# Do the signs of puberty (facial hair, pubic hair, voice changing, etc.) happen in a specific sequence? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 5, 2025, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667 "2025-04-05T18:17:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2025, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/21 "2025-04-08T22:18:37Z")
One thing I AM aware of, and I don’t think @Jackmanii or @DSeid will disagree with me either, is that drastic weight gain (or sometimes loss) in a child with no known underlying cause is a potential sign of abuse. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/22 "2025-04-08T23:35:20Z")
I wouldn’t argue with calling it a potential sign. And I know there is solid data that a past history of abuse is correlated with a higher future risk of obesity. I’d certainly look at any sudden weight change either way as something to investigate and emotional trauma and/depression from any cause would be up on the differential. I have no knowledge either way though how often current abuse is the cause. The greatest cause of sudden weight gain I’ve seen in recents years was Covid lockdowns FWIW. It’s a pretty dramatic blip in many kids’ growth charts! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/23 "2025-04-09T00:37:05Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > The greatest cause of sudden weight gain I’ve seen in recents years was Covid lockdowns FWIW. It’s a pretty dramatic blip in many kids’ growth charts! Just to clarify … You’re talking about abrupt increases in weight _without_ corresponding height increases? So BMI increasing? Not sudden balanced increases in overall size = height & weight? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/24 "2025-04-09T00:44:47Z")
Yes. And to be more precise, fat gain. A few had BMI decreases, mostly loss of muscle mass loss from inactivity. Not exclusively in athletes either. Both groups have mostly come back to their pre Covid lockdown body types. It took about two years. It is really entertaining looking at the growth charts. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/25 "2025-04-09T01:02:03Z")
I remember getting my first two chest hairs and proudly showing my parents. Arm and pubic hairs came not long afterwards. No, I didn’t show it to anyone. I think this was when my voice changed. I can’t remember much about it. Facial started with scattered fuzz that didn’t require shaving. But I did anyway a couple times a month. It took maybe a year or more before I had a full beard. I remember it took several years before a mustache was possible. I still can’t grow a bushy stash. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/26 "2025-04-09T01:13:53Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I still can’t grow a bushy stash. I understand current grooming trend is towards a ‘stashy bush … ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/27 "2025-04-09T01:40:53Z")
I remember I was visiting an aunt and cousin (who was a year older than I), and my mom and aunt were discussing cousin’s and my development. At one point, my aunt (who’s never been one for subtlety) called across the room “Hey, Chronos, you got hair on your balls yet?” I muttered “yes” and then made myself scarce. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/28 "2025-04-09T01:49:02Z")
I heard that about COVID lockdowns too, in both children and adults. I used to work at a hospital that had a pediatric psychiatric unit, and because many of the drugs are dosed according to weight, we needed that information to be accurate. I made quite a few phone calls along the lines of “Does this 8-year-old weigh 86 pounds, or 86 kilograms?” and most of the time, it would indeed be kilograms. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/29 "2025-04-09T02:30:15Z")
Issue there also could have sometimes been medication related? The atypical antipsychotics (such as Abilify) are used in severely mood disordered children with some frequency and massive weight gain as well as risk for metabolic syndrome happens on those meds extremely frequently. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/30 "2025-04-09T02:37:25Z")
I’m not really sure about posting in this thread because it does raise red flags for me, but I had a very unique puberty experience that I think I should contribute. Hopefully I’m not feeding some odd thing here. I’m male. I appeared to be a young, very skinny child until I was 17. My first drivers license listed me as 5’2" and 85 lbs and that was accurate until I was older than 17. I rode a motorcycle and was pulled over many times because the cop saw a child riding a motorcycle on the road. I even had one cop say I had a fake drivers license (not sure why you would ever get a fake drivers license saying you were under the drinking age). Between 17 and 18’ish I ended up 6’3" and 135 lbs. Yep, I grew over a foot in roughly a year. Still freakishly skinny. Facial hair didn’t happen till years later. I still don’t have chest hair - maybe when I’m 60 it will come in? I know I am an outlier here, but it was hereditary. I had a brother that had to gorge on high calorie food to weigh enough to get into the military. I could, and did eat entire large pizzas weekly without it doing a thing to me except for probably raising my cholesterol (loved the Godfather’s Pizza all you could eat nights…they lost money on me). I sucked down huge calorie weight gain protein shakes (think Eric Cartman in the beefcake episode) while lifting as many weights as possible and again, little difference. Now mid 50s and a very healthy weight, but I don’t dare eat an entire large pizza. I would still like to do it though… ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/31 "2025-04-09T02:53:33Z")
That’s also possible. Zyprexa (olanzapine) was the absolute worst culprit for weight gain. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/32 "2025-04-09T03:08:47Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I still don’t have chest hair - maybe when I’m 60 it will come in? You’ll probably skip chest hair (I did) and in you’re sixties you’ll discover you have hair on the backs of your shoulders. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/33 "2025-04-09T03:20:58Z")
What puberty stage is ear hair? ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/34 "2025-04-09T04:45:29Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > you’ll discover you have hair on the backs of your shoulders. Not there yet. > [@DSeid](#): > > What puberty stage is ear hair? I’ve just hit that stage. Along with extra long eyebrow hair. Do they make moustache wax for eyebrows? Or, is it good for both? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/35 "2025-04-09T04:48:57Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > What puberty stage is ear hair? The “Codger” stage. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/36 "2025-04-09T05:35:01Z")
Probably the same stage for men as chin whiskers are for women. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667/37 "2025-04-09T05:51:26Z")
That happened to my grandson. He’d always been a twig, he got locked down, and actually quarenteened because of family members getting it. The poor kid ended up not being able to leave the house at all for a couple of months. Now he’s 16 and pretty far overweight. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-signs-of-puberty-facial-hair-pubic-hair-voice-changing-etc-happen-in-a-specific-sequence/1016667.md?page=1)