Female facial hair removal: threading, waxing, dermaplaning or laser?

In short

• Threading suits brows and small areas of fine or coarse hair, and only cotton thread touches the skin.
• Waxing clears a bigger area in one go, but facial skin can lift if you use retinol, prescription creams or acne medication.
• Dermaplaning removes fine peach fuzz with the dead skin on top, and the hair grows back the same, not thicker.
• Laser is the only one of the four that reduces regrowth, over a course of sessions, and it works best on dark hair.
• Plucking stray hairs one by one can lead to ingrown hairs and dark marks, especially on darker skin.

Female facial hair removal comes down to four main choices in a salon: threading, waxing, dermaplaning and laser. Each one suits a different kind of hair and skin. Three of them remove hair that will grow back in weeks. Only laser reduces how much grows back, and even then, results vary from person to person.

This guide sets out what each method does, what it feels like, how long it lasts and who it suits, so you can pick the right one before you book.

Is facial hair on women normal?

Yes. Fine, light facial hair is common in women, and many notice more of it with age, especially after the menopause, as the NHS explains.

Thick, dark hair on the face, neck or chest is different. Doctors call this hirsutism. It affects about 5 to 10% of women in Western countries, according to the British Association of Dermatologists. A common cause is a hormone condition called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

See your GP if thick, dark hair is new, spreading quickly, or comes with irregular periods. Ask for an urgent appointment if it appears suddenly, or if your voice is getting deeper. A salon can remove hair, but it cannot find the cause. That is a job for your GP.

What are the main options for female facial hair removal?

There are four main salon methods, and they differ most in how long the results last. This table puts them side by side.

Method	How it works	How long it lasts	Best for
Threading	Twisted cotton thread lifts short rows of hair from the root	A few weeks	Brows, upper lip, chin, sides, full face
Waxing	Strip or hot wax pulls hair from the root	A few weeks	Larger areas, coarser hair
Dermaplaning	A sterile blade removes dead skin and fine facial hair	Hair grows back the same, like shaving	Fine peach fuzz
Laser	Light heats the hair root to reduce regrowth	Hair reduction over a course of sessions	Dark hair you are tired of removing every few weeks

At home, many people shave, pluck, bleach or use hair removal creams. The British Association of Dermatologists notes that creams and bleach can irritate the skin, so test a small patch first.

Is threading good for facial hair?

Threading is a good choice for brows and small areas of facial hair, especially if your skin reacts to wax. Your therapist twists a length of cotton thread and rolls it along the skin, lifting out short rows of hair from the root. Nothing else touches your skin, so there is no wax or cream to react to.

A review in the Indian Journal of Dermatology describes threading as quick and inexpensive, with results lasting two to three weeks. It also notes that it does not peel the top layer of skin the way wax can.

What to expect:

• It stings a little, a bit like plucking but quicker, because the thread lifts several hairs at once.
• The upper lip feels sharpest.
• Redness and a little puffiness straight after are normal and usually settle quickly.
• Small spots can appear after face threading. Keep the area clean and leave them alone.

The same review links some skin infections to shared towels and reused thread. Fresh thread for each client matters, so it is fine to ask about it.

At NBA Clinic, threading is priced by area. Eyebrows are £5, upper lip £4, chin £5, lip and chin £9 and a full face £25. A full face is one price rather than each area added up. Every price is on our threading page.

When is waxing the better choice?

Waxing is the better choice when you want a larger area cleared in one go, such as the full face or the sides. It pulls hair from the root, like threading, so regrowth takes a few weeks.

There are two types. Strip wax is spread thinly and pulled off with a cloth strip. Hot wax goes on thicker, sets on the hair and is lifted off by itself, which is why it is often chosen for sensitive skin. Hot wax costs more for the same area.

Facial skin is thinner than the skin on your legs. The British Association of Dermatologists advises using wax with caution on the face, as it can irritate the skin. Tell your therapist if you use any of these, because they make skin more likely to lift:

• Retinol or prescription skin creams.
• Acne medication. The NHS says not to wax at all while taking some acne tablets.
• Sunburn, broken skin or a skin condition in the area.

Our face waxing starts at £4 for a lower lip in strip wax. A full face is £28 in strip wax or £38 in hot wax. Check the item on your Treatwell booking matches what you want done, so the price is the one you expect. Every area is listed on our waxing page.

What does dermaplaning do to facial hair?

Dermaplaning removes fine facial hair, often called peach fuzz, along with the layer of dead skin on top. A sterile blade is moved gently across the skin.

The hair grows back the same. It does not grow back thicker or darker. This is the same as shaving, which the British Association of Dermatologists confirms does not encourage more hair growth. Regrowth can feel blunt at first, because the hair has been cut rather than pulled out.

Dermaplaning works on soft, fine hair. It is not the best fit for coarse, dark hairs on the chin or upper lip, because they are cut at the surface and come back as stubble quickly. For those, threading, waxing or laser usually suits better.

At NBA Clinic, dermaplaning takes about 40 minutes, costs £85 and has little or no downtime. It is one of our skin treatments.

Does laser reduce facial hair for longer?

Yes. Laser is the only method in this guide that reduces regrowth, and it works over a course of sessions rather than in one visit. The honest name for it is hair reduction, not removal.

Laser light is drawn to the pigment in the hair and turns into heat at the root. It only works on hairs that are actively growing at the time. As an NHS leaflet explains, not every hair is in that phase at once, so several sessions are almost always needed. The same leaflet says it is unrealistic to expect all unwanted hair to disappear.

The research backs up that caution. A Cochrane review found some lasers reduced hair by about half for up to six months, and long-term results were not well documented. Hormones can also bring new hair through later on.

Some things to know before you start:

• Laser works best on hair with some colour in it. Very fair, grey, white or red hairs usually respond poorly.
• It feels like warmth and a quick snapping or prickling. The upper lip feels sharper. You can ask us to pause at any point.
• Redness or a little swelling around the hair follicles for a few hours is common.
• Between sessions, shave only. Do not wax, thread or pluck, because laser needs the hair root in place.

At NBA Clinic, laser is done in our own laser room with a Soprano laser made by Alma. Every course starts with a patch test, where we ask about your skin, hair, medication and medical history. Nobody can say how many sessions you need before seeing you. We tell you at the patch test what your skin and hair are likely to need.

Laser is priced per area: one session for the upper lip or chin is £55, and a course of 8 costs 30% less than 8 single sessions. The patch test is £25, taken off your first session. Laser is booked by phone on 020 3887 2181. You can see every area and price on our laser hair removal page.

Female facial hair removal for your hair and skin type

The right method depends on two things: the type of hair and the colour of your skin. Here is a plain guide.

• Fine, light hair. Threading or dermaplaning usually suits best. Laser rarely helps here, because there is little pigment in the hair for the light to find.
• Coarse, dark hair. Laser is the method that can reduce regrowth over time. Threading or waxing clears it in the meantime, but stop both once you start laser and shave instead.
• Darker skin. Threading is popular because only the thread touches the skin. Ingrown hairs from waxing or shaving can leave marks that look darker than the skin around them, as the NHS notes. With laser, darker skin is more prone to side effects such as skin darkening, according to a systematic review. Dark hair on darker skin needs the right settings and care, which is why we check at the patch test.
• Sensitive skin. Threading suits a lot of people with sensitive skin. If you prefer wax, ask about hot wax.

Why plucking is rarely the best plan

Tweezing one stray chin hair now and then is fine. Plucking a whole area every few days is where problems start.

The NHS lists plucking and threading among the causes of ingrown hairs, and coarse or curly hair makes them more likely. When a hair grows back under the skin, it can become red, sore and bumpy. The British Association of Dermatologists warns that these bumps can lead to discolouration or scarring of the skin.

Plucking also gets in the way if you are thinking about laser. Laser needs the hair root in place, so plucking between sessions works against it. If you are tempted to pluck, shave the area instead and talk to us about laser.

Before you book: a quick checklist

• Decide the area: brows, upper lip, chin, sides or full face.
• Think about how long you want results to last: weeks (threading, waxing, dermaplaning) or reduced regrowth over a course (laser).
• Tell your therapist about retinol, prescription creams, acne medication, sunburn or broken skin.
• Check the price before you book. Every price is on our price list.
• If the hair is new, thick and spreading quickly, see your GP first.

Not sure which to choose? Book the one closest to your main concern and say so when you arrive. For threading, waxing and dermaplaning, pick a treatment and a time on Treatwell. For laser, call the salon on 020 3887 2181 to book your patch test.