Beard Hair in Older Women

Why is it that as a woman gets older, her vellus hairs begin to show more. Do they get longer, denser, or what? I notice they are still fine and white(not talking about beards or increased coarseness), but they just seem to show more on older women.

Since they are white, I know they can’t be lasered, but what about electrolysis? Could the shafts get coarser if they are electrolysized and they grow back? Are there any potential drawbacks to electrolysizing the vellus hairs on a woman’s face?

Any beard hair or increase in vellus hair thickness is the result of hormonal changes. As women get past menopause, there are greater effects of normal androgens in a woman’s body than would be the case in much younger women. We also see this in medical conditions like Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), where androgenic effects are evident.

With regard to your questions on electrolysis, when it is successful it works well. Unfortunately, a small whitish area around the skin adjacent to the hair shaft occurs with electrolysis and this could be a problem if your skin is dark. Failure rates are high with electrolysis and it takes a real expert to do this, a skill not commonly found. If there is a failure (about half fail in competent hands), the hair does not grow more coarse.