Excess Hair Growth Symptoms and Causes
Symptoms other than excessive hair growth might help identify if hirsutism has a medical cause. You might also have:
- Menstrual irregularities or the absence of a period
- Powerful Voice
- Acne
- Muscle mass has increased
- Breast size has shrunk
About half of all hirsute women have higher amounts of male sex hormones known as androgens. Such elevations in female androgen levels might be caused by:
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome is characterised by a hormonal imbalance that causes cysts to grow on the ovaries.
- Cushing’s syndrome happens when your body generates too much cortisol over a lengthy period of time.
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia is a collection of illnesses that cause the adrenal gland to malfunction and cause the body to create excess androgen.
- Tumors can form in the adrenal glands and ovaries
Drugs used to treat endometriosis, including Danocrine, steroids, and hormones (danazol).
Excess hair growth can also develop if a woman’s hair follicles are exceptionally susceptible to male hormones, for reasons that specialists do not understand. In many situations, the precise cause of a woman’s excessive hair growth is never determined.
Are You Predisposed to Excess Hair Growth?
There are certain risk factors for hirsutism, such as:
- Genetics – the illness runs in certain families.
- Race or ethnicity — Certain ethnic groups, such as women of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Mediterranean heritage, are predisposed to hirsutism.
- Menopause
Excess Hair Growth Treatments
The majority of therapies for excessive hair growth involve either short-term or long-term hair removal methods:
- Shaving. This is a safe and simple approach, but if you don’t shave frequently, you will get stubble. In addition, when the hair regrows, it may appear thicker.
- Waxing and plucking You can pluck individual hairs with tweezers or attempt waxing to eliminate bigger regions. These are safe and low-cost procedures, although they can be uncomfortable and cause skin irritation.
- Depilatories. Chemical lotions can eliminate body hair, however they also irritate the skin. Always try any new depilatory on your wrist one day before using it to ensure that you don’t have an allergic reaction.
- Electrolysis. This procedure permanently removes hair by delivering a tiny electrical charge into the hair follicle through a needle. Electrolysis is costly and time-consuming since only a limited amount can be done in one session.
- Hair removal using laser. A laser beam is used to destroy the hair follicle, resulting in hair loss. This, like electrolysis, is a time-consuming and costly technique. In contrast to electrolysis, the hair may regrow.
Only licensed experts, such as a cosmetologist, aesthetician, or electrologist, should conduct electrolysis and laser hair removal.
Some ladies prefer to bleach extra hair using a lotion or paste rather than remove it. Bleaching substances can cause skin irritation and, depending on the thickness of the hair, may not provide as gratifying results as really getting rid of the hair.
Medications for Excessive Hair Growth
Some drugs can help reduce excessive hair growth:
- Birth control medications have the potential to suppress testosterone production.
- Anti-androgen drugs such as Aldactone (spironolactone) and Proscar (finasteride) inhibit the capacity of androgenic hormones to alter the body, although they can take three to six months to work. Because they might cause birth problems if you become pregnant while taking them, you must use adequate birth control while taking them.
- Vaniqa (eflornithine) is a prescription lotion that can be used to decrease hair growth while leaving existing hair alone. It is suitable for use on the skin of your face and chin.
Home health care
Some ladies choose to cure unwanted hair at home. Among these therapies are:
- Depilatories are being used. These are over-the-counter hair removal creams. They may cause skin irritation. Hair growth has resumed.
- Waxing. This therapy removes hair from the root. Waxing on a regular basis may result in decreased hair growth, but it can be uncomfortable and irritate the skin.
- Shaving. Shaving does not promote hair growth, however it might result in stubble.
- Tweezing. This is time-consuming and can be painful.
- Bleaching. Bleaching makes hair lighter and less visible. New hair will be its natural colour as it grows in.
Read some related articles here to learn more hirsutism.