Unwanted Facial Hair

Why Face Hair Changes At Menopause… And What You Can Actually Do About It

Like menopause, the story of unwanted facial hair is often all about estrogen, or to be more precise, the relationship between levels of estrogen and testosterone.

When estrogen predominates, a woman’s face typically has vellus hair –fine, short and almost invisible like ‘peach fuzz’. Men, in contrast, have terminal hair, the longer, coarser, darker beard-type hair.

The key hormone that controls the type of hair on your face is dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Higher DHT levels cause your facial hair to convert from vellus to terminal hair production.

During reproductive years, the higher relative levels of estrogen to testosterone usually keep production of DHT low. However, as menopause approaches and estrogen levels drop, there’s an increase of DHT in the hair follicle (details below). It’s at this point many women begin to see frustrating ‘beard-like’ hairs in places they’ve never seen them before—chin, jaw line, cheeks, and even the forehead.

At MenopauseRx, approximately 40% of women who have registered with us tell us that unwanted facial hair is a frustration. So, if you’re facing excess facial hair, you’re far from being alone.

Over the years, good choices for solving the problem have been fairly limited. If there’s just a bit of facial hair showing up, the common response is to control the problem by plucking with tweezers or with some gadget or contraption that tweezes automatically. The problem with that, however, is that plucking actually can stimulate the hair follicle into an active growth (anagen) phase in which hair growth is quicker and thicker…something you obviously don’t want. Choices beyond plucking have their limitations as well. Shaving leaves a bristle and 5 o’clock shadow, and is something you have to actively keep up with once you’re committed. Electrolysis is expensive and painful. Laser is expensive and can be uncomfortable. We all know how painful waxing can be. Plus the cost adds up over time. The list of frustrations with current treatment can be pretty long.

That’s why we were so impressed when we learned about Reductase-5, a new product recently introduced by Trienelle Skincare. It’s a gentle lotion that you apply to the face twice a day, just like you would your daily moisturizer. The natural and nutritive ingredients are excellent for your skin…and, over time, your face hair problem fades away.

What’s fascinating is how it works. Trienelle has found a way to deal with the DHT problem, helping the hair follicle return back to normal vellus (fine, short, and barely noticeable) hair production.

DHT in the follicle comes from testosterone. There’s an enzyme in the hair follicle called 5-alpha reductase and it is responsible for making testosterone into DHT. Trienelle developed a way to slow down that process, so there’s less DHT.

With less DHT, hair returns back to the normal vellus hair. Which is lighter, shorter, finer…almost invisible ‘feminine’ hair.

Trienelle accomplished all of this while using natural, nutritive ingredients that are great for your skin. Some of the key ingredients in Reductase-5:

• Retinol – lessens fine wrinkles and firms the skin; antioxidant; skin cell regulator
• Wax Myrtle Extract – provides antioxidant protection
• Chaparral Extract – helps protect skin from ultraviolet radiation
• Organic Zinc – essential to healthy skin; antioxidant
• Olive Leaf Extract – inhibits microbe growth; protects against free radicals
• Vitamin B6 – enhances hair control
• Salicylic Acid – removes dead skin cells, opens pores, improves skin tone
• 16 additional botanicals and nutrients
• Paraben-Free and Phthalate-Free

Keep in mind that this isn’t a hair removal treatment (that approach is temporary, even if the results are immediate). It’s a gradual return of your facial hair toward the normal female facial hair pattern. So, it can take time to see the full results. Most users see some degree of improvement within the first few weeks, but it can take as much as three months to see full results.

If you’re ready to say goodbye to your embarrassing facial hair – plus the painful, expensive and time-consuming ways of dealing with it – Reductase-5 may be the answer you’ve been looking for.

Reductase-5 can be ordered directly from the Trienelle Skincare website or by calling 800-539-5195 (US and Canada) or 208-292-2400 (International).