Why do I have new hair growth??

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

I hope someone has some info about this because it is really worrying me/driving me crazy. I don’t even know if these questions are answerable!

Imagine that a hair was plucked out (I don’t pluck, I promise - except eyebrows). This caused the body it was plucked from to stimulate more hair growth.
So… what exactly goes on in that process? Does a vellus hair just turn a darker shade? Does a new hair grow out of your skin that was never there before? How long after the initial hair was plucked would the stimulated hair show up? Will the new hair be coarse or fine?

I’m asking because I just noticed 7 hairs on my cheek, 6 of which were not there on Monday. I looked closer (and this is in a regular mirror with not really ideal lighting for inspecting tiny hairs on your face) and counted 15 total. 15 in an area that has only ever had 1 random hair! The area is the middle of my cheek (smack dab between ear and nose), spread out from where that area is level with my nose and with my lips. They’re not too coarse, but they’re dark enough to be noticed and dark enough to catch my attention because they weren’t there 4 days ago!

4 days ago, I had electrolysis done on my neck, sideburn area, and chin. I felt like there was A LOT of pulling going on after the electrologist treated (the majority) of the hairs. Upper lip, chin, and cheek have never been a problem area for me - just a few random ones in each area, which are not super coarse. 4 days ago, my one little lone ranger cheek hair did not have any pals. Today, he has 14 new friends. What happened!?

Is there any connection between my treatment and my new hairs? Would the new hair growth happen that fast (4 days) if it was from “plucking” (the excessive pulling sensations)? Or should I go ahead and assume I have a tumor on my adrenals/pituitary gland? I realize none of you are (probably) doctors, but my hormones have been tested and are all normal. I definitely don’t have PCOS… I am basically the exact opposite of every symptom that belongs to it, besides the hirsutism. I also don’t fit the symptoms of Cushing’s, besides the hirsutism and fatigue (which already has 2 wonderful causes, but I won’t get into that here).

If anyone has any info I am dying to know and will be extremely grateful!!!

#2

Before alarm you should consider that the law of probability.
The more numbers you play the lottery more likely you are to win the prize.

The probability that you suffer from an adrenal gland tumor are much less likely that you have a genetic load likely to develop hair.

Do you have a family history of hirsutism?
Have you gained or lost weight recently?
How old are you?
Do you suffer from hair loss?

If you have a tumor, hormonal indicators that would point to the total testosterone through the roof.

#3

Hair grows in cycles. What you see at any one point is maybe 30% of all the growth you actually have. That’s why it takes 12 months of treatments to kill all the hair on one area, i.e. you have to kill hair in every hair cycle.

If your question is a bigger one about why you have hair in the first place, it could be hereditary, caused by a hormonal condition or slight elevated male hormone levels, thyroid condition, certain medications, age, pregnancy or other change in hormones, etc.

Either way, you wouldn’t be able to judge whether something is NEW growth unless you removed all the hair permanently with electrolysis, then didn’t have anything for a year let’s say, and then saw growth again. If there was a relatively long break, then it’s likely that the hair you see is new.

#4

I’ve considered probability factors, and nothing makes sense. I was (sort of) kidding about having a tumor. It just seems like the only thing left that could cause hair growth. Also, I was an severely anxious child - no real cause for it that we know of. I had the fight or flight response to EVERYTHING. I also had really severe OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), which just built in more stress everyday. My childhood was way fun!

No family history of hirsutism (that I’m aware of). My mother and sister do NOT have it. On my mom’s side of the family: aunts, grandma, and female cousins are ALL pale skinned and fair haired and don’t have hirsutism. On my dad’s side of the family: grandma and female cousins do not have it either.

I have lost weight semi-recently because of the medications I am on. It’s a very long story and I’m not going to bore you with it. 2 different medications cause weight loss for two different reasons.

I am 23 years old. I have had hirsutism since I was 15 years old.

I have hair loss and this is due to an illness. My thyroid is and always is normal. I have gotten it checked more times than the average human being should need. Hormone levels are all within normal range, and actually, my testosterone was at the LOW end of normal.

Does anyone have any ideas about the magical cheek hairs I described earlier? I wasn’t really looking for a diagnosis, just wanted to cover all my bases about why it might be there and then I got off on a tangent. I’m really more curious if it is possible that this was caused by my electrologist pulling my hairs out and stimulating more hair growth. Because if that’s unlikely as the reason (remember, it was only 4 days between the hair pulling and the new growth), then I really need to figure out why I continue to grow new hair for no good reason.

