call us at 585-270-5230 and finally be freed from unwanted hair.

Hypertrichosis versus hirsutism

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Both hypertrichosis and hirsutism are forms of excessive hair growth and either can be congenital or acquired later in life.

Extreme cases of hypertrichosis can be seen in people with “werewolf syndrome,” where they exhibit the type of hair growth we see on animals. This effect can be localized to one part of the body, such as the face, or generalized and spread all over. It is driven primarily by the adrenal glands of the body.

Hirsutism is a specific type of excessive hair growth seen in women, seen in places dominated by androgen induced hair growth, like the face. As such, it is primarily driven by how much androgen the body produces.

How do you know which type of excessive hair growth that you have?

Hypertrichosis – sideburns, upper lip, chin, nipples, arms and legs
Hirsutism – cheeks, neck/under the chin, on or between the breasts, stomach or lower back, and inner thighs and possibly some receding hairline

Both can be indicative of a medical condition and we believe it would be wise to consult a doctor about your concerns.

In any event, if you are looking to have your excessive hair removed, electrolysis is the only method able to permanently remove any hair anywhere on the body regardless of the cause, your gender, skin or hair color. For more information or to book an appointment, contact us at hairinfo@EmancipatedElectrolysis.com or call us at 585-270-5230 and finally be freed from unwanted hair.

The root causes of hair growth

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There are three major categories that determine how much hair you have, congenital factors, topical issues and hormonal factors.

Congenital factors are the things we are born with… they include our genes, genetic ancestry, chromosomal malfunctions and similar issues that we inherit or are caused during our gestational development. Normal congenital hair include the areas where everyone has hair – our scalp, eyelashes and eyebrows, nostrils and ear canals, underarms and pubic region. How much hair you have depends on your racial or ethnic background and the amount of hair typical found on members from them.

Topical issues include anything that might cause irritation to the skin and hair follicles. This can include temporary removal measures like shaving or waxing, as well as friction caused by clothing. With some measures, you will find less hair growth and, with other measures, you can find that the friction stimulates more blood flow to an area, stimulating more growth.

Systemic factors are created through the basic aging and metabolic properties of the body. These can include menopausal hair growth, endocrine gland dysfunction or abnormalities like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT – either as part of treatment for menopause or for transgendered individuals undergoing therapy).

Sometimes, medical treatments are available to help remedy some of the systemic issues, such as thyroid medication to correct a malfunction or a DHT blocker to prevent a certain type of testosterone from causing male pattern baldness. How well one responds to medical intervention depends on the individual themselves and can vary greatly. Likewise, the desire to have an ideal image of one’s own hair varies from person to person.

Unfortunately, medicine alone usually cannot grant us with the image of ourselves that we would like to project. For those with more hair than they would like to have, electrolysis provides the only method that is capable of permanently removing any hair anywhere on the body. This allows us to permanently create the image that reflects what our clients want to project about themselves. If you have a systemic issue causing hair growth, we encourage you to see your doctor to ensure your health, as they can sometimes have effects far deeper than simply hair growth. In conjunction with that, we are here to help create your ideal self-image.

For more information or to book an appointment, contact us at hairinfo@EmancipatedElectrolysis.com or call us at 585-270-5230 and finally be freed from unwanted hair.

Transgender beard removal

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Perhaps the most difficult job in electrolysis, is the removal of an androgenic beard, whether caused by PCOS in cisgender females, or the testosterone in a trans person or cisgender male.

Unlike menopausal facial hair growth that many women experience, a true beard is very resilient, with a firm follicle structure and coarse, dense hair.

Proper settings and insertions are vitally critical in such a situation, and androgenic beards are best handled by people that already have experience in doing them. They simply aren’t the same as when grandma wants to have a few hairs on her chin removed and you aren’t going to get very far if the electrologist treats them as such. Many electrologists simply aren’t aggressive enough in their treatment and are content to routinely treat the same hair over and over again, becoming comfortable with the idea that their job is some sort of ongoing maintenance, rather than something to finish. Most electrologists don’t like to work longer sessions as the dirty little secret is, they make more money off shorter ones.

Many people seek to have laser first, and that is fine, if all you are looking to do is reduce your hair. Sometimes, it is recommended to start with laser and then finish with electrolysis as a means of saving money. At best, that approach may save some time, but it isn’t likely to save much money, as the remaining hair will be thinner and more frail, with a deeper and more traumatized follicle that takes a longer time to individually treat than if laser had never been done. We feel that, given the price of laser and the costly contracts many salons try to hook people on, we can help people more effectively for less than what it would cost to have laser first and then finish with electrolysis.

At Emancipated Electrolysis LLC, the proper treatment of androgenic beard hair is so important to us, it is what we specialize in. Yes, we are more than happy to work on grandma too, but we get the most enjoyment out of helping those with the most serious hair removal needs. While most electrologists shy away from such projects, we thrive on them. Whether you are trans, have PCOS, or are a cisgender male, we are your safe, supportive, private resource to put a permanent end to your beard problems.

Email us at HairInfo@EmancipatedElectrolysis.com or call us at 585-270-5230 to schedule a free consultation, and finally be freed from your unwanted hair.