Effect of HRT on facial hair?

[Hypatia]

Some say HRT diminishes facial hair, some say it has no effect. What is the straight dope on this?

I had 6 laser sessions that got rid of nearly all the black ones (while it didn't remove any white ones). Now, about half a year after my last laser session, I have lots of black ones appearing. However, they are much finer and thinner than before. The remaining white ones are as thick and coarse as ever. I tweeze everything out every so often.

One the one hand, I wondered if the fineness of the new black ones could be an effect of the HRT. On the other hand, the continuing coarseness of the white ones calls into question any such effect. Maybe the black ones are finer because they're newly arising from zero. There are a very few coarse black ones, in small areas that are known to have been missed by the laser. So maybe the fineness is just the effect of the laser.

[Angel_Mapper]

I've been on HRT since 2004, and it didn't do a thing for facial hair.  All of the hair on my arms and chest went away, but right now a month after SRS I'm still getting rid of facial hair with electrolysis. 

[tinkerbell]

Personally, I would say no on facial hair.  You have to get electrolysis for that.  Sorry but I don't believe in laser as a "permanent" form of facial hair eradication.  I know many girls who are now desperately opting for electrolysis after having spent hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on laser "permanent hair removal". 

Yes, they were apparently hairless for a few years alright, but eventually the hair came back! Ouch!  However, HRT does decrease hair growth on other parts of your body.  I have never done electrolysis or any other type of hair removal on my arms or legs for instance, and I've been completely hairless on those areas for many years . 

tink

[pennyjane]

i found about the same as laura.  the only hair that has not returned at all since hrt, beginning four years ago, is the chest hair.  i have soft and thin hair on my arms...i just leave it alone...i shave...well...nair...my legs every two or three months.  the hair on my face, no electrolisis or laser, seems to have been relatively unaffected.  where i used to shave three times a week, now it's twice...unless there is a special something on the days inbetween.  my wife says..."you can't ever see it...so why do you worry so much?.  if i feel even s single stubble i'm in doom mode....it's gotta go and go now!  so, it's been some help but not completely.

i think it probably has more to do with original body chemistry then anything else.  people used to laugh at me 'cause i had so little hair on my legs....ha ha....i got the last laugh!

i too, have seen some really bad results from laser work on the face....it seems a never ending process for those girls i know who've gone that way.....just seems to go on and on and on.

[Purple Pimp]

I personally don't believe in the "HRT reduces facial hair" hypothesis.  I had little facial hair when I began hormones, yet I've needed plenty of electrolysis to get rid of it.  I can imagine that HRT can maybe slow down facial hair growth cycles, but I just don't see how it could backwardly convert coarse hairs to vellus status.  There's people out there who believe so, but I think it's pretty anecdotal.

Lia

[Kara Lee]

I have to say that in my case my facial hair has slowed down its growth and thinned out a good deal.  I used to grow a short beard because I hated shaving so much and have a few pictures of that time and compared to now it is just unbelievable that I was able to grow that much on my face.  If I tried today it would be a big patchwork. 

[joannatsf]

Some say HRT diminishes facial hair, some say it has no effect. What is the straight dope on this?

I had 6 laser sessions that got rid of nearly all the black ones (while it didn't remove any white ones). Now, about half a year after my last laser session, I have lots of black ones appearing. However, they are much finer and thinner than before. The remaining white ones are as thick and coarse as ever. I tweeze everything out every so often.

One the one hand, I wondered if the fineness of the new black ones could be an effect of the HRT. On the other hand, the continuing coarseness of the white ones calls into question any such effect. Maybe the black ones are finer because they're newly arising from zero. There are a very few coarse black ones, in small areas that are known to have been missed by the laser. So maybe the fineness is just the effect of the laser.

My experience and laser routine are almost identical to yours.  Laser over the course of a year (I think I had 8 sessions) got rid of the course black ones and did nothing to the whites.  The new black ones are much finer and I have those removed with electro along with a slow but sure attack on the white hairs, of which there were a lot.

[Lisa Harney]

I know this is explicitly anecdotal, but:

Friends of mine who were on finasteride with HRT tended to get diminished facial hair. I only know a few who've experienced this, though.

I wonder if dutasteride would have any effects.

[polymorph]

well, i started HRT at about the same time my facial hair was JUST beginning to grow and get coarse...
and as far as i can tell, HRT has reversed almost all of the growth that happened. I still have a very small patch of slow growing hair on my neck, but otherwise my face is completely smooth... and i used to have to shave.

so in my case it had a great effect on facial hair.

[Hypatia]

So are you a young'un? Just starting to get facial hair for the first time in your life? No wonder.

I started HRT when I was 46. 

[Annwyn]

Estrogen therapy decreases the amount of blood supplied to the epidermis, causing dehydration of the skin and such the hair follicles.  It also drops activity of the sebaceious glands which are known to improve the rate of growth of hair.
Estrogen also causes the skin to thin, which directly leads to decreased hair, because thinner skin not only can't support as much hair but hair follicles that were once active become inactive with the loss of functional epithelial tissue.
Menopausal women are known to begin growing facial hair in increased quantities.  This growth stops as hair follicles become inactive shortly after HRT.

So yes.  HRT slows facial hair growth.

[Dark Angel]

It thinned out the hairs on my face a good deal... I even have some patches on my cheeks which no longer grow hair anymore! The rest of it has definitely gotten finer as it's far easier to shave and I do it less often. I've been on HRT (Spiro and estrogen) for a year now. I'm 26 BTW.
I'm actually planning to schedule an appointment for laser removal soon, so I'm excited about that.