#5

LAgirl,

Let me tell you my time line, because based on what you wrote, I am guessing these are new growths.

First, I have NEVER had this type of hair on my cheek, until 1 year ago. One little hair appeared randomly, and before that one appeared, I had ZERO hairs in that area for my entire life.

So, from March 2009 to January 2010, I was not having ANY electrolysis treatments. During this time, I still only saw that one little hair.

January 2010 - I had one electrolysis session done on my neck, chin/jaw, sideburn areas. I got full clearance, but I noticed the electrologist missed the one on my cheek. She didn’t look on my cheeks, because I didn’t specify I had one random, fine dark hair there and wanted it treated (I feel this is my fault, correct me if I’m wrong).

From January 2010 to most of March 2010, I was back at school and there was no close electrologist to get treated by. Didn’t do anything about the hair besides shave. Never saw new hairs on my cheek.

Monday, March 22nd 2010 - Before going in (the whole week before, actually), I was checking out the hair growth (because I was pretty amazed and disgusted about how much of it there actually was after letting it grow in instead of shaving it). Did not notice any hairs besides the 1 on my cheek. Had treatment done Monday on mostly my neck, some of the side burn area, and my chin (ran out of time to get full clearance and not sure about going back to her…).

Friday, March 26th 2010 - 14 NEW HAIRS ON MY CHEEK.

So… is this new growth? Is it possibly from all the pulling I felt from my treatment? It was excessive, and scared me that she was pulling them out before they were ready to come out alone. Is it possible for new growth from essentially plucking a hair to happen quickly in 4 days? Would the new growth be RIGHT next to the one that was plucked, or could it migrate to a close by area, like the cheek instead of my chin?

Am I making sense? I just want to know if the electrologist caused this and if it could happen so quickly and on my cheek (which she did not treat at all).

Thanks for your help!

#6

Plucking and tweezing do not cause the body to grow more hair. What happens is that individual hairs that are repeatedly tweezed can become coarser and darker over time. This hair reaction will vary between individuals, too. Some women who wax their upper lip will see less hair over time. One theory is that if certain enzymes are present (that cause normal circulating hormones to affect the hair follicle) then hair growth increases.

Could it be that you are focusing so much on this that you are seeing hairs that were there, but never noticed?

Regarding PCOS, I have had several clients whose only sign was the hair - they had no weight problem - in fact they were both quite muscular and slim…

Have you compared the electrologists extraction of a hair to your own plucking of a hair? Sometimes the extraction of the hair will result in a sensation of traction…or, if the root sheath is a ball at the bottom of the hair, you will feel it pop through the skin. Have you asked the electrologist their opinion of the sensation you have described?

Unwanted hair grows during several times in a woman’s life. Most people never discover why they grow these hairs. It is important to get treatments that are working. It is a matter of trust - on both ends. The electrologist needs to know that the client will follow their recommendations and the consumer needs to trust that the electrologist is doing the best job possible. For that last reason, we have information out there to help consumers select the best.

#7

You’re confirming exactly what I said. The electrologist removed all the hair that was there and 2 months later you saw growth from the next growth phase.

Since you didn’t have any treatments before, you didn’t notice hairs cycling in and out. Most people don’t. You just assume that it’s the same hair there. It’s not. Hair is constantly growing, then shedding, then in the dormant stage, and then growing again. And there are several of these batches at any one time.

Whether the electrologist plucked the hair or treated it properly doesn’t really matter for what you’re asking. In both cases, you would have seen growth at 2 months. This growth is growth from the next growth phase. The hair that was treated or plucked is now in dormancy.

How old are you btw?

#8

What we tell people is this:

If you wanted to TRY electrolysis to see how well it removed hair, with only ONE treatment, you would have to take a before picture, get the treatment, and take an after treatment picture, and then WAIT ONE YEAR, and on the one year anniversary date of your treatment, take an After picture and compare the three to each other. The amount of reduction would be obvious then.

The reason it appears that one "regrows all, or almost all the hairs with only one clearing are that we don’t really know what our growth is like just be sight of looking at it, and there is a constant cycle of hairs coming and going and until you end some of the hairs time “in the rotation” you won’t notice any reduction.

#9

Well, you confirmed what I thought. The probability law has worked.

The most common cause of the increase in new hair on the face of the woman is the passage of time.
23 years of age. It is an age that are still developing hairs in the beard of man. The more so in women.
The process started at 15 years, starting on both sides of your chin. Simultaneously in both sideburns (more hair on the right than the left). The next area which suffered a decline was the neck (downstream).
Meanwhile in your chin and sideburns, the hair (existing) was gaining in thickness and color. The next area to experience a transformation of hair invisible in visible, is the cheek. The chances of those 14 hairs, get the company of some other friends, is very high (I sincerely hope that this meeting will not be crowded).
Only you can prevent this happening if you find a good professional Electrolysis and those 14 hairs are removed. In this case, the hairs future, will find the same fate, ie, cease to exist. :wink:

#10

I’m still confused. Maybe I wasn’t clear enough about which hairs were treated or maybe I am misunderstanding these answers.

No electrologist has ever treated that very first cheek hair. It’s always been there (since it appeared) and always gets forgotten because it’s so random (i.e., away from the more dense areas of hair that are getting treated). So, my cheek was never cleared of all hairs (1). 2 months later I didn’t see regrowth there, I just saw the one hair that had always been there and never got treated. Last Monday, I had treatment on OTHER areas of my face, but not my cheek. Then, 4 days later, I had 14 new hairs sprout up on my cheek (an area that has never gotten treated and has never had more than 1 hair on it). How could this be a new growth phase if I have never had cheek hair before? Literally, this is an area of my body that has NEVER had hair on it, EVER.

It’s not that I haven’t noticed it cycling in and out, it’s just that I have never grown hair there before - I left the 1 hair alone, so I couldn’t have mistaken it for one of these other 14 hairs - especially because they have never been there before. It’s like suddenly growing hair on top of your nose - you KNOW you never grew it there before, you would have noticed it. I’ve never had dark hairs on my cheek until that 1 showed up, and it has NEVER been treated.

After getting treatment, how long does it take hair in a new growth phase to get to the surface of the skin (like, so you can see it)? For these 14 hairs to be a new growth phase, the number 4 needs to work as an answer. Or were you saying that my treatment in January allowed this new growth phase to occur on my cheek? If so, why did it take it 2 1/2 months to appear - and is it just coincidental that it happened 4 days after I had my last treatment done? Does it matter that she didn’t ever treat the area that has this new growth? I’m legitimately confused about everything.

The reason I asked about tweezing was that I was under the impression that tweezing hair stimulated more growth in the surrounding areas, ALONG with making that tweezed hair more coarse than before. Apparently I am mistaken and that makes me feel a lot better about it.

The pulling sensation I felt was excessive, like she couldn’t get the hairs out at all, like they were not ready to come out, so she ended up just pulling them out herself. It was with the majority of the hairs she treated, which made me wonder if maybe she wasn’t treating them correctly. Another reason I felt that way was because this treatment was EXTREMELY painful. I have a high pain tolerance and haven’t had a problem with electrolysis being too painful before (she even gave me extra anesthetic, which made no difference). Along with the pain, I heard a sort of “crackling” (which made me think of bacon frying on the stove) with many of the insertions and I felt the needle being inserted which I am not sure is normal.

#11

Oh, and I’m 23. Why?

#12

Thank you for taking the time to respond and mention that it still could be PCOS. I know that there are some who are anomalies being that they are thin and have PCOS. But can you have PCOS without cysts? This is my main criteria for saying I don’t have PCOS. I had a pelvic ultrasound done and everything looks great (which includes lacking cysts and other abnormalities) and is working fine inside of me.

I also don’t and never had acne (literally about 3 zits my entire life), have never had even 1 month of a missed period - which is always on the same days each month, my hormone levels are all normal range, I have no signs of male characteristics (besides the hair) and I have a natural C cup (I read something about smaller chest size, I don’t know if that’s a big symptom or not).

Literally, I am the opposite of what the symptoms for PCOS is, besides the hirsutism. Still don’t know what I can say I am equal to in symptoms, though. :confused:

#13

Let’s say that the increase in visible hair is still a minor.
In your body (pubis, underarms, legs, arms, etc. …) the hairs have come in maturity age.
However, in your face (and breast) are potentially hair, get fat, increase in length and color.
A woman experiences an increase of visibles hairs on the face from 13/15 years of age, until the day of his death.
So that, 23 old is for ( the face)of a woman, a age very, very, very premature.

