> 1. is Vaniqa available now in the UK and does
> anyone have any links to good articles about
> it that discuss side effects etc

Vaniqa should be available in the UK and as far as appears thus far it does not cause significant side-effects. For heavy growth, however, it is time-consuming and expensive and doesn't remove the need to use other methods of hair removal, albeit less frequently.

> 2. i assume that perhaps my increase in facial
> hair is due to my age

Once you pass forty you can expect estrogen production to drop and the balance to shift in favor of testosterone, so if you've a tendency to produce male-type facial hair, that will increase significantly.


> and the fact that i've come off a high oestrogen pill....
The body tends to shut down its natural production of estrogen when it is aware of estrogen circulating from an "external" source such as the pill, and at forty plus it may not restart production of natural estrogen or produce it at a very low level.


> i'm very reluctant to do anything about the soft hairs
> on my face even though the growth is getting worse. i'm
> very self conscious about it
Don't worry about it -- it's very common.

> but i know that waxing or shaving will make it worse.
Waxing or plucking may well make it worse. Shaving won't.


> Is there any indication, or anything i can read about
> increase in hair on the face as you get older, relating
> to how much worse it's likely to get?

Try a Google search on "Female facial hair". But be aware of the fact that everyone's different, so you can't tell how much worse it's likely to get. There are some women who have no facial hair in their 80s, but on the other hand, few actually reach that age without developing at least a moustache which is almost as normal for an 80 year old female as for an 80 year old male. Significant moustache growth and some beard growth is extremely common in women in their 70s -- at least half can expect it.A great many women in their seventies decide to stop faffing around and (however they may have removed facial hair previously) start shaving.

For myself, I've had moustache growth of male proportions since I was a teenager and started shaving daily at 15, however it wasn't until my forties that male-type growth started on my chin.

For me, it was really an end of my problem when I admitted to myself that my moustache was no different from a guy's and started shaving with my father's Norelco (men's) electric shaver.