By Mariela
December 25, 2023
6 minutes
While every woman faces some sort of hair growth on her face, body, and intimate areas, one of the places where hair does not grow often is the knuckles. Also, knuckle hyperpigmentation is common but hair growth on knuckles seems like a weird concept, right?
Lemme tell you that it is not as uncommon as it sounds. Rather some men and even women experience hair growth on the knuckles. So, are you also growing some hair strands on the joints of your fingers?
Are you worried about this hair growth and want to get rid of it as soon as possible? Well, wait no more and find out the 8 causes and 8 top ways to remove unwanted hair from the knuckles in females.
8 Causes of the Hair Growth on Knuckles
If we talk about the clinical significance of hair growth on knuckles, it is nothing but a cosmetic concern as elaborated in an abstract published in PubMed [1].
However, there can be several causes of the hair growth on the knuckles. These are explained below.
1. Genetics
Whether you grow hair on the face or the knuckles, genetics is to blame. A mutation in the genes determining the hair growth on the hands can result in knuckle hair growth.
Hair growth on knuckles is an autosomal dominant trait. Therefore, if your mother or father has hair on her interphalangeal joints, there are 50 percent chance of you having such as well. This phenomenon is explained in an article on Live Science [2].
2. Prenatal Exposure to Male Hormones
Hair growth is affected by male hormones, even before the birth of the baby.
So, when the baby is in the womb and the mother is exposed to the male hormones, especially androgen either in the form of production in her body or exogenous intake, the baby is likely to develop male characteristics like the hair on the knuckles.
3. Drugs
Hair growth on the knuckles can be a side effect of several medicines. Drugs that affect the level of steroid hormones in the body are associated with hair growth on the knuckles. These include exogenous testosterone, anabolic steroids, danazol, metyrapone, glucocorticoids, and minoxidil.
Additionally, oral contraceptive pills can also cause interphalangeal hair growth in some cases.
4. Ovarian Disorders
Female hormones are secreted by the ovaries. These hormones are sex hormones, progesterone, and estrogen. Ovarian hormonal release is under the influence of hormonal factors coming from the pituitary and hypothalamus.
However, in ovarian disorders, the ovaries produce an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone. This imbalance results in hair growth on the knuckles. One of the ovarian disorders implicated in hirsutism is PCOS.
5. Hormonal Imbalance
Hair growth in the body is determined by the level of hormones in the body. Estrogen stimulates the hair growth while progesterone reduces it. Normally, these hormones work in a balance and only grow hair on the arms and legs.
However, if the balance of these hormones is not appropriate, you can experience hair growth on the knuckles as well.
6. Hypertrichosis
Werewolf syndrome is a multi-factorial disorder in which there is excess hair growth on every part of the body. Such hair is noticeable on the back, shoulders, hands, legs, feet, face, cheeks, and even forehead.
A paper in PubMed explains the whole theory and effects of hypertrichosis [3]. Furthermore, you can gather information about hypertrichosis at what you need to know about hypertrichosis.
7. Hirsutism
Hirsutism is a hair growth disorder where excess hair growth on the bodies and faces of women. It results from hyperandrogenism, drug reactions, and without any known cause as explained in a study [4].
One of the places where hair grows in hirsutism is knuckles. Also, know more about hirsutism at hirsutism and hair removal.
8. Aging
As you age and menopause is reached, the level of hormones in the body starts changing. In most cases, hair growth is reduced because of a reduction in the level of estrogen.
However, hair growth on the knuckles increases because of the excess production of hormones from the adrenal glands [5].
8 Ways to Get Rid of the Hair on the Knuckles
With 8 causes of the hair growth on the knuckles, there should at least be 8 methods to remove them, right?
Let us learn about both professional and do-it-yourself methods of hair removal for knuckles.
At-Home Hair Removal Methods
Give these 3 hair removal methods are try to get rid of knuckle hair.
1. Shaving
Do you want to know the fastest method of hair removal on the knuckles? Yes, you guessed it right. It is shaving. It instantly removed the hair from the knuckles on all 10 fingers.
However, shaving with your non-dominant hand on the dominant hand can be a little tricky and you have to shave often to keep hair in check.
2. Hair Removal Creams
Another quick hair yet effortless hair removal method for knuckles is hair removal creams. All you need to do is apply the cream and wait for a few minutes before removing the hair with a spatula.
It is affordable as well. But beware of the chemical reaction they might cause and do a patch test beforehand.
3. IPL Hair Removal
The most suitable method of hair removal on the knuckles is IPL hair removal. Although you have to shave for IPL to be effective, the best thing is that it reduces hair growth throughout 3 to 6 sessions and makes your fingers hairless for up to 6 months and more.
Also, with the Ulike Sapphire Air3 IPL Hair removal handset, hair removal on the knuckles before super quick and effective. Not to mention the comfortable experience associated with Ulike.
4. Homemade Remedies
If you want to give something natural a try, several home remedies for hair removal on the knuckles are available. From curd and gram flour masks to egg and cornflour peel-off solutions, hair removal with homemade remedies is simple and easy.
However, you have to be patient with such hair removal recipes. Also, find the details of these natural remedies at how can I remove unwanted hair at home.
Professional Hair Removal Methods
Here are some professional methods of removing unwanted hair from the knuckles.
1. Threading
You might not have thought of threading as a method for knuckles. But trust me it works great. It is inexpensive, needs a little intervention, and gets the hair of any length.
All you have to do is ask your eyebrow-shaping expert to remove the knuckle hair as well. Sadly, threading on the knuckles cannot be done by yourself.
2. Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal is the perfect solution for women who have time and money for this expensive yet effective hair removal method. Laser is precise and suitable for small sections like the knuckles.
Also, the results of the laser can last up to many years.
3. Electrolysis
One method to get rid of the knuckle hair for good is electrolysis. It is the process of passing a hair-like wire into the hair follicle and killing it with an electric current. Once the hair follicles are killed by electrolysis never regenerate.
This makes electrolysis permanent. However, it is expensive and painful as well.
Both At-Home and Professional Methods
Lastly, let us talk about the method that you can do by yourself or get it done by an expert as well.
1. Waxing
Waxing is the go-to hair removal method for many women. So, if you also like waxing the unwanted hair on your face, arms, and legs, use this method for the knuckles as well.
Conclusion
Although hair on the knuckles is not harmful to health, it is ugly to look at. This hair results from many diseases that affect the hormonal level in the body. Also, genetics can be a major cause.
However, do not worry as you can remove the knuckle hair easily at home or in salons. We discussed the 8 causes and hair removal methods for knuckle hair in this article.
References
- Hair in the middle phalanges: clinical significance. Adaeze Egesi, and Rashid Rashid. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2010 Dec;9(4):325-30. National Library of Medicine. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21122054/
- Why Do Some People Have Hair on Their Knuckles? Michelle Bryner. September 07, 2010. Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/32805-why-do-some-people-have-hair-on-their-knuckles.html
- Hypertrichosis. Dahlia Saleh, Siva Naga S. Yarrarapu, Christopher Cook. StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan. 2023 Aug 16. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30521275/
- HIRSUTISM: EVALUATION AND TREATMENT. Silonie Sachdeva. Indian J Dermatol. 2010 Jan-Mar; 55(1): 3–7. PubMed. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2856356/
- Hormonal status and clinical relevance of hirsutism in elderly women. T Pepersack, C Rossi, F Dupuis, A Lefevre, M Vanhaeverbeek, W Dekoninck. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh). 1993 Oct;129(4):307-10. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8237247/
