We go to great lengths taking care of our skin; by cleansing, toning and moisturising, then we spend lots of time applying expensive makeup, only to realise that unsightly facial hair is visible for everyone to see. Unwanted hair on the face is a common problem that affects lots of women, and there are a few things that cause this to happen. It could be hereditary or maybe because of your ethnic heritage, there are those who have excessive facial hair because of medical conditions or it could even be due to hormonal changes associated with the menopause.

Hair can appear on different areas of the face including;

• Lip
• Chin
• Jaw line
• Sideburns
• Eyebrows
• Cheeks

Facial hair that’s excessive, unsightly or unwanted is a cause for concern for lots of women which can lead to low self-esteem, and although it’s common, unwanted hair on the face can cause embarrassment to women and really affect their self-confidence. Removing the hair is the best solution, although you may find that waxing, threading and plucking hair can become irritating and painful, but if you’re not happy with these methods, then laser hair removal is worth considering as an alternative option, as it offers long-term results.

Remedies and treatments include;

• Using shaving, waxing, threading and plucking techniques which are time-consuming and temporary.
• Electrolysis permanently removes hair by using heat, but it’s an extremely slow and painful method and could leave behind some signs of scarring.
• Reducing the growth of unwanted facial hair using medicated creams can also be used, although side-effects such as skin rashes and irritation may occur when using this method.
• Another healthy remedy that can help to reduce unwanted hair is weight loss. There are some women who have noticed unnecessary facial hair growth when they are overweight, and losing excess weight could help with facial hair reduction.
• Long-lasting results can now be obtained with laser hair removal. This treatment is a better alternative, as small and large areas can easily be treated quickly and effectively, compared to other methods.

Taking away facial hair with laser treatment is a quick procedure that gives great results. The pigment in the hair follicle absorbs the laser energy and then this energy converts to heat, causing thermal damage to the follicle without causing any harm to the surrounding skin, and this stops the hair growing in the damaged follicle.

With laser treatment, there’s only minimal discomfort, usually just a minor stinging sensation to the skin upon application of the laser pulses, but topical anaesthetic cream can make any treatment more comfortable.