Hirsutism

Hirsutism is the medical term for a woman who has abnormal growth on the face and body similar to that of men. Adults have two types of hair; vellus and terminal. Vellus hair is soft, fine and colourless whereas terminal hair is long, coarse and curly. Women who have terminal hair on the face and body have high levels of male hormone, an androgen in their blood. Androgen also causes the hair to grow faster and thicker. The primary source of androgen production is the ovaries and the adrenals. Small cysts in ovaries causes them to overproduce androgen. This also causes menstrual disturbances and obesity. Sometimes the victim may also develop masculine characteristics. Some drugs also cause hirsutism. Women who eat too much wheat products are prone to this condition because wheat contains male harmones.

Your doctor will do several tests in order to measure androgen levels. The test will tip the doctor where the problem lies, whether in the ovaries or the adrenal glands.

Do's & Dont's for Hirsutism

Waxing hair causes inflammation and stimulates hair growth by increasing blood supply to the follicles. Shaving is the safest and the easiest methods of temporary removing hair. Contrary to popular belief shaving does not increase the hair growth, it makes it grow faster but one should avoid using blade on the face. Facial hair should always be bleached to make it unnoticeable. But before starting on bleaching, you should keep a few points in mind. When bleaching your face keep the mixture well away from your eyes. Never bleach a pimply face. If your skin is sensitive, apply a little of it on the inside of your wrist to see whether it agrees with your skin. If it does not agree then make your own bleach. To 1 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide add 6 drops of Ammonia. Apply on the face with a piece of cotton wool and wash off after 10 minutes. If you have a dry skin then before bleaching apply a thin layer of cold cream on your face and always bleach under a fan. The other methods of hair removal one:­

1. Galvanic Tweezer Electrolysis

   Like needle, expiatory tweezer epilators use electric currents to remove hair. The tweezers grasp the hair close to the skin and applied current travels down the hair shaft to the roots. Pain is lesser than when doing electrolysis.

2. The Soft Light Laser.

   In this method, first a carbon solution is applied to the skin. The carbon which attracts laser light binds specifically to the hair shaft not surrounding skin allowing the beam to damage the follicle and retard future hair growth. The hair falls out immediately when the area is rubbed with a wet cloth. This treatment gives freedom from hair for 6 months.

3. The Epilator Treatment

   First, a cooling jelly is massaged into the hairy areas then the doctor scans the laser over your skin and the incinerated hair fall of within a week. For maximum benefit, you should have 2 to 5 treatments each, one to 3 months apart and you won't see regrowth for a year.

   For hirsutism there is no permanent treatment but patients with ovarian or adrenal diseases can be effectively treated. If the patient is obese reducing her weight can reduce the male harmone testosterone levels in the blood. Hormone treatment if done by a good medical practitioner will bring a significant decrease in the growth of hair and definite improvement in the condition within 6 months of treatment.