Hirsutism can be caused by an underlying medical condition. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, hirsutism is a medical condition characterized by excessive growth of terminal body hairs in females. It may also mean abnormal or excessive growth of hair in women , especially men-like hair on their face and body.
Hirsutism occurs in women when signs of male pattern hair growth are present on areas of the body where women normally have little or no hair. For most women, this means a mustache, or beard, and/or excessive growth of hair on the upper lip, chin, chest, abdomen or back. Androgens (male hormones) are necessary for normal development of pubic hair and other parts of a woman’s reproductive system before birth. They are produced by the ovary and by tissues in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in the brain.
Hirsutism is the medical term for your hair growing in places it normally shouldn’t. It is a very common problem affecting up to 30% of women in Australia. In most cases the condition occurs simply because there is too much androgen hormone in the body. This causes the hair follicle to grow and produce long hairs some where they are not supposed to be.
The most common place this happens is on the face where males tend to have more facial hair than females. For women it tends to occur on the upper lip, chin and lower jaw line, or around the nipples of their breasts (areolae). Occasionally though hirsutism can indicate an underlying disease such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, Cushing’s disease or an adrenal tumour and attention should be paid if several other health problems have occurred at the same time as hirsutism developing (such as excessive weight gain or irregular periods).
Hirsutism is a condition in which hair grows in places that a woman does not typically grow hair. When this occurs on the face, it can give the appearance of a beard as well as hair growth on the chest. It is important to understand that hairs will not continue to grow on areas of the body that are shaved or waxed. While shaving hair may make it appear thicker, it will not continue to grow after being shaved. Those who have hirsutism should refrain from shaving the face or any other area with unwanted facial hair to prevent worsening of the condition.
Did you know that hair follicles cover every surface of your body except for the soles of your feet and the palms of your hands… That’s right, there are no hair follicles on these parts of your body. This is because there are no sebaceous glands to produce the natural oil (sebum) that hair follicles need to grow, so your body has evolved without them. Of the approximately 50 million hair follicles that cover your body, about one fifth are located on your scalp, which does have sebaceous glands.
Hair follicle density is the number of scalp hair follicles a person has per unit area. Follicle density varies greatly among different people. For example, men and women of European descent have roughly the same number of hair follicles on their scalp, with men having more dense hair on the top of their head. Individuals from other ethnic groups, such as Asians and American Indians, have less total hair, but each hair is much thicker and more pigmented than those of Caucasians.
Hirsutism refers to the presence of excessive hair in non-hormonal patterns. It is most commonly associated with women, but may be found in some men and adolescents. Hirsutism can affect any area of the body and is a symptom of an underlying condition, as opposed to a condition itself. The causes of hirsutism are not fully understood, however it can have a number of different causes. As hirsutism is usually caused by an underlying condition, it is often categorized with other skin abnormalities and conditions such as alopecia, acne, or thickening of the skin.
Hirsutism is an endocrine disorder that causes abnormal hair growth: hair growth in both men and women, but mostly on the body. Hirsutism affects both sexes, with women being the majority of sufferers. The hair growth can be a result of the high level of androgens (male sex hormones such as testosterone) in the blood. It may appear in beard area, abdomen, chest, underarm or pubic area.
There are many causes of hirsutism including polycystic ovarian syndrome. Hirsutism is also linked to other hormonal disorders, diabetes mellitus, liver diseases and androgen-secreting tumors. The first line of hirsutism treatment is oral contraceptives (birth control pills), spironolactone, testosterone blockers or anti-androgens to reduce hormone production in the ovaries and adrenal glands, respectively.
