How to remove facial hair for women

Almost every woman has fine, light down on her face, and there is no need to remove it. Some women also have a few dark hairs above the upper lip and on the chin. When thick, dark hair grows on the face, neck, chest or tummy, it is called hirsutism. It is worth seeing a doctor about it, especially if your periods are irregular: the cause is often hormonal and can be treated. More about the causes in our articles on chin hair in women and hirsutism.

Sources: NHS, Excessive hair growth (hirsutism), Cleveland Clinic, Vellus hair (peach fuzz)

Home methods either remove the hair at the skin's surface (shaving, cream) or pull it out by the root (tweezing, threading, waxing). Removing at the surface lasts days, pulling out lasts weeks, but none of them removes hair for the long term.

Shaving doesn't make hair thicker or darker: the regrown hair feels coarser because it has a blunt cut instead of a fine tip. More in does shaving make hair thicker. Home light devices are covered in home IPL or a salon laser.

Sources: DermNet, Shaving, NHS, Ingrown hairs, Cleveland Clinic, Vellus hair (peach fuzz)

Laser and electrolysis remove facial hair for much longer than home methods, but they don't usually stop it growing completely, and results vary from person to person. The laser targets the pigment in the hair root, so it works best on dark hair. Electrolysis destroys each hair with an electric current one by one and also works on light and grey hairs, but it is slow on a larger area.

On the face, the laser treats the upper lip, chin, cheeks, forehead and sideburns. Eyebrows are not done with a laser; the reasons are in laser hair removal on eyebrows. More about the area above the lip in upper lip hair.

The laser only acts on hair in its growth phase, which is why you need a course: on the face, expect 6-10 sessions, the first three 4-5 weeks apart. Facial hair growth in women is often linked to hormones: with a hormonal cause, the course is from 12 sessions, with maintenance 3-4 times a year.

Sources: NHS, Excessive hair growth (hirsutism), StatPearls (NCBI), Laser Hair Removal, MedlinePlus, Excessive or unwanted hair in women

The laser can't see light down: there is almost no pigment in it, so the flash has nothing to work on. These home methods from the table above work on light hairs: shaving, threading, waxing and a hair removal cream made for the face. For the long term, electrolysis removes them: it destroys each hair with an electric current, and colour doesn't matter. Bleaching fine facial hair is not recommended: bleach can damage the skin and leave lasting changes in skin tone. Red hair responds poorly to the laser and grey hair not at all; more in light and grey hair.

Sources: Cleveland Clinic, Vellus hair (peach fuzz), MedlinePlus, Excessive or unwanted hair in women

See a doctor if thick, dark facial hair bothers you or has increased together with other changes, such as irregular periods. Book an appointment straight away if thick, dark hair suddenly starts growing on your face and body, your voice is getting deeper or your muscles are getting bigger. A doctor can prescribe a cream that slows facial hair growth, or pills that help balance hormones.

Sources: NHS, Excessive hair growth (hirsutism), MedlinePlus, Excessive or unwanted hair in women

Face laser hair removal with us starts with a free consultation. The specialist checks which hairs are dark and which are light and tells you where the laser will work and where it won't. You can book each area of the face separately, and one area takes 15-30 minutes. We work with a hybrid laser (alexandrite, diode and neodymium) with contact cooling. More about the treatment on the face laser hair removal page.