Laser Hair Removal: Solution for Hirsutism

Describing Hirsutism

Hirsutism is defined as the excessive development of coarse, black hair on the face, back, and stomach in females. While hirsutism may result from a drug side effect, it is typically brought on by an overabundance of androgens in the bloodstream, which causes a hormonal imbalance. The hormonal imbalance that leads to hirsutism can have many different reasons, but PCOS is frequently one of them. Even though PCOS accounts for 70% of hair loss cases, excessive hair growth by itself cannot identify the condition.

Causes of Unusually High Body Hair Growth

Therapy might be more difficult because it’s not always clear what causes hirsutism. However, the development of hirsutism has been linked to several diseases. The following are a few of the causes:

•       PCOS: This hormonal condition is characterised by abnormally high levels of androgen in females. Infertility, acne, weight gain, irregular menstrual cycles, and diabetes are all signs of PCOS in women.
•       Natural Male Hormone Production: While female reproductive systems commonly produce hormones, hirsutism may appear if a woman has abnormally high amounts of androgen or if her hair follicles are more responsive to this hormone.
•       Increased facial hair growth may result from menopausal hormone changes (mustache or whiskers).
•       Endocrine disorders: In certain cases, hirsutism that appears quickly and is accompanied by other masculine traits like a deeper voice, greater muscular mass, or acne may indicate a more severe condition such an adrenal gland or ovarian issue.

•       Medication: Some drugs, including testosterone, steroids, and glucocorticoids, may cause hormonal imbalance, which then causes hirsutism.

Effectiveness of Laser Hair Removal

A frequent and bothersome illness that affects many women is hirsutism, or excessive face or body hair. Whether inherited or brought on by medication, guys’ excessive levels of male hormones and hair growth are linked to women. Currently, laser hair removal is the most efficient way to get rid of dark hair on various parts of the body and face. For women who have hormonal abnormalities, laser hair removal is ineffective. Until the underlying issue is resolved, these people will only see short-term effects. After addressing the hormone imbalance, laser hair removal treatments may start, with long-term advantages.

Women with excessive body or facial hair should consult a doctor to see whether they have a hormonal imbalance before having laser hair removal. To ascertain whether growth started suddenly, whether there are underlying health problems like obesity or acne, or whether there is a family history of hirsutism, a medical evaluation is necessary. Consultation with an expert is essential since laser hair removal might have negative side effects, such as infertility.

Women’s Hirsutism Symptoms

The development of coarse, black hair in areas of the body where fine, thin hair would typically grow is the most typical hirsutism sign. Women’s hair on the lower belly, upper arms, face, chest, back, and upper legs may get thicker and coarser as a result of hormonal changes.

Treatment for excessive hair growth

Several hirsutism treatment options are provided by medical specialists. Depending on the cause of hair growth and how it affects a person’s life, several treatment methods may be available.

A healthcare professional may do a blood test to assess hormone levels and the presence of a hormonal imbalance. Sometimes, androgen blockers are used to directly treat the hormonal imbalance in hirsutism patients; other times, medications like the birth control pill are used to help people with hirsutism manage their hormones.

The type of therapy and care required will depend on the underlying reason. In addition to your primary care physician, additional specialists such as gynaecologists and endocrinologists (medical professionals who focus on hormone-related problems) may be required during pregnancy.

To assess hormone levels and the presence of a hormonal imbalance, a healthcare professional may perform a blood test. Other times, the hormonal imbalance is addressed directly with androgen blockers. Sometimes, medications like the birth control pill are used to help people with hirsutism manage their hormones.

The therapy and care plan will be determined by the underlying reason. In addition to your primary care physician, you could require the help of other experts during pregnancy, such as gynaecologists and endocrinologists (medical professionals who focus on hormone-related problems).

The following are a few therapy options:

•       Drugs that block androgens, such as the oral contraceptive pill, and insulin if there is hyperinsulinemia to stop hair growth
•       Removal by surgery of an ovarian or adrenal tumour
•       Oral contraceptives can help women who require contraception and help with their monthly cycle since they slow hair growth.

If you are overweight, even a 5% drop in weight may cause a significant drop in testosterone levels, which might be beneficial. Various hair removal methods can also be used to treat mild hirsutism. They focus on treating the signs of excessive hair growth rather than the root of the problem.

The following are some options for temporary hair removal:

•       The most popular technique for getting rid of extra hair is shaving. To prevent stubble, it is easy to perform and safe, but it must be repeated frequently.
•       Unwanted hair can be lightened with bleaching chemicals. Some products, however, could irritate the skin.
•       Tweezing or waxing is an efficient way to remove hair, but if done frequently, it can irritate the hair follicle and lead to acne.
•       Depilatory procedures are used to get rid of skin-surface hair. While eradicating facial hair, these products run the risk of irritating the face’s sensitive skin.

Treatment for hirsutism that might last a long time includes:

Using a small needle and a little electrical zap, electrolysis is a method for removing individual hair roots. Due to the need to treat each hair follicle independently, it might not be feasible to treat a large area of the body at once. This might be a difficult, costly, and lengthy procedure. Everyone may not find it suitable.

The hair follicles are destroyed by a focused light beam used in laser or photo epilation therapy. This method may be applied to a broader region of the body than the previous one and is more persistent. Despite being a successful therapy, photo epilation is also costly, time-consuming, and inconvenient.

How may hirsutism be avoided?

Depending on the aetiology, several prevention techniques are used for hirsutism. Women with PCOS who have PCOS hirsutism may benefit from losing weight by diet and exercise, for instance. A low-calorie diet helps obese PCOS women avoid developing hirsutism.

Final Remark

It’s difficult to maintain excess or undesirable hair over the long run. Even while most women with hormonal problems respond well to medication, if your hormones start acting abnormally again, your hair may come back.

Hirsutism therapy may or may not endure forever, depending on the underlying cause and chosen treatment strategy. Shaving or using depilatory creams may not be as successful as electrolysis or laser hair removal. A chronic disease called hirsutism is brought on by conditions including PCOS and adrenal gland dysfunction.

In certain people with hormonal imbalances, laser treatments may increase hair regrowth or damage existing hair, although the presence of excess male hormones may speed up regeneration. The good news is that hormone imbalances can occasionally be corrected surgically or medically. Before having laser hair removal, if you have any of these issues, you should educate yourself about hormonal imbalance and excessive hair growth.

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