Excess Female Facial Hair

Excess Female Facial Hair

All women have fine light hair covering their faces and bodies. 

Hirsutism is the term used to describe excess hair growth in women. It is quite common, affecting approximately 10% of females and causes emotional distress to many of these women. This hair is often thick and dark, and can be more visible. It usually grows in areas you would associate with male pattern hair growth (upper lip, chin, chest, abdomen, thighs and bottom).

Excess female facial hair can be caused by hormones, medication, genetics and influenced by ethnic origin.

There are many hair removal options to choose from (e.g. waxing, plucking, threading, bleaching). This is a very personal choice for each woman. 

Vaniqa is a prescription medication that can be used to control excess facial hair in women. (It cannot be used to treat excess hair in other areas). Vaniqa is NOT a hair removal cream. It is a non-hormonal cream that slows down hair growth and if effective, hair production is slowed down to the point where it is significantly reduced or does not grow. This is not permanent, and to maintain the effect continuous use is required. It can be used in conjunction with other hair removal techniques. 

It is appropriate for women who are suffering from unwanted facial hair growth (lips, chin, or neck) who have been assessed by their doctor to exclude any significant underlying medical cause for this issue. If you would like to talk to a GP about your symptoms before applying for this treatment, please book a video consultation.

Fill out the following questionnaire. It will be reviewed by an Irish-registered GP who then may prescribe you medication to treat excess facial hair, or advise you on the best next course of action for your particular case.

Who Is This Service For?

This service is suitable for:

• Females over 18 years of age.
• Females  who suffer from unwanted facial hair (lip, chin or neck). 

This service is not suitable if: 

• You are male
• You are under 18 years of age
• You are pregnant or planning to become pregnant 
• You are breastfeeding
• You have not been assessed by your doctor to exclude a significant medical cause of your symptoms. 
• You are taking any of the following medications: Cyclosporine, long term oral steroids (for example prednisolone), Minoxidil, Phenobarbitone, Phenytoin or  Danazol. 
• You have been diagnosed with any of the following conditions: Cushing’s Syndrome, Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia or hormone producing tumours of the ovary of adrenal glands.

How the service works

• Online consultations with Irish based doctors
• Our doctors issue a prescription if medically safe and suitable
• Valid in any Irish pharmacy to buy your medication
• Prescription sent to your chosen pharmacy via secure email (Healthmail) within minutes of approval

The accuracy of the information you provide is very important for the safe prescribing of the most suitable type of medication.  The information that you provide is treated with the same patient-doctor confidentiality as in a normal face-to-face consultation.