Adele’s Name for Her Pregnancy Beard Will Make You Love Her Even More
What a lady! Not only does she have an amazing voice but she also has no fear of admitting she has facial hair! Facial hair on women is extremely common however it seems to be a taboo subject. Here at Laser Hair Removal At The Bay & On Unley, we treat clients every day who wish to get rid of their facial hair. Hormones play a big part in how much facial hair we have and how often it grows and even with laser hair treatment, this may be an ongoing maintenance program throughout your life.
Below we read about how pregnancy can affect our hormones and hair growth.
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No matter how well you think you know our body you’re bound to discover some weird new tricks when you get pregnant. Exhibit A: Adele, who recently told a crowd she grew a beard when she was pregnant with her son, who’s now nearly 3.5 years old.
“I only cropped it last night,” the singer said, according to Mirror UK. “It’s actually true. I’m not telling a joke. I actually have a beard, but I’m proud of it. I call it Larry.”
The singer credits her high testosterone levels during pregnancy, and her self-diagnosis doesn’t seem to be far off, according to Alyssa Dweck, MD, an ob-gyn and assistant clinical professor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine (who did not treat Adele). Hair growth or hirsutism in pregnancy is usually due to hormonal fluctuations – an increase in secretion of male hormones or androgens from the ovaries and placenta,” Dr Dweck confirms.
Good news for women who want a baby without a beard: Any excess hair that grows on the face, chest, abdomen, or arms, usually towards the end of the second trimester when the hormone- secreting placenta really starts to take shape, is usually temporary. It typically goes away on this own within six months of giving birth. By that point, any hair loss from the head (an even more annoying side effect that can affect new mums in the three months following pregnancy) should resolve itself too.
That said, Dr Dweck warns that excessive hair growth in odd places can be a permanent conditions among some women, like Adele, whose beard has been growing strong for more than three years. And it’s not always related to pregnancy, which is why it’s worth getting checked out by a physician or endocrinologist if hair growth persists long after pregnancy or occurs when there’s no baby in tow.
While the condition could be hereditary, there are so many other conditions besides pregnancy that can mess without hormones and trigger hair growth, and every pregnancy is different, so hair growth could have something to do with whether you’re carrying a girl, boy, or multiples. Again, experts just don’t know.
What they do know: Acne is a sign of a hormonal imbalance, so people who deal with it – or any other conditions linked to a hormonal imbalance – before getting pregnant could be more prone to excess hair growth during pregnancy. And in terms of predicting permanency, Dr Dweck says peach fuzz is more likely to go away than coarse, deep rooted hairs.
While sprouting a beard might seem apocalyptic, kudos to Adele for going public with her facial hair – and reminding women everywhere that it’s totally normal.
By Elizabeth Narins
