mosquito-borne diseases affect up to 700 million people each year. learn more

advice

asking for a friend: menopause came, and now i have chin hair

there's a lot of things that are annoying and uncomfortable about menopause, and hair in unexpected places is just one.

by karen hawthorne

aug 5 2022

4 minute read

join the conversation

menopause can bring with it hairy toes, a hairy belly and chin hair

“you’ll get that chin hair, moustache hairs, hair around the nipples and on the lower abdomen,” says dr. michelle jacobson. getty

dear asking for a friend,

i am in menopause, and all i want to know is why am i getting hair in weird places?

signed,

annoyingly hairy

dear annoyingly hairy,

do you remember when you hit puberty and your breasts developed and hair started growing in your armpits, pubic area and legs? there might have also been the emotional turmoil of feeling sad, yet irritable, and sleeping in for hours on weekends. this physical and emotional rollercoaster of adolescence, my friend, is very much like menopause.

menopause feels like puberty

it’s another life transition when hormones in your body are changing to handle the adjustments that menopause makes happen — a transition that officially begins 12 months after your last period. it’s a chemistry set of hormonal fluctuations that can bring on a wide range of symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, insomnia and mood swings, according to the endocrine society . unexpected hair growth can also happen, particularly on the chin, knuckles and toes, the back and tummy.

in fact, there’s a name for it: hirsutism — excess coarse hair growth in women in a male-like pattern on the face, chest and back. and according to a study in human reproduction update, as many as 15 percent of all women experience it .

and while, hair in unexpected places may feel weird or gross you out, but this extra hair growth is completely normal. your body is slowing down its production of reproductive hormones, estrogen and progesterone. without the balance of estrogen and progesterone in your blood, the androgens — often called male sex hormones — start to tip the scales out of whack.

these androgens, including testosterone, affect hair follicles. as a result, women can get darker, coarser hair in the places where men do.

“in the menopausal transition, the number of eggs producing estrogen drops, so women have less estrogen,” says dr. michelle jacobson, an assistant professor in the university of toronto department of obgyn, and core obstetrician, gynaecologist and menopause specialist at women’s college and mount sinai hospital in toronto. “that balance of hormone levels in your blood changes and affects your skin and hair. the concentration of estrogen in your blood lowers compared to the stable levels of androgenic or male hormone concentrations.”

although you aren’t producing more androgens than before your gradual shift toward menopause, the ratio imbalance changes the way your hair follicles function.

“you’ll get that chin hair, moustache hairs, hair around the nipples and on the lower abdomen,” jacobson says. “what’s most important to know about these changes is that they’re usually not dangerous. they’re part of a normal transition for your body.”

and as your hormone levels begin to stabilize over time, many symptoms will decrease and even disappear. she does note that if hair growth is rapid and heavy, it’s important to get it checked out because there could be something else going on, like increased steroid levels or a rare testosterone-producing tumour.

nothing wrong with a little tweezing

she says some women are alarmed by unwanted hair, so understanding the physiological changes helps them to manage the symptoms. once you have the hair growth, it’s not going to go away but there are options to remove it and slow the growth.

“for those pesky hairs on the chin or upper lip, there’s nothing wrong with just tweezing,” she recommends.

other forms of epilation work, too, like waxing and threading, and more permanent removal treatments like laser and electrolysis work to destroy the growth cells in hair follicles.

for unwanted facial hair, there’s also the prescription cream eflornithine that is applied to the skin to slow down hair growth. “it doesn’t permanently remove hair and it’s not a cure — it only works as long as you’re using it,” jacobson says.

another medication, spironolactone, is an oral tablet that reduces testosterone to help limit further hair growth. it is a diuretic however, and may cause other side effects, like frequent urination, so it’s not for everyone.

more hair on your chin, less on your head

things look a little different when it comes to the hair on your head, however, during this hormonal shift. you may experience dryness, hair loss, hair thinning and male-patterned baldness — which usually follows a pattern of a receding hairline and thinning hair on the crown . this can be distressing for women because of societal pressure to look youthful and vibrant. in fact, researchers at the university of chulalongkorn in bangkok who examined the scalps of nearly 200 postmenopausal women — 52.2 percent of whom had some hair thinning — reported that these women experienced low self-esteem as a result.

hair loss in women is also challenging for health-care providers like jacobson because there’s no definitive treatment.

“using hormone therapy can help the hair and skin, but there’s no reliable data in terms of evidence, it’s just anecdotal,” she says.

supplements to nourish and promote hair growth on your head during the new “geriatric” phase of life for women include biotin, a multivitamin and vitamin d. trying a targeted shampoo like minoxidil may also help promote new hair growth. it’s also worth mentioning hair loss to a medical professional in case it’s related to a thyroid disorder, or possibly low vitamin b12 or iron levels which can affect hair volume and texture.

“good health is what really counts,” says jacobson. “and for your skin and hair, it’s completely your decision the steps you want to take. there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.”

is there something about health that you (or a friend, wink, wink) have always wondered about but are too embarrassed to ask? send a note to info@healthing.ca. we promise your ‘friend’s’ secret — and identity — is safe with us!

karen hawthorne is a toronto-based writer.

don’t miss a thing: sign-up for healthing’s newsletter

thank you for your support. if you liked this story, please send it to a friend. every share counts.

karen hawthorne

karen hawthorne worked for six years as a digital editor for the national post, contributing articles on health, business, culture and travel for affiliated newspapers across canada. she now writes from her home office in toronto as a freelancer, and takes breaks to bounce with her son on the backyard trampoline and walk bingo, her bull terrier.

asking for a friend: menopause came, and now i have chin hair

there's a lot of things that are annoying and uncomfortable about menopause, and hair in unexpected places is just one.

menopause feels like puberty

asking for a friend: 'everything is chaos in perimenopause'

half of men experience 'male menopause'

nothing wrong with a little tweezing

more hair on your chin, less on your head

advertisement

asking for a friend: menopause came, and now i have chin hair

there's a lot of things that are annoying and uncomfortable about menopause, and hair in unexpected places is just one.

menopause feels like puberty

related stories

asking for a friend: 'everything is chaos in perimenopause'

half of men experience 'male menopause'

advertisement

advertisement

nothing wrong with a little tweezing

advertisement

more hair on your chin, less on your head

advertisement

share story