Causes of Chin Hair on Women

Androgens
PCOS
Cushing Syndrome
Adrenal Hyperplasia

Written by Linda Ray

18 December, 2018

Unwanted hair anywhere can be an annoyance, but unwanted facial hair can be embarrassing, too 1. The amount of hair on women's chins varies and appears thicker or longer for a variety of reasons.

The condition thick, coarse hairs appear on a woman's chest, lips, back or chin, the condition is called hirsutism. Changes in your hormones and certain medical conditions may be behind your unwanted chin hair, as can plain old unlucky genetics.

Androgens

Changes in hormone production often cause unwanted chin hair on women. While all women produce small amounts of the male hormones called androgens, hair begins to grow on the chin when a woman has an overabundance of the male hormones.

The condition is not life-threatening or medically harmful. Most women with hormonal imbalances find the hair growth to be embarrassing, however, and seek ways to remove it.

The cause of the increases in androgens is unknown. Genetics most likely play a role because the condition runs in families. Certain ethnic groups of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern or South Asian decent are at a higher risk of developing the condition. Women with hirsutism due to overproductcion of androgen also may have small breasts and larger muscles than other women.

Changes in hormone production often cause unwanted chin hair on women.
While all women produce small amounts of the male hormones called androgens, hair begins to grow on the chin when a woman has an overabundance of the male hormones.

PCOS

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Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, is a common medical condition that causes an overabundance of chin hair. PCOS results from an imbalance of hormones and often causes additional symptoms along with the unwanted hair growth.

Women with PCOS usually have trouble with their menstrual cycles, have a deeper voice and have difficulty losing weight. PCOS also can cause acne and correlate with the development of diabetes.

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Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, is a common medical condition that causes an overabundance of chin hair.
PCOS results from an imbalance of hormones and often causes additional symptoms along with the unwanted hair growth.

Cushing Syndrome

Cushing syndrome develops when a woman is exposed to high levels of cortisol, often seen in women taking steroids. Corticosteroid medications such as prednisone and prednisolone used to treat arthritis and asthma can cause Cushing syndrome and produce unwanted facial hair.

At other times, the pituitary gland just produces too much ACTH hormones and causes the adrenal glands to excrete additional cortisol in the system. A tumor in the pituitary or adrenal gland also can cause the disorder, as can tumors in the pancreas, thyroid glands or lungs.

Cushing syndrome develops when a woman is exposed to high levels of cortisol, often seen in women taking steroids.
Corticosteroid medications such as prednisone and prednisolone used to treat arthritis and asthma can cause Cushing syndrome and produce unwanted facial hair.

Adrenal Hyperplasia

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Though rare, congenital adrenal hyperplasia can cause women to grow heavy coarse hair on their chins. In those born with the condition, the adrenal glands fail to produce enough cortisol, which causes you to form strong male characteristics.

Girls born with the birth defect also have deep voices and early growth of pubic and underarm hair. They may have ambiguous genitals and abnormal or non-existent menstrual cycles. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia affects about one in 15,000 children.