What Causes Facial Hair Growth in Otherwise Healthy Women?
August 20th, 2009 by admin
I noticed I started getting facial hair growth when I was only 28 years old. Increased facial hair growth in women just before and just after menopause is a common and primarily caused by decreased estrogens.
The estrogens that a woman normally produces during her reproductive years stimulates a blood protein called sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). This protein absorbs and holds male hormones such as testosterone or DHEA which circulate in small amounts in all women. Male hormones are called androgens and stimulate hair to grow in a male pattern with beard, mustache, and abdominal hair growing up from the pubic area toward the navel and stimulate the growth of acne in the skin. When sex hormone binding globulin is high, it deactivates androgens so women do not have these male hair problems or acne. Before menopause, when the ovaries do not ovulate regularly, estrogen levels drop and androgen levels are more free to stimulate hair growth and acne. That is why many menopausal and some perimenopausal women will notice increased facial hair growth.
In addition to requiring more free testosterone to have increased hair growth, there is another step in the process, testosterone has to be converted in the skin to dihydrotestosterone by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. Dihydrotestosterone is really the facial hair culprit. There are prescription creams available to combat facial hair by blocking testosterone, you can also see a doctor who prescribes natural HRT or The Wiley Protocol. The Wiley Protocol mimics the hormones and cycle of a normal, healthy 25 year old female.
You can learn more abut the Wiley Protocol at www.thewileyprotocol.com