#14

Can you have PCOS without cysts? For many but not all women with PCOS, there is a problem with multiple cysts on the ovaries. In the majority of cases, the ovaries become enlarged. So, yes, you can have this complex endocrine disorder and not have cysts on your ovaries.

You say, “I also don’t and never had acne (literally about 3 zits my entire life), have never had even 1 month of a missed period - which is always on the same days each month, my hormone levels are all normal range, I have no signs of male characteristics (besides the hair) and I have a natural C cup (I read something about smaller chest size, I don’t know if that’s a big symptom or not).”

The most common issues that cause distress for those women suffering with PCOS are:

Menstrual problems (90%) of women) - Not you.
Acne (up to 35% of women) - Not you.
Hirsutism (up to 70%) - You.
Hair loss (8% of women) - Not you.
Elevated androgen levels ((about 70% of women) - Not you.

The list goes on to more long term health risks, but I will leave it at that.
The symptoms are wide and varied. In 2003, criteria was established for the diagnosis of PCOS. PCOS requires two of the following three issues in order to make a diagnosis:

Ovulation > are you releasing an egg every month? Infertility issues? Do you skip periods for at least three months after having a period? Again, not you.

Hyperandrogenism >Do you have signs of having too much androgen? Such as, increased growth of body hair,acne, irregular menstrual cycles, deepening of voice, reduced size of uterus, reduced breast size,increased libido, infertility, obesity,loss of scalp hair, increased androgen level in blood.

Polycystic Ovaries > must have 12 or more follicles in each ovary.

Other metabolic disorders have to be ruled out as well before they pin you with a PCOS diagnosis. For example, tests on your adrenal glands would be looked at as well.

Many hairy women are very healthy, but are just genetically hairy.

#15

Thanks Dee, that was very informative!

If this is all just genetics, wouldn’t I see the same in other family members? My family is not really that hairy… not even the men, I’d say they’re of “average” hairiness. There’s definitely a possibility that other female family members have a few stray hairs that they keep hidden… but no one has it to the extent that I do (which is much more than “a few” hairs), which is really depressing.

Can anyone clear up the questions I had about hair growth cycles from my previous post?? If the area (cheek) has never been treated, why did a “new growth cycle” begin where there was previously no hair (for an entire year)?

And thanks to those who have already responded!!

#16

I have been told that some hair follicles awaken once a year, go through their growth, rest and shed phases and then go dormant again until same time next year. With so many hair follicles on one’s face, it is hard to track who is who or what is what. Your electrologist did not cause this. We can only get what presents. We have to be patient and wait for hair to come to the surface even though the client wants us to hurry up or explain if hairs are new growth or regrowth. Sometimes you can tell the difference and sometimes you can’t. It’s hard to do this when one actually has the privilege of seeing the person up close let alone trying to say anything accurate on the internet. I know you understand this, but it’s always worth repeating.

Dee

#17

Appliepie, these images show exactly what James, has suggested that you do.
Photograph the area before and when one year has passed, take another picture.
You might see something like this:

AREA CHEST OF A WOMAN OF 19 YEARS OF AGE. BEFORE A SESSION OF ELECTROLYSIS.

Before-1.jpg886×594

6 MONTHS AFTER THAT SESSION.

After.jpg893×597

Area surrounded IN BLACK. New sources of hair growth.

nuevosfocosdecrecimientopiloso.jpg891×598

Dee is right, (I was writing when Dee replied.) This girl would never have remembered where I had the first hairs that were treated successfully. This great invention of photography!!!

#18

Dear Josefa,

What make and model of camera do you use? I always get excited to see your pictures.

Dee

#19

hahahaha Dee, The oldest are from a Nikon. The most recent are from a Canon.

I adore Dee

A big hug.

#20

  • You’re still at an age when you’re developing NEW hair. What you’re seeing is not abnormal, even if there are more new hairs coming in on areas that were never touched. Women develop hair well into their late 20s. And then later in life, older women experience other types of growth too (while seeing less growth on areas like lower legs and eyebrows with age).

  • I doubt you have PCOS. What you describe is really not enough hair for someone with PCOS. Most women with PCOS have pretty severe growth (especially if it’s the only symptom), like coarse dense chin and cheek growth, resembling a man’s beard.

However, what you can have is slightly elevated male hormone levels, which many women have. It’s not a huge deal. This is what the majority of women with “slight” hair issues have, i.e. more prominent hair on areas like upper lip, cheerk, stomach, nipples, and other male growth regions. Electrolysis is a perfect solution for these hairs.