Chin hairs. They’re not glamorous, and nobody likes to talk about them publicly, or even acknowledge their existence.

I know two beauty editors who had a pact that if either of them were to end up in a coma, the other would religiously visit the hospital with tweezers to remove their chin hairs. But every woman of a certain age knows what I’m talking about.

One study found that almost 40 per cent of women age 45 and older have an excess of facial hair growth, especially on the chin.

’Chin hair growth is usually triggered by shifts in androgen hormones (often called male hormones) like testosterone,’ explains Chita Davda, a polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) consultant and women’s health coach.

’All women produce androgens, but if their balance shifts, for example during puberty, pregnancy, peri–menopause, or in with hormone conditions such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), you can start to notice coarser, darker hairs on areas such as the chin, upper lip or chest.’

Consultant dermatologist Dr Magnus Lynch points out that chin hairs are more common in peri–menopausal and menopausal women because the levels of oestrogen fall over time, meaning androgens become relatively more dominant.

Most of the time, chin hairs shouldn’t be a worry.

But Chita warns: ‘If you’re noticing thick, dark hairs appearing more frequently, hair growth on the chest, abdomen or lower back, irregular periods, acne or thinning scalp hair, it’s worth speaking to your GP and getting a blood test to check your hormones, especially your androgens to look at your testosterone levels.’

Dr Lynch agrees: ‘While it would be very rare, if accompanied by other symptoms (such as those above) or deepening of the voice, chin hairs occasionally could be an indication of a hormonal imbalance, such as PCOS or a tumour of the adrenal gland or ovaries, which is producing excessive androgens.’

But, assuming you don’t have any additional symptoms, if you’ve got hairs that you want to remove, what’s the best way to do it?

‘The only permanent method of hair removal is electrolysis,’ says Dr Lynch. ‘This is slow and requires multiple treatments. Laser hair removal can be effective and is classed as a semi–permanent method.’

Electrolysis requires a fine needle or wire to be inserted into the hair follicle without puncturing the skin, and then an electric current travels down to the root, killing it.

The advantage of electrolysis over laser treatment is that hairs can be zapped at any point in the hair growth cycle, whereas laser treatment can only target hairs in the growth cycle.

(Quick biology lesson: hairs have a growth phase and a resting phase before falling out.)

Because of the needles involved, electrolysis is best left to the professionals. You will probably need between eight and 12 sessions over the course of a year or more, at around £50 a session.

Laser hair removal or Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) – both of which work by converting light energy into heat energy, which travels down the hair, again destroying the root – can be done at home.

Expect to pay around £500 for devices such as the Tria Hair Removal Laser (trialaser.co.uk) or the Philips Lumea (philips.co.uk), but use it regularly – it won’t work if it’s just gathering dust in the bathroom cabinet

‘Home devices can cause some improvement,’ says Dr Lynch, ‘but they do require multiple sessions and they will not be as effective as in–clinic laser hair removal requiring ongoing maintenance treatments.’

If you are looking for a clinic, find one that has the Alma Soprano Titanium (alma–soprano.com) which uses three different wavelengths and can be used on all different skin tones (often darker skin tones can’t use lasers as the light can’t distinguish between the colour of the skin and the colour of the hair). A course of six – which is the average number required – will cost around £250.

Less hi–tech methods include tweezing – I like the Tweezerman Slant Tweezer (£24, tweezerman.co.uk) or threading – ‘this is quick and effective for isolated hairs, though regular pulling can irritate the skin,’ says Chita Davda. ‘But may need to be done quite often depending on the level of your testosterone.’

Similarly, she points out that waxing will remove the hair but can impact the skin over time.

As for dermaplaning (using a razor to remove the top layer of skin and hair) or facial razors (again try Tweezerman who do a good facial razor for £20) – which don’t remove the hair but just cut it off at the surface, these are safe but don’t have any impact on hair growth, despite the myth that hairs will grow back thicker.

However, says Dr Lynch, ‘because when the hair grows you see the blunt cut end (rather than the finer tapered natural end), it can appear thicker.’

As for skincare, ‘most regular skincare including retinoids have no impact on hair growth,’ says Dr Lynch. ‘There are some topical treatments such as Vaniqua (Eflornithine) (available on prescription) which can make the hair smaller and less visible.’

Chita Davda flags that if waxing or using a laser, you should avoid using harsh exfoliants and focus instead on gentle products that will repair the skin barrier. And, she adds, ‘heavy oils or comedogenic products can worsen inflammation around hair follicles, while steroid creams (if overused) may trigger fine facial hair growth’.

So, chin hairs — a fact of life for many of us, but not one that you have to live with if you don’t want to.