Weight loss and hair growth

Hi All, Just a quick question in relation to hair growth and weight loss. I had electrolysis on upper lip about 4 years ago and totally cleard the area. However about year and a half ago I lost a good deal of weight (2 stone) and noticed that the hair has slowly been growing back. I’ve started the treatment ago and its going fine but just wondering if there’s some kind of a link? And if my weight fluctauates in the future ( I am prone to loosing weight anyway) will it affect the hair growth? If i clear the area again will it come back each time my weight fluctuates? Thanks a lot!! :wink:

It is possible, not likely, but possible.
It depends on whether or not you lost a huge amount of weight, and even then, it is no guarantee that the increase in body hair and the weight loss are related.

See, fat cells tend to “help” the body at producing estrogen… I am oversimplyfying things here, but the point is: when a woman or a man are overweight, they tend to produce more estrogen. Which is what explains why some overweight men get fat in some very “feminine” way in their chests. I am not talking of simple fat storage in their chest area, but of some obese men actually getting some “boobs” because of an increased estrogen production and sensitivity in their bodies…
But back to the hair topic issue… anything and everything that change a person’s hormonal balance can have an impact on hair growth. Hair growth is related to hormonal influences and to a person’s own degree of sensitivity to hormones. It is possible that a decrease of estrogen production might lead to a higher impact and action of other hormones in the body. And when the balance of hormones change, androgenic hormones can cause or increase the problem of excessive hair growth with a “male” pattern way.
But weight loss or increase on itself, unless we are talking of many, many lbs, is hardly responsible for big changes, usually, it is a combination of many factors that is related to increases or decreases in body hair production. I don’t know how old you are, but your body, out of hormonal changes related to puberty, menopause, pregnancy or any other important hormonal or lifestyle and eating habits and changes can have an influence in how hairy you are or get.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Elenacam, surprisingly that does make sense!! I’m only 23 so maybe the other changes that you suggested could have caused it. Thanks!!

The previous answer was so good, that I did not even bother to add to it :smile:
I will however add here that BOTH anorexic weight loss so that a woman’s body fat percentage is below 17% and obesity where the body fat count is above 30% can lead to increased hair growth.

James is very, very right! I had forgotten to mention the case of anorexics, who, once they reached a certain -extremely low- body fat percentage, often start growing more body hair.

It is thought that this new hair is the result of the natural response of a body that assumes the person’s life is in high danger and then sets all of the body functions on “protect from starvation” mode. The body tries to compensate from the lack of “heating” that the normal fat cells calories’ burning produces by trying to cut down on the amount of calories a person uses to protect him/herself from the cold and the environment and keep the body temperature stable. In order to do so, the body protects itself from further weight loss and damage by making hormones grow more fine hairs all over the body, that, in turn, are supposed to keep a “weaker than it should”-body better protected from the elements and environment… kind of what happens for animals: the more the amount of “furr” :wink: , the better the chances to not feel as cold and not have to use the few calories he/she has in just trying to keep the body warm.

[ July 28, 2003, 02:54 PM: Message edited by: Elenacam ]