Testosterone & Beard Growth
Testosterone is a hormone found it both men and women. The hormone is more abundant in men and produces secondary sex characteristics such as muscle tone, body fat distribution and body and facial hair.
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Significance
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Facial hair is one of those qualities that helps others identify people as male or female. A woman may be mortified to find a whisker while the teen boy may be ecstatic. Excess testosterone may be the culprit for excess facial hair in women.
Time Frame
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Beginning at puberty, both males and females receive a surge of hormones. For males, testosterone caused body and facial hair to grow. Teengrowth.com explains that most males start puberty between 10 and 14 years old.
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Considerations
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Testosterone has a give-and-take relationship with hair. Men develop facial hair because of testosterone, but go bald because testosterone converts to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes hair loss on the head.
Misconceptions
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Testosterone is important to beard growth. However, it is important to note that genetics and age also play a role in the pattern and thickness of the beard. Less facial hair does not necessarily mean a low testosterone level.
Fun Facts
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The longest beard recorded belonged to Hans Langseth, whose beard measured 18 and a half feet long. When Hans passed away, the record was given to a Sikh whose beard measures 7 and a half feet long.
